Need Ideas For Cold Feet

[Dog]

Knock on wood....I'm still riding outdoors on the weekends. The temps have been in the mid 30's to low 40's the past few weekends. I rode 25 miles today and stayed warm (38 degrees) with the exception of my feet. My toes were frozed by the end of the ride. I am wearing heavy smartwool socks and shoes with a toe cover. Not cutting it. I know there are bike commuters out there. What are you using to keep your feet warm? I would like to keep riding through the winer months.

[ny biker]

I don't ride in those temps, but my feet get cold when temps are in the low 50s if my legs are not warm enough. Last spring I did some rides wearing capris and I felt like my feet would have been more comfortable if my legs had been completely covered down to my ankles. So, maybe warmer tights would help?

Also, if my socks are too tight or are too bulky so that they make my shoes tight, my feet get cold.

[salsabike]

Smartwool mountaineering socks (the heaviest weight they have) and Sugoi Resistor Booties. Together, those really work to keep my feet warm enough.

[OakLeaf]

If you can't wiggle your toes freely, they're losing circulation. Are your shoes big enough for the heavy socks? You may be warmer in thinner socks. Also, not everyone experiences this, but toe covers automatically cut off my circulation. Even if that isn't happening to you, for very cold temperatures, you really want full shoe covers.

Then there are chemical toe warmers or electric socks for when it gets colder than your body can keep up with.

[Crankin]

Woolie Bully socks... thin, but extremely warm. I have many thicknesses of wool socks.
Booties, either neoprene or Gore Tex. Sometimes I wear toe covers and booties.
Finally, chemical toe warmers, like you wear for winter sports. These do the trick. I use them if it's below 42 or so. Once your feet and hands are warm, the other parts are easy.
And yes, loosen your shoes. Really important.
I finally found a pair of winter road cycling shoes for women in my size (37). Am eagerly awaiting their arrival, and hoping I don't have to use all of the above things in the future. I have winter shoes for my Frog pedal bike, which are OK, but I still have to use the chemical warmers if I ride in the 30s. I am still riding outside, too, but it is supposed to get more winter like here, by the end of the week. I have a longer ride planned with DH for next Friday afternoon, so I may be put to the test.

[sarahkonamojo]

I ride in the conditions you describe although moisture content is lower. Temps around freezing are tolerable, but much below it is time to go skiing.
I have found neoprene socks to be the best. They aren't too bulky and retain any warmth you create. Socks such as these:
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.a...0&pdeptid=1168
Also my shoes do not vent. Not a lot of mesh.
S

[Thorn]

I'm still working on this one. I have the rest of me toasty warm down to 15F, but no matter what I do when I get to work (a little over an hour), my toes are cold.

I have tried thin socks, thick socks, thin socks with thick socks, winter cycling boots, and, heck, even Keen cycling sandals (which, btw, with a thick sock worked as well as my cyling boots down to about 35F).

My last foray into finding the toe warming miracle was based on a woman over on another forum. She stated that the secret to keeping fingers and toes warm was to keep the pulse points warm (wrist and ankle).

While it sounded silly to me, I did notice that my fingers stay warmest if I make sure that my gloves overlap my jersy and I batten down the velcro on my jacket to hold it all in place. So, what the heck.

I followed her suggestion of a neoprene ankle support to keep the ankle warm. Being the closet scientist (and cheap), I bought one support and wore it on one foot with a wool sock and just a wool sock on the other. Thirty minutes into my commute both toes were getting cold. By the time I got to work....no difference.

Next week, I'm going for wool knee socks and knickers instead of shorts under my tights. I guess I'm thinking along the lines of ny biker -- I'm going to make sure my legs are warm and see if that translates to warm feet. Can't do the one leg experiment, but one thing about the commute is there is always the next day to try something else.

[DebW]

I just discovered that I can wear both my Sugoi Resistor Boties and a pair of neoprene shoe covers at the same time. This was good into the mid to upper 30s on a recent tour. Though I could still feel heat leaking out from the cleats and chilling the bottom of my foot and my toes were a bit cool. Maybe there are more insulative footbeds that would avoid some of the cleat heat sink effect? Anybody tried sole insulation?

For commuting in true winter weather, I switched my mtb/commuter to flat pedals with toe clips (no straps) and wore old hiking boots with heavy socks. That was great down to 0F for rides of a few miles.

[jessmarimba]

I wear wool knee socks/snowboard socks to keep my lower legs warmer - but for me, whether or not my feet are warm also depends on how tight my shoes are. Went running yesterday in normal non-waterproof running shoes in 6 inches of snow, 23-degree weather and a pair of Columbia snowboard socks and they didn't get numb at all - and coming from someone who has Raynaud's, that's impressive. (My hands were another story).

When I commute and its closer t0 40 in the morning, I typically ride in just shorts and wool knee socks and I'm usually ok, even though I'm one of those people who's always cold. But my whole morning commute is uphill so that probably helps too - I'm sweating the entire way.

[Biciclista]

is your head warm enough? body? torso? if you don't have enough on your head, your feet will be colder. Below a certain temperature I have these issues too.
Good luck i hope you find a combo that works.

[Crankin]

You know, I bought the Gore booties with high hopes. But, I can't easily get them around my calves . It's weird, like I can't get them on. DH bought the same ones and he's fine. Then I read a whole thing about how women's calves are shaped differently. No wonder, I thought I was going crazy. I have a pair of Hind booties that are all velcro fasteners and I love them.

[Seajay]

As a long time member of the cold feet club, I have found some things that work well for me.

1. Unless you have special over sized winter shoes, Avoid thick socks they just pinch your toes and make feet colder.
2. Chemical FULL INSOLES from ski stores in place of regular insoles...HEAVEN
3. Heat up shoes at home or on the defroster vents before the ride. Keeps initial vasoconstriction to a minimum before the ride starts.
4. Shoe covers of course
5. On cold days take the toe of an old rag wool sock, cut it like a toe cover and put it on UNDER your shoe covers.
6. 30 quick jumping jacks or some other embarrassing parking lot aerobics before you get on the bike.
7. Shoes on and NO WALKING AROUND. Get straight on the bike. Walking with bike shoes on cold ground makes feet really cold.

[pll]

To Seajay's rule # 7: For me, walking a little mid-ride helps to move my toes when they are cold, so my feet warm up again.

[bluebug32]

I have some Louis Garneau booties that keep me warm and toasty at 30 degrees.

[Seajay]

To Seajay's rule # 7: For me, walking a little mid-ride helps to move my toes when they are cold, so my feet warm up again.

Well, not really rules.
It would seem that walking would squash your toes into the shoes worse. They don't get colder? Mine sure do, but different strokes. right?
I've stopped, pulled off my shoes and done a little foot massage mid ride. That has been very effective.
I guess with #7 I was addressing the negative of the "cold soak" that gets to your feet before you start riding rather than the benefit of a little toe wiggle mid-ride.