My toes are frozen!

[PinkBike]

we've recently experienced some colder than normal temps, and my toes are freezing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have some new socks from REI that are kinda like neoprene, and i have pearl shoe covers, but i seriously thought i was gonna lose some toes when i was out riding after about a half hour. the temp has been high 30's. what do you cold-weather cyclists wear??

[makbike]

PinkBike:

Are you wearing wook tights? I found just wearing wind pants was not enough. Also, have you tried the foot warmers you can insert in your shoes?

Good luck.

[PinkBike]

marcie, i dont think i've heard of the foot warmers.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Hi Laurie,
I had really frozen toes today too. See my post in "December 29th Friday rides" thread.
It's getting more consistantly cold here now in NY state.
I can't speak for how others handle the cold, but here's what I do:
For a 4 hour ride in 31F today, I had to wear my heavy Thinsulate hiking boots. I don't use clipless, just PowerGrip straps on regular pedals- that way I can wear heavy warm boots with room inside for heavy socks. With my boots today I wore Smartwool merino knee socks and a pair of very thick warm hiking socks. Still wasn't quite enough, so next time two heavy pairs and will skip the thin smartwool socks. (I wear two pairs of winter tights as well, and two pair of gloves.) I really don't know how people can keep their feet warm in clipless shoes, even with neoprene booties, but the booties are what people recommend for clipless coldness. There doesn't seem to be any room for heavy socks. I admire them if they can keep going, but I think it must be hard to keep warm enough with clipless shoes. I am assuming you are wearing clipless.

[PinkBike]

yeh lisa, i'm totally clipless, i cant figure out what i can do with the fact that theres only so much room inside my sidi shoes!! i cant afford to have winter shoes (that fit with big woollie socks) AND summer shoes. fortunately we dont usually get that cold, but i thought maybe some others have experience with it. i did read your post, and know EXACTLY where you're coming from!
and, by the way, being 52 is a blast!

[makbike]

Laurie - you can pick them up in hunting section of your local Wal-mart, Target, etc. The ones I have are called Heat Treat - Toe Warmers. They are good for about 6 hours. Here is their website

www.warmers.com

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Marcie, those toe warmers sound like I could use them too! Thanks for the tip!! :)

[makbike]

I hope they help. BTW they also make hand warmers.

[anakiwa]

Are you wearing enough to keep your core warm? I generally stop cycling this time of year, but I do spend a lot of time outdoors (mainly cross-country skiing). I've found that if my core is warm enough, the rest of me is too (hands, feet, face etc).

Booties can be extremely helpful for blocking the wind and keeping your feet from cooling off too much.

The other thing to think about is how tightly your shoes fit. You want to wear a warmer pair of socks, but be careful you don't get so much in your shoes that the circulation is impaired.

[CycleTherapy]

Hi PinkBike....

I'm from Scottsdale....and my toes have been cold too ! My answer is to wear a pair of wool cycling socks and before I slip on my cycling shoes I put a baggie (sandwich bag) on each foot. The baggies seems to help retain some heat and keeps out the wind.

I also have the Pearl Izumi shoe covers, they'll keep my cycling shoes dry but I can't rate them very high for warmth !

I have a friend who lives on the east coast, she uses those disposable hand warmers (something like 0.99 cents at Walgreen's) and just sticks them in her shoes.

I'm curious where you ride/live....maybe we've passed eachother on the roads. :)

[withm]

I've been wearing these with heavy wool socks. So far so good. Temps in the 40s.

Pearl Izumi CalienToes here at TE for $19.99
http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=10526

Soon I'll be breaking out the shoe covers:

http://www.terrybicycles.com/detail.html?c=Apparel&sc=Gloves+%26+Shoes&item_no=1417

They come in neoprene or windblock styles. I have the neoprene and they worked nicely when I was riding in the rain in Europe in October. But now seeing the windblock style.... I sort of wish I had those instead. Neoprene ought to be ok in the cold and wind as long as they don't get wet.

