coyotecrust
i've tried all sorts of socks and my feet still sweat like hell when they're in shoes and socks, even when it's below zero and i'm biking. any ideas? they're so used to being barefoot.
sweaty feet
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velo
Although I've never tried it...I've heard of people spraying their feet with the spray-type deodorant before heading out for the ride. I guess this is useful for cold weather rides, also, so you're feet won't get as wet and therefore not as cold.
thebulls
I have the same problem. Then the damp socks fail to provide enough insulation and my feet are freezing. They're probably still sweating though :-)
So then I thought, "the reason my feet are so cold is that my socks are damp; what can I do to keep my socks dry?" I had heard of vapor barrier liners (VBL) for sleeping bags, so I did a search for VBL socks. I found that Stephenson's Warmlite sells them (http://www.warmlite.com/start.htm) for $8 a pair. Before I ordered a pair, I tried out riding with poor-man's VBL's (i.e., plastic bags) on my feet. Problem solved! My feet still sweat (at least up until the bag is damp inside) but since my socks don't get wet, my feet don't get cold. I've done a half dozen commutes with the plastic bags (at temperatures from 17F to freezing), with no evident issues from damp feet--but the commutes are only 1-1/4 hours, so I don't yet know the effects of long-term usage. Looking forward to receiving my Stephenson's VBL socks sometime soon.
So then I thought, "the reason my feet are so cold is that my socks are damp; what can I do to keep my socks dry?" I had heard of vapor barrier liners (VBL) for sleeping bags, so I did a search for VBL socks. I found that Stephenson's Warmlite sells them (http://www.warmlite.com/start.htm) for $8 a pair. Before I ordered a pair, I tried out riding with poor-man's VBL's (i.e., plastic bags) on my feet. Problem solved! My feet still sweat (at least up until the bag is damp inside) but since my socks don't get wet, my feet don't get cold. I've done a half dozen commutes with the plastic bags (at temperatures from 17F to freezing), with no evident issues from damp feet--but the commutes are only 1-1/4 hours, so I don't yet know the effects of long-term usage. Looking forward to receiving my Stephenson's VBL socks sometime soon.
david.l.k
Don't wear cotton. The ideal is a wicking liner sock and a wool sock over top of it. That works on the worst days for me. I bike in snow and freezing temperatures in mesh trailrunning shoes with holes in them. Even on the coldest of days (-16) the socks kept my feet warm.
Also if your feet are getting cold consider wearing more layers on your legs. That helps because the blood stays warmer as it goes down to the feet.
Also if your feet are getting cold consider wearing more layers on your legs. That helps because the blood stays warmer as it goes down to the feet.
dougpals
Don't wear cotton. The ideal is a wicking liner sock and a wool sock over top of it. That works on the worst days for me. I bike in snow and freezing temperatures in mesh trailrunning shoes with holes in them. Even on the coldest of days (-16) the socks kept my feet warm.
Also if your feet are getting cold consider wearing more layers on your legs. That helps because the blood stays warmer as it goes down to the feet.
I have the same problem as some of you - regardless of what sock combo I wear they all end up wet including the wicking type with a wool pair on top. I am inclined to try thebulls tip before I go out and buy some expensive socks. Just my two cents worth.
DP
Also if your feet are getting cold consider wearing more layers on your legs. That helps because the blood stays warmer as it goes down to the feet.
I have the same problem as some of you - regardless of what sock combo I wear they all end up wet including the wicking type with a wool pair on top. I am inclined to try thebulls tip before I go out and buy some expensive socks. Just my two cents worth.
DP
thebulls
Isn't "cotton" an abbreviation for "death in cold weather" :-)
Nonetheless, wicking liners + wool socks = damp socks in any shoes I've ever worn, no matter how open. Even open-toed sandals. Some of us have feet that sweat more than others. Damp socks = cold feet. Evaporating sweat dissipates a great deal of heat. Read all about VBL's on the Stephenson's site in my previous post.
I assume you mean -16 Celsius? I've been cross-country skiing at -16 Fahrenheit (actually down to about -30) and I just don't believe you could wear mesh shoes and wool socks at -16 F in any amount of wind. My hands stay pretty warm--once I get going I usually have to flip the "hood" back on my convertible mittens to let my fingers out, even down to 10F.
The point about making sure to have warm legs is good.
Nonetheless, wicking liners + wool socks = damp socks in any shoes I've ever worn, no matter how open. Even open-toed sandals. Some of us have feet that sweat more than others. Damp socks = cold feet. Evaporating sweat dissipates a great deal of heat. Read all about VBL's on the Stephenson's site in my previous post.
I assume you mean -16 Celsius? I've been cross-country skiing at -16 Fahrenheit (actually down to about -30) and I just don't believe you could wear mesh shoes and wool socks at -16 F in any amount of wind. My hands stay pretty warm--once I get going I usually have to flip the "hood" back on my convertible mittens to let my fingers out, even down to 10F.
The point about making sure to have warm legs is good.
Ritehsedad
Has anyone tried the electric-battery-powered-hunting-type-socks?
SpokesInMyPoop
I've decided that there is no way around my sweaty feets :B lately I've been doing the reg. sock/waterproof socks (neoprene) combo, which my feet still got cold, but not as cold as sock/wool.
my gf didn't wash my waterproof socks yesterday (they can get stinkie), so today I rocked the sock/wool/wicking sock (ankle length... i normally used them during the summer), and my feet were decently warm :) I'm gonna try the reg. sock/waterproof sock/wicking sock combo and see how that works out.
