Winter Cycling - improving warmth of Shoes

I've got a pair of the specialized defrosters, and although they're pretty warm down to about 30F, or upper 20s, once in gets down into the teens (as it finally has) they are no longer very warm (even for relatively short periods of time). But what i've noticed is that most of the cold seems to be coming in through the bottom (but not just the cleats). When I stand on the cold ground it's very cold on the bottom of the shoe, especially the heal and the arches.

I was wondering if there are any ways to improve the warmth of the bottom of a shoe. Thermal insoles, some other type of DIY insulation? Any experiences?

The shoes are otherwise pretty damn warm (that is they don't seem to lose a lot of heat from the top despite their minimal insulation), and are big enough for a REAL thick sock (or some more thickness on the insole). And they're completely water proof - thus far at least.

Try some Toasty Feet insoles. That should add about 10 degrees warmth. The newest version is 3/16 thick. An older version would be 1/4 inch. If you have got the room I would highly recommend them. My buddies got Lake road shoes and they still use their Toasty Feet.

I wear Aussie Dogs Trekk hiking boots with sheepskin insoles barefoot. My feet are toasty warm even in blustery winter weather. I can't recommend them highly enough! :thumb:

I use thermal insoles and love them.

I use wool felt insoles. I find them at Army/Navy stores and sometimes outdoorsy stores. Very comfortable and amazingly warm. My whole body is warmer when I use them

if you can find one of those mylar bags that hard drives are shipped in, the tough
metallic mylar with air bubble sandwich. not the easy to pop air bubbles, this stuff
is tough

anyway cut one of those into an insole and slap it down on the lowest layer of show bed

second to this, cut an ordinary metallic mylar footbed non-air bubble. go to a computer
store or shop if you can't find mylar, should be able to find lots in the trash



specialized defrosters standard footbed it not as well desgned as lake, for instance. lakes work great



also,

if you have room in the toebox (and you should)_ tape a handwarmer on top of
your toes on top of your sock. that will keep your whole foot a lot warmer.

Try some Toasty Feet insoles. That should add about 10 degrees warmth.


You mean these things? http://www.sahalie.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=10974
I was just looking at those the other day, wondering if I should try some in my Answer cycling boots.

You mean these things? http://www.sahalie.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=10974
I was just looking at those the other day, wondering if I should try some in my Answer cycling boots.

Yes.

ok I am sold

forget what I posted.

I am gonna go to wally-world and get me some toasty feets
and test them this winter

So far my Sidi Hydro GTX shoes have kept my feet warm with two pairs of socks, but I just got them and haven't tested them on longer rides. I hear good things about Toasty Feet so I may opt for those if the Sidis alone can't keep my feet warm in the below 32F weather.

I should search the forum, but ... I just got wind of the Sidi Toaster battery-powered electric insoles ( http://brandscycle.com/itemdetails.cfm?id=9920).



Wow.

I've been using a pair of Superfeet Wintergreen insoles. I don't think they got me as much as the Toasty Feet would, maybe an extra 5º instead of 10º, but they are thinner and I need the arch support. I wear my Lake MX255's all day at work and I dare say they're probably more comfortable with the Superfeets than they would be with the Toasty Feets.

www.smartwool.com

Do the Toasty Feet insoles go on top of the existing insoles, or do they replace the existing insoles?

On top

http://www.machka.net/whatworks/coldfeet.htm

Patrick,

If you go to my thread entitled "My quest for the ultimate winter cycling shoe" , I discuss some methods for dealing with this that I intend to try out. Read the last three or four posts regarding the aerogel insoles.

One other thing that I seem to have noticed is that carbon fiber soled shoes are warmer than plastic soled shoes because the carbonfiber/epoxy composite material does not conduct heat as well as hard plastics. Unfortunately none of the current crop of winter cycling shoes use carbon fiber soles which would add to their cost.

One of the reviews of the Specialized Defrosters lamented the fact that they just were not warm enough. So if you have enough room for an aerogel insole that should improve matters to some degree.

www.smartwool.com

great jarheads think alike. ;)

My new method (tested to 15 degrees) is to wear a thin smartwool sock, then a plastic grocery bag, then a thick wool sock, then my cycling shoes.

The outer sock prevents the bag from being visible. Be sure to use longer socks (inner and outer).

You need to got the store and get some pack boot inserts. Then go get a pair of cheap cycling shoes so you can fit these in there. If you don't like the height you can trim them down or just use the bottom felt.

