Originally Posted by
Eyedrop
I had one other pair of shoes which were more loose and I had the exact same problem. I think the lack of circulation is not caused by the shoes, but rather just the general nature of my feet when cycling.
Two things come to mind here, the first being cleat placement. Have you looked at-/played with- that? Relatedly, do you think you might need a different footbed, particularly one with more arch support? These things can work together to cause pressure hotspots which may be contributing to, if not causing, the cold feet.
I'd also suggest taking a look at cold weather cycling boots. These are insulated, and make a big difference in my experience. Additionally, some are very smartly styled and look like their warm weather companion racing shoes, e.g. Northwave's Fahrenheit Arctic 2 GTX road boots. I use the wearable SPD variant, called the Celsius, and found them suitable for shoulder-season wear too, like when 50º and rainy seems freezing!
But if it is just socks, i can recommend DeFeet wool blends, especially Woolie Boolies and The Blaze for the cold, and the lighter Wooleators for warmer weather:
Men - Temp - Cold - Page 1 - Defeet International