It seems like it helps when you have an extra layer to make the insulation more efficient, but eh :B it worked for me this morning!
my gf didn't wash my waterproof socks yesterday (they can get stinkie), so today I rocked the sock/wool/wicking sock (ankle length... i normally used them during the summer), and my feet were decently warm :) I'm gonna try the reg. sock/waterproof sock/wicking sock combo and see how that works out.
It seems like it helps when you have an extra layer to make the insulation more efficient, but eh :B it worked for me this morning!
af895
Spray ANTI-PERSPIRANT. Deodourant won't work for the intended purpose - you'll just have sweaty feet that smell nice - and are very cold. ;)
BTW: this trick works very well.
BTW: this trick works very well.
Jarery
y all end up wet including the wicking type with a wool pair on top.
Ditto here
But it got me thinking................(yes i know thats dangerous)
Upper body its common to use a wool base layer and then a wicking layer over top. So why on our feet do we use a wicking layer as a base then add wool over top for warmth ?
Wouldnt that cause the wicking sock to transfer all our sweat to the wool sock where it soaks up and then holds the moisture?
Would putting a large wicking sock over top of a wool sock be a better approach? So that it can pull the moisture fromt he wool sock and transfer it to the outside of the outer sock for evaporation. Assuming you have vented shoes.
Ditto here
But it got me thinking................(yes i know thats dangerous)
Upper body its common to use a wool base layer and then a wicking layer over top. So why on our feet do we use a wicking layer as a base then add wool over top for warmth ?
Wouldnt that cause the wicking sock to transfer all our sweat to the wool sock where it soaks up and then holds the moisture?
Would putting a large wicking sock over top of a wool sock be a better approach? So that it can pull the moisture fromt he wool sock and transfer it to the outside of the outer sock for evaporation. Assuming you have vented shoes.
willtsmith_nwi
Ditto here
But it got me thinking................(yes i know thats dangerous)
Upper body its common to use a wool base layer and then a wicking layer over top. So why on our feet do we use a wicking layer as a base then add wool over top for warmth ?
Wouldnt that cause the wicking sock to transfer all our sweat to the wool sock where it soaks up and then holds the moisture?
Would putting a large wicking sock over top of a wool sock be a better approach? So that it can pull the moisture fromt he wool sock and transfer it to the outside of the outer sock for evaporation. Assuming you have vented shoes.
I use wool on top of ....
WOOL.
Two layers of wool (a light layer covered by a heavy hiking sock) does it for my feet and I am a sweater. My guess is that there is still moisture in there. But wool keeps it's insulating properties better than it's wet vs cotton or polyester (coolmax).
My problem is my hands. I can keep them warm, but it's a serious pain in the ass to keep in that threshold between not sweating and freezing my digits. I guess I need to buy some Smartwool gloves as liners.
But it got me thinking................(yes i know thats dangerous)
Upper body its common to use a wool base layer and then a wicking layer over top. So why on our feet do we use a wicking layer as a base then add wool over top for warmth ?
Wouldnt that cause the wicking sock to transfer all our sweat to the wool sock where it soaks up and then holds the moisture?
Would putting a large wicking sock over top of a wool sock be a better approach? So that it can pull the moisture fromt he wool sock and transfer it to the outside of the outer sock for evaporation. Assuming you have vented shoes.
I use wool on top of ....
WOOL.
Two layers of wool (a light layer covered by a heavy hiking sock) does it for my feet and I am a sweater. My guess is that there is still moisture in there. But wool keeps it's insulating properties better than it's wet vs cotton or polyester (coolmax).
My problem is my hands. I can keep them warm, but it's a serious pain in the ass to keep in that threshold between not sweating and freezing my digits. I guess I need to buy some Smartwool gloves as liners.
thebulls
It takes 1080 kcal to evaporate a pound of water. So when you're wicking away sweat, you're wicking away heat. So even a perfect wicking system is still robbing you of heat; and an imperfect system leaves you with damp socks that do not insulate as well. VBL socks (which would include neoprene socks, as mentioned in a post above) do not allow sweat to evaporate, so you no longer lose heat evaporating it, plus your socks stay dry so they insulate better. The downside is that your feet get wet, so when you finish your bike ride you need to dry your feet. But that beats the hell out of having cold feet while riding. Stephenson's Warmlite has more of the scientific detail: http://www.warmlite.com/vb.htm
The anti-perspirant solution might work just fine, too; I just haven't got around to trying it, yet.
The anti-perspirant solution might work just fine, too; I just haven't got around to trying it, yet.
willtsmith_nwi
I have the same problem as some of you - regardless of what sock combo I wear they all end up wet including the wicking type with a wool pair on top. I am inclined to try thebulls tip before I go out and buy some expensive socks. Just my two cents worth.
DP
After reading material on Bridgedale and Smartwool's socks, I'm convinced that Wool for both layers is the clear way to go. The reasons are simple. Wool absorbs MUCH, MUCH MORE moisture before it becomes saturated. And when it does become saturated, it retains much more of heats insulating properties.
Lucky for me I have lots of old wool socks that are worn but still plenty good for a base layer.
DP
After reading material on Bridgedale and Smartwool's socks, I'm convinced that Wool for both layers is the clear way to go. The reasons are simple. Wool absorbs MUCH, MUCH MORE moisture before it becomes saturated. And when it does become saturated, it retains much more of heats insulating properties.
Lucky for me I have lots of old wool socks that are worn but still plenty good for a base layer.
PaddyBeer
Try the RBHDesign.com vapor barrier socks, nothing else works for me
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Common bike forum topics in clue bicycles, cycling, mountain biking,
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Common bike forum topics in clue bicycles, cycling, mountain biking,
cycling jerseys, shorts, socks, shoes and bike equiptment selection.