...literally.

Road shoes, two pairs of wool socks, and wind-tex shoe covers just aren't doing it anymore. A winter "boot" like a Sidi Freeze is too expensive. What are the rest of you doing these days?

I'm contemplating putting some clip pedals on and wearing a regular winter boot, but I've always ridden clipless and I don't know how well my feet will fit in the pedals. Thoughts? Ideas?

I've also thought about switching to mtn-bike boots, but then I'd need to buy new pedals, since most mtn-bike sole patterns are only spd compatible.

wear a regular winter boot. remove the clips if necessary. viola.

I've got power grips on my winter bike to allow me to wear snow boots when I need to. It took a tiny bit of getting used to the power grips, but they work great with all kinds of shoes. Unlike regular clips and straps you can adjust their tightness just by moving your foot a little because you enter the straps on a diagonal and then straighten your foot to increase tension on the strap.

switching to spd would not be reccomended. I've read that most spd shoes have a metal plate where the cleat attaches that really sucks heat from your feet badly, making them inappropriate for winter use.

My foot gear is the same as yours, only I don't have to deal with the Minneapolis winter. Funny thing, though, it's my right foot that always freezes first.

there are some conversions on the web for putting cleats on snow boots. Also there are shoe heaters (chemical, and batteries). There is a breathable fabric made of aerogel, called space loft, that will keep you warm no matter what, but it might actually make you too warm, and you would have to make socks out of it and cover them with nylon or something. Or wrap your feet in Tyvec home wrap (Breathable, waterproof, and windproof).

Milo

if i'm going to be riding in the cold with my cycling shoes i'll put on some recycled produce bags over my socks, then tear the excess away once my shoes are on. works superbly. plus the sweaty condensation provides hours of licking fun! also, have you tried just one pair of socks? sometimes i think it helps to have a little air space to warm up around the area you are concerned with. maybe the second pair of socks is taking that away? i've found when i wear two pair of gloves my hands can never warm up like they can with one pair.

having too many layers can make you colder. your foot sweats and that moisture gets cold making your foot cold. I'd go with the one sock idea also. or a warm sock with a light sockliner or something. I'd figure that the shoe covers would help a lot, guess not. how about gore-tex oversocks? they'd keep the wind/water out even if it creeps into the shoe.

tim

This works for me, I can't deal with not having cleats at work either.

Shoes: Lake DH*, 2 sizes too large
1st layer socks: Med[rated to -10 or -20] to Hvy[rated to -40] weight wool, Smartwool brand if you can afford it (I can't! $^%*ing $40 socks)
2nd layer socks: Neoprene diving or kayak sock booties. $11 or 12 bucks and a great investment

The sock setup really works, if you're working in -10 or less but need to stay warm enough to avoid frostbite from windchill then you probably can't do a breathable/dry foot option that'll work when the windchill while riding is doubled or tripled. The wool against the skin insulates when wet, the neoprene insulates the wool from wind and keeps the heat in. You definately want to take your shoes and socks off after working all day though. It's a wet but warm arrangement. If you've got good wool socks you won't feel wet while wearing it though, and never squishy wet.

*I got these on ebay cheep. I know some guys here in canuckland that use this arrangement with any cleated shoe they can get cheap and 2-2 1/2 sizes too large. For regular cycling shoes the trick is to duct tape the vents in any shoe, winter ain't the time for em.

That got me through last winter, which wasn't too bad a winter really though we did have some cold days and I had to work em.

I used Time in snow & ice for the first time last year, worked hella better than spd. The loops couldn't be blocked by ice when you try to clip in the way my spds could.

so glad i live in california!

Oh yeah? The brutal cold keeps all the riff-raff out... you'll never see a beach bum in MN

I think you've got it right on the mark here. So long as you can keep your feet dry (or use a vapor barrier of some sort to prevent accelerating heat loss), it's the air space that'll make the most difference. Think of it this way: If you buy a top-o-the-line cold-weather sleeping bag, you're essentially paying huge money for a big lightweight sack of fluff that keeps the air next to your body from moving around and distributing your body heat elsewhere.

Of course, down socks aren't feasible from any logical standpoint, so we use insulating layers that have air space built in. You know those rough wool lumberjack socks with lots of space between the fibers? That's the right sort of idea.

With that in mind, here's what works for me (not just cycling, but in general footwear terms): a lightweight synthetic wicking base layer (wet feet => blisters and other assorted nasties), followed by one or more insulating layers (cotton = bad, wool = good), followed by a waterproof breathable (Gore-Tex or somesuch) shell as necessary.

And don't forget that all these layers take up more room than your lightweight summer socks. If you put all this on and then crank your laces (or velcro) down tight, you'll just cut off all the blood circulation to your tootsies, and your feet will be colder than ever (that is, before you lose feeling to them).

Keep dry + insulate appropriately + ensure blood flow = warm feet!

Is it really so sacrilegious to use platforms? Even if you do manage to rig up winter boots to take cleats they still will have so much flex in the sole as to make pedaling just as efficient, if not less, as platforms. I'm able to use my eggbeaters most of the year round in Tennessee, but we get some bad weather in winter. So I throw on some wide BMX platforms and wear my workboots. It has zero aesthetic value but it keeps me warm, and between the tread on the boot and the metal pattern on the platforms, they don't slip very often. Just my two cents, but I read all these posts from guys in Minnesota and Calgary, who want to ride road bike with clipless pedals all year long, and it seems as if they're making their situation a lot more difficult than it needs to be!

nah, it's not difficult once you figure out a system. and remember all of us up this far north have long ass winters. I only need to use my winter arrangement for 3 1/2 or 4 months or so, but I have to ride every day of that 4 months. So it's worth it to find a way that works. Been awful warm this year so far but I know it's just a matter of weeks before I can expect it to be below freezing most of the time.