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Goose Down Shoe Covers

Old 11-23-21, 11:15 AM
  #26  
kahn
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
I have virtually no circulation in my toes. I now use an electric foot warmer in the office. wonder if I have diabetes. anyway, this time of year I resort to adding heat & winter boots. but toe warmers also work in regular shoes if it's not frigid out. just loosen the laces get the foot in & re-adjust the laces


when it's really bad I use hand warmers, (usually w/ less tape than this) hehe
I have spent a sizeable amount of money over the years keeping my toes from going completely painful. I made my way through a series of hotronics (spelling) which is an insole system. Finding a place for the battery always presented a challenge. Last year a downhill skier friend mentioned the Lenz socks. They seem to work. Neither of these solutions is cheap. But I did try a cheap system from Amazon last year - I wound up burning the pads of both feet. No adjustment could cool them off!!!

Yes, below 50F is too cold for my toes. As I wrote, I suspect frostbite in years past. I can generally manage cross-country skiing without such contraptions. Possibly while biking, the wind chill can't be fought off. Booties, etc just don't do it. I have returned to the car cross country skiing, taken off boots and socks and while the arch/instep area of my feet is steaming and red, the toes are ghostly white.
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Old 11-23-21, 11:19 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by 79pmooney
A classic BF thread! OP asks about an idea that is roundly denounced. A few posts later tells us he's done it and for his riding it works really well. (I was like the first few to respond. Virtually all of my winter riding has been in wet places like southern Michigan, Boston and the PNW but I kept my mouth shut.) The fact that we've learned the OP is doing something that works well for him barely slows the ridicule of his idea.

Assuming he said it does work well (which I'm not sure he did), are we not allowed to remain skeptical and/or point out there's already better solutions for that issue? Other than "I found some goose down", is there any reason to believe that this is a better material to use than other probably cheaper materials? Any reason to assume putting the insulation on the outside of the shoe is better?
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Old 11-23-21, 11:21 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by pdlamb
I must have missed something. OP came back and wrote:



Where in that post did OP say "for his riding it works really well?"

All I saw was a planned temperature range (FWIW I handle low 30s easily with thick wool socks) and the "cold and dry weather only" limitation.

I have to say, my feet are about the only thing I don't have to specially clothe in order to ride comfortably in the low 30s.
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Old 11-23-21, 01:49 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by kahn
Yes, below 50F is too cold for my toes. As I wrote, I suspect frostbite in years past.
oh really? that's a thing? hmmm. anyway last weekend spent most of the day Saturday on the couch editing video instead of riding my bike like a dumb*ss & I resorted to chemical toe warmers in the house! I should get another one of these for home. it's great at the office. we have a cold fieldstone basement right under my office. guess I was short on socks this morning
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Old 11-24-21, 06:49 PM
  #30  
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Years of ice climbing and mountaineering has laid bare an absolute truth, there isn’t any warm like down warmth.

Sure, neoprene, schoeller, or whatever can keep you warm enough but when push comes to shove, I’ve never seen anything comparable to high fill power down.

I don’t think a water resistant shell would be hard. The trick, is that with clip less, I get cold from the bottom of the shoe. Hard to insulate that if you plan on walking.

In practice though, I’ve ridden down to about zero Fahrenheit and most others here have too. It’s not very fun or advisable but I bet we all still have our toes. Must not be too bad.
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Old 11-26-21, 02:35 AM
  #31  
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jeez, i didn't mean to start ww 3, just found a jacket and did an experiment, wtf?

wind chill at 18 MPH @ 5 hours can eventually penetrate into the toes, believe me.

ok, the laughs are on me. again. here you go. i hope everybody is drunk by now so they can really yuck it up at my expense.>
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Old 11-26-21, 08:25 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by cjenrick
jeez, i didn't mean to start ww 3, just found a jacket and did an experiment, wtf?

wind chill at 18 MPH @ 5 hours can eventually penetrate into the toes, believe me.

ok, the laughs are on me. again. here you go. i hope everybody is drunk by now so they can really yuck it up at my expense.>
You found a down jacket in the garbage and converted it into a goofy looking pair of homemade shoe covers and are now hurt that people poked a bit of fun at you.
Good stuff.
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Old 11-26-21, 08:36 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by cjenrick
jeez, i didn't mean to start ww 3, just found a jacket and did an experiment, wtf?

