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I suffer from really cold feet when the temperature goes below maybe 5 degrees.
I've tried two pairs of sock, tin foil, overshoes and nothing has really helped.
For Christmas I treated my self to some Shimano XM9's for some waterproofing and to hopefully add a bit more protection from the cold. First ride out in them over the weekend and they offered a bt more protection but in less than an hour my feet were fairly numb from cold 🙁
Now I tend to wear leggings, albeit not thermal, under some baggies.
Should I up this to either thermal or consider some biking trousers??
The irony is that off the bike I don't feel the cold.
I've looked at my saddles, their angles, padding etc and I don't think its a numbness caused by any of them as when its warmer the problem disappears.
Any suggestions, thoughts, help - Sadly cold feet is really ruining my enjoyment of cycling at the moment.
Yes.
If you calves are cold then the blood going to your feet is cold and the blood vessels constrict to limit blood flow further as the body assumes the feet are going to be even colder than your legs.
Roubaix longs are the secret to warm feet. Just get a pair of roadie winter bib longs to wear under your baggies. Doesn't need to e expensive, Planet-X do some mid weight and heavy weight versions for about £20-£25.
Warm shoes (and socks) obviously help. But if your feet aren't getting a nice supply of warm blood then there's no heat for them to retain however much insulation you give them.
Ditto cold hands - put on arm warmers or a jacket.
^ what TINAS says. I wear Roubaix leg warmers when it's cold.
I had this (though not as severely) and discovered that the main factors were, in no particular order...
My favourite biking socks were quite tight at the ankle hole so were cutting off circulation to my feet, bought new socks with a looser top and problem diminished, and
I stopped tying my shoelaces quite so tightly.
Crap reasons really but I was surprised what a difference they made.
YMMV
Edit. Also I now keep my biking shoes (5-10 impacts) in the top of the airing cupboard during the winter months so they're toasty warm when I put them on 8)
Cheers Chaps.
The principle of cold legs = cold feet seems seems almost too simple.
Will look for some roubaix/fleece/winter tights now.
keep your pipes lagged mate. warm arms and legs mean warm feet/hands.
or at least it does for me.
spd shoes have metal in the sole, it may radiate cold up. also on spd pedals, your feet don't move much. on a flat they are bending a lot, I think this may also generate heat. I may be wrong.
this winter I am wearing a pair of north face back to Berkley leather waterproof boots. mated with wool socks, and a dead foot, I have managed to keep warm.
I've posted this [url= http://45nrth.com/blog/post/cold-weather-riding-tips-by-jay-petervary ]set of tips[/url] by Jay Petervary before. He's talking about seriously cold temps, like -20C, but the principles apply at whatever temp.
Thanks again.
@ Ton - trying flats is on the list too.
Tight socks around the ankles .... hmmm that could be a contributing factor .
So .... what socks to try next. Go for a single pair or a nice thick pair. The boots have have a good amount of space for toe wiggling 😆
As ton says, I believe my cleats conduct heat away from my feet. Walking on snow provided the worst example. If you need more help, I like these insoles, which I find last me a winter...
And a short pair of walking gaiters adds a little wind- and water-proofing around the top of the boots.
Ohh, and it sounds daft, but do you wear a hat/cap/buff under your helmet? Once you've wrapped up warm the remaining source of heat loss is your head. Covering your head can take you from shivering to uncomfortably warm pretty quickly, and if your core temperature is raised then your body will put more effort into getting the warm blood to the extremities to cool it down again.
Flats probably help as the shoes are generally bigger too as they don't have to support your feet in the same way. Which means socks can stay fluffed up, the soles are often filled with foam, the upper is usually padded, and they're not tight and constricting.
It goes slightly against some of the advice on here, but I find when it's really cold a pair of silk sock liners (like you might wear for skiing) make a huge difference. They tend to go a bit further up the leg than normal socks too.
Completely agree with the roubaix longs under the baggies too.
In a word, yes.
The winter boots have some thermal lining between your foot and the cleat plate so you should lose less heat through this. Obviously even with warm tights there will come a point where you get cold feet, but you can lower it.
I find a thin pair of socks inside a thick pair makes a big difference to my toes compared to the thick pair alone. No real idea why.
Cold hands and/or feet means your torso is cold so your body is reducing blood flow to the extremities in an attempt to keep your core warm. Try increasing the insulation on your body.
Cold hands and/or feet means your torso is cold so your body is reducing blood flow to the extremities in an attempt to keep your core warm. Try increasing the insulation on your body.
Yep, and there's a definite difference between core/legs being 'not cold' and being 'warm'.
