Freezing feet...

sirmol

How do people combat this? Two pairs of socks? Are there any special socks people use which they have found to be effective?

TakeTurns

Thermal socks..overshoes...winter road shoes and plastic bags is also another method.

wreckedmyklein

Get some overshoes. They work wonders. Even cheap ones keep your feet much warmer and drier.

charlie_potatoes

Here you go

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40013&t=12899552

sirmol

cheers guys

prhymeate

I used tape inside my shoes to block the air from getting in and also bought the gore windstopper overshoes. To be honest, there is very little difference between wearing them and not wearing them. I even tried a short 5 mile ride with just one overshoe on and my feet felt the same, which was pretty annoying.

MattyyP

I have Endura Neoprene Road overshoes and they are brilliant! And at £24 they are a bargain too!

sirmol

MattyyP wrote:

I have Endura Neoprene Road overshoes and they are brilliant! And at £24 they are a bargain too!

cheers

nawty

MattyyP wrote:

I have Endura Neoprene Road overshoes and they are brilliant! And at £24 they are a bargain too!

I have a pair of those Enduras and a pair of the £10 Planet X ones and to be honest I find that there's no difference in performance (both v good) but the Planet X ones are easier to put on and take off so I use them (both have good rear reflective material).

Calpol

+1 Planet X overshoes

giant_man

Don't wear your shoes/boots too tight, definitely not two pairs of socks btw, and make sure there is 'warm air space' in the boot. Overshoes or oversocks also help as do a decent pair of socks.

strongman

I have just got some Karrimor chemical toe warmers from Field & Trek / Sports Direct after reading the thread on the subject. Not tried them yet but for 99p I thought they were worth a try.
I normally wear thick socks, overshoes & ensure all the ventilation holes in my shoes are taped up. This is fine for a few hours but then the cold gets through, hence the chemical experiment!
I have also read that tight shoes cause cold feet.

MartAstur

I taped up the holes in the shoes and bought some decent socks and some Castelli 'toe thingies' and then some quite stretchy overshoes that fit over the shoe and the toe thingies. So far my feet have been fine. Hope this helps

nick1972

Calpol wrote:

+1 Planet X overshoes

Another one for Planet X overshoes.

schlepcycling

These http://www.prendas.co.uk/details.asp?typ=mfc&fkid=11&ID=773 + overshoes = Toasty toes

matta75

ive not even got a bike but asked the bloke in the shop this queston today and his reply was...

they probably arent wearing windproof trousers or whatever they're called, and they're legs are cold and that causes their feet to get cold. said if they are just fleece then to wear a wind proof over trouser and overshoes and that should keep the feet warm.

please do not shoot the messenger here as i really am no expert but passing on info from someone who has been riding for 15 years is all.

hope it helps a bit

keef66

+ several for the no nonsense PX overshoes. Paired with Woolie Boolie socks they are excellent in anything but torrential rain.

And I'm warm down to minus 3 or 4 in my DHB roubaix bibtights

Bordersroadie

My deep winter "system": two pairs of thin socks then summer (my only) shoes then plastic foodbags then winter overshoes. The placcy bags make a big difference as they cut out all draughts around the sole and provide a waterproof layer as well as trapping an air layer. No concerns with feet sweating in this weather.

This combo has served me well for up to two hours at minus 7 so far this winter.

Markjaspi

Until last week 2 pairs of Footie socks, but I still had chilly feet after a out 20 miles. Last week I got some btwin overshoes for my birthday and they have made the world of difference, as above I cant recommend them enough.

smoggysteve

May sound stupid but try putting condoms between 2 layers on thin socks. then overshoes on the outside. Most cold comes from wind chill on wet feet. Dryer your feet are the less you will feel the cold.

smoggysteve

reason I say thin socks is, if you can get thick socks on inside cycling shoes then they are too big and you are wasting energy.

Oxo

A never-ending search for me too, I suffer terribly with cold feet. Yesterday's experiment was reasonably successful, and I managed over 6 hours in sub-zero conditions without anything important dropping off:

Woolie Boolie socks
Shoes with taped vents and slightly slackened straps (to encourage blood-flow)
Bacofoil, clingfilm then Sellotape wrapped over front 1/3rd of shoe.
BBB Hardwear neoprene shoe covers.

Not perfect, but wasn't in agony. Definitely going to have a try on those stick-on chemical toe warmers though.

Cheers

Ox

sirmol

Cracking response cheers guys, I went and picked up some over shoes from my LBS so going to try these next weekend and see how they fair.

#david2012

I treated myself to the Planet X deal at Xmas and the overshoes were brilliant
Loads of extras for £22 happy days... Much better than my endura ones!

twoshots

Keep your legs warmer? Your blood has to get down them to warm your feet, bit of an extension of the 'if you've got cold hands wear a hat' theory. I use fleecy lined Roubaix bib tights with leg warmers underneath if it goes below zero.

Everything else I've tried has already been suggested: make sure you have some 'air space' in your shoes/socks (don't compress thick socks), overshoes (I prefer waterproof to neoprene), mudguards (keep the cold spray off your feet), taped up air vents, check your not fitting your shoes too tightly and you don't have numbness/restricted circulation/'hot spots' from your cleat position etc.

SmoggySteve wrote:

May sound stupid but try putting condoms between 2 layers on thin socks. then overshoes on the outside. Most cold comes from wind chill on wet feet. Dryer your feet are the less you will feel the cold.

That's a new one on me!

charlie_potatoes

Oxo wrote:

Definitely going to have a try on those stick-on chemical toe warmers though.

I had the chance to try these out on Sunday. Definitely recommend them.
Just got to sort out my cold fingers now

ben@31

Move to Australia.

Oxo

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

Oxo wrote:

Definitely going to have a try on those stick-on chemical toe warmers though.

I had the chance to try these out on Sunday. Definitely recommend them.
Just got to sort out my cold fingers now

Sealskinz Handlebar mittens ("lobster" type). Best £30 I've spent on cycling so far. Cold fingers no longer an issue

alidaf

I've found Aldi's ski socks (wool and silk) to be better at keeping my feet warm than a lot of cycle specific brands I've tried, but overshoes are a must, especially in wet weather. The ski socks are quite thick and come up to almost the knee. Not quite as breathable as cycling socks but the wool helps prevent odours.

mercia_man

My wife and I both use black Tesco cashmere socks. Much cheaper and warmer than any cycling specific socks I've tried, yet thin enough to fit comfortably in cycling shoes. I can also recommend Primal Wear neoprene overshoes which Planet-X were selling recently at just £9.99 (£39.99 RRP). They are thicker and more waterproof than the excellent Planet-X branded neoprene overshoes I already own and have a thick rubber toe cover. They only have a small cleat hole on the sole and I extended the size of the hole with scissors to fit my SPDs. I reckon you could do the same to make them fit road cleats.

charlie_potatoes

Oxo wrote:

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

Oxo wrote:

Definitely going to have a try on those stick-on chemical toe warmers though.

I had the chance to try these out on Sunday. Definitely recommend them.
Just got to sort out my cold fingers now

Sealskinz Handlebar mittens ("lobster" type). Best £30 I've spent on cycling so far. Cold fingers no longer an issue

Another 30 quid. Cheers Oxo