Ogsarg

I do an early morning ride (4:15AM) 2-3 days a week. I ride an old MTB and only do 14-15 miles so out for a little under an hour. I check the outside temp when I get out of bed and then layer accordingly. Today it was 37 so that meant 2 base layer tops and thermal jersey, thermal bib tights, winter hiking socks, ski gloves, and a balaclava.

For the time I'm out this gear kept me adequately warm except my toes, which were pretty darn cold by the time I got home. I suppose I could put on two pair of socks but it would start getting pretty bulky.

What do you use for keeping your feet warm?

caloso

Neoprene toe warmers work pretty well for me down to freezing.

berner

Same here. Neopreme toe warmers. I also use these.Yaktrax Thermal Insole | Sportsman's Warehouse

TimothyH

For shoes with clipless pedals, most riders use toe covers in milder temperatures or full shoe covers when it is very cold.

I use an old pair of Pearl Izumi toe covers and GripGrab RaceThermo shoe covers when it is very cold but there are many brands with many different features to choose from. Sealskinz seem to be a popular brand.

There are several threads in the Winter forum which include discussions of gear for use with flat pedals.-Tim-

SethAZ 

I've worn thick wool hiking socks and put 100mph tape over the air vents in the shoes, but on those few occasions where it's so cold out that I need such precautions I've never been entirely satisfied with that. I've used those iron oxide or whatever chemical packs literally taped to the outside of my shoes before. Hard to find the balance between enough exposure to air to generate warmth at all, and blazing hot. Just ordered some neoprene toe covers, though, so hopefully that'll do it. I may have to try out those thermal insoles too.

coupster

If you're cheap and not fashion conscious, put your feet in a pair of plastic bags after the sox before you put your shoes on. If your circulation is good. Your feet will be warm to hot after your ride.

Leebo

Well, your post just says socks, thinking shoes would help? Haa. OK, says CA so assuming you have vented bike shoes. I use flats and hiking boots, low ones, insulated ,and goretex, works well.

Retro Grouch 

+1.

Homebrew01

I splurged on winter bike shoes 5 years ago...satisfied customer.

dabac

I’ve got Raynauld’s.
There isn’t a shoe in the world that’ll keep My toes warm.
And don’t even bother discussing socks.
Electrically heated insoles is the only thing that works. And I need about 3W in each shoe.
If I have that, just about any reasonably winter adapted shoe will work.

pdlamb

+1


It's easy and cheap enough to try. Cut the top off a plastic grocery bag (if you can still get those). If that doesn't work then you'll have to go to more drastic measures.

pesty

Personally, below 40ºF I have Northwave winter cycling boots sized up 1/2 a size and thick mountaineering socks. Aside from that, neoprene toe or shoe covers. I ride road, so I frequently need what I'm wearing to hold up to air temp, plus 20 to 35mph wind chill.

Two takeaways that I've learned from riding outdoors year round:
1. Do not use thick or multiple layers of socks if the shoes aren't big enough for it. If the shoe fits too tight, IE: can't move toes well, it will restrict bloodflow and make your toes colder. Use overshoes/covers and regular socks. Putting something under the footbed to block the vents in your shoes such as strips from an old cut up tube helps as well.
2. Keep your legs, torso and head warm. Trying to get heat to your feet never works if it's all lost getting down there. Good leg warmers, tights, etc and a good jacket/vest helps a lot.

Leebo

Or just a sweaty mess. Winter boots work well, in ( wait for it) the winter.

Shimagnolo

Likewise.
They cost about the same as I paid for my summer shoes, and since I'm distributing wear over two pairs of shoes, instead of one pair, in the long term it costs no more. And in the winter my feet are always warm and dry thanks to the Goretex/Thinsulate.

cyccommute 

You need something to insulate as well as cut down on the wind. Shoe covers work because they do both. They aren't the best if you have to move around on slick surfaces and they can be a bit sweaty. It's also sometimes hard to find ones that are big enough to go over even average sized shoes.

I, too, invested in winter boots a couple of years ago but those are only for when it is really cold (<30°F). I'm very satisfied with the results for those kinds of rides but for something where it is warm(er), the boots can be hot.

