Paul J

My wife and stoker Rachel is struggling with cold feet in our low 30's weather. She is using wool socks her cycling shoes and neoprene shoe covers. I added neoprene toe covers between the socks and shoe and still cold feet. what are some of your solutions?

prathmann

The little air-activated packs of iron filings release enough heat to help keep the toes warm.

New2Two

Are her shoes too tight with the wool socks? Cutting blood flow will cause her feet to get cold.

Carbonfiberboy 

MTB boots are the only solution. Most folks we ride with use either Northwave or Lakes. That means SPD pedals. Boot size is usually the same as regular cycling shoe size. These makers know you'll be wearing heavy socks so they size a little large. We've ridden 70 miles in 36° and pouring rain, finishing with dry and reasonably warm feet. Hands are a more troublesome issue IME.

Snuts

Try her regular sports sock in the shoes (same as warm/summer). Then the wool socks over the shoes, covered by the neoprene covers.

Hope this helps.



-Snuts-

Alcanbrad

I suffer the same in my right foot and have tried all the suggestions above. All of them help and I have found the light weight inside the shoe neoprene toe covers are the most effective.

What I do when all else fails and my foot gets cold, I stop, get off the bike and walk for a few minutes which gets the blood flowing again.

reburns

Feet are tough since they spin through the cold air. I rode my MTB at temperatures down to the teens when I lived in Spokane. I used Polar insulated boots, neoprene covers, thick socks, etc. The only thing that I could fully count on were the heat packets mentioned by Prathmann, inserted between the covers and the toe area of the boot.

Moving south of San Francisco eventually solved the problem for good ��

dabac

There's a medical condition called Raynauld's disease/syndrome which causes the fine blood vessels, the capillaries, in fingers and toes to pinch shut. W/o sufficient blood flow, digits go cold even in the best insulated boots.
If That's the case, there are really only two options, medication or added heat.
I prefer electrically heated soles. Takes less space, are flatter and long term cheaper than chem-packs.

B. Carfree

In addition to the great advice above, consider that keeping the blood from cooling on its way to the feet is important. Add layers to both the upper body and the legs. If she's not sweating, her feet will be more likely to get cold.

In cold conditions, the body naturally cuts off the flow of blood to the extremities in order to maintain body core temperature. Keeping the core warm, or over warm, will cause more blood flow to the extremities as the body tries to shed the excess heat. That means just covering the hands and feet won't do nearly as much to keep the extremities warm as covering the torso, head, arms and legs.

rumrunn6

sock liner
chemical toe warmer
loose winter sock
roomy shoes

ct-vt-trekker

Hotronic warmers. Hotronic FootWarmers and Dryers | Hotronic - Keeping Feet Warm, Keeping Hands and Feet Dry!
My wife suffers from Raynauds. These have allowed us to keep up with winter activities like downhill skiing, cross country skiing and winter cycling. The S4 are great for skiing all day but the S3 should be fine for cycling. Expensive but well worth it. Use the velcro straps to hold the batteries behind the ankle.

fietsbob

clipless shoes tend to be tight fitting, that does not help . restricts circulation

Insulated shoe covers? . I used mine with toe clip pedals so I could use loose fitting shoes.

sch

Bigger "winter" (non ventilated) shoes would be my first go to, this allows a thicker wool sock without pinching. If you are wearing
summer type (ventilated) shoes, they tend to be narrow and 'just rite' size with a thin sock. Full shoe to ankle neoprene shoe
cover large enough to easily be pulled on over the shoe would be my next choice. Partly it depends on how cold the temps you
are riding in. Personally my shoes are about 1 size too large and using wind/water resistant toe covers that velcro behind the
heel, along with knee high ski socks gets me down to low 30s F. I have some neoprene full shoe covers but they almost make
too hot, so rarely use them. This is for rides out to 50-60 miles starting in 30sF and ending in 40s F.

winter shoes: The 8 Best Winter Cycling Shoes - Road & MTB Models Lake web site has shoes in E/EE/EEE sizes (not all shoes)

shoe covers: Performance Bike - bikes, bike accessories, bike gear, cycling equipment, cycling apparel, and more

good source for low price winter socks: https://www.sierratradingpost.com/men...socks-_-120416

Paul J

Thanks for the ideas. i thibk we will start with getting off the bike and work the feet as a start, we picked some up. Im not one to get off the bike,it goes back to my racing days where when training you just rode. She is use to riding for an hour or two without getting off the bike. I think getting off and walking or jumping up and down might we good. We will also try out the chemical foot warmers to see how that works. I'd rather not spend the money on the winter shoes but that is an option.

kevrider

good luck, Paul. i would add a vote for winter shoes. my fiancé has the northwave celsius shoes in the '8 best' article linked above, they are effective for her. i have mavic shoes, which get the job done into the 20s. those and a warm torso, to minimize the shunting....

Shimagnolo

Another vote for winter bike shoes. Every time you wear the winter shoes, that is wear that does not go into the summer shoes, so in the long run it does not cost any more to have proper winter shoes. My winter shoes (a model no longer produced) have an outer made with Thinsulate & Goretex. I wear the same thin wool socks I use in the summer, but never get cold feet.

