Winter footwear

So I finally nailed the wardrobe home without freezing my backside off but it took half an hours worth of walking to regain the feeling in my feet. Still wearing my fairly ventilated roadie shoes but with thick socks, definitely wasn’t up to the job. Should I be looking for some warmer shoes or try some of these condom looking covers? I wont be riding in horrendously wet weather, when the rain comes it’ll be mtb commute home instead. Worst that could happen is caught in a shower on the way home but even that isn’t likely as I watch the weather report and if it suddenly turned I’d just drive home instead.

I got some Lake 303 boots last year for winter commuting. I’d been finding that, no matter what I did / wore, my feet were painfully cold (then somehow painfully numb) from about 5 miles into my ride until half an hour or so afterwards. Clearly some circulation issues…

The Lakes are great. I wouldn’t say I have toasty feet, but they merely get cold now. A huge improvement – but then they should be at the price (even though I got mine in a one-off sale at Halfords)! Whether it’s worth it to you is up to you, but if you do go for them I’d go up a size (and get a wide fitting, unless you’ve really thin feet).

what they said

I have come diadora chilli defrosters – the name is misleading- and i wore them last night and my feet were numb for the whole ride and it was not even freezing but was cold

Lakes work but they come at a hefty price

I use some Shimano RW-80s. The Lake ones are supposed to be really good, but they are much more restrictive around the ankle.

I really, really suffer from my toes going numb in the winter. Anything under 5? and they’re gone.

Some points to consider are:

[list]
[*]Ensure the shoes are not tight. It make not feel racy, but give your feet a bit of room to move[/*]
[*]Keep the rest of you warm[/*]
[*]On longer rides, I stick some charcoal toe warmers on top of my toes before they go in the boots. This is the only thing I have found that really keeps my toes warm, but it’s a bit overkill for a 30 minute ride. (in the depths of winter, I put them on in the morning, then seal them in a ziplock bag while I’m at work, then use them again for training/commute home in the evening.[/*]
[/list]

If you’re serious about winter cycling, 45Nrth or Lake stand-out – the likes of Shimano or Northwave don’t really compare IME having binned them year ago. Going up half-a-size and using a decent merino wool sock like a Woolie Boolie helps too.

Is it just your road shoe set up that’s not warm enough, or are your MTB shoes also not going to be warm enough?

If the former, then a pair of neoprene overshoes will make a huge difference and are fairly inexpensive. If you don’t do it already, I would suggest putting shoes and overshoes on a good ten minutes before you leave, to ensure they and your feet are already warm when you step outside.

If the latter, then it sounds like you would benefit from one of the the various insulated MTB boots, e.g. the Lake one mentioned above or Northwave Arctic Celsius. In that case, you could fit MTB pedals to your roadbike for the Winter as an alternative to using your road shoes with overshoes.

Always go up a size for winter boots, I’m a uk9 44 shimano in summer and 45 in winter boots,
You need to be able to move your toes,

My mates all swear by the northwave mtb boots , far better than my strap shimano boots that fill up with mud

If you can keep your core body, hands and feet warm, then it’s shorts all year round for me

Merino socks and overshoes – job done

I’ve had cold feet from beta-blockers. Things that have helped me:

Thermal socks, ‘Heat Holders’ or similar
Thermal insoles
Short walking gaiters – helping to keep rain and splashes out
Girly leg-warmers, in black so they aren’t too obvious.

There’s also the Bontrager OMM boots to consider. Might be easier to locate round your local dealers than Lake or 45Nth

My MTB shoes are much warmer than my road shoes. Just swapped from ‘road’ bike to MTB bike for the commute and gone from road shoes + over shoes to just MTB shoes.

slowoldgit, what thermal insoles you using?

No idea why everyone is defaulting to winter boots, seen overkill to me.

Overshoes work very well IME, I have both, boots are warmer but way more spendy.

Depends on the type of riding. I used to use overshoes but they would either get shredded or zips would fail or just get jammed with crap. Good winter boots are better for off road but if it’s a road commute then neoprene overshoes would do the job.

No idea why everyone is defaulting to winter boots, seen overkill to me

we get cold feet

We are all different i dont need much for my core and never use a buff or similar but my ears and feet really feel the cold

Again I’m suffer from cold toes, wish id bought the 303’s years ago, expensive but they work well, last for years (going by my m8’s previous set) are easy to get – order then from halfords & use your BC discount

so those people using just overshoes which ones work well for you? I run flats on my mtb and due to moving around more I manage to keep my feet going all year round but due to the more still nature of the road bike they go numb even in the summer. Commute ranges from 13 miles – 22 miles depending on how far I can be bothered to go or what my time period is like before I need to be home.

year round commuter here. I like a warm winter hiking boot for winter. keep your disco slippers for racing.
just bought some north face insulated ones for the oncoming dark months.

I’m using a set of these:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/pro-tarmac-h20-road-overshoes-1/
But I don’t really think it matters, as long as they are fully windproof they’ll do the job combined with a good pair of merino socks

Should I be looking for some warmer shoes or try some of these condom looking covers?

Overshoes are crap: the zips break, they wear out quickly, and the neoprene ones make your feet go clammy on long rides.

My more recent tactic is to fit SPDs and use my Northwave winter mtb boots. Much nicer.

I bought a pair of lake mxz303’s last Friday when halfords were doing their 10% off everything thing, get another 10% off with british cycling membership and I can buy halfords vouchers with 9% off so it brings their price to a reasonable level.

I’ve used overshoes in the past but they really don’t last for commuting, fine for the odd day but if you’re using them every day to keep your feet warm they will wear at the toe and heel. Plus they can be a bit of a pain to get on off.

