Help my poor cold feet

PostieJohn

This has been ongoing for years, and as yet I still don't have an answer.
For temps around freezing to say +5, I currently wear:-

My Spech Carbon Comp road shoe - loosely strapped
Woolie Boolie or Gore Countdown thermo socks.
Endura neoprene overshoes.

My feet within a couple of miles are cold then the freeze kicks in, starting at my toes.

After an hour or 2, max, on the road, my feet no longer exist, and are colourless when I get home.
A post ride shower is excruciatingly painful.

All the while my fingers, head and rest of 'me' are toasty warm with barely minimal Autumnal/Spring covering.

luv2ride

I was the same last year before I managed to get hold of some Northwave Celsius GTX waterproof boots. Went up a size so manage to wear a pair of thin socks plus some woolie bollies, and if it's really cold you can add some overshoes (keeps the shoes clean as well). I think its something to do with the ability to wear layers within the shoe to trap warm air, and because the Goretex liner is windproof it really stops the chill. With that combo cold feet are, for me at least, a thing of the past. Thought they were a bit of a luxury at the time but have used them loads this winter, and I'm loving 'em 8)

exlaser

seal skin waterproof socks work for me.

cougie

I also think higher cadences help warm you up rather than pushing a big gear.

John.T

+1 for the Northwave Celsius GTX. Get the Fahrenheit if you use road pedals. Not cheap but worth every penny.

tlw1

Overshoes are your friend, you shred them reasonably quickly - but worth it

pottssteve

+1 for overshoes as being helpful.

I've not tried everything on the market yet, but I'm pretty sure that for some of us cold feet are unavoidable. I have poor circulation anyway and this, combined with the redistribution of blood flow during exercise means worse circulation to the extremities during cycling. I get very cold feet, thumbs and first fingers on each hand if riding at below about 4 degrees. Despite wearing thermal socks and 2 pairs of gloves I've yet to find an effective solution. Start your shower off cool, though, or wait until you've warmed up to shower after a ride to avoid the pain. Or you could move to Malaysia, I never had any problems there...............

Steve

Slow Downcp

John.T wrote:

+1 for the Northwave Celsius GTX. Get the Fahrenheit if you use road pedals. Not cheap but worth every penny.

+2. Beat overshoes hands (or feet) down every time. They are expensive, although I managed to get a pair for £70 as a spring sale, but will outlast 10 pairs of overshoes and keep your feet warmer (and dry)

dgstewart

Sounds a bit like me, as I also suffer stupidly cold hands and feet through winter. I often resort to using little heated pads stuck onto my socks. For very cold days I do lighter sock, heated pad on outside of these, then thicker socks, then shoes (lightly strapped) then finally overshoes!

I use these warmers (http://www.littlehottieswarmers.com/footWarmers) but they can be quite expensive. I got a pretty big box of them pretty cheap in Costco a couple of years ago and am running low now and they don't sell them in Costco anymore. :-( Need to hunt around.

centimani

I suffer the same and gawld knows its not rocket science but i'd never thought of it. What are you wearing on your legs ? If they get cold, your feet definately are going to. I brought some Roubaix longs last year, helped maybe a little, but i'm getting some leg warmers or thermals or wearing a pair of bikesters or similar over the top. Hopefully warm legs...warmer feet.

Paul E

I was going to say, keeping your legs warmer will help the blood stay warm all the way down to your feet, down to about 5ish I just have thin endura baa baa socks with a normal pair over the top, this is on spesh comp road shoes, any lower and some bbb speedflex overshoes are added which stop all the cold wind penetrating.

But I also found keeping my head warm has always helped keep my temp up overall.

rolf_f

Don't assume any of the above advice will solve your problem (sorry!). Don't get me wrong - it's all good stuff for keeping the cold away but ifyou have crap circulation it may still not do the trick.

I've been there and done it. I have the Northwave Celsius, the Woolie Boolies and the BBB Ultraflex overshoes (actually, overshoes can last well contrary to mathew h's comment but you do need to buy strong ones and use clipless pedals to avoid trashing the undersides) - but that combo still doesn't keep my feet warm. I do regret not getting the Arctic version of the Celsius but not sure even they would have made a difference. Snowboarding socks might be better than the Woolie Boolies which are OK but don't keep my ankles warm.

Basically though, Woolie Boolies, Northwave Celcius and 3mm of neoprene don't keep my feet warm in cold weather. Even the mild winter so far has seen my feet arrive at the office after an hours ride feeling a bit tingly cold.

Heated insoles or socks might be the next plan.

mikeyboy12345

Hi John,

I suffer from the same problem, and after only an hour on the bike I need to immerse my feet in bowl of hot water and massage them until the colour comes back! One thing that I've noticed that seems to have made a difference this year (compared with last year) is custom-moulded footbeds. I presume it might be do with not crushing nerves/blood vessels as the support for the foot is better. Might be a worth a try. I also keep my shoes ratcheted to the same tension as normal. Since having the custom footbeds I've noticed my feet are MORE LIKELY to go numb if the shoes are a bit looser.

PostieJohn

It's odd, as I am fine all over, except for my feet.
There obviously isn't and never has been anything wrong with my circulation (luckily), which make cold feet even more annoying.