Thanks for all the responses! I think I give the toasty feet a try to start with since by far the biggest problem is the bottom! I'm already wearing smart wool, but I haven't tried a thin liner sock or vapor barrier, so I'll give those a go as well.

When I decided to get the defrosters I knew that they wouldn't be the warmest option, but they were the only shoe I could actually try on in my area, and so far I think they'll work out so long as the toasty feet's help some. Thus far I've the most trying use of the shoes has been a total of 45min. out 25min. of which was spent standing/walking in 4 inches of new snow at about 15F. So really not that bad, but winter is my favorite season, and it's only because I try and always be well prepared enough that I'm never cold.

i got a pair of the lake winter boots to test out. there awesome. i feel like an idiot for not buying them years ago. they probably the best piece of equipment i have.

Thanks for all the responses! I think I give the toasty feet a try to start with since by far the biggest problem is the bottom! I'm already wearing smart wool, but I haven't tried a thin liner sock or vapor barrier, so I'll give those a go as well.

When I decided to get the defrosters I knew that they wouldn't be the warmest option, but they were the only shoe I could actually try on in my area, and so far I think they'll work out so long as the toasty feet's help some. Thus far I've the most trying use of the shoes has been a total of 45min. out 25min. of which was spent standing/walking in 4 inches of new snow at about 15F. So really not that bad, but winter is my favorite season, and it's only because I try and always be well prepared enough that I'm never cold.


yes a thin liner sock under a wool sock is the ticket. feet need layering like anything else

I use thin wool under a fat defeet wool on the coldest rides (plus handwarmer on the toes)

So, I picked up some toasty feet, and today I got to ride in ~ -5F temperatures for only about 15min. Which isn't long, but for commuting purposes I can get pretty much anywhere in my town in about 15min, and -5 is about the coldest it has gotten in quite a few years.

So toasty feet = quite effective.

(although I haven't yet had a chance to test them with just standing in the snow, and I could tell that my feet were beginning to cool off when I'd gotten to my destination)

yes i noticed a big improvement with toasty feets. they win over other insoles.

will they solve every cold problem ? probably not by themselves. [can't work magic on a poor shoe],

but are they better than any other winter shoe insole ? yes in a big way

worth 12 bucks. in a big way, damn yes

i switched this season from the lake boots to the defrosters, and have found that the defrosters arent quite as warm as the lakes, but they are both MUCH LIGHTER and considerably more water resistant, which is a trade off i can live with.

yesterday when it got to -18F on my way to work, i had the defrosters plus two pairs of defeet wool socks and a pair of the eastman handwarmers that you can buy for 15 bucks a box at sams club, and i did ok. i was still pretty cold when i got there, but i had all my toes, which is no small feat after an hour of almost 20 below zero.

most days in the teens and twenties, i just do wool socks, sealskinz, eastman warmers and defrosters and i'm very comfortable. if you ziplock the warmers as soon as you take them off, you can get a lot of life out of a single pair which makes them a very economical option.

i've been reading a lot about the toasty feet lately so i think i'm gonna hit wallyworld on the way home and grab a pair.

if you ziplock the warmers as soon as you take them off, you can get a lot of life out of a single pair which makes them a very economical option.

cool idea, ziplock.

what is very economical is a box of handwarmers at costco. 40 pair for 16 bucks. or 30 pair
of toewarmers for 16 bucks. I got 1 box of each. when I stop by REI and see what they charge
for one pair I cannot believe it. stores selling single pair packs = what a ripoff

You need to got the store and get some pack boot inserts. Then go get a pair of cheap cycling shoes so you can fit these in there. If you don't like the height you can trim them down or just use the bottom felt.



What are those things? I can guess, sort of. I did a quick search on-line and was not really able to figure out what they are made of, and where a good place to see them (order them) would be.

jim

What are those things? I can guess, sort of. I did a quick search on-line and was not really able to figure out what they are made of, and where a good place to see them (order them) would be.

jim

This is what I have been talking about for a few months..........check out sorel boot liners........can get them at any sporting goods online-stp, rei, campmor, backcountry.com, etc........

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/,18852_Sorel-Glacier-Innerboot-Liners-13-mm-For-Men.html?cm_mmc=PaidPlacement-_-Google-_-WGOGB8-_-Sorel_Glacier_Innerboot_Liners_-_(13_mm_For_Men)

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/,18852_Sorel-Glacier-Innerboot-Liners-13-mm-For-Men.html?cm_mmc=PaidPlacement-_-Google-_-WGOGB8-_-Sorel_Glacier_Innerboot_Liners_-_(13_mm_For_Men)

your local outdoors store may have them as well.....

