Originally Posted by
kiltedcelt
Feet are a problem though. If I keep riding clipless I can only fit a thin pair of wicking socks under some Wigwam Merino wool socks, all crammed into my cycling shoes with some neoprene booties over the outside. My feet can get cold even on days in the higher teens or even low 20s, let alone single digits or minus single digits.
I'm a cold feet guy and a clipless lifer. I hate to say this but in my experience insulated hiking boots and platform pedals are the only savior for the very cold. And let me state this emphatically I F'N HATE PLATFORM PEDALS! But I also hate having numb toes after 15 minutes. So that's my tradeoff for the deep winter. I have Sidi winter boots (spd), good socks, and the top O' the line winter barrier booties, and under 15F and that set up fails miserably for me.
After much consideration I decided I would not invest in single purpose LAKE winter boots. Half the winter riding people I know who have invested in them, when pressed to admit the truth, say they aren't warm enough. So knowing that I am a member of the cold feet club, I decided that was an expensive risk. So I bought a nice pair of winter hikers (Garmont) which are way cheaper than the Lakes and great for many other winter activities as well. I threw on some DH platforms (did I mention I HATE platforms) I now ride with warm feet and half a pedal stroke. Yesterday it was -11F and my feet were good, but boy do I miss the upstroke with the spd's when the wind is howling.