Ridingtolive

Hi, I have tried lots and I believe my diabetes may contribute to my feet being cold. What I have decided to do is just go with flat pedals (those ones with the little spikes in them) and just get some good winter boots. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good boot that is not too ride invasive. Winter riding for me is not about speed, but just being able to ride in the winter. I just want to get miles in and keep my feet warm, Moosemitts have done the trick for my hands now I need to tackle the feet.

I have used hiking boots with the flat pedals but they are only good for about 5 miles in Michigan winter riding temp ~27 degrees F. Would like to do something that would get me 20 miles - to around ~20F.

Any suggestions would be great.

cyccommute 

That can be a problem with just about any shoe that is meant to be water and wind proof. Plastic makes the problem worse but anything that protects your feet from wind will be sweaty.


Try aluminum furnace tape. Just about any hardware store should have it. Put it under the insole and it will block the cold from the slots as well as reflect back a little bit of heat. Insulate insole can help as well but they may make summer shoes too tight.


Yep. Shoe covers can get sweaty as well. You eventually learn to deal with it.



You may want to look a little further. The velcro closures like on those shoes can be hard to seal and the velcro wears out quickly. That also seems like a steep price for that shoe. There are better prices out there for even that shoe. Take a look at 45NRTH Ragnoroks as well. They aren't quite as warm as some other boots but how cold do you want to ride? I have Lake MX145 that work very well down to about 30°F but aren't super hot when the temperature gets to 55°F or so. I also have a set of Lake MZ303 which are great below 30°F but get hot any warmer than that.

Final tip: Buy the shoes a size larger (or 2) than regular shoes. You want room for extra socks and/or thicker insoles.

gecho

I've been relying on electric heaters since about 2012. Without them my maximum time outside in the winter is 45 minutes to an hour. It is difficult for me to recommend a specific product at the moment. There are numerous heating methods being used. For older types such as the Hotronics heater I started with, the heating element is concentrated in a small spot. Newer products use inexpensive flexible carbon fiber as the heating element which allows a larger area to be heated. The availability of carbon heated gloves seems to have exploded this season with everybody selling them, but it doesn't look like that is the case with heated insoles yet. What I'm using now is semi-DIY from a discontinued product.



This one on Amazon might be decent for the price.
https://www.amazon.com/Thermrup-Elec.../dp/B07K9ZCG78

Pros:

• trim to fit portion (unheated) is all at the rear.
• large heating area.
• 7.4v 2500 mah batteries (more voltage generally means more heat, many products are 5v)
• multiple power settings

Cons:

• battery pack attachment system looks a bit hokey
• heat appears to be concentrated in the middle of foot, outside of foot might get cold, ideally there would be full width coverage around toe area.
• might be on the thick side

Another pro would be the battery packs themselves which could be used for a DIY heat project since the controller is built-in. You could get some cheap heat pads from ebay or aliexpress and plug them straight into the battery pack for a custom solution that puts all the heat at the front of the boot. My current setup uses heat pads similar to THESE taped to the front of my insoles, but those specific ones don't have the correct connector. The battery pack for the Amazon insoles is probably a 3.5 x 1.35 dc barrel connector.

Wolfhaven

Thin pair of wool socks, waterproof wool socks and winter boots by Baffin. Keeps me warm when it's well below zero. My feet will sweat no matter the temp so the wool helps keep me warm anyway. The waterproof wool locks in the heat my feet are putting off. For the hands I pick from the ice fishing gloves. Different styles and warmth levels plus all are wind/waterproof. Can be difficult to dry unless you get removable inserts.

H.Franco

Exactly you can use waterproof wool socks thats really work

noglider 

A big factor in what works is how long your ride is. I used to have a 70-minute ride, and nothing I tried worked on the worst days. I didn't try everything possible, and I might have found a solution if I had stayed at that job. Right now, my commute is 35 minutes, and my feet don't get very cold in that time.

Jim from Boston

Keeping feet warm? I have frequently posted, in this case about fogging eyeglasses, but relevant to other gear winter:

berner

Aerotech's web site has quite a few different types of shoe covers. https://www.aerotechdesigns.com/cycl...oe-covers.html

79pmooney

Feet don't really need to breath. But keeping socks dry is critical to maintaining insulating value (unless you are wearing neoprene socks). I push the critical temperature for my regular cycling shoes by 1) using a pair a size larger and 2) using plastic bags both inside and outside my socks. My feet go into produce bags. Then my usual insulating socks. Produce bags and a thin pair of socks over. Liner socks stay dry and work far better.

For below freezing, the 45 North boots work very well and are very good riding. Sadly they do not come in the LOOK 3-bolt pattern so I can only use they with my least used bike/cleats/shoes. I live in Portland, OR which rarely gets "cold" so the Fasterkatt boots (down to 25F) work well for me.

Bah! Posted this a month ago. Sorry.

