Keeping Toes Warm
 

What do others wear to keep their toes warm during cold, windy rides? It's the only part of my body I haven't figured out yet. I do own some toe covers that I have used but they didn't seem to work as well as I had hoped. Anyone have suggestions for socks that you've found keep your toes warm in the winter?

weather resistant, insulated, roomy shoes
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sock liners
winter sock
I have bad circulation in my feet so I have to add heat with chem packs
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some ppl use shoe covers
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Those chemical toe warmers pictured above and warm socks with thick shoe covers and I’m good to -10C

Back in the day we used to put plastic bread bags over the cycling shoes and then an old pair of socks over that with a hole cut out for the cleat. Eventually shoe covers became available and i had a nice thick pair of neoprene ones with a zipper up the back that were really warm. I no longer ride for very long in the cold.

The big secret - send warm blood down to those toes. Remember, that blood runs close to your skin, especially at your knees and ankles. Windblock tights are a big asset. Before they existed I used to put newspaper on my thighs under my tights. Recently I made bicycle gaiters to keep Oregon rain out of my boots but quickly found wearing them on cooler days kept my feet warmer.

Good but better - put your bare feet into thinner produce bags first. Yes, your feet will come home looking like they spent all afternoon in the tub but your socks never saw seat or condensation and are as dry as when you put them on. And with bags on both sides blocking all air tmovement, those socks are fully effective as insulators.

It's a technique used by arctic explorers, to keep their sleeping bags and shoes dry. A vapor barrier inside the insulating material contains the moisture.

A thin base layer under the plastic will get soaked, but might be more comfortable than plastic against skin.

Another wind barrier outside the insulating layer, or even outside the shoe, keeps wind any precipitation away from the insulating layer.

I use ROCKBROS Cycling Shoe Covers Winter Shoes Cover (got from Az...) its bulk but keeps me warm even when below 32F.
Also this works great under the socks Meister 2.5mm Thermal Neoprene Toe Warmer for temp on 40Fs.

I am disappointed to say my 45NRTH Ragnarök shoes didn't really perform much better than my usual cycling shoes. After about 90 minutes in 40° F temperatures, my feet were pretty cold. This was with Smartwool socks.

DeFeet winter socks + toe covers + Louis Garneau neoprene booties. Keeps my toes warm for 30F rides.

I've always worn wool socks and have winter shoe covers that are water resistance. I've been out in -16 degrees for several hours of riding with no cold feet issues.

The first thing is swap out those clipless pedals for some good old flats. Then almost any shoe combination that keeps your feet dry will do the trick, so long as they're not so wide in the heel they hit the chain stay or rear DR cable. I've worn mucking boots and thick wool socks a time or two with great success.

Use thick wool socks, such as the traditional ragg wool offered by Fox River and Wigwam. Wear shoes that are large enough to accommodate them. If your toes are immobilized, along with a large list of maladies will be that your toes won't be able to keep warm.

was fun to see the water roll off after the splash today & glad it did
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SealSkinz waterproof merino socks inside and rain covers on the outside or neoprene over my road shoes but most important is to keep the rest of the body very warm. if your core is not warm, your hands and feet will get cold. When I say warm, that does not mean "not cold" but warm. If really cold, I will bring hot tea and honey in a thermos. And, a down jacket just in case. If my feet get cold, it usually means the rest of me isn't warm enough

:thumb: very nice treat on a cold ride, absolutely

Go all in and get dedicated cycling boots. I did the toe cover route for a couple of years and the neoprene shoe cover route for a number of years. Once I got Lake boots (MXZ303 and MX145), I won’t go back.

A couple of things to do if you want to stubbornly stick to toe covers:

1. Thick wool socks. If it’s really cold, go for over the knee socks.
2. Bigger shoes (one size larger, at least) to accommodate the thicker socks like Nyah suggests
3. If using cleated shoes, cover the cleat holes with aluminum furnace tape. Seals up the holes and the aluminum reflects heat a little.
4. Get insoles with aerogel insulation like these. Far better insulation than just about anything.

finally had a ride where my toes got cold, I guess it's winter now ...

As referred to above…blood circulation is important to warmth. Putting on extra socks and cramming more INTO the shoe is going to make it tight, and reduce circulation…even ever so slightly. I’ve found that it’s better to stay thin (loose) on the inside of the shoe, and have a good wind/waterproof outer layer.

Dan

I don’t monkey around, and instead keep a full kit of options to suit any ride type and weather:

- Northwave Celsius Arctic MTB (SPD) winter shoes (insulated, wayerproof) for snowy, sloppy rides and the coldest rides (because they’re roomier)

- Mavic Ksyrium winter road shoes (insulated, wayerproof) w/ 3-bolt cleats for when it’s cold but dry. Snug, they’re great for cycling socks and fill the shoulder season role great (like 32° - 55°)

- 3 heat setting electric socks with heating elements above and below toes, with Northwaves, they take me down as cold as it gets, like single digits plus windchill. Low is fine for 30°s, medium if 20°s, and high is the charm when temps in teens.

- several wool socks (DeFeet, Smartwool, Capo, Danish Endurance) in varying thicknesses go in either shoe when temps are around freezing and above.

I like these options because it minimizes futzing around and the electric socks, powered by rechargeable LiPOs in the cuff, keep my feet warmer than anything else I’ve used over three decades of Michigan winter riding. It’s definitely “technology for the win” in this arena.

Right there. I can't wear ski gloves without hands becoming soaked.
My winter rides in the teens (f) i ride a bike with regular pedals and hiking boots with Goretex. Never ever had cold feet.

My latest on gloves is 3 pairs of the cheap brown jersey gloves with a disposable hand warmer outside the first inside glove.

There are a lot of solutions and it depends how cold and also on your riding style.

People here are saying ride flat pedals instead of cleated pedals. yeah, that works, but a good compromise in that direction is something like these

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that way, you can wear your warm show or hiking boot and still get some of the advantages of clipping in.

now i have a great pair of winter boots with spd cleats -Bontrager OMWs. They rock. Much lighter and less expensive than 45Norths or Lakes, but possibly warmer. But for some reason they didn't sell and were discontinued.

More general comments - Sock liners! Thin Smartwool sock liners with thicker wool blend oversocks.

And chemical toe warmers.

Also, if you are wearing normal cycling shoes (because your conditions are cool and maybe wet and windy, but not seriously cold), then you want to think about good overshoe protection. Forget those lousy Louis Garneau or Pearl Izumi gore-wear things. Go for the neoprene. i like the Enduras, but there are other brands.

I use standard road shoes but layer the heck out of it.

• Rapha Deep Winter wool socks have wind protection in front and go up to the knees.
• On top of my shoes I put Castelli Estremo covers, the thickest covers I could find.
• For colder than about 25F I add an extra cover on top - an old beater pair of large neoprene shoe covers which fit over the Estremos. I cut off the upper part to avoid constricting the ankle too much - they cover the shoe portion only.

I have goofy-looking club feet with all the layers, but hey my feet are warm! Note this is for Maryland winters, we rarely get into the teens.

All set w/a new pair o bomb-proof FoxRiver Norsk, thick, heavy, 80% wool:
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