Martha

[PinkBike]

thanks for all the responses!! i'm definitely going to check out the heat treat toe warmers.
bliss, i live in south scottsdale, DH and I commute to sky harbor every day (usually thru papago park), ride to chandler via price on sunday mornings (church) and try to ride with the PMBC club that departs out of kiwanis park on saturday mornings. not so much in the winter tho. maybe i'll see ya, look for the pink bike!!

[nuthatch]

If you don't mind dropping some serious chips, Sidi now makes a remote-controlled battery shoe insole that heats. It has a smart chip that will only allow it to warm to a certain temperature, then cycle off. They're called "toasters (http://www.sidiusa.com/winter.html#a)." It works with a remote that looks like the little clicker for your car door locks. Totally cool but with a Sidi price tag.

[SouthernBelle]

one thing I do is wear a pair of wicking footie type socks under the heavy socks. Helps keep the feet dry.

As far as affording shoes, keep your eye on ebay. I bought my Lakes and Specialized shoes for a dollar a pair plus shipping, totaling less than $10 for 2 pair of shoes. My Lakes are now my winter shoes. They are soft, warm and suedey inside. :p

[Crankin]

I have Sidi road shoes and I can wear Woolie Bully socks comfortably. I just leave the ratchet thing and the velcro fasteners quite loose. I wear those socks with Neoprene booties down to about 40 degrees. This week I went out and rode with temps in the thirties for the first time. I used the chemical foot warmers and it was heaven. Basically, I dress the same way i would for x country skiing. I also wore my longer smart wool ski socks, which are thinner than the woolie bullies, and helped to insulate my legs a bit.

Does anyone else have difficulty shifting and braking in lobster gloves? Mine are extremely warm, but I feel really restricted in which fingers I can use, so I've ended up taking them off and switching to my Am-fibs, which are almost as warm, but not quite. They were expensive, and now I think I may have wasted my money.

[hellosunshine]

what do u mean chamical foot warmers?


i find that i can detach my brain from my feet and ignore them,but the agony of getting home and into the shower,its untrue,worse than standing on an upright plug(if you have ever done that!)yes,bigger shoes,overshoes but between the shoea nd over shoes i sometimes put a plastic bag,with the bottom cut out.


also,cold weather advice,padded bras!awesome.

[suzieqtwa]

I'm not clip less ,but I bought some snowboard smartwool high socks ,and I went out 31 miles in 30 degree weather this morning ,and my toes were fine. I think they are thin enough to go under the clipless shoes. I hope so as I'm going clip less in a couple of weeks.
Suzie

[Maureen Valley]

Ladies...ladies...ladies.....

I have the perfect solution.

Move to Florida.

Then we'll form our own Velogirls group...(we'll call ourselves something else, of course) and ride WITHOUT foot warmers....leg warmers....arm warmers...any kind of warmer.

We'll ride til we drop in the Florida sun...which is what I did today. 25 miles on the West Orange Trail....beautiful, safe...and with the nicest of comfort stations.

Boo Bike performed like a champ. I wanted to quit a time or two, but she just kept me peddling til I could peddle no more. I hit 20 MPH a time or two...which is EXTRAORDINARY for me.

Let me know when you all come to your senses and live where you can ride year 'round. Don't listen to all those nasty rumors about hurricanes.

Hugs to all,
Boo and Me:D

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

What, and give up my whale blubber jerky biking snacks and sealskin underwear? No way!

:cool:

[suzieqtwa]

Ya, and give up 7 months of clouds ,and rain..........Its a challenge to ride each day for me. :D

[Tri Girl]

Move to FL? That's crazy talk! Why would I want to live somewhere where I couldn't constantly complain about the heat/cold? It would take all the fun out of seasonal changes for me. :D
Really, I would LOVE to move somewhere like that (hey, I used to live somewhere like that- but somehow got "stuck" in the midwest and can't leave now). :p I dream of the day I retire to Tucson and live in harmony with the temperate climate of the SW (and I'm from AZ- so that's temperate to me)...

