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I suffer cold feet - badly. Whatever your about to suggest, I've tried it. I've been riding for decades, I know what to wear, what the tricks are, I have mountains of specialist kit, I've done winter boots, overshoes, goretex, tin foil, warm legs etc etc etc. I still get cold feet.
Cold feet are the one thing that can, and sometimes does, ruin a ride for me. Today I was in physical pain taking shoes of my frozen feet.
I need to apply some power!
So - heated socks or insoles, From disposal chemical reaction jobbies, reusable stuff, cheap amazon tech right up to £200 Bertschat skiing socks..
What have you tried and what works well?
I can only speak from my experience of heated gloves and they aren’t all that great. I’ve tried Snow Deer and Sealskinz and they perform the same and are disappointing given the cost.
Single use insoles might be the best bet…
i have suffered for ever with icy cold feet when riding. i got a ankle fusion a few years ago, and now my ankle dont bend, so my foot is like a sold dead lump in cold weather.
i ditched spd's years ago.
2 things have solved my cold feet problem.
in normal british winters down to freezing, i use Columbia fairbanks shoes with wool socks.
these with flatpedals are as grippy as 5'10s.
in proper icy below zero, i ride in Keen targhee high arctic boots. mated with normal thin riding sock, your feet WILL remain warm in this.
heading to Norway in 2 week, to fatbike. the Keens will be used.
for me the secret is warmer legs, so that means wearing thicker leggings or thermals under my trousers. If the legs are warm then the blood gets down into your feet ime. Slightly looser shoes, and then good dry socks, so I often take a spare pair
Im outside at work all year round, i find it's not one thing but lots of smaller things that make the difference, For biking im wearing a la sportiva gtx4 boot, waterproof and very grippy on flats. I havent worn cycling specific shoes since the early 2000's
Are you wearing overtrousers? Keeps cold air and spray semi-detached from your shins and ankles so the blood gets to your feet warmer (assuming you’re already in waterproof boots it helps keep them dry as well). Then if still not warm enough a heater patch on the inside of the ankle (under the trousers) does wonders for your taking the chill off. Have only tried this with disposable heat patches in genuinely sub-zero conditions it works.
You probably need bigger (sized) boots and more insulation - the problem is ‘proper’ winter footwear is rarely found in the UK. Squeezing thicker socks into an uninsulated boot just restricts circulation and makes your feet get colder quicker - if you can’t wriggle your toes, your footwear’s too small. Also, your feet do perspire even at low temperatures so making sure they stay dry/change and dry socks can help. <br />I wore a pair of 45 Nrth Wolvhammers for 5-days unsupported down to -27C - Feetus merino liner sock and ski socks.
I wore a pair of 45 Nrth Wolvhammers for 5-days unsupported down to -27C –
i bought some wolvhammers a few years ago, after hearing how good they were.
they didnt work for me. all they did was insulate my icy foot, kind of like a coolbox insulates stuff.
also they were spd, which meant the sole is too solid and ridgid for the foot to generate any warmth.
I've had good results with disposable foot warmers and winter boots at the Puffer but I don't like them for regular usage as they're single use.
I use these over winter. Have done for years and they work well. I find placing them on top of socks above my toes works well with my Fizik MTB boots. Previous boots I have placed them outside my socks under my toes.
If your feet get wet they don't work. I wear waterproof boots with neoprene gaters over the cuffs. No water gets in but wearing trousers also helps water ingress.
I rely on HotHands Footwarmers from various sources inc Halfords, and Ive got a few of some unknown brand that say 'Wedze' on the packet. Only need them when its 3C or lower, they're the difference between pain and surviving
I ride all year round with summer-ish shimano shoes, neoprene overshoes, wool socks so might splash out on some proper winter spd shoes if I can find any for a bargain one day
I tried all sorts. My 'solution' for winter commutes was a pair of heated insoles branded as 'warmawear' and boots with plenty of space and wool socks (like 70% or more wool. Nothing else keeps fett warm IME except wool). Battery rechargeable. No idea where they came from as they were a present.
Sub zero commuting was fine in them. Kept the chill off for about 2 hours total. Game changer for my icy feet.
Yes I wear fleecy leggings, undershorts and over shorts too so keep leg toasty.
I don't know if it'll warm your feet up but C c s foot care cream always leaves my feet feeling a bit more human.
My cycling buddy suffers from cold feet and he uses chemical warmers between two socks on top of the mid foot and they work well for him.
I've got Reynaulds and suffer badly, both hands and feet.
The most important thing is to keep them dry, cold and dry is fine, warm and wet is OK, cold and wet gets very painful, very quickly.
Waterproof trousers and Northwave Celcius boots for me, merino socks. Good, but not infallible. I don't get such cold feet when I run though, the impact stimulates the circulation and the movement generates some heat of it's own. When it gets really bad get off and run a mile or two with the bike, hop back on when it stops hurting, works a treat.
I have tried virtually all of the above to no avail. My feet sweat even when cold so socks are soaked permanently. Best is wetsuit socks. Wet but warmish wet.
I've tried all of the above as well , even Madison " Deep Winter" 100%Merino socks . I find it follows a pattern , the ride starts off with warm feet and cold hands after about an hour they swap over 🙄
Riding with SPDs I tried the heat sink theory , 5/10s and flat pedals that didn't work either 😞If I go for a walk though , toasty everything so maybe that's what I should do instead all winter 🙄
I have used these when snowboarding and in really cold weather as they stop sweat getting into the boot insulation.
https://ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/vb-socks/
Not sure if they would work but maybe if you wrote them over a liner sock and inside some warm ones.
I find that the disposable foot warmers are OK - but not great. They need oxygen to work, and stuffed under a foot in a boot they don't get enough to really heat up.
I had better results with the small hand ones over a summer shoe but under an overshoe.
I also think SPD is not the way to go - they are a proper cold spot IMO. Having ridden a bit back on flats recently I am wondering about not using SPD's and heading back onto flats...
I would be intrigued to know about the rechargeable warmers - a pair of them in a winter boot might be super.
Therm-ic heated boot liners for me with 1500 batteries. They’re not hot hot but warm enough to make a difference and keep chilblains at bay. <br />Thumb loops on long sleeve thermal tops are also a noticeable improvement.
Fleece lined work trousers too. Can’t forget them. Embrace your inner old man!
I used heated insoles for cycling and work years ago, they were very good when combined with decent socks. They were rechargeable, with the battery in the heal, about £100 ten years ago ish.
Apologies if you have already tried the following, but this has worked for a family member with Raynaud's Syndrome
- gore tex or waterproof shoe
- two thin pairs of merino socks, or one thin and one thicker pair (two pairs trap an additional layer of warm air)
- go up a shoe size to ensure you can comfortably wear two pairs of socks and wiggle your toes in comfort. Tight footwear further restricts blood flow.
- Brynje Wool Thermo T-Shirt which I highly recommend for warming your core and circulation or instead in your case the Legging variety if you can overcome the strange aesthetic, no one else but your loved one will ever have to see it, it traps air creating a warm layer, but all the holes means it is super breathable (without chilling) so no sweat spots. Andy Kirkpatrick (mountaineer) and the Norwegian Army in Winter conditions swear by them, cheaper options are available
- Andy Kirkpatrick also recommends Vapour Barrier Liners which can be simply as effective he explains as using a plastic bag between sock layers
- Passive warm insoles although i too will be interested if someone on this thread has a viable recommendation for a heated insole
After ~8 years as a postie, I discovered that wearing a pair of neoprene socks over a thin pair of socks was great for keeping my feet from freezing while on delivery in the winter months.