Cold Feet

Matt_

Every winter I have the same problem, my feet get cold within a very short distance of setting off for a ride. I bought some Sealskinz thermal and waterproof socks and they've been brilliant in terms of keeping my feet dry but they still get absolutely frozen whilst the rest of my body is toasty warm no matter how cold it is.

The shoes I use are Shimano and they are very stiff, they have no give in them either in the sole or the upper so I'm thinking they probably aren't helping as my foot isn't getting to move around very much. Do you think it's as simple as changing to some Five Ten boots and is there anything else I can do to help with this like any socks that improve circulation or anything like that? I try wiggling my toes but doesn't make any difference I think I must just have poor circulation to my feet.

I'm kind of planning getting some Five Tens anyway as they will stick to the pedals a lot better plus the Shimano's I've got are getting on now.

sparrowlegs78

Neoprene surfers socks and wool socks....toasty tootsies
Caz xx

paramart

tried wool and seal skins both last a bit longer than normal socks, i use shimano winter shoes as well, i think it is because you tend to tighten them up it restricts the circulation, would be nice to find a cure though

getonyourbike

try something like woolie boolies under the sealskinz, toasty toatsies

Beanhead Bucko

My toes go numb after about a mile, I've only been wearing woolie boolie socks with my Shimano MP90 flat shoes. I'm buying some sealskinz socks tomorrow for the wet winter rides and I assumed they would help with the cold feet too.

Maybe I'll try the surfer socks?

thel33ter

5 10's are pretty warm, I was fine on our icy SH ride today with Sealskiz mid thermals and 5 10 Impacts.

Matt_

Thanks for the replies. Few things to try.

Funnily enough with it being cold CRC have sold out of Five Ten Boots in my size! Hopefully they will come back in stock soon...

roger_merriman

I've gone for my old walking boots, they are waterproof and really toasty, and seem to mate up to my flat pedals fine.

Northwind

Five Tens will be fine til they get wet but they soak up water like sponges and that's not ideal in the cold. Trouble is, nobody seems to make a proper winter flat shoe, which is weird considering how well winter and flats go together.

joesteve

I have the same problem made worse by wearing SPD's. The only thing I have found that works are these foor warmers. They are thin enough to fit in my shoes on top of the toes and last all day.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mycoal-foot-war ... d_sim_sg_3

slimboyjim

I wore a second pair of socks the other day and spent 4.5 hours up at Cannock in the snow with no issues. It was one of those mini-revelations you have. I just had some leather/suede Vans on and they seemed to keep out the snow pretty well. A little got through and by the end of the ride I had damp patches in my socks but it wasn't cold...

I just used a pair of thin running ankle socks inside my usual ones - they weren't anything special...

If you have an old pair of Vans (etc.) you could always spray some waterproofing chemicals on them if you were really worried... They seem to sell it at most shoe shops, or there's the stuff for jackets like Grangers. I cannot vouvh for how effective it is though...

allthegearnoidea

M&S do a pack of 3 merino socks for a tenner, ideal for under sealskinz,
shimano shoes are tight on the toes, i suffered a lot with my ols shim shoes, but sized up on the new ones and works a treat! but cranking the toe/lower foot strap up can still cut the circulation off!
a pair of overshoes can help too!!

lg18

I use neoprene over-shoes. They fit over your shoes and have a gap for your cleats (if you have SPDs) and a zip up the back. I wouldn't be without them in winter - truly wonderful. They even keep you relatively dry (and completely clean) through very deep muddy puddles.
Lucy

wordnumb

allthegearnoidea wrote:

M&S do a pack of 3 merino socks for a tenner, ideal for under sealskinz,

Good suggestion, one for each foot and one for the old chap.
Today was the first time sealskinz socks weren't warm enough for me.

dav1

for me thick socks and endura MT500 overshoes do the job. I fond the overshoes keep the wind and wet out, then the socks are enough insulation.

I take a start cold end cold attitude. Always make sure my shoes and socks are freshly warmed on a radiator and put them on at least 5 mins before I leave.

Anonymous

feet tend to get cold as they have the worst blood circulation of the whole body, as they are the farthest body part from the heart, so, unless it is unbearable (frost bite) I don't do anything about it.

specialized989

this will sound REALLY stupid, but just put the shoes on a LITTLE BIT looser, i found that helped a lot.

FSR_XC

A tip from Bradley Wiggins via Twitter - "clingfilm"

Basically, first sock on, wrap foot in clingfilm, second sock, then your shoe.

Never tried it, but if it works for an Olympic champion training every day, I'm sure it'll work for the average MTB'er.

Anonymous

Northern blood is all that's required. Though I was born in Devon I've got a little northern in me and that seems enough

But yeah, 5 10s are sufficient for me. Regular sports socks. Nothing else.

Just ride hard and that'll keep you warm.

Beanhead Bucko

specialized989 wrote:

this will sound REALLY stupid, but just put the shoes on a LITTLE BIT looser, i found that helped a lot.

This.

I wear shimano flat shoes with woolie boolie or sealskinz and I found that simply wearing my shoes looser made a Massive difference

Anonymous

Makes sense for the same reason you wear loose layers when skiing. Traps layers of air which keep you warm. Apparently.

Matt_

Went out riding today and I wore some walking boots that have a lot more give in them and I didn't end up with cold feet so it's definitely the Shimano shoes that are the problem! I've got some five tens turning up next week so that'll be the end of cold feet for me I hope.

PedroX64

My feet froze the other night, so when I saw some foil backed bubble wrap insulation in the shed I stuck it in my shoes. I put my feet under the insulation and it blocked the air vents - it's also waterproof so it stopped cold puddle water getting onto my feet through the top of my shoes!

It's a proper ghetto shoe mod

meanredspider

Bizarre - I wear Shimano winter spd boots with summer weight/length merino socks underneath and even at -11C my feet were absolutely fine. I wear my boots tight - so much so that I had to send Sealskinz socks back because they were too thick to get my feet in my boots. Last winter I rode in Spesh Tahoe with neoprene overshoes and thick merino socks and my feet were colder at warmer temps.

22-48

Are you wearing long warm tights or shorts? If you're not coveing all your legs then keeping your feet warm will be hard.