Commuting - How to keep feet dry?

I wore my new waterproof bike booties today on my commute into work. It absolutely poured for an hour of the ride. When I got to work, my shoes were as wet as the other day when I rode with no shoe covers. I wore calf-length wool socks; I think the water wicked down the socks and to my shoes/feet.

How do you keep your feet dry? Any suggestions?

I wear Performance neoprene booties with the tops sealed off with Johnson & Johnson waterproof tape--the inch wide stuff.

No booties. At times I use the plastic bag method. Most of the other times I just get wet.
I do not mind getting soaked or dirty as all heck. All that matters is if I am warm.
Then again I live in an arid climate during a drought. It's not like I have to worry much about rain storms.

If it's a warm weather, simply GIVE UP.

Wear sandals while riding. Much better than water-logged shoes.

Wear waterproof trousers (pants?) over your waterproof booties?

Do you have fenders?
Before I got fenders, 98% of the water that drenched my feet was from spray off the front tire.
Now I get 0% spray from the front tire.

get some Gator Booties on eBay... make sure you get NEW.

I got a killer deal... think I paid less then 10.00

I don't bother. Just take an extra pair of shoes and socks to work...

If it's warm I just get wet; I don't really care if I get wet and it's less crap to deal with.
My ride covers 4 miles of gravel road, so if it's raining, I pretty much have to hose myself off before SWMBO lets me in the house anyway.

I think I'm going to get some sandals soon for summer commuting.

If the booties don't work and the rain isn't cold; just go without the booties and ride without socks. Your feet will get just as wet, and you won't get that squishy sensation when you pedal.

Do you have fenders?
Before I got fenders, 98% of the water that drenched my feet was from spray off the front tire.
Now I get 0% spray from the front tire.

Exactly. And, don't forget the super large flap on the front.

Plus this: The plastic bag looks alot sillier than fenders. It says something to those folks who already don't understand why we do this... maybe the ones I saw were supposd to be inside?;)

I have aqua-socks for wet warm weather and rubber boots for wet cold weather, although I really should buy rubber boots that fit me better since the ones I have are too big. When it's warm, the feet get wet (in rubber boots, i'd be wet from sweat anyway, and in a warm downpour it's a losing battle to keep anything dry). When it's cold, I want to be dry.

Put a plastic bag over your shoes and under your neoprene shoe covers....works for me, and it doesn't interfere with clipless. The cleats snap right into the clips just find, even with the bag between them.

Fenders with mudflaps and plastic bags over the socks work pretty well for me. If it's chilly and really pouring I'll wear wool socks. They stay warmer when wet.

Count me in as a member of the Grocery Bag Bootie Brigade.

sealskinz waterproof socks. (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?catalogId=40000008000&productId=4181&stat=7889&langId=-1&y=15&x=17&orig=620085&storeId=8000&vcat=REI_SEARCH)

I wore my new waterproof bike booties today on my commute into work. It absolutely poured for an hour of the ride. When I got to work, my shoes were as wet as the other day when I rode with no shoe covers. I wore calf-length wool socks; I think the water wicked down the socks and to my shoes/feet.

How do you keep your feet dry? Any suggestions?
I use neoprene booties. Tights go over the booties to keep from dumping water in the booties. Booties cover the shoe and sock, so water doesn't dump directly in.

However, if you ride for an hour in a downpour, you're going to get wet. It is futile to avoid inevitability. Getting wet feet with booties in an extended downpour is not nearly as bad as riding with nothing. You'll be a bit wet as opposed to literally dumping water out of your shoes.

I live in south western British Columbia so we typically get a fair amount of rain during the winter months. I usually just wear normal cotton socks, with a plastic bag over top. Then I put on sandals, and booties (and this covers the plastic bags so i dont look like a dork :P). The botties come up fairly high so my leg warmers cover the top and any rain just flows over the booties. The only times I typically get wet is when I drive through a puddle and a hole developed in the plastic bag.

fenders help. But you want the area between the bottom of your rain pants and the top of your bootie to work like a shingled roof. If the pants are too short to cover the booties on the full extension of your leg then you'll get water in the bootie and the shoe. I use a set of gore tex gators that are about 6" wide ( I got them in, of all places, a Goodwill Thrift Store for a buck). I cover the top of the bootie and then wrap the pants around the outside of the gator. My feet are dry in hard downpours and riding through deep puddles.

just keep repeating to self . . . "I ain't made outta sugah" . . . "I ain't made outta no sugah" . . . "I ain't gonna melt" . . . "I ain't gonna no melt"

One word answer. Sandals.

Sadly this doesn't work at this time of year in Canada, so two word answer.

Wet feet.

The problem with the booties is water that hits the front of the lower legs dribble down into the booties. You will get water even with fenders, just from rain drops. So if you really want to keep the feet dry, make or buy a pair of "gators" (gaiters?), sleeves that fit over the lower leg, elastic at the top and bottom, that go over the booties' top.

Another solution is to get a thick sweat band and put that at the top in the booties, it will soak up water for a certain time, preventing the wet shoes. After some time, you can turn them around so the back portion is at the front.

Better than wet socks and shoes any day.

I don't bother. Just take an extra pair of shoes and socks to work...

+1

I keep a complete spare set of clothing at work, including shoes and socks. If I get wet going in everything is usually plenty dry by the time I go home...and if I get wet going home, who cares. Wool socks, fenders and mudflaps are a must though.

rain pants that cover the booties?

did you have other rain-gear on (pants. jackey, hood, etc)?
were you clothed at all (there's a law against riding naked in booties only here in s nj)? as others mentioned, check your seam seals...
my performance booties seem to work as described and are trench tested! i have un-insulated bike-warehouse poly-est pr as well, tested +, no leak!
-carry an extra pair of shoes with you, wrapped in plastic bags (2), to change to after your ride, on heavy rain days. (actually, bringing a total change of clothes may be an assertive move also)

I bought the biggest rain booties I could find and used them as an outer layer for sub-zero riding. Otherwise fine granular snow would get into my boots and layers of sox. In rain I worry more about slipping on manhole covers and paint stripes on hills or hitting pot holes hidden in puddles.

Pants and boots alone may not cut it if the pants are too short. The pants need to come about half way over the shoe while your knee is bent. So that same pant may actually drag on the floor when you're off the bike....and if it does, you'll need to roll 'em up a turn or two while you're on foot.

How do you keep your feet dry? Any suggestions?
I haven't had that problem since I stopped trying to walk on water. :p

I haven't had that problem since I stopped trying to walk on water. :p
:roflmao: :beer: