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My feet get colder than most people's, I think. When I was a child, my mom used to observe all the time how cold my tootsies were. I don't know if it's poor blood circulation or what, but riding outdoors in the winter is agony. For me, neoprene booties and wool socks are no match for the fierce Chicago winter.But I really want to ride outside several times a week through this winter. What can I do?
a) Take it like a man. Sure, but I don't see myself doing that every day. One thing is to brave the cold once I've forgotten the pain that lies ahead. A very different thing is to get out there in the morning with a fresh memory of frozen toes from the evening before. I'm afraid it won't happen. Plus, my feet might fall off, which is not good in the medium to long term.
b) Cut my feet off. Hmmm, sounds like throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Definitely counterproductive in the short, medium and long terms.
c) Bite the bullet and buy a pair of Lake winter shoes ($250), which supposedly keep your feet toasty in temperatures down to 10F (I guess that means that, for me, they will work down to only 20F, which is still pretty good).
Any other ideas, dear reader?
8 comments:
Sock liners, then windproof neoprene socks, then wool socks, then cycling shoes, then booties. When it drops really low, add chemical foot warmers.
Or more simply, drop the clipless pedals when it gets super cold and use Gore Tex hiking boots if you have them...
I have a friend who modified a pair of mukluks to accept an spd cleat. He lives in Madison and prides himself in commuting to work No Matter What.
HTFU
(just kidding -- I don't have any better ideas than J or Joe, but just wanted to throw out Stuey O'Grady's (borrowed) mantra)
The lake boots are awesome! I love mine. They let me ride when it is below zero. You could also try heating packs.
Thanks for your comments. My readers are the best.
I´ll go the "inexpensive" way, i.e. neoprene socks+shoes+neoprene booties. In fact, I'll try that tomorrow morning, when it's supposed to be around 0 C.
If I can fit more layers inside the shoes when it gets colder, I'll add another pair of socks. If I can't, I'll use the chemicals.
It's never too late to buy the luxurious shoes.
I'm sure you know this, but it bears noting:
With all the talk of multi-layers, it's good to remember that both the layers and your circulation depend LOTS on having ample room to keep you warm. Compression is the enemy in keeping warm. I know that I can make my hands colder by adding a top glove which is just barely tight as opposed to just wearing the base glove. It doesn't take much compression to cause problems.
Also you can get battery powered electric socks. They're relatively inexpensive and with booties, I think they'll be warm to really cold temps.
I've got the goretex winter northwaves... totally awesome, you just can't have exposed socks if it's wet out - wool wicks down too.
30F used to be my threshold but now it's more like 25 as long as I have an insulated bottle in the cage.
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