chemical warmers

[Catrin]

I am going to try and ride this afternoon and have hopes my neck will hang in there It will be close to freezing however and I don't have winter cycling boots/shoes.

I am going to try my usual bike shoes with wool socks, a plastic bag, chemical warmers and toe covers. Can I put the chemical toe warmers on the plastic, assuming there is room for all of this in my shoes? I will put them on the top of my feet. I understand that the chemical warmers need some air to work well so I am guessing they shouldn't go under the plastic wrapper...

I don't have actual shoe covers yet though I've my eye on a pair that would work for the mtb shoes I wear on the road once I have the money.

[Crankin]

I might do a test of this, as the heat might melt the plastic? Probably not, though.
I really don't know if you will need the plastic, but when it's cold enough for the chemical warmers, I have booties on.
Make sure you open the warmers' package 5 minutes or so before you put them in your shoes. They really work better when they have this time to activate.

[malkin]

You could try attaching the warmers to the outside of your shoes somehow (tape or string or ?). Make sure your feet aren't constricted inside your shoes.

[Catrin]

Good thought Crankin, I will test this.

My neck is starting to hurt again, so we will have to see about riding this afternoon. It may be that things will ease up by then. I hope the injections aren't wearing off already

Thanks Malkin, it may well be I couldn't fit both inside my shoes anyway. I think I should have gone one size larger for my Mavics as it is...

[smilingcat]

You may want to check your chemical warmer instruction. I thought some required external oxygen from air for it to work. Some do not require it.

And not to worry I don't think any of them give off carbon monoxide or other toxic vapor.

I don't think hand warmer kinds get hot enough to melt plastic. They should be designed to keep you from getting burnt so I would imagine its not enough to melt the plastic.

[Seajay]

I've had the best luck with these. Not sure about the air circulation for these, specifically. They don't SEEM to require it. I let them get started warming, then put my feet in the shoes.

[Catrin]

I've had the best luck with these. Not sure about the air circulation for these, specifically. They don't SEEM to require it. I let them get started warming, then put my feet in the shoes.

I used the toe warmer version of these and they seemed to work for the most part. My shoes have a LOT of vents and as I don't have booties I just had toe covers on. I did notice my toes starting to get cold on downhills, but aside from going downhill they didn't do too badly. I did not try the plastic bread bag option, I think my shoes are probably a little too small for that.

I think I might want to try the full length foot warmer until I can afford full shoe covers. The rest of my body was nice and warm, though I think for any colder temperatures I want to wear my full Gore "head covering" under my Smartwool balaclava. It was ok at 35 degrees but my head was a bit cool.

[pll]

Catrin: I have heard of people covering shoe vents with duct tape. Might not look fashionable, but if it keeps your toes warm, could be worth the try until you get show covers. My toes get cold with shoe covers... I have not tried the chemical warmers because I have retreated to wimp mode now that the temperatures and wind chill are lower around my neighborhood.