Winter cycling shoes

[Jaclyn]

Yesterday the temperatures dipped down to the 50's ... it's time to think about winter road cycling. A male friend has a pair of Lake Winter road cycling boots that keep his feet dry and warm. I'm looking for something similar for women. So far, the ones I've found (like the Gaeme Eskimo which looked great) are sizes 39 and larger.

Does anyone seen winter cycling shoes in smaller sizes? I wear a size 6 / 37 shoe.

[Eden]

I'm in the same boat as you - I generally take a 36 or 37 depending on the manufacturer. I've yet to see a winter shoe that comes small enough, so I think we have to improvise. I wear a mt bike/touring shoe in the winter that's a little bigger than my normal size. when its really cold or cold and wet I put on a pair of StormSocks, a pair of wool socks and top it all off with a pair of Sugoi booties. (hmmmm as I wonder if my old neoprene booties would fit under the Sugoi ones....)
chemical toe warmers can be pretty nice too. (and I've seen ones this year that are whole insole sized!)

[newfsmith]

If you are talking about riding only into the forties, then shoe covers are the way to go, maybe adding chemical warmers. If you are planning on daily riding in the twenty to 32F range, winter boots make more sense. IF YOU BUY BOOTS, TYPICALLY YOU NEED 2 OR 3 FULL SIZES LARGER THAN YOUR REGULAR SHOES. That is to allow room for 2 layers of wool socks, and you must not have any pinching. Any restriction of circulation to your feet will mean that you will have cold feet no matter how well insulated the boot is. So if you wear a 37, you should probably start with trying a 39. Be sure to take the socks you will be wearing with you. Look for boots that will completely cover your ankles, that allows a better air seal between tights and boots, keeping you warmer.

[Eden]

The reviews of some of the winter type shoes that I've seen do say the the sizing already takes the need to layer socks and roominess into account, so its likely that a 39 would be very, very large on a 37 foot... (and I almost found out the hard way that unclipping with shoes that are to big can be near to impossible - your foot turns in the shoe instead of the cleat turning out of the pedal!)
From my own experience Lake shoes already run very large. A 37 mt shoe felt 2 sizes to big!

[CorsairMac]

I'm with Eden - although the winter shoes sounded/looked tempting, I can't really afford yet another pair of bike shoes so:

I wear my mountain bike shoes which are a tad bigger with SmartWool socks...as the temps drop I add toe shoe covers and eventually full shoe covers and SealSkinz socks and my feet stay quite toasty warm! now......if I could just figure out how to keep my butt warm it'd be perfect! :p

[7rider]

I'm with Eden - although the winter shoes sounded/looked tempting, I can't really afford yet another pair of bike shoes so:

I wear my mountain bike shoes which are a tad bigger with SmartWool socks...as the temps drop I add toe shoe covers and eventually full shoe covers and SealSkinz socks and my feet stay quite toasty warm! now......if I could just figure out how to keep my butt warm it'd be perfect! :p

Another one here who doesn't want yet ANOTHER pair of shoes!
When it's really cold, I'm on the rollers with my road bike! ;)
But if it's only "sort of" cold, toe warmers or full shoe covers work on my road shoes (Speedplay pedals). My flat bar road bike has SPDs, and my shoes there are a bit big, so Smartwool (two pair) works for me.

[Velobambina]

I bought winter shoes (Sidis & Lakes--got the latter at a really good price) last year and don't regret it. Layering w/my Ruby Slippers--even with insulated shoe covers, wool socks, chemical toe warmers--didn't cut it for me. Using the winter shoes made it bearable to ride outside on the coldest days. I still had to layer w/wool socks and use chemical warmers, though. I anticipate using both pairs of winter shoe/boots for many, many years. Therefore, they are a solid investment, especially since I hope to commute by bike all winter long (means riding after dark, when it's coldest).

You might be able to find the Lakes on sale at Performance or Nashbar. SheFly recommended them and they worked out great. They were much less expensive than the Sidis. I do prefer the Sidis for the most part, but the Lakes seem to keep my feet warmer when its below 25 degrees. I call the Lakes my Herman Munster boots--for good reason!! LOL

[Jaclyn]

Last year I tried combinations of neoprene socks, chemical toe warmers, and shoe covers ... one of my other hobbies is glass blowing which means I like to spend my time working in a 2200 degree furnace in a hot shop. I dislike the cold, but hate riding indoors on a trainer even more. So I've found a pair of the Gaerne Eskimo winter road shoes in a size 37 at the Gaerne web site (http://www.gaernebike.com/fs_show_item_details.php?item_id=718&search=&pg=&site_section=&secpg=).

I've ordered a pair and will post a review once they've arrived. They're expensive ($219 ... and that's on sale) but will probably last forever.

Thanks, Eden, for the news that the chemical warmers are now available in full sole size.