Ben

dougiet

Cold Weather rides are better with Costco Merino wool blend socks. $14.00 for 2 pairs. They are big enough to slide two pairs on each of my 13-inch 'snowshoes' [feet]!

roadsnakes

Toe warmers
WOOL Socks
Plastics bags
Shake and heat packets
If that doesn`t work, add one more layer of plastic.
If that doesn`t work, Stay Home.

rumrunn6

today was a good day for good boots

Notso_fastLane

Which model is that?

rumrunn6

I know they are Columbia, but I'd have to check the model. I got 2 pair for me & my son so we could see a frigid December pro football playoff game 5? years ago. he barely ever wore them again, but I still do!

my foot is technically a 12.5 but I buy size 13 shoes. these boots are size 14 so I can wear 2 pair socks & tape hand warmers to my toes. winter? bring it! I can wear them w/o the chem packs too of course ...

if I remember correctly, they were approx $150 ea. I got the units best for the lowest temps cuz I have virtually no blood circulation in my feet

OK found them - Men's Columbia Sportswear Hiking, Snow Boot NO Steel Toe Size 13 BM 3726-010 2.00 Grams Omni tech

inside label on tongue


outside label on tongue


outside label near ankle

inside label near ankle


embossed printing on sole


found some here

guess this is the latest model "A reenergized update of our cold-weather classic"

they are high but not sure I would call them mid-calf. mine measure approx 9" from floor to top

here are some on Amazon

they also make shorter "Omni-Heat Hiking Shoes" but I guess they're not "200 gram"?

base2 

For me, it's Lake 303's & wool socks for most anything below 40 degrees. On occassion when it's in the teens, noeprene zip up booties over, but that can get to be quite warm, even in the teens.

Has anyone else tried applying tape over the vent holes & using decent insoles in regular summer shoes? Blocking the vents with tape is remarkably effective & cheap from 30-50 degrees, especially with insoles & neoprene booties as weather dictates.

Try it.

Notso_fastLane

I'm looking at the Fizik X5 Artica Cycling Shoe, but I can't find any shops locally that carry this brand. Shoes are the one thing I hate trying to order online, since they often run large or small. I think I'll go with a half size larger and try that with my warm socks and see if the new insoles I ordered will fit. If they do, the battery powered insoles I'm looking at should fit as well, if it comes to that.

noglider 

I found that my cycling shoes have room for me to wear two pairs of socks. It's important not to let the shoes get too tight. And I discovered that wearing a base layer under my pants helps keep my feet warm. Now I am at college in an overheated building, and I'm hot. But at least I wasn't old outside. It's a cold and windy day today. And having the base layer on is pretty inconvenient. It's not so easy to remove it.

Bikewolf

A trick you can try, is to get up your saddle, stretch your legs, and get down again. Then: relax; interrupt your pedaling by letting your legs hang in a straight line (and maybe move your feet and toes a little while your at it), in order to improve the blood flow.

wolfchild

I use platform pedals with insulated winter hiking boots, 1-2 pairs of wool socks + gaiters... That set up has never failed me yet.

rivers

Winter mountain bike boots. I have a pair of shimano mw5s, and they are brilliant in the cold with a pair of woolie boolie socks. When it's cold and wet, I put a pair of velotoze covers on to keep the rain completely out. Although I can attest they are warn when wet.

MinnMan

I have been very happy with my pair of Bontrager OMW cycling boots. They have an inner booty and an outer shell that works with SPD cleats. They are much lighter than Lake or 45 North cycling boots, but with merino sock liners and a heavy smartwool oversock, keep my feet warm down to 0 °F without the use of foot warmers and (coldest yet tried) to -13 °F with the foot warmers. The only downside perhaps is that they flex a little bit.

Oh, and they seem to be on sale at Trek for $100. I paid $200last year. Maybe they are being discontinued?

noglider 

In size 42 only.

gecho

I find the mechanics of pedaling seems to restrict blood flow, contributing to cold feet. Probably due to the pressure always being at the front of the foot instead of alternating between front and rear when walking. Sometimes getting off the bike and walking a little can help (not something I typically do). When riding with a group in the winter I do notice that when the group stops for several minutes, just being stopped is enough to help warm the feet. But I don't like stopping in the cold because my upper body cools quickly.

roadsnakes

Also, keeping your Core warm will help keep your hands and feet warm. Possibly adding a insulated vest or wool vest could help keep the feet and hands more comfortable.

https://blog.mapmyrun.com/tips-keeping-hands-feet-warm/


Take care of your core. When your fingers are cold, it’s natural to focus on what you’re wearing on your hands. But don’t neglect the rest of your body, especially your core (torso). Wear warm layers and adjust what you’re wearing based on your activity level and changes in weather (learn more about layering). With a warm core, your body will be able to pump out plenty of heat to your extremities, like fingers and toes.

MinnMan

Yes and no. At times previous when I had cold hands or feet, I could be sweating in my core at the same time. I seldom find that my core is cold during a winter ride and over dressing the core tends to be more of a problem than underdressing.

But it is true that one way to warm the hands and feet is just to put out more energy. There have been lots of times when my hands or feet were cold after the first 5 miles, but then after 10, when I was really in a rhythm, the cold went away. Or that cold began to creep in and then I upped my effort and my hands became warm again.

A related point is that you can't forget to keep fueling in the cold. Some times, when your extremeties start complaining, it's time to take out a gel. Personally, I like shot blocks, though I admit they can be mighty hard to chew down at 0°F.