I also use something like the Shimano XM7 shoe. They are waterproof(ish) and slightly breathable but they are also less breathable than a regular summer shoe. I also pair them with an NRS hydrosock inside the shoe in addition to wool socks. This leaves the sole so that I can walk on slick surfaces but provides more insulation than just wool socks.

Whatever you use...winter boots, shoe covers, extra socks in shoes, etc..., buy it in a size or two larger than your normal summer shoe. Bike shoes usually fit close and thicker socks can actually cut off circulation and make your feet colder if you try to use your regular size.

SethAZ 

Cold toes is cold toes, and nothing will help that but keeping the toes warm, but I totally agree with you on everything you just said. You lose a lot of heat through your head, and I've found that just putting on one of those skullcaps under my helmet makes me feel overall much warmer even with everything else the same in cool weather. If it gets too cold I'll switch to a full-on balaclava, and I've got some neck gaiters from my army crap that I'll throw on too to keep the drafts from hitting my neck or penetrating the gaps down into the top of the jersey or jacket. A warm head and neck area will make it far easier for the rest of your body to keep the temps up. Decent gloves have a similar effect. If my hands are warm my forearms might not be as well insulated as they ought to be, but I don't suffer the same way from cold arms as cold hands.

Speaking of which, it's time to dig around and find the skullcap and balaclava. My kind and loving wife helpfully reorganized all my stuff since last winter and now I don't know where anything is anymore.

u235

My feet are the limiting factor on any long bike ride under 40F. My feet have a very fine line between painfully cold and sweating. On the bike, they start out hot and maybe sweating and then get painfully cold after about 45 minutes. I've tried thin socks and vented shoes (to prevent the initial sweating), sealed shoes, bags, wool socks etc. I have not tried those chemical packs or outer shoe covers. The ONE thing I've found that does work although not convenient.. Get off the bike about every 30-45 minutes and walk around for a few minutes. Odd, my hands are the opposite, start off cold and eventually warm up.

ciclista_pazza

I wear knee-high cotton socks in the winter (like the kind basketball players used to wear). But I live in Arizona so take that for what it's worth.

Lazyass

Wool socks and toe covers.

SethAZ 

I'm in AZ too (who'da thunk it?), and I just had my first ride the other evening where my little piggies started to get uncomfortably cold. If I ride too early in the morning so that it's still dark out it's an issue too, but generally if the sun comes up (unlike yesterday) it gets warm so fast it's never a problem for me, even if it's in the 40s at the crack of dawn.

I'll do a long 30 to 50-mile ride at midnight on Christmas Eve to kick off the Rapha Festive 500 on Strava, and this is where the cold usually bites me, since it's all at night, with temps down into the 30s. That's where I've taped the chemical packs to my shoes and other desperate solutions.

I've got a pair of neoprene toe thingies on order, so maybe this year it'll be a little easier on Christmas Eve.

Fortunately my shoes are loose enough that the wool socks I've tried in the past didn't get too tight and restrict the blood flow. With those all I had to do was just barely click the little ratchet thing once to hold the binder on. They worked OK, but airflow was still a problem, hence the 100mph tape over the air vents. Hopefully the neoprene thingamabobbers will make such measures unnecessary.

JohnDThompson 

Wool socks and fleece-lined bike shoes for temperatures 0°C to 10°C. Add shoe covers for temperatures -10°C to 0°C. Below -10°C I don't ride much, but if I do I stick some catalytic toe warmers in my shoes, in addition to the wool socks and shoe covers.

Flip Flop Rider

wool/synthetic socks of varying thickness

toe covers for shoes

aluminum foil over the toes on top of the socks (when really cold)

newspaper or paper towels over the toes on top of the socks (moderate cold)

have a size larger shoe for winter

Spoonrobot 

Aerogel insoles down to about 40 degrees f.

Below that I do aerogel insoles + double layer shoe covers with plastic sheeting sandwiched between. Gets me down to about 15 f but that low everything is cold and I usually don't ride much.

Flip Flop Rider

don't like the plastic bags over the socks or under the socks (tried it). too sweaty

coupster

I find that I sweat excessively underneath any layer anywhere that fully blocks the wind; i.e. neoprene booties and windproof jackets. Plastic bags are cheap, don't impact the way my shoes fit or get the shoes themselves wet.