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Winter Clothing: Goggles & Foot Wear?

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Winter Clothing: Goggles & Foot Wear?

Old 01-24-22, 05:49 AM
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Attilio
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Winter Clothing: Goggles & Foot Wear?

Hello;

This is the third winter I am riding and every year I am getting better accessories vs the old windproof track suits and grandma jacket although once temps dip into the single digits the latter still works well.

I have a beanie with mask from Carhartt and use multiple layers, neck gaiters, fancy MTB winter gloves with merino wool bottom base gloves, merino wool base layers, the works. I also use TWO wool socks but there are two unresolved issues.

While winter boots are wonderful when combined with the wool socks it really sucks to ride road (not so bad MTB due to lower cadence and speed). Would like lighter footwear any suggestions for feet? I use flat pedals if that helps. Shoe liners don't fit my Five Tens I am size 13. Wearing the huge old frumpy grandma jacket does help extremities as well as hand/foot temps but that's only practical for so long. At least I have a flat bar beater bike and my MTB is also a flat bar. But looking into lightweight foot suggestions as the covers are too small for my riding shoes and don't fit.

Secondly any suggestions for the goggles not to fog or freeze? I have a pair and use anti fog but in single digits I get fog and above all frost pretty quickly. Maybe there is a better, "high end" anti fog whose recipe isn't the same as the cheap alcohol ones but charges 5x as much? I don't get much time with good visibility until fog and frost accumulate and then it's something else I have to take off and carry. At least around my neck isn't so bad but while better than nothing I'd like more than a handful of minutes of protection for my upper face and eyes.

Any suggestions from other winter riders? I live in New England, not arctic or polar, but COLD nonetheless.
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Old 01-24-22, 09:13 AM
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I try to keep my face dry, (often carry paper towels or use my gloved hands) because it's my moist skin than fogs my face coverings. if I stop moving & stop the airflow, I have to remove the eye covering. always remember to exhale thru my mouth to keep that moist air, as far as possible from the eye covering

I pull the foam air filters (top & bottom) out of my goggles for more ventilation

also use a helmet w/ eye shields. they provide some protection but also allow lots of ventilation



I have like no circulation in my feet & I can't ride when it's cold w/o chemical toe warmers or hand warmers for the toes
sometimes on top of a single sock

sometimes on top of a sock liner, then a winter sock over all that

sometimes just a toe warmer
either between sock layers

or sometimes over a single sock

I was using large heavy winter boots on road bike, hybrid & MTB, but this year, I got a lighter pair of insulated & waterproof winter boots. as I mentioned I don't use 2 pair of heavy socks. 1 pair of sock liners & 1 pair of heavy socks. sometimes just a single mid-weight sock, or sock liner & mid weight sock. I try to keep my shoes from cutting off what little circulation I have, so everything can't be too tight

Last edited by rumrunn6; 01-24-22 at 09:34 AM.
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Old 01-24-22, 09:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Attilio
Any suggestions from other winter riders? I live in New England, not arctic or polar, but COLD nonetheless.
I live in New England too…costal RI. So depending where you are it might be a little colder there. I am strictly a road cyclist. Anyway, one thing to remember regarding warmth of your feet is that more layers (of socks) isn’t always your best bet. I took that hint years ago when someone in these forums pointed out that cramming more layers into whatever shoes you’re wearing can cause a bit of restricted blood flow. The will negatively affect the warmth of your feet. So, I reverted back to just a single layer (two if thin) of socks, and got covers for my shoes instead. That worked…and I don’t even use any warming inserts and I will ride in the teens F° if the roads are clear. For my hands, I had been using Pearl iZumi “lobster gloves.” I wasn’t impressed. I ended up trying a pair of wind resistant mittens I picked up for $10 at Ocean State Job Lot. They’re great! For my upper body, I wear a waist-length jacket from my downhill skiing days with a thin nylon cycling jacket over it, and a thin balaclava. Bottom line, I think, is to think outside the box. Some of the name-brand cycling-specific winter gear I’ve obtained over the years sucks. Meanwhile, I’ve found that often times gear from other activities makes perfect cycling gear (e.g. the skiing jacket and mittens). For glasses/goggles…you may have better luck with glasses. The wind moving across your face helps to keep them from fogging up on the inside. Good luck.

Dan
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Old 01-24-22, 10:04 AM
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+1 for clear safety glasses




I kinda save the goggles for extremes like active snow storms, or the worst cold. lately it's more the helmet w/ the eye shields. I use the glasses (or sunglasses) most of the year
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