Here is a winter shoe listing I compiled some time back:

45nrth - Japanther (mtn)
45nrth - Wolfgar (mtn)
45nrth - Wolvhammer (mtn)
Diadora - Polarex Plus (mtn)
Diadora - Polarex Plus Road (road)
Exustar - E-SM3103 (mtn)
Gaerne - Akira (road)
Gaerne - Artix (mtn)
Gaerne - Polar Pro (mtn)
Gaerne - Storm (road)
Gaerne - Storm MTB (mtn)
Gaerne - Winter Pro (mtn)
Giro - AlpineDuro (mtn)
Lake - CX145 (road)
Lake - MX145 (mtn)
Lake - MX180 (mtn)
Lake - MXZ303 (mtn)
Louis Garneau - 0-degree LS-100 (road)
Mavic - Drift (mtn)
Mavic - Ksyrium Pro Thermo (road)
Northwave - Celsius 2 GTX (mtn)
Northwave - Celsius Arctic 2 GTX (mtn)
Northwave - Extreme Winter GTX (mtn)
Northwave - Fahrenheit 2 GTX (road/mtn)
Northwave - Fahrenheit Arctic 2 GTX (road/mtn)
Northwave - Winter GTX R (road)
Shimano - MW7 (mtn)
Shimano - MW81 (mtn)
Sidi - Diablo GTX (mtn)
Sidi - Hydro GTX (road)
Specialized - Defroster (road)
Specialized - Defroster Trail (mtn)

79pmooney

I posted this a couple of minutes ago on the thread for mitts but it is really about my experience with boots:

Haven't tried their gloves, but their boots (45North) are excellent. I (wisely) got their medium warm Fasterkatt boots for Portland, OR. Quite comfy into the 20s plus very good in the wet and going indoors and out. I did make booties for them to keep air and water out of the tops. (I have long, skinny legs so finding long enough tights has always been an issue.) Only compromise for riding (for me) is the two bolt SPD pattern. (I do far better with no-float cleats and options are slim for two bolt cleats.) But for rideable, walkable and comfortable (for 7 hours of riding in low 40s rain), a very good bet. I believe the warmer boots are rated ~15F colder. (I don't remember now and I am very glad I passed on them but I would fully believe whatever 45North rates them for. For reference, I am a skinny and cold footed and handed. For my entire life and getting worse in my 60s.)

Edit: I sized mine to be comfortable with boot socks. Given the boots stretch less over time and get fewer hours so that limited time might be several years, I wanted comfortable from the outset. Since my feet really don't sweat in them, not a problem.

Ben

vrooom3440

Ditto on keeping the rest of the body warm so it does not shut off the extremities to preserve heat. Use layers... base layer, insulating layer, wind proof layer. Avoid anything with cotton. May seem silly but I am surprised how much more comfortable the cold becomes with a base layer and no cotton.

Question: does she feel cold or just the feet?

Or you could just tell your stoker that if the feet are cold or they feel their feet being too cold they must not be pedaling hard enough :-)

marciero

Hands and feet were problem areas for me for sure but have mostly sorted things out in the last few years. Agree with most of the recommendations above (I have 45 North Wolvhammer for really cold weather).

One thing I would add is that it helps to start with very warm feet. I typically will run them under a hot tap in the tub for several minutes. I do this even if they feel fine hanging around the house. The goal is to get deep warmth into the bones. When it's really cold, my feet will eventually get cold, but I am generally good for two hours with temps in the teens. I'm sure the expensive electric footwarmers would let you go indefinitely, but I tried some of the moderate priced ones (like $150) and they did not keep my feet warm. Every year end up buying chemical toe warmers also, but they really dont do much for me.

Paul J

We did our new year's day ride which went pretty well though it was warmer then typical. We did get off the bike so she could work her feet. For me I've found that if I focus on pulling up and back on the pedals it helps warm my feet up some just taking some of the pressure off the toes. She thinking I crazy on that one. :-) She has typically over dressed a bit as she hates to be cold so I think her core is good. We have been building our cold weather gear over the past two years which has been good. Our kids got us Northface outer shells that are great. She now has great base layer that she can vary to keep the core warm. We've found some mittens that are keeping her hands warm.

rumrunn6

colotandem

This is a great list!
I will confirm that most of these boots are really good! WAY better than toe covers, booties or any other makeshift ways to solve cold feet for cycling. I have personally used Louis Garneau (the mtb version), Lake - MXZ303 (mtn) and 45nrth - Wolvhammer (mtn). The Lake and 45nrth shoes are awesome! The Louis Garneau are pretty good (again a step up from shoe covers), but not as warm as the other two.

If you ride in cold conditions, invest in the proper gear. IT IS WELL WORTH IT! I'll add that wearing wool base layers is the only way we ride in cool/cold conditions.

Carbonfiberboy 

I would mention one other thing about keeping feet warm in the rain whether you use boots or booties. The problem in steady rain is that water runs down our legs and then into our shoes or boots and our feet then get cold. There's a cheap, easy way to stop that: dry suit leg seals. You can buy them online or at any dive shop. Cut the leg opening to suit your ankle/calf size. It goes on your bare leg. The bell of the seal then goes down over the top of your socks and boots or booties. Your tights zip over the top portion of the seal. Voila, dry feet.

marciero

Sounds like a great idea. I recently got a pair of gaitors to accomplish the same thing. They are pretty minimalist and go over tights around ankle and boots, rather than all the way up the calf like some gaiters. While not completely waterproof it will take much longer for water to seep down to the feet. My PI tights have a cuff that extends over the top of boots and accomplishes the same thing, but I dont wear those above freezing.

Perhaps it goes without saying that the first thing to do is install fenders on the bike. During winter, if it is above freezing there is no such thing as a dry road.

rumrunn6

got out yesterday. this is a reminder to me that when riding in deep snow, even tho I have fenders I shud wear shoe covers. as the front wheel turns back & forth snow sprays past the side of the mudflaps onto my shoes