wind chill at 18 MPH @ 5 hours can eventually penetrate into the toes, believe me.

ok, the laughs are on me. again. here you go. i hope everybody is drunk by now so they can really yuck it up at my expense.>
I was skeptical, but those actually look pretty good. And you upcycled that old down jacket, which makes it even better. Kudos.
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Old 11-26-21, 10:20 PM
  #34  
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still trying to clean up the feathers.

it was a toddler's jacket, you can see evidence of one of the pockets, secret storage,

also made a pair for the flat pedal bike, DIY Gortex shoe covers, first time i have come home with warm dry feet after a 5 hour rain ride last night.

these were easy, just cut off both arms and sew the sleeves shut.

cut up a pair of dress shoes that someone let out on the curb. Italian leather. Many types.
Neoprene shock absorbers on bottom for walking (black). Braided elastic on top to keep them from rubbing cranks. zero seams in toe area. you just shoegoo a big piece of Gortex into a small pillow case, stich for extra strength, feet go in, excess gets wrapped around ankles and stuffed into togs, cover with shower's pass rain pants.

Last edited by cjenrick; 11-26-21 at 10:43 PM.
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Old 11-26-21, 11:00 PM
  #35  
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BITD, I made toe covers from (car) innertubes- they fit in with the toeclips.

If I was doing it now, I'd use neoprene.
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Old 11-27-21, 02:24 AM
  #36  
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good for headset protectors also.
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Old 11-28-21, 07:42 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by cjenrick
jeez, i didn't mean to start ww 3, just found a jacket and did an experiment, wtf?
wind chill at 18 MPH @ 5 hours can eventually penetrate into the toes, believe me.
ok, the laughs are on me. again. here you go. i hope everybody is drunk by now so they can really yuck it up at my expense.>
outstanding! admiring your ingenuity & skills!
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Old 11-28-21, 11:04 PM
  #38  
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well thanks!

with the left over material from the shoe covers we made some mitts that go over gloves in the rain. just make two small pillow cases and fold over a corner and shoegoo them down, , add some braided elastic and done. dexterity is not as bad as one would think, but not great either. these will keep wet wind chill off your gloves. we use REI fleece for cold weather and Specialized trail gloves for pineapple express storms like today. REI wants 49 clams for these so we saved some dough rei me. i need to add another band of elastic at the openings.

you can get gortex for cheap on evilbay, here is an example, 46" x 60" for $12.95>
https://www.ebay.com/itm/27280983423...MAAOSwey1f7K6y

Last edited by cjenrick; 11-28-21 at 11:12 PM.
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Old 11-29-21, 07:48 AM
  #39  
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I kinda recall having seen down shoe covers years ago, but don’t recall any details and, in fact, may be confused altogether. In any case, the idea has merit, and the OP did a good job of cobbling together a pair. I can understand why finding a pro-made pair would be desireable; windproof outer shell, good down for warm without bulk, and of course better finish quality so they don’t look homeless. Clever and homeless, but nonetheless….

Like others, I’ve always been plagued with cold feet, and no amount of insulation has ever done it for either cycling or hiking. I’ve got all the stuff, from wool socks and liners, to neoprene socks and overshoes, and insulated cycling specific boots. I’ve done the chemical warmers. They all work to a point, but the real solution has been, as kahn has also discovered, electric socks.

With electric socks, I don’t need to choose wisely, so getting dressed and out is a bit easier. Inside my Northwave Arctic GTX insulated cycling boots, even in the teens-degrees Farenheit, my feet stay warm, up to a tested three hours. It was really revolutionary for me to experience that level of winter comfort.

I did not spring for the Lenz due to the high cost, but did find a suspiciously-short-on-vowels brand on Amazon which had heating elements wrapping the toes above and below, and which I think cost around $85, roughly half the Lenz price. They’ve been reliable for a couple of seasons now, but I’ve yet to pull them out for this season. I tried a pair of electric socks several years prior, but they worked poorly, having only heating elements on top of the foot, so if you’re looking for some, be aware of the quality features.



I guess they have some kind of brand logo, but I can’t recall the brand name of these electric socks off Amazon.
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Old 11-29-21, 07:19 PM
  #40  
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they should make dynamo powered socks, the faster you pedal, the warmer the feet,

just be careful going downhill you could make bacon out of your flappers
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