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After biking in -7C temperatures yesterday, I'm seriously considering some heated insoles. Despite multiple socks, fleece lined boots and sometimes overshoes (can't find a pair that fit over my boots but have used them over standard shoes), I am getting seriously cold feet.
It looks like there is a huge range of heated insoles from £20 - £180. Does anyone have any recommendations of decent brands good for up to about 4 hours of biking?
I've always considered cold hands and feet to be a symptom of a cold core. Not always true but often the case IME. I'd try an extra layer or two up top first and see if that helps.
Definitely not cold core. My fingers are fine and so is everything else. I had back surgery a number of years ago and have had problems with cold feet ever since. Just got fed up of freezing toes.
Layer of tin foil below insoles? I put some into my Lakes that have crappy holes in sole of winter boots, it does seem to make a difference, but it maybe as I taped it in so no wet now gets in...
Also, what leg wear? My Endura tights = cold feet. My windproof, roubaix Scott tights = warm feet.
A common mistake is to try to fit thicker socks into summer shoes. You need to buy a size or two up.
GoreTex socks are worn over your normal socks, are relatively thin and have the benefit of introducing a waterproof layer too.
Winter before last I got home off one ride with my boots coated in ice after I'd had been wading through a deep puddle and it had frozen on at the -6c ride home. I had to wait for it to melt before I could get my boots off. My feet were still fine inside though.
I bought some of those last year pipiom. The heel is far too thick for cycling shoes, so I gave them to my dad for his fishing boots.
I looked at heated soles for ski boots and ended up with heated socks as I just wanted to give my toes a little help and the pad that does the heating is just at the front of the sock and takes up almost no room. Maybe worth investigating for biking boots or just get a pair of 45 Nrth Wolvhammers that will fry your feet?
Windproof roubaix Russo tights with fleet over the knee Giordano bibshorts. Ensure Humvee shorts over the lot. I'm using oversized Shimano mt9 boots with plenty of wiggle room with two thick pairs of merino wool socks.
I think I'm at the limit of what I can do with layers to be honest. I'll have a look at the sport pursuit and heated sock options.
You mean the Shimano MT91 Goretex hiking boot type SPD boots? They look alright, I would've thought a pair of those and merino socks would be enough, but we're all different.
I'd be interested to hear how the heated insoles work out.
I think I'm at the limit of what I can do with layers to be honest. I'll have a look at the sport pursuit and heated sock options.
Have you looked at some lightweight overtrousers? A couple of winters back we had a 'wet and cold but not so cold that everything froze' winter, which meant a constant spray of cold water on the legs and I had permanently numb feet as a result. Normally dry cold was fine, or wet but warmer and you got the wetsuit effect of warming up water, but this was the worst of both.
Bought some lightweight mavic overtrousers and they solved it completely as the slight bagginess keeps the cold outside away from contact with your legs and your feet stay warmer as a result. Should work equally well for general extra warmth.
It was super dry the last couple of rides. I think it is a circulation type problem following the back surgery (that is really an issue when I'm cycling, not walking).
As for boots, I used to use MT91s from Shimano, now on the new XM900 efforts. Just not enough.
I get cold feet too, yet to find anyway of keeping feet warm even if they don't get wet from seepage or spray down my legs.
Have just bought some LG LS100 boots which have tin foil type stuff in the inner sole and a double layer/flap outer which are slightly better but been looking at heated inner soles too.