The key to keeping warm is to insulate the areas where lots of blood is near to the surface on its way to some really important extremity e.g your neck, wrists and ankles. Insulating your feet is no good you need to insulate those ankles and shins
By the same token SPD cleats are efficient heat sinks to those ambient temperature pedals so get some insulation under the insoles
Also the actual pedalling motion reduces the natural blood pump action of walking so get off and push now and then no one cares if you do
Last winter was wet and 'cold enough' down here which meant most rides included a constant spray of chilled water onto the lower legs. I've been using heavy leggings/warmers with waterproof boots for years and generally found it sufficient, but after a couple of months of numb feet last year I bought some very lightweight waterproof trousers (Mavics).
Naturally that meant this winter was incredibly dry up to Christmas, so my first use of them was only when we had snow. Used them a few times now and I'm pretty sold- keeps the water away from your legs so it doesn't cool them and you choose your amount of insulation underneath for temperature/wicking.
I need to buy some lighter full length legs to wear under them really so I can use them when it's not warmer.
As a bonus, when you get home, hose them down while you do the bike and then just take them off before you go through the door, nice and clean underneath.
Tight socks? sounds silly but my socks are a tiny bit too small not long enough and I get cold feet especially toes
Right ..... This thread is costing me a fortune .....
Fleece lined bib tights ordered
Thermo insoles ordered.
Need socks now ......
Thanks again though folks - your input is much appreciated.
@tinas - I normally wear a merino wool SS jersey, merino wool arm warmers and either a soft-shell or a wind proof jacket.
I don't wear a buff although I do have one. I have some old, beyond their best gloves and don't suffer cold hands or at least not comparable with my feet.
The point about the shoes is a good one too.
I have some Merell GTX something or others I use for taking the dogs out and they are nice and warm.
Time to maybe break out my original DMR V12s. I [i]think[/i] they'll be 18 years old this year!
Don't do your shoes up too tight either - it can restrict the blood flow.
Part of the reason I went for the XM9s is that they are lace up so no ratchets or straps applying pressure in certain places.
Part of the reason I went for the XM9s is that they are lace up so no ratchets or straps applying pressure in certain places.
Whatever works for you 😀
I've always found laces hard to get the tension even across the foot. Those XM9s look like a walking boot so I guess it's easier.
LMTTM, one more thing - If there's any chance of water coming in through the cleat fixings, cover the inside with duct tape. Perhaps do so anyway.
Mycoal foot warmers have totally changed my winter rides. Buy them in bulk on Amazon.
I'll have your new boots off you if they're about size 45 and you want rid
I wear long calf length merino socks from Chrome under my tights. I reason that you must keep the blood warm on the way down to the feet. I also make sure my shoes are not tight! This one is vital.
I normally ride bib 3/4 with the long socks and find this n excellent combination.
Socks? Wooly boolies!
Inside a pair of Lake 303s they're toasty to at least -10C, with an old pair of Cannondale longs...
I suffer badly from cold feet and it really ruins my winter riding. Tried all sort and still not there on fixing the problem but I think I have a circulation issue which I'm never really going to fix. However, what I have tried so far and seems the best to date is;
Switching to flats to avoid the cold sink issue of clips
Buying 5:10 elements a size larger so plenty of room for thick socks
New pair of Sealskins with the sticky top to keep the water from running down
Additional pair of merino wool socks under the sealskins
Roubaix lined Endura bibs with 3/4 length baggies
Last ride out my feet were ok and not killing me by the time I got home.
I feel as if this is the first winter that I've actually cracked the staying warm thing. Not had one single day where I've been freezing. So, here's what I wear:
- roadie robaix bib tights under baggies (waterproof bum preferred)
- pearl izumi thermal merino socks (have made a massive difference)
- decent merino base layer (usually pearl Izumi transfer or castelli grey wool one)
- riding jersey
- a rab very lightly padded gilet (cost about £40 from go outdoors)
- endura strike 2 gloves
No buff or hat etc. I keep a light waterproof in my bag just in case. I ride in Scotland so we've had some real cold stuff and snow the last three weekends.
late to this, but same as in hot weather they say to run your wrists under cold water, because the blood is close to the surface and can cool it, so the same in winter with keeping warm. Your ankles are the weak point; in proper cold weather I have a pair of ski tubes with the feet cut out that go on under my roubaix tights just to add another layer to the ankle. But only in cold and dry; in cold and wet they're no use (but if it's proper cold and wet I'm not going out for long anyway!!!)
agree with focussing on the layering choices above...
when its really cold i try to warm up, off the bike. Then stop after a short time, when my body is warm, off the bike and do some leg exercises and windmill my arms in an attempt to force the hot blood to the extremities. seems to help