My first ride with my Defrosters was a little disappointing. However, I only wore a midweight wool sock and about half way into the ride I started getting pretty cold. My toes were REALLY cold by the end. The temps were 18 degrees when I started out. Today it was about 30-32 when I started out. I wore the boots with 2 pairs of socks and chemical toe heaters and was actually sweating like crazy. So it looks like I will need to wear the chemical toe warmers when the temps are below 20's. On my ride home it was 35 and it felt like a heat wave, lol. My boots are not women's specific, I have skinny feet but the way the boots tighten helps cinch up some of the extra material around my foot. I've only had a couple of rides on these but I think they are going to be pretty nice actually. Still learning at this point