I was hoping something other than £125 shoe would be the answer, perhaps not.
Although I will look into the 'littlehotties'.

rolf_f

Problem solved! You have plenty of feet coverings, are not over-tightening your shoes and you 'obviously' don't have circulation problems. Therefore, your feet are not cold so stop worrying about them

Why do you think you haven't got circulation problems when, based on the evidence you provide, you have?

PostieJohn

Fair comment, but as my blood has no problem circulating anywhere else I assume that should include my feet.

rolf_f

PostieJohn wrote:

Fair comment, but as my blood has no problem circulating anywhere else I assume that should include my feet.

That's a bit like assuming your arm isn't broken because you can still walk! It's fingers and toes that get it worst and first. I get it both feet and hands though worse for feet (though understandable as they are getting hit by road spray and they are moving faster than my hands) - infact, in lightweight socks and ventilated shoes I can suffer cold feet in summer!

oldhairylegs

Try plastic bags over your socks!

Sounds a bit daft (and very old school :oops: ), but coupled with a pair of BBB Heavy Duty overshoes, I found they really do work when it gets freezing cold!

PostieJohn

Glad I'm not the only one.
I have about a 3 week window when I can wear 'normal' socks, out of the 52 available :down:

PostieJohn

oldhairylegs wrote:

Try plastic bags over your socks!

Sounds a bit daft (and very old school :oops: ), but coupled with a pair of BBB Heavy Duty overshoes, I found they really do work when it gets freezing cold!

I knew there was something else.
I've done that before and I think it did work, years ago.

Come on cold snap bring it on.

rolf_f

oldhairylegs wrote:

Try plastic bags over your socks!

Sounds a bit daft (and very old school :oops: ), but coupled with a pair of BBB Heavy Duty overshoes, I found they really do work when it gets freezing cold!

No, I think this is worth a go. Every time people suggest it they say 'but they do make your feet a bit hot and sweaty' and I think 'I'd love to live in a world where my feet might get hot and sweaty on a bike'!!

MattC59

I use Woolie Bollies and these Pro overshoes : http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=43176

The other trick is to tape over the vent hole in the sole of your shoes or you could try a pair of thin silk socks under your woolie bollies.

CRAIGO5000

In Summer, do you find that your feet get a little numb? It could be an issue with your saddle and/or ride position preventing proper circulation to your lower limbs. I'd have thought if it was a general poor blood circulation issue that your hands would equally feel as cold over time.

Chris65

Like me you are probably suffering from a conditon called Raynauds Syndrome.
This effects the blood flow to the hands or the feet or both whilst the body can remain warm. There is no known medical cure for it.
It is possible to spend a small fortune to overcome the problem. Overshoes and warm socks may help as may buying the boots suggested but to date I have not found a solution. To be honest I don't think you will find a one.
If you do decide on replacing your shoes make sure the size you choose is big enough to allow a pair of thick socks and liners without cramping your foot.

In the end like me you may have to learn to live with it.

Good luck

on the road

I used to have the same probplem, but I bought a large pair of overshoes instead of medium and that seemed to help.

nweststeyn

Just ordered some fancy socks to try and combat this, but will also give the plastic bags a shot 8)

My post ride shower yesterday was excruciating!

andyrr

The Spec CC is a race shoe that is designed to stop your feet getting too hot as opposed to retaining maximum heat and it will have vents incorporated in the upper and sole - you could tape these up ?
Adding extra layers on your feet inside the shoe never really worked for me - it might well be because that then reduced the air gaps in the material plus makes the shoe tighter on your feet which then reduces circulation. I've a pair or cheap gloves that were working pretty well to just above zero, on a colder morning I used silk liners and found that it didn't help and possibly resulted in colder fingers - likely due to the more compressed fingers that it gave me.
Something like the Northwave or, alternatively the Diadora Chilli boots that Merlin have been selling are really worth a shot. I've a pair of the Chillis and, whilst I now realise that they are not totally waterproof and I'm sure that at colder temps than we've had so far this winter they will find a limit, these have stopped me getting cold feet at low single-digit temps I've riden in recently once I sourced a sufficiently large pair (3 sizes up from normal) and they feel really comfy, have a nice stiff sole and a 70 minute commute with wet roads has only seen a small amount of moisture ingress. Putting these on to return home is much nicer than the usual feeling of still-wet shoes that were the norm with my carnacs+overshoes.

essjaydee

I've seen on another post, someone had modified a thick pair of socks and where putting these over their shoes, and then putting overshoes on. Obviously you would need to get the sizing correct for the overshoes to fit ok.

Also as well as multiple socks, or thicker socks, someone suggested wrapping tin foil around the outside toe area of their shoes, and then overshoes over the top.

Cheap option worth a try maybe

FatLarry

Slight variation on the bag theme, but I wear a pair of thin socks, wrap my feet in cling film then a pair of normal winter socks over the top.

Toastie.

OSOH

Wonder if these (or similar) would work, sound like a great idea though would need to invest in some rechargeable batteries:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004X71R6C/r ... nkCode=asn

Seem to be quite a few different types on Amazon, these being among the cheaper ones.

Diogenes

exlaser wrote:

seal skin waterproof socks work for me.

+1, especially with neoprene overshoes when its really bitter.

D