Pedal size matter for cold weather?
 

Had an interesting thought as my mind wandered on my ride home yesterday. Does the pedal size matter for keeping your feet warmer? I think a narrower pedal would apply more pressure on your foot in a small area, possibly restricting some blood flow. Would a wide platform pedal with a wider pressure point actually be warmer?

Shoes and socks have a heck of a lot more to do with keeping your feet warm than pedals. I like bmx style pedals for really cold weather since I can use my winter boots.

If there is a difference, and I doubt there is, it would be negligibly minuscule.

Doubtful. As others have said the shoes, socks and other insulation have more of an effect. I personally use clipless mountain bike pedals and winter bicycle boots with aerogel insoles to get me down to stupid temperatures. I don't really notice any pressure points.

On the other hand, an argument could be made that wider heavier pedals act as more of a heat sink and would make your foot colder. It's not a strong argument, however. How well your shoes and sock insulate are still going to be more important.

I like big-ass platform pedals for snow. But just for pedalling, not for insulation, which happens inside your footwear. Clipless is tricky at best if you have to step down into snow or slush and hope to clip back in...

Metal cleats and pedals will work as a heat sink to pull heat out of your shoe. That said, I have never been aware of the cleats while riding and I ride both LOOK Deltas (plastic) and slotted traditional aluminum cleats.

This could be a real plus of carbon fiber pedals and cranks. (And handlebars and brake levers. "Why do you commute on a $4000 carbon fiber bike in the winter?" "Because it's warmer."

Ben

More resistant to road salt too!

I have small platform pedals and I'm finding they work better with boots than they do with sneakers. The stiffer soles make up for the smaller platform.

Big warm Boots would go well with big spiked platform pedals..

No, it isn't. Did it this morning. Walked in warm shoes out to the street, smacked the boots on the pedals a couple of times and clicked right in. I've never had a problem engaging the cleats no matter how cold it is.

I replace my SPD pedals in the winter so I can wear insulated hiking shoes. My winter pedals are MKS Silvans with half-clips.

One of the reasons from moving from toeclips with cages to SPD was not liking the pressure points on the foot with some shoes.

Heavier shoes/boots for winter riding, and that would be less of an issue.

I can't say summer/winter would make any difference, but pedal and shoe design does. A flatter pedal wouldn't have had the same pressure as the cages.

I wear ordinary walking shoes, lightweight deck shoes or heavy boots in winter. So in late summer I tried one bike with plastic BMX style platforms, Thermalite by Stolen Pedals. Good for just about any shoe, and doesn't feel hot or cold. Good grip, no pressure points, lets me move my feet around to relieve occasional twinges in my knees. I like 'em so well I'll get another set for the other bike.

As others have opined, clipless mtb pedals combined w/ winter cycling boots and aerogel insoles work like a charm for me, down to -0F and in deep snow. It's about dialing in your preferred gear.

Nah, it's no big deal. I imagine it is about as hard as knocking your shoes against the pedal to clear out the cleats as one would do mountain biking in a bit of a sloppy area.

I paid closer attention to the pressure points and noticed that's where my feet started getting cold and quickly went to the toes. I don't think the pedal is going to draw much heat from the foot, not near as much as the convection of the wind.
The pressure points were of interest because I've x-ctry skied in boots with far less protection while wearing thin cotton socks in -20 degree temps for a few hours on several occasions and never experienced cold feet. Full moon, clear skies, freezing temps is my favorite time to ski in the backwoods trails. Feet rarely get cold walking in sub zero either. Both have a rolling foot motion that doesn't concentrate pressure one on point, while biking it's pretty much continuous on one concentrated area.

I probably won't weigh in on this one...

Before you blame the problem on "pressure points", you should consider other factors. Assuming that you are using clipless pedals, the hole for the cleat is a large area for cold air infiltration. The cleat itself is a heat sink but that pales in comparison to the air that can flow in and out of that hole. The act of pedaling acts as a "pump" as well because you are pushing down on the downstroke and pulling up (or at least relieving the pressure) on the upstroke. If the hole isn't sealed, cold air is just going to be pumped in and out.

I always seal the cleat hole on my winter shoes with aluminum furnace tape to reflect heat back and to keep air from being pumped into and out of the shoe. I then use the aerogel insoles to add a thin but very efficient layer of insulation to the shoe.

There is another factor to consider as well. If you are using a true winter shoe like a Lake MXZ 303 boot or 45nrth Wölvhammer or Japather, there is a lot of area for the shoe to radiate heat. Bicycle shoes are made for warm to hot weather riding and thus are very open. Finding a bike shoe that works well in winter is difficult and expensive.

Another thing to think about when comparing bicycling to cross country skiing is the movement of the feet. In particular, the flexing of the foot just above the toes. Bicycling doesn't encourage flexing so the toes don't get a boost in circulation. Cross country skiing is constantly flexing the toes which pumps blood to them. Think of how cold your feet can get on a long downhill run in XC boots. Or think of how cold your feet get when downhill skiing. It's the same mechanism, no flexing of the toes.

You are also moving your foot through open air. While skiing, your foot is in contact with the snow which may not be as cold as the air surrounding it...think snow cave. But when bicycling, your foot is moving through cold air and radiating heat at a constant rate. The radiation is also fairly rapid. This cools the foot faster.

All of these are contributing factors with at least as much impact as pressure points and probably more. You may just notice the pressure point more because, well, it's a pressure point and it's giving your brain feedback. But all this other stuff is going on as well but you just don't notice it until the pressure point reminds you.

Heat sink!
 

I couldn't agree more. I just bought some Specialized Defroster shoes in the hopes my freezing feet would be a thing of the past. I'm convinced my Crank Brothers Mallet 3's are the culprit. The aluminum platform is a huge cold sink. I'm gonna try my Candy 3's to see if that helps. I'm also gonna try your suggestions above.

Following up on what [MENTION=21724]cyccommute[/MENTION] said about flexing our toes, I've made a habit of wiggling and pumping my fingers and toes to keep them warm. To do that, I sized my shoes and mittens extra large, and I make sure not to tie my shoes too tight.

What's an ass-platform?

haha, I guess I should have said "what are 'ass-platform pedals'"