[KSH]

we've recently experienced some colder than normal temps, and my toes are freezing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have some new socks from REI that are kinda like neoprene, and i have pearl shoe covers, but i seriously thought i was gonna lose some toes when i was out riding after about a half hour. the temp has been high 30's. what do you cold-weather cyclists wear??

Maybe someone already mentioned it... but I put toe warmers inbetween 2 pairs of socks. My toes stay toasty warm.

Here's a link to what they look like, etc.

http://www.heatfactory.com/Products/Warmers2-PR/Adhesive_Toe_Warmers_-_1945_-_/adhesive_toe_warmers_-_1945_-_.html

[Duck on Wheels]

[QUOTE=hellosunshine;156343]what do u mean chamical foot warmers?
i find that i can detach my brain from my feet and ignore them,but the agony of getting home and into the shower,its untrue,[QUOTE]

That's not your power of (de-)concentration at work, that's a serious sign of frostbite when you lose sensation in your toes! You must get the sizes and layers right. Better to feel cold than go numb, better to stay warm than feel cold. Try smartwool bike socks. They may be the right thickness to keep your toes warm without making your shoes too tight (reduced circulation --> frostbite). And those little chemical heat packets work too. Just don't place them inside your innermost sock layer. They can get quite hot :eek:

[Trek420]

Ladies...ladies...ladies.....

I have the perfect solution.

Move to Florida.

Then we'll form our own Velogirls group...(we'll call ourselves something else, of course) and ride WITHOUT foot warmers....leg warmers....arm warmers...any kind of warmer.

We'll ride til we drop in the Florida sun...which is what I did today. 25 miles on the West Orange Trail....beautiful, safe...and with the nicest of comfort stations.

Boo Bike performed like a champ. I wanted to quit a time or two, but she just kept me peddling til I could peddle no more. I hit 20 MPH a time or two...which is EXTRAORDINARY for me.

Let me know when you all come to your senses and live where you can ride year 'round. Don't listen to all those nasty rumors about hurricanes.

Hugs to all,
Boo and Me:D

ladies ladies, or california! we already have the velogirls, with jerseys and socks and rides and and...Don't like the velogirls :confused: there are at least 2 other womens cycling clubs, the lunachix and uhm another one I forget, oh and wombats for mtb gals (ok, that's 3) and a whole lotta TE'ers.

And, if you want frostbite you got it! We have mountains too.

Don't listen to the nasty rumors about earthquakes, crazy drivers, horrid traffic, sky high home prices....

[KnottedYet]

Oh, yeah, HOUSING prices! Holy sheep!

No, Oregon is where it's at: nice bungalows in Eugene OR for $150-$170k, award winning bike friendly town, an hour from the mtns, an hour from the ocean, not too much rain, not too much sun, and close enough to CA that you can ride with the crazed drivers through horrid traffic during an earthquake any time you want!

http://www.eugene-or.gov/portal/server.pt

[Maureen Valley]

Ok, ladies...you can brag all you want...but do you have an infestation of Pythons in your wilds? Do you have alligators that dine on fluffy little white dogs and toddlers if their idiot parents are dumb enough to let them waddle down to the water's edge? Do you have a voting system that can throw off an election by thousands of votes? Hanging and pregnant chads, anyone? And can you match child for child the numbers of kids the system LOSES each year? Never to be found again?

Boy....we're good, aren't we?

Best to all from....Flurr-Duh
Maureen
(transplant from Minneapolis!!)

[LBTC]

ladies ladies, or california!

Don't listen to the nasty rumors about earthquakes, crazy drivers, horrid traffic, sky high home prices....

You missed fires!:eek:
~T~

[Duck on Wheels]

You missed fires!:eek:
~T~

And rock slides :eek: They're part of the SoCal carbon cycle too -- brush growth, dry cycle, fires, wet cycle, slides, regrowth. Takes just long enough for a new "generation" to grab up the slide-emptied lots (not remembering to ask why they're empty) and rebuild. :D 'Course, I'm from NoCal. From my perspective anybody living in SoCal must be slightly loopy (though often in a good way).