What I think works the best actually are ski boot liners......

I have an old pair of Scarpa T2 liners that I have placed in my oversized bike shoes and wear one thin wool sock and my feet are toasty and I don't need chemical warmers and I can use my spd pedals.....

http://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=73979
If you have an consignment ski sales/shops you can find a pair of used ski boots and just use the liners

YMMV

Wool baby! I'm riding in wool socks for the first time this winter and it makes a huge difference. Just a single layer and over my shoes I wear Performance Neoprene Booties. My commute is 11 miles each way and temps have been consistently in the mid to upper 20s for the past month. Roughly 40-45 minutes of ride time.

One other thing I do is wear a slightly larger pair of cycling shoes in winter to allow breatheability (sp?) and maintain good circulation. That's key. Piling on layers doesn't do a thing if you cut off the blood flow. I actually have 4 different sizes of the same shoe: 42, 42.5, 43 and 44. (I get 'em used on eBay)

If temps drop to closer to 20 or down into the teens, I have a few different options:

Add a lighter pair of wicking socks under the wool
Add a pair of neoprene socks over the wool (largest shoe size for this)
Add a pair of thin, windproof shoe covers between the shoes and neoprene booties


I ride down into the single digits for up to 30 minutes and any or a combination of those options work well. Never done a ride below zero yet... it don't get that cold here.

One other thing I'd point out.. the coldest part of my commute isn't the last mile, it's the third or fourth one. Feet and fingers sometimes start to get cold and uncomfortable, but then it gets better as my blood starts a pumpin'. Not that I'm suggesting you go out of your way to ride further just to find out, but one way to warm up is pedal harder! :thumb:

Normally I avoid going outside on the bicycle if the temperatures are lower than the twenties. Today I needed to get a prescription for my dog. While out I went to three other stores to buy food. The high temperature was about nine degrees when I left home. When I arrived home the temperature was about seven degrees. At the last store I bought some chemical heaters for my boots because I wouldn't have enjoyed riding the last four miles.

I bought an extra set to keep in my tool kit just in case I need them. They worked OK. The two sock layer needed some help. When I removed my boots about an hour after getting home the warmers didn't seem to be putting out much heat. The label says they can last up to six hours. They had only been in my boots for an hour and a half. These were my first ever chemical heaters. I'll try a different brand if I ever buy more of them. These were called Toasti-Toes by Heatmax.

Normally I avoid going outside on the bicycle if the temperatures are lower than the twenties. Today I needed to get a prescription for my dog. While out I went to three other stores to buy food. The high temperature was about nine degrees when I left home. When I arrived home the temperature was about seven degrees. At the last store I bought some chemical heaters for my boots because I wouldn't have enjoyed riding the last four miles.

I bought an extra set to keep in my tool kit just in case I need them. They worked OK. The two sock layer needed some help. When I removed my boots about an hour after getting home the warmers didn't seem to be putting out much heat. The label says they can last up to six hours. They had only been in my boots for an hour and a half. These were my first ever chemical heaters. I'll try a different brand if I ever buy more of them. These were called Toasti-Toes by Heatmax.

The chemical reaction needs air which it was not getting in your boots. That is the major problem with chemical warmers. Take them out of the package in advance so they can reach maximum temperature before you put them in your boots. Better yet, put them on top of your boots over the toes so they get air and produce maximum heat. You can hold them in place with a velcro strap or oversock or shoe cover. Heatmax makes good warmers so you don't need a different brand.

The chemical reaction needs air which it was not getting in your boots. That is the major problem with chemical warmers. Take them out of the package in advance so they can reach maximum temperature before you put them in your boots. Better yet, put them on top of your boots over the toes so they get air and produce maximum heat. You can hold them in place with a velcro strap or oversock or shoe cover. Heatmax makes good warmers so you don't need a different brand.

Read the directions. Different warmers - not just brands, but 'styles' as well - work with different amounts of oxygen and are intended for different uses.

Before attaching the toe warmers to each sock I let the air hit it and waited for them to feel warm. Since this was my first use I didn't really know how hot they could get and I still don't know. Each one was sealed in a plastic package. I just assumed that once the chemical began reacting that it would continue reacting. The instructions didn't say anything about continuous fresh air contact being necessary. After all they are designed to go inside shoes in cold weather.