GC, you’re probably right about the fixed position, the work the toes are doing/not doing that’s just not getting the blood flow round the muscles in your feet. If the bloods not getting round, putting more insulation round your feet will only going to delay them getting cold, rather than keep them warm. More room in the shoe (counter-intuitively, thinner socks can help) and concentrating on more foot flexing/ toe wiggling on the upstroke is going to help keep the heating on.

Another thing – maybe for junkyard too – is to make sure you’re actually warm enough. If you hate being too hot, it’s tempting to tweak your clothing to the bottom end of comfort, so you’re bit cold a lot of the time, but just right on the hills. If you do this, your body’s going to restrict bloodflow to hands/feet ears, and they’ll get cold no matter how great your gloves and shoes are.

If you can adapt your approach and accept being a bit too hot some of the time, your feet will get more of what they need more of the time, and you might even be fine with the shoes you’ve got.

for road riding I’ve been using Castelli toe warmers for the last couple of weeks, but I think tonight i’ll be busting out the Northwave winter boots for the first time this autumn.
Used with a pair of Costco merino hiking socks they’ll do me down to below zero – which is about the point when my lungs give up anyway.

Yes, they are expensive, but I figured i’ll get maybe 4 winters out of them, so at £140 you’re only looking @ £35 per year.

I’ve had overshoes (fairly decent £25-£30 jobs) but as others have said they wear out quick and I didn’t get a full winter out of the last pair.

Yes, they are expensive, but I figured i’ll get maybe 4 winters out of them, so at £140 you’re only looking @ £35 per year.

My shimano winter boots have lasted 10 years of winter commuting, I’d expect the lakes to last the same (not that I’ll be working for another 10 years)

How on earth are you guys wearing out road overshoes that fast?
Mine are 3 years old now and will certainly see me through this winter.
Pair before that lasted a similar amount of time.

My shimano winter boots have lasted 10 years of winter commuting, I’d expect the lakes to last the same (not that I’ll be working for another 10 years)

TBH I’m hoping to get more than 4 years out of my Northwaves – but even at worst case (4 years) I still feel they offer good value.

How on earth are you guys wearing out road overshoes that fast?

I have a lot of traffic lights on my commute

I’ve not had much luck with overshoes. The zips tend to fail after one winter of being exposed to the elements and the Velcro ones are always a bit baggy.

Someone on here recommended these neoprene sailing socks (and gloves) the other week, so I’m going to give them a go this winter.

https://www.roostersailing.com/pd/Hot-Socks_105321.htm

Overshoes – you mention the ‘condom’ looking one. If you mean the latex ‘velotoze’ type ones then they’re definitely waterproof but are bit fragile. They’re more for improving aerodynamics from racing. Nobody I know who owns them recommends them.
Whatever overshoes you go for, it’s worth trying a few different sizes for best fit as the sizing can be a bit hit-and-miss in my experience.

Another thing to consider is if it’s just for a commute and it’s not too far then flat pedals and cheap walking boots will be way better than any shoe/overshoe combo.

I use some Shimano SPD touring shoes allied with a pair of overshoes, had them for five or six years minimum. These combined with a set of full mudguards see me through most things though when it gets really bad it’s a case of getting on with it.

If you do need to be out in a biblical storm then think along the lines of layering:

Shoes and overshoes at the bottom. Then a pair of gaiters to cover the hole at the top of the gaitors where your leg pokes out. Then a pair of waterproof trousers over these to deal with the same problem. Finally a long waterproof jacket to top things off.

You might not be able to move but you’ll be dry(ish) 😆

If you are using MTB shoes with overshoes, then of course they will wear out quickly on the sole/toe, even more so if riding offroad. Overshoes work best with road shoes where the potruding cleat stops the bottom of the overshoe coming into contact with the ground. Moreover, you do not have to have overshoes with a zip (which will likely be a tighter fit on the shoe and so take a bit longer to put on, although that probably helps them retain more heat): these ones for example from Planet X use velcro and are very quick to put on and take off:

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CLPXOSH/planet-x-neoprene-overshoes

Golfchick, while you are deciding what to do, you could try the following temporary emergency fix: get a couple of the plastic bags supermarkets provide for loose fruit and veg, and put them over your socks before putting your shoes on.

rooster hot socks

These are ace.

Condom overshoes are OK, I use pearl izumi wxb jobbies for the last 2 years of a 25km we into the mountains.

I did have a pair of planet x neoprene that were roasting hot but they were eaten by mice.

@ houndlegs – these…

/p-1178-Heat-Reflecting-Thermal-Insoles.html#THE01

… but they are no longer listed. That linky drops you at the home page. Eventually.

These are from the same supplier, they cost more, look more fancy and I haven’t tried them…

http://www.solutionsworld.co.uk/sw/insulated-insoles-pair?sTerm=thermal+insoles

PS, See this post for others; ideas

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/cold-feet-q

These look similar…

(edit) corrected to

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Solos-Thermo-Winter-Insole-shoes/dp/B004LBDWXQ/ref=pd_sim_309_2/253-9115938-8546813?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2QYTTCBN7XYT40JG36NA

Three layers, see.

I wear normal summer shoes with waterproof socks. Not necessarily for the waterproof qualities (although it often helps) but they are nice and warm.

Normally I struggle with cold hands and feet too

According to my car temperature gauge it was 2deg when I headed out this morning on the road bike. I was wearing the Rooster Hot Socks linked above with just a pair of thin cotton running socks on top and my usual (summer -as it’s the only ones I have) road shoes.

50 miles done in total toasty comfort. Very impressed for £15. When/if the big freeze comes I’m confident that these combined with a pair of overshoes will do me fine.

Roosters are what all my fell running idiot friends use.

They work and they work when wet…

Five tens, bridgedale merino socks below sealskins and flat pedals = toastie.