[Trek420]

You missed fires!:eek:
~T~

oooh, ooh, fires and mudslides. How could I forget?

How long have I lived here again? And floods! Oh the floods. The Russian River, every bleeping year.

"Look at this lovely river front lot, like it's waiting just for me to build my dream cabin in the redwoods blub blub blub......"

We're diverse, I truly love that.

Everyone comes here, brings there food and it all grows here! Farm markets with Italian basil, Thai greens, Japanese eggplant, South and Central American squashes, Southwestern chilis ....

And can we talk? This huge gay community, it's not like I would have to go all the way to Seattle for example to meet the bikergal of my dreams. :p :D

[Crankin]

Well, to answer the chemical foot warmer question, they are small packets that you stick on the bottom of your socks and heat your feet for about 6 hours. They are generally used for skiing, but they work really well for cycling, too.
As far as the moving question, all I have to say is there is more to life than endless summer. This is not meant to be flippant. I've lived in both Florida (5 years) and AZ (16 years) before I moved back to Massachusetts. I love the four seasons and the opportunity for recreational activities in all four seasons is endless. I love the change and not knowing what the weather will be like the next day! The only time I get a little upset is when it rains a lot in the spring and I can't ride outside. When it's really cold (not that often), I just remember what it was like to open up the door of my car when it was 112 degrees out. I was sick all of the time from the pollution and dust in the Valley. Frankly, I think I would get burned out on riding if i could ride 12 months a year. The season is stretching out to be longer and longer each year for me, so there's really only 2.5-3 months where I am not riding outside at least on the weekends. Yes, houses are expensive here, but not more than California! We just bit the bullet when we moved back here and moved to a smaller house in a less upscale commuity until we could afford more. That was in 1990 and I will never regret it. My life in AZ was very nice; nice house in south Tempe, good job in the Mesa Schools, but it just seemed kind of shallow. I can't describe it and we decided that we wanted to bring up our kids in the same type of environment that we were brought up in.

[Trek420]

Also to answer the foot warmer question, have we mentioned shoe covers? Another approach is keep the warmth you've got inside.

They are expensive but someone mentioned here you can make your own by cutting the toe part off heavy wool socks?

Also seems counterintuitive but to keep your toes warm....keep your head and core warm.

Wearing a light layer under the jersey as well as headgear like.....

Back to CA some argue we have no seasons here.

We really do, it's subtle like when the wildflowers bloom, when the redwing blackbirds return or the hills are green ...one of my favorite aspects here is I can live right smack in a busy urban area and with very little time there are places right here and nearby that feel like rural CA I grew up in 40-50 years ago.

We have to work hard to protect those places though.

[DebW]

Also seems counterintuitive but to keep your toes warm....keep your head and core warm.


As the old-time mountaineers used to say "If your feet are cold, put on a hat". Advice I've lived by on many a winter hike. However, ime, that doesn't work as well on a bike as it does hiking, because (1) your feet are in shoes with rigid soles, therefore they aren't flexing to promote circulation, (2) you have a metal cleat, i.e. heat sink, attached to your foot, (3) your feet are above ground and exposed to constant wind. Which is not to say that one can't or shouldn't attempt to ride in winter, but the inherent limitation of biking in the cold are there. Other sports in which the feet flex and baggy, bulky loose clothing can be worn are more suited for winter activity for most of us. I say that as a road biker with a cold limit of 30-35F. MTBers may be better able to challenge the cold.

[KnottedYet]

Seattle has those subtle seasons, too.

Cold, rainy, and green; and folks wearing long underwear under winter clothes.
Cold, rainy, and green; and folks wearing long underwear under summer clothes.

It's subtle, but it's there!:D

[Trek420]

The Lake Tahoe area has 3 seasons:
Too cold
Too hot
Construction.

[LBTC]

The Lake Tahoe area has 3 seasons:
Too cold
Too hot
Construction.

I thought that was Canada....oops, not on the too hot front. hahahha:D

Just kiddin' Plenty hot enough here, and not that cold.....

~T~