Chemical feet warmers

[Catrin]

How well do chemical foot warmers work? I had a lovely 16 mile ride this afternoon - which currently seems to be the limit that my tendons will allow before they start complaining. I do have shoe covers that IndySteel loaned me to check out, but they do not fit on the shoes that I wear with my BMX pedals.

The temps were in the mid-40's when I started the ride, so I assume the wind-chill was in the 30's somewhere. My gear seemed more or less warm enough, though I don't think I want to wear those leg warmers for much lower temps than today - going to have to get some real cold-weather tights. What REALLY got cold today was my feet.

I didn't realize how cold they were until I went to stop before crossing a quite busy street on the way home and couldn't seem to move my feet quite fast enough and had a slow-motion tip-over. Right into the grass so that was ok. Soft landing, nothing bruised but my pride. I had on smart-wool socks + hiking shoes that worked great with my BMX pedals. Can't even blame my SPD pedals for the fall over

So - to my original question - will chemical foot warmers do the trick? I assume they are worn between the sock and shoe and not against my skin. I think if I were to try and wear two pairs of socks that would cause other problems...

Nice ride though - and only had 1 solitary twinge in one tendon the entire ride, the other tendons and muscles appeared quite happy

[chicagogal]

They work. But they require air to activate, so shake them, let them warm up, then put them in your shoes. Also, if you shoe covers don't fit, what about toe covers. Better to have something than nothing, because cold wind is brutal.

[DarcyInOregon]

Why not just invest in the winter cycling shoes? They look like a pair of mid-rise hiking boots and are mostly wind and water proof. I wear mine with Smartwool ski socks, normally $25 retail, but got them for under $10 by shopping a sale online at REI Outlet. The wool ski socks when worn with the winter cycling shoes keep the feet warm and dry without having to deal with shoe covers, and the length of the ski socks help to keep the lower legs warm under thermal winter cycling tights.

[Becky]

They work well, but they're not my first choice, unless it's friiiiiiiiiiiiiiigid. The environmentalist in me tries to find non-disposable methods. (That said, I freely admit to using them on bitter days when I have to wear steel-toe boots. That's an experience that brings new meaning to cold toes )

What about Gore Tex socks? They would block the wind and provide a little insulation too...

[Catrin]

There are two problems with winter cycling shoes - one is the cost - the other is that I must use BMX pedals this winter - no return to clipping in until at least spring. From what I can tell, all winter cycling shoes have hard plastic soles - that doesn't mix well with metal pedals that I can't clip to...

I think that I will take my hiking/riding shoes to my LBS and see if the toe-covers will fit them. I understand that toe covers are one-size and my LBS staff tells me they are kind of narrow. I will investigate further.

hmmmm Smartwool ski socks sounds like a good option as well, and will check into Gore-Tex socks, but the ski socks sounds warmer.

Thanks everyone - I figure that at least for now I shouldn't ride outside very often as I wait for my leg to finish healing, but it is good for me to get out when I can...My leg does seem to respond better to real riding over spinning classes - probably because I behave myself better on the real bike

[indysteel]

DH just got some PI shoe covers that came in different sizes.

I, too, resort to charcoal warmers when it's really cold. Yes, they're not a perfect solution, but I otherwise try to be environmentally conscious. I just can't seem to get by without them when it gets too cold.

[OakLeaf]

May have covered this already - but make sure there's plenty of room in your shoes and that they're not laced too tightly. Nothing freezes my feet like inadequate circulation - likely that's true for you as a diabetic, as well. My feet are actually warmer in lighter shoes/socks that fit loosely, than they are in any combination of heavy boots and thick socks that are even a little snug.

[smurfalicious]

Never used um, but I did notice once on QBP that they had foot specific ones now. Since it sounds like you're just riding in sneakers or something for now, not all of this advice will work for you. Nonetheless, here's my toes is froze guide:

Tape your shoe vents closed! Electrical tape is probably best, it seems to leave the least gunk. Or, if you have an old pair of shoes you upgraded that still have miles, make them your winter shoes. Even if you're using covers this still eliminates routes for cold air to sneak in.

Once that's not enough, I add DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks. They're my absolute favorite wool socks. So thick and wonderful I tend to wear them around the house. At this point I might add toe covers, but I don't feel like they do much especially if I taped the vents.

After that I go taped vents, wool socks, maybe toes covers and then shoe covers. I had some PI ones that sadly they don't seem to make anymore. Then, if it's really nasty but for some reason I decided riding > snowshoeing, I put on my socks, slip my feet into a newspaper bag or similar, then into my shoes and on come the shoe covers. This combo doesn't breathe for beans so it gets a little humid in there, but it's waaaaarm.

Oh, you can do similar for your paws too. Goes fleecy liner glove, latex/nytrile glove, big windproof gloves like a Wombat or some such.

All these combos were tested last winter while I was unemployed, bored and faced with weeks of single digit days.

[Seajay]

I'm a fan of the chemical warmers...used as Chicagogal says.
Shoe covers, however, are a must. Toe covers are OK but I like the added ankle/achilles protection of the full cover.
I'm less of a fan of the winter shoes as its hard to keep the water from running down your leg and into the shoe. (cold lake in shoe) I'm sure they would be nice in a cold dry place.
With the covers being taller... you can run your tights OVER the top of the covers and no water drains in.
On the REALLY cold days...I usually take the toes off a pair of old rag wool socks, cut a hole for the cleat and wear that arrangement over the shoes and under the shoe covers.
Oh...and if I drive to the ride start...shoes heat up on the defroster vents (sliding into warm shoes=BLISS!!) and I do as little walking as possible in my cleats because that always seems to make my feet cold.