What size feet do you have?

I wear size 13 regular and 14 in winter.

Since I posted that I have switched to a mid weight smart wool sock with good results.

Does pretty good with dry cold conditions, still looking for wet cold perfection......

On a few snowy/sleet/freezing rain rides with slush/snow on ground, I just used Goretex hiking boots with no change to my Time ATAC pedals. That worked well except I got a little cold,(two hours riding) I did not use toe warmers. Too bad no SPD

Fellow Canadians, this is your lucky week!!!

$10 off Battery powered socks, mitts and gloves at Canadian Tire! Regular $24.99, on for $14.99.
I'm going to pick up a pair of the socks, I don't like having feet that feel like bricks after a 45 minute commute when it's -15C outside. (Last winter I got that brick feeling while wearing polyester sock liners under wool socks under insulated hiking boots) I'll try the electric socks, I plan on not plugging them in until my feet start getting cold.

Canadian Tire has battery powered socks and gloves on for 14.99 40% off batteries sold separatly.

I had a good look at the socks today and didn't buy them! I can't see how they stay up with a D cell hanging on top of each of them (I hate socks that don't stay up!) and I'm sure the battery pack would interfere with my pants somehow, plus the electrical arrangements look real chintzy and not long lasting.

For cold feet try poly socks, thermal or wool socks,mtb shoes ,homemade thermal shoe covers made out of socks with cutouts for cleats and neoprene booties over that.Make sure can wiggle your toes.

Cotton socks and leather insulated winter boots (JEEP brand for no particular reason).
Cages on the pedals.
6 deg F no cold toes.
I could not feel my knees for a while after the ride so I will be looking for some 80's leg warmers soon.

I think I saw these at MarksWork Warehouse.

I normally commute anywhere from 0 to 35F this time of the year. My commute is about 7 miles one way. I usually wear one pair of cotton socks, my shimano road cycling shoes adn an old pair of cotton socks over the shoes. I have yet to get annoyingly cold on any of my rides. I think the main key is keeping the circulation going. I've tried layering inside my shoes, even buying bigger shoes, and I just can't get past the constriction.

I've been out in -10f with Neoprene Sidetrac booties, two pairs of socks and (THIS IS A MUST) Grabber Toe Warmers. I picked up a bunch of hand and toe warmers from Dick's Sporting Goods for $1.50 each.....The great thing is I read a post on these forums about putting the warmers in a zip lock baggie and then in a small tupperware container as soon as you are done. The warmers last 8 hours and I use them 4 times each. I think that's pretty cheap to keep my toes warm (not sweaty).

I'm looking at my little tupperware container right now and thinking I'll have to take the warmers out soon to go shovel all of this snow that we're expecting. :)

The neoprene booties you've heard about are intended to cover cycling shoes while riding. You're in Regina man, you need winter boots anyway. Go get them. However if you're feet are getting cold at -5c take more time at the store getting them fitted and get them fitted for wearing with wool socks rated to -40 and below. It sounds like you've got issues with circulation if you've got issues with boots and wool at -5c, be sure you're next pair is fitted properly with lots of room to move around.

I have a 20-25 minute commute at 2am in NYC. I have various woolsocks that I wear between 20F and 35F. When it dips below 20F, I'll usually wear SmartWool socks with an Acorn fleece sock over them inside Clark boots. They've worked fine for me so far this winter, although I've thought about another thin cotton layer when the wind chill dips below 0F.

Ok now,
Reading this informative thread for the past few months has got me realizing how difficult it is for us who would just rather go clipless.
So ive been considering throwing in the towel, and buying the power grips kit (w/ pedals) to use with my winter boots.
But as im sure id get used to it, im also sure id miss my spds.
Here are some obvious issues with bike shoes in the winter:

-Too much breathability
-Not enough room to really layer
-Metal to metal contact gets soles cold fast
-No coverage on ankles
-Usually thin materials without much insulation
-need of extra gear gets expensive
-extra steps making preparation time too long

Gaiters are a great idea for ankle to shin warmth but are between 15-50$.
And if you need feet to be waterproof as well, Totes rubbers (boot style) can be found 4$-9$ on sale.
Grabber warmers are cheap and work great.
So, I could go with the Lake MXZ 300, winter shoes to save some hassle (i hear they dont fit well for wide feet). They look sweet, but who wants to buy another pair of shoes till you absolutely need them? and seasonal shoes? well, i say theyre worth it if youre a serious winter cyclist or you live up in the great north. