Acclimating to riding in cooler temps

[Catrin]

I'm contemplating switching my pedals back to platforms in winter so I can wear shoes with thicker socks, because I'm certainly in no position to buy winter cycling shoes!

My feet get cold, but provided my core is warm, my hands and feet are generally okay. For those temps, I'd prefer to have an extra layer of sleeve (either a long-sleeve jersey or arm warmers).

The problem I've found with this approach is finding shoes for my bikes that have BMX pedals that aren't overly ventilated...my hiking shoes are great for my mountain bike and my beloved meat-tenderizer pedals but they are just too ventilated & I've yet to find shoe covers that will fit them. I do not think that thicker socks is going to help overly much if the wind is blowing through them I am thinking that boots would be a better approach, but that is also expensive.

I am hoping I can get by with toe covers, assuming I can get them large enough, and chemical warmers for the mountain bike. I will mountain bike deeper in the season than I will road ride - my speed in the trail is much slower and less likely to get my asthma's attention

[Blueberry]

Have you tried plastic bags in the shoes over the socks? That usually works pretty well.

[Marquise]

Toe covers aren't enough if the temps are too cold for your feet. Try some good booties. They can be pricey but much cheaper than winter boots. After a miserable ride when he got caught in the rain on a cold day last week, my husband got some Mavic booties that even have some sort of pocket for warmers. I have some lightweight neoprene ones that are much warmer than toe covers. Still, my feet got too cold in the 30s and low 40s even with booties last year. Doesn't help that the cold tends to slow you down. I found winter road boots steeply discounted and splurged. I think warm shoes are the best solution. It's just too hard to ride with cold hands and/or feet.

[Owlie]

The problem I've found with this approach is finding shoes for my bikes that have BMX pedals that aren't overly ventilated...my hiking shoes are great for my mountain bike and my beloved meat-tenderizer pedals but they are just too ventilated & I've yet to find shoe covers that will fit them. I do not think that thicker socks is going to help overly much if the wind is blowing through them I am thinking that boots would be a better approach, but that is also expensive.

I am hoping I can get by with toe covers, assuming I can get them large enough, and chemical warmers for the mountain bike. I will mountain bike deeper in the season than I will road ride - my speed in the trail is much slower and less likely to get my asthma's attention

True. I'm mostly on tree-lined MUPs myself, so the wind factor isn't as big a problem.