Winter Cycling - so its 60-65 degrees out and my feet are getting numb

I thought booties were for when its really cold out, is there some type of warm sock to wear, or should i wear toe covers or what

thanks:)

As always, it depends. Toe covers will cut the cold wind that goes right through most cycling shoes, an insulated sock (i.e. SmartWool hiker or other hike/ski sock) will keep in warmth, and a neoprene bootie will do a bit of both.

Besides protection from cold, shoes that are too tight or other blood circulation issues keep your feet from staying warm. From your previous post, sounds like you just get cold easier. I'd go with a neoprene bootie.

Well I encountered this last year and more layers didn't seem to help because the generated head just went to my head. Only Mom's know this cause my head never felt cold...

So I'd say, start with some sort of thin cap under the helmet and see how that works out.

I don't make any changes from summer footwear until temps drop into the 40's. I know everyone is different, but I really think your feet should be comfortable in anything at those temps. I guess my advice would be to look for a midweight wool sock.

If your feet are going numb in temperatures as HOT as 60-65 degrees (during the summer of 2005 where I live, it reached temps warmer than that on a grand total of about 7 days, so 60-65 is pretty much normal summer temps) .......

-- your socks are too tight
-- your shoes are too tight


You could try toe warmers or wool socks or something, but my first suggestion would be to loosen off your shoes.

my feet are actually frozen to the touch after my ride. i wear coolmax socks, and my shoes are very meshy. If its any warmer than this all is well. This is my first year riding, so I'm just not used to any of this changing of the seasons stuff

my feet are actually frozen to the touch after my ride. i wear coolmax socks, and my shoes are very meshy. If its any warmer than this all is well. This is my first year riding, so I'm just not used to any of this changing of the seasons stuff


Well, rest assured that while your feet may feel a bit cool, they will not actually freeze until temps go below 0C/32F. They can't because water (and you are mostly made up of water) doesn't freeze till then.

However, in order to make your feet more comfortable, get a pair of wool socks .... and loosen your shoes!


My shoes have a thin mesh over the toe area, and I can wear them down to about 5C/40F before I feel the need to break out my light nylon booties. But my shoes are Lake mtn bike shoes which I deliberately bought one size too big, because I know that loose shoes are warmer shoes, and I wear fairly heavy socks.

Mesh shoes are for very hot weather or for use with neoprene booties for very cold damp conditions. 60F is inbetweeny so use a non-mesh cycling shoe to keep the wind out.
You can also use warmer socks with wool content. Winter shoes should be a bit roomier than summer ones.

This morning I left the house with a wet head. What the heck was going to rain anyway. So I wore a headband. The first part of the commute, my speeds ranged from 17-23mph (mostly in the 20's). After about 6miles, my feet got cold.

At 55F, I guess it's time to block the vents, a liner in the helmet, and maybe add a cap.

If your feet are going numb in temperatures as HOT as 60-65 degrees (during the summer of 2005 where I live, it reached temps warmer than that on a grand total of about 7 days, so 60-65 is pretty much normal summer temps) .......

-- your socks are too tight
-- your shoes are too tight


You could try toe warmers or wool socks or something, but my first suggestion would be to loosen off your shoes.

Bingo! 65 degrees is practically room temperature. Something is too tight if your feet are getting that cold. It sounds like a circulation issue.

Bingo! 65 degrees is practically room temperature. Something is too tight if your feet are getting that cold. It sounds like a circulation issue.

Well it's room temperature but then that wind seem to cool things down esp. on the decents.

With the cool ocean breeze here, a morning ride in the 50s or low 60s feels a lot cooler. I've actually seen people around here with full on booties on a sunny morning in the upper 50s. I tend to get cold hands and feet in temps around the low-mid 60s. It's kind of funny as I tend to get cold fast, but I don't need much to keep me warm. In mid-winter I usually see people in jackets and tights while I'm in a wind vest, a long sleeve shirt and knee warmers. My feet on the other hand, I have yet to find a way to keep warm. It doesn't help that I tend to get sweaty feet and as we know sweaty feet get cold fast. I wear dri-fit/coolmax/whatever they're called socks I got at Costco last winter. Very nice for cool weather. I tried taping the mesh on my shoes last winter to cut the wind a bit and it helped somewhat. I may have to give toe covers a try this winter.

i would go see a doctor or maybe start a thread on a medical forum with the same title?
or maybe they are so hot that they feel cold?

I think that it is a circulation problem. I've also noticed that when I pedal harder my feet will go numb sooner because of even less circulation. So if you are a fast hard rider or a heavy rider who has to push harder on the pedals your more likely to get cold feet easier. IMHO.

The best way to deal with it is to make sure your shoes are loose fitting to allow as much circulation over the top of the foot as possible. Also, I would try wearing winter cycling shoes to keep warmer even if it is not winter. They will break the wind better and offer some insulation. Answer Kashmirs are very comfortable for wider feet and reasonably inexpensive. Another option is to use a shoe with a stiffer sole to spread the downforce out over a larger area and hopefully improve circulation. In this regard, if you are using clipless pedals some models spread the force out over a larger area and help to reduce foot numbness.

Another possibility is that you may have a protrusion on a foot bone that cuts the circulation when cycling. This can only be helped with surjury but one thing you can do is get off the bike every ten minutes or so and walk at a brisk pace along side the bike for a minute or two. This will get the blood pumping back in your feet and help warm them up.

If your shoes feel comfortable to you, then disregard all of this "Your shoes are too tight" stuff and just buy some neoprene booties. Then you'll be fine.

I wear standard work socks with my shimano shoes. Good down to -32"C. Been commuting in Canadian winters for better part of 20 years now.