$250 shoes aren't supposed to do this

I had cold feet today too, but no expensive shoes.

I took the loooooong way to work. I had a doctor appointment before work in another town. So, 26 miles of riding in sub 20F temps before I even made it to work.

I wore two pair of wool socks, then a plastic bag, then a third pair of wool socks over all of that. I was going to wear my normal shoes, but they wouldn't fit over my socks!

I ended up wearing my sandals. Yep, sandals. My feet stayed warm until I hit a headwind that lasted for a few miles. Even with the plastic bags, that wind was biting right through. Yikes.

Well, I made it to work, and didn't lose any digits, but I'm going to buy some oversize boots!

The windchill was -7F here this morning. My feet got cold on the 10mi 1st leg of my commute in my Specialized Defrosters with a single pair of wool hiking socks on. My boots weren't $250, but they weren't cheap either. I might try supplementing the socks with something else tomorrow morning.

I often complain about the Texas heat in the summer, but threads like this make me realize that there is a decent trade-off during the winter, i.e., I only wore one pair of socks this morning and my feet were not cold.

Is that a nasty split in the sole? How old are these $250 shoes?

For cold feet, try "Toasty Feet" insoles.

I'm in my third New England season using them on my 6 mile, each way, commute. I work outdoors and am extremely pleased with these. My coworkers are hooked on them too.

The best deal appears to be a 2pack at amazon.com.

Yep. My Lake winter shoes (the cheaper model , MX-140) started breaking about a week after I got them. One of the rear straps broke off and the BOA eyelets are starting to pull out. What a waste of money. Sucks that it happened to you too. Customer service sucks too: sent two messages and never even got a reply. I am going back to platform pedals and warm hiking boots.

I am having good luck with

MTB shoes (serfas)
Booties
Toastie toes chemical earners
Merino wool socks

That combo worked this morning in the 20s

+1!

Hey,
foot warmer they stick to the bottom of your socks or tops only 1.99 or I have found some electric socks too online. I prefer over booties to keep my shoes dry and warm.

Good winter socks and neopreme shoe covers should more than do the trick.

Are your shoes too tight? That will make your feet colder quicker than anything. I wear DeFeet Woolie Boolie wool and PI toe covers on my shoes, and that keeps my feet warm down to the teens. Haven't ridden in temps colder than about 15 F though.

I wear winter boots with my platform pedals during the winter. Much nicer when I step into slush piles at stoplights! They keep my toes warm and dry! I think the boots cost $45 about 5 years ago.

I hope you can return them. They sound like complete duds.

I wear LL Bean snow sneakers... which require a platform pedal. That seems to help my feet down to 10F. Below that I'll stuff some Tyvek in them or something.

get these

https://chotaoutdoorgear.com/shop/pro...products_id=50

Chem. toe heat packs are the best. I haven't used them on the bike, but at work I spend some long cold days out on the boat or in the water and just wool socks and insulated boots don't usually keep my feet warm enough, but they never get cold with the heat packs. I've yet to try the sole inserts but I'm looking forward to it this winter. Only drawback is they need air/Oxygen to work properly so if you use plastic bags to keep your feet dry they probalby won't work so good. I've had trouble with them working well in waders.

That sucks. Get your money back.

+1 sandals
I wear them year round, except when there is a cold rain or slush. Multiple layers of wool socks when it's cold, but no plastic bags. I never understood the plastic bags -- your feet have to breath.

As usual on these threads about suggestions to keep warm during winter cycling, I request that the posters provide not only the temperatures but also the distance of their rides for comparison purposes. My own particular definition of a cold ride, gleaned from BF, is when my water bottle freezes solid; a function of both temperature and distance (time). I carry a water bottle in winter mainly for that purpose, and I showed it off to people at work this morning.

Today at 6:00 AM I left downtown Boston at 15 degrees F with an 18 mph approximate tailwind for my 14 mile commute, and arrived at my suburban destination at 3 degrees and calm. My feet only at first felt perceptibly, though tolerably cold at mile 12, and did not trouble me at the end. I wore thin woolen socks, thick woolen socks, clipless leather cycling shoes and heavy ply Neoprene booties with a wide open holes on the soles for the cleats. The soles did not come pre-cut, and the holes I cut were larger than necessary, and have torn open even wider over the past few years. I bought them however, because they were so thick, thicker than other Neoprene booties I have seen on the market.

+1 million.

Yes, time is just as important as temperature.

It's that time of year. It's going to happen a lot more no doubt.

I've heard (and seen) a lot of problems with QC with Lake products. I'm not saying they're all bad, but i've seen a couple of brand new shoes simply fall apart.