Cold Feet

[KathiCville]

I thought about the electric socks, but my BF warned me that the batteries make the socks fall down as soon as the elastic at the top gets even slightly worn out......I guess you could add something like a velcro band around your leg to keep them up but that might be more trouble than it's worth..........

I was poking around on line today and saw the Sidi "toasters," the Hotronic systems, and the Therm-ic systems---all tempting, none inexpensive. I also saw this gizmo called Cozy Feet for $20; mixed reviews; but it does use rechargeable batteries: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pr_product_top ]

It doesn't appear to heat the whole insole, but it might be enough to do the trick in shoes that are pretty airtight. Or maybe it's feasible to add a thin wool full insole that heats up end to end, with the help of the half-insole?.....I just ordered one to give it a whirl. My "long" rides are only between 12mi and 20mi at the moment, so I can't really justify the more expensive systems unless I find one at a fabulous sale price.

I've also seen thick-piled wool fleece and sheepskin insoles that look pretty darned toasty, but they might take up too much room unless your shoes are really roomy.

[Starfish]

I thought about the electric socks, but my BF warned me that the batteries make the socks fall down as soon as the elastic at the top gets even slightly worn out

I used to use these riding horses through the snowy mountains. The tops can slide down, but the warmth is still there on your feet. Of course, I wasn't pedaling!

[obie]

Newspaper! It was 3 degrees F this morning and my feet were fine. My commuter bike has loose toe clips/cages and I wore wool socks plus a sheet of newspaper wrapped around the front of my foot. Then I put my sneakers on over. It is amazing how well this works. As it gets colder I usually make myself a nice newspaper "footie" with tape that won't fall apart.

Neoprene booties and other items just make my feet sweat - this is the only thing that works, and it really works well!

[indigoiis]

Alpaca socks.

[KathiCville]

I had a chance to try my cheapy $20 heated insoles (see above) a few days ago and am pleased.....with caveats, of course. I tried them in place of chemical warmers tucked into the toebox of my shoes on a day when temperature was about 40, no wind. A few observations:

1) The insoles heat only to 98 degrees---body temperature. So if you crave that "ooooooh, that's toasty" feeling of more expensive systems, you'll be disappointed. (Unless you bear down, you won't feel warmth; instead, you'll just notice an absence of cold.)

2) Won't do much good in drafty "summer" cycling shoes, but work just fine in fully-enclosed, "windproof" shoes that are meant for winter walking or cycling. (I used them in my Sidi Winter Freeze shoes, to which I had previously added a 'real' insole to replace the skimpy one that came with the shoe.)

3) I barely noticed the velcro-strapped battery packs around my ankles. I strapped them on so the pack was on the outside of my foot, just behind ankle, out of way. Stayed secure throughout my 16-mile ride. Truly forgot it was there. Took me less than a minute to get each set up and plugged in.

4) Insole itself is surprisingly thin, so it doesn't take up valuable room in shoe. I put them right up front under my toes. I was wearing one light pair of Smartwool socks. Next time, on a colder day, I think I'll slip the insoles BETWEEN two pairs of light wool socks. Or between light wool socks and my Gore windproof socks, for good measure. Wire from insole to battery pack is thin enough that even if it's under your foot, you don't really notice it.

5) No temp controls, but if you want to turn it off, just pull out the little plug. Heats up quickly, within a minute of being plugged in.

6) Battery pack isn't waterpoof, but that's not an issue for me because I don't ride in wet weather. Each pack takes 2 AA's and is small enough that it could easily be worn underneath loose rain pants.

Naturally, the $20 insoles can't compete with the Sidi Toasters or the Hotronics system for serious riders, but if your winter rides are like mine---from 30 to 90 minutes long---you might want to give them a try, particularly in combo with wool socks.

[helena]

My feet get chilly sometimes too, I wear my summer hiking boots loosely done up and one pair of wool socks. The other day it was -38F and admittidely I was just biking up the road (~1km), but my boots had been in front of the stove and they were SO warm all the way, I think because the rubber soles held the heat in. Anyway I was impressed because usually stuff gets cold REALLY quickly at these temps. I plan to leave my shoes in front of the heat from now on - simple but beautifully effective