Winter socks

joelsim

Please pass on the benefit of your experience. A couple of forumites have already made some good suggestions. Plus overshoes as my feet got absolutely soaked last Thursday and in the cold that would be lethal I reckon.

Is it ok to wear two pairs of socks when it's wheely cold?

cjcp

I avoid two pairs of socks as they restrict my circulation. I use normal socks, but wear goretex overshoes. I've also used socks between my shoes and neoprene overshoes, to reduce the windchill.

Initialised

and ProRace Neoprene Overshoes



got me through last winter.

cornerblock

Woolie Boolies and a good pair of overshoes is all you need. Rapha winter socks are the buisness too, but, surprise surprise they are a bit more expensive.

tgotb

Proper Winter shoes (Specialized Defrosters in my case). Half a size bigger than my Summer ones, to allow for thicker socks. Obviously means you have to buy an extra pair of shoes, but the flip side is that because you're only wearing each pair of shoes for 6 out of 12 months, they'll last twice as long.

In the long term, certainly works out cheaper (and more convenient) than several pairs of shredded overshoes...

spasypaddy

woolie boolies + winter boots = comfort

marksteven

just bought some seal skin socks , meant to be good will wait & see .

iPete

Seal Skins and some over shoes for me, not perfect though, think you need waterproof bibs for the socks to really work, stupid hole in the top...

meanredspider

spasypaddy wrote:

woolie boolies + winter boots = comfort

says it all

UndercoverElephant

My winter boots cost me £50 brand new on ebay, Diadora Chilli Extreme. They are pretty superb, and amazingly waterproof. I wouldn't go back to shoe covers now. I also recommend Prenda's winter socks.

iPete

UndercoverElephant wrote:

My winter boots cost me £50 brand new on ebay, Diadora Chilli Extreme. They are pretty superb, and amazingly waterproof. I wouldn't go back to shoe covers now. I also recommend Prenda's winter socks.

Wow, given that a pair of Seal skins is nearly half the price of these, I think I'm going to have to invest and It'll save faff time with overshoes etc!

nich

Another +1 for DeFeet Woolie Boolie

richVSrich

do overshoes work with ratchet mtb shoes? - or do they need to be specific?

il_principe

Having spent years f*cking about with overshoes, I bought a pair of Northwave winter boots last year. Honestly, forget messing about with winter socks (Castelli's merino ones are the bomb), and just get some winter boots.

notsoblue

iPete wrote:

Seal Skins and some over shoes for me, not perfect though, think you need waterproof bibs for the socks to really work, stupid hole in the top...

I really wasn't impressed by Seal Skins. They don't keep your feet particularly dry, perhaps they're meant to work like a wetsuit or something but I've found that when its very cold and wet you just end up with water pooling in them feeling just as cold. They're pretty thick and uncomfortable. I wanted them to work though, so much so that I bought two pairs :S

+1 to the overshoes though, they're a must in the cold. I have these at the moment: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/pro-tarmac-npu-road-overshoes/ (road and MTB versions) and I'm pretty happy with them. Its worth investing in overshoes with a zipper at the rear rather than just velcro.

Also, +1 to the hole in the top, in heavy rain that seems to be where all the water comes in. Anyone found a good solution for that?

UndercoverElephant

notsoblue wrote:

Also, +1 to the hole in the top, in heavy rain that seems to be where all the water comes in. Anyone found a good solution for that?

The boots I linked to above:



Draw-string closure at the top of the overshoe bit means that it takes a lot more for the water to get through, looks a bit odd, but works very well indeed. Mudguards help more than you would imagine too.

bails87

richVSrich wrote:

do overshoes work with ratchet mtb shoes?

Yep.

My Planet X ones work with my Shimano MTB shoes anyway.

fatherted

Joelsim wrote:

Plus overshoes as my feet got absolutely soaked last Thursday and in the cold that would be lethal I reckon.

Fit mudguards.
Wear these when it is raining.
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/eager-oversh ... -prod7044/

They roll up small and fit in a jersey pocket.

Is it ok to wear two pairs of socks when it's wheely cold?

Yes.
I like De-Feet products and can recommend their winter socks.
Their Slipstram Oversocks ( assuming you wear cycling shoes ) will keep your feet warm down to about -5 deg.
http://www.parker-international.co.uk/2 ... socks.html

When I'm commuting I find the overshoes that others recommend to be too bulky.
They do not fit in a jersey pocket and seeing I don't wear a backpack for 4 of the 5 days they are not practical.

notsoblue

richVSrich wrote:

do overshoes work with ratchet mtb shoes? - or do they need to be specific?

MTB shoes tend to be more bulky and to have tread on the bottom of them. The MTB style overshoes I use tend to have a larger hole in the bottom that you close with velcro. Road overshoes don't have this.

With regards to the ratchet, I have ratchets on both my shoes and haven't had a problem with overshoes. If you're concerned though you could get an overshoe that gives access to the ratchet. Mavic do some: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mavic-thermo-shoe-cover/

cjcp

cjcp wrote:

I avoid two pairs of socks as they restrict my circulation. I use normal socks, but wear goretex overshoes. I've also used socks between my shoes and neoprene overshoes, to reduce the windchill.

Another thing: the Gore overshoes are a bit bulky and you can't adjust the sizing, so if I'd bought a medium instead of the large, the cleats might have struggled to get through the opening on the bottom. I had to wrap tape or put elastic bands around mine to reduce the bulk. Obviously that's a good look...

Koncordski

+1 for mudguards. Had a seatpost mounted one for a while which worked ok for the back wheel. Still got drenched with the spray from the front onto my legs though. Being a big girl's blouse I've finally conceded that my trusty 1.1 entry level trek roadie will never be the coolest bike in the peloton so have ordered full SKS guard set. Off to evans after work to look at winter shoes. Getting ready for the full winter commute nice and early. :oops: