cold toes

[chris Williams]

Hi, I fairly new to riding.. just got my bike about 3 weeks ago.. anyway..my question is.. In the cold , do your feet get so cold you can't feel your toes? What do you use to keep your feet warm? thanks

[VeloVT]

I'm good down to maybe 35, but colder than that and I pull out my booties. (I have some PI booties, not sure what the model is called, waterproof and with thickish neoprene insulation). They really work!

[buddha_bellies]

I have the Sugoi booties and they're wind and waterproof. I wear them with thick socks and that keeps me relatively warm.

And when I wear road shoes, I have the toe covers with the booties too.

[OakLeaf]

What they said (wool socks plus toe covers or booties), plus make sure your shoes aren't too tight. Especially if you bought your shoes in warm weather with thin socks on. Less insulation with more CIRCULATION is actually warmer than the other way around... of course if you have both circulation AND insulation, your toes will be warmest.

In a pinch down to 35 or 40° F, you can just put plastic bags over your socks, inside your shoes. They don't take up any space. Just make sure you're wearing wool socks (to wick sweat away from your feet) and you're not riding with anyone who's going to make fun of the plastic hanging out of your shoes. ;)

[KathiCville]

All of the above are great ideas, particularly the point about blood circulation.........Last winter I wore SealSkinz socks made with a fleece liner. They made a big difference when worn over a wool sock in my roomy winter riding boot. (The winter boot is a size larger than my warm weather shoe, to allow for layering.)

If your shoe has enough space at the toes, you can add a Heat Grabber or other small chemical warming pack. (@$1 pair) Let them heat up for 5 minutes or so before you put them in your shoes. If you ride less than 3 hours, they'll be good for at least a second ride. Just take them out of your shoes and immediately wrap them tightly in foil to cut off the air supply so they'll cool down to 'dormancy.'.....The packs work well in gloves, too. Don't use them directly on your skin. Have at least a thin layer between you and the pack.

Have fun!! Winter riding is great when you're dressed for it!

[Andrea]

I wear wool socks when the temp is under 70, add toe covers when it gets below 60, then swap the toe covers for booties when it's in the 40's. Those will get me into the 30s depending on which socks I wear. Once it's in the 20's, I add chemical packs in the booties.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Chris, you give us no clue as to how cold you are talking about (50F?, 10F?), or whether you ride with clipless pedals or not.
I use plain old flat pedals with straps, and I wear insulated hiking boots to bike through the winter, I get them a half size larger than usual and wear a couple of nice thick wool socks in them....that's pretty good for a 1-2 hour ride at 25-30F degrees or so.

[RolliePollie]

I just got some PI Calientoes...with Smartwool socks, my toes are staying nice and toasty! But it's been relatively warm here...not sure how warm they would keep my toes if it was in the low 30's.

[batsheva]

i also vote for PI calien toes

[Karma007]

I hear you! I did my first winter ride on Saturday, and my feet went numb an hour in. I had to be really carefull unclipping; gave myself plenty of extra time. As soon as I got home and thawed out, it was off to buy booties and wool socks. I didn't think I would need such acoutrements in N. California, but I was incorrect. The wind and dampness did a number on my toes!

[Pedal Wench]

If you ride less than 3 hours, they'll be good for at least a second ride. Just take them out of your shoes and immediately wrap them tightly in foil to cut off the air supply so they'll cool down to 'dormancy.'.....

I had no idea!!! That's brilliant! I wonder if foil until they've cooled enough, then another layer of plastic to keep it airtight. I've hesitated using them on shorter rides because I didn't want to waste them. (Although, I've been known to keep them stuck on my toes for the drive home. And an few hours after that...) This is probably the best tip of the day!

[ASammy1]

I got my toe warmers here on TE. http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodDS_19033.html

They make a big difference.

[sundial]

Last winter I used bootie covers (not the kind for my hiney ;) ) but this year I bought Specialized Defrosters (http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=40661&eid=342). They are windproof and waterproof. I think next year Specialized will offer these in ladies sizes but since I wear a 43 I can get by with the men's. :cool:

[PinkBike]

nothing nothing nothing

no matter what - i have wool socks, neoprene socks, toe covers, shoe covers - and i still get frosted toes.

i'm thinking of asking santa for the specialized bg defroster shoes, thanks for the suggestion!

[chris Williams]

thank you ladies...I tried sandwich bags last Sunday...lol... and about 1/2 hr into the ride my feet were numb. I'm going to buy wool socks and toe covers tomorrow...:) Oh and I ride with clips....still getting use to them... feel right over last week....:rolleyes:

[KathiCville]

I had no idea!!! That's brilliant! I wonder if foil until they've cooled enough, then another layer of plastic to keep it airtight. I've hesitated using them on shorter rides because I didn't want to waste them. (Although, I've been known to keep them stuck on my toes for the drive home. And an few hours after that...) This is probably the best tip of the day!

Glad the tip was useful! I'm sure I picked it up here on TE last winter when I was desperate for ways to keep my digits warm! :-) And, yes, I DO often stick the foil-wrapped packs into a plastic bag or a small tin with a tight lid. (I should have said that in my first post.) The key is to store them in something air-tight as soon as possible.

Also, if I'm at all dubious about whether I can really get a full second ride out of a pair, I'll use them for walking my dog. (Hour or less.) That way, if the packs don't have a lot of oomph left in them, I'm not stuck part way through a long ride with cold fingers.....

[fidlfreek]

I also vote for PI Calietoes.

Careful though, they do tear pretty easily when you go down under the bike...slips are normal in wet/winter...lucky they're cheap

[fidlfreek]

Chris, dunno if these would fit but the price is right!

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=28314

[tzvia]

I don't cycle in the cold (living here in SO Cal) but I do camp often in the snow and cold (anyone camp at Gila Cliff Dwellings NM xmas week? They have great campsites.) That old camping adage may come into play here "If your feet are cold, cover your head." 1/5 of the the blood in your body is in your head, and it is a major location of heat loss in the cold. So while it is a very good idea to size up your shoes, and fill the space with warmers and socks, and use the outer coverings, it is also a good idea to look at the whole body, and don't forget to keep heat loss to a minimum from the 'ol noggin.

[msincredible]

In addition to warm wear, I try to wiggle my toes regularly to keep them from going numb, particularly on long descents.

[Fujichants]

Eeek, it was cold enough here in So Cal last weekend that my toes were numb as well. And my fingers too, even though I was wearing long fingered gloves...

So, I purchased the Castelli toe warmers from TE and i'm hoping they'll keep my toes nice and warm. I'll let you know once I get them!

I also found that my head was cold, in fact, I got a terrible headache from the wind. I got the Castelli headband (only because it's fleecey!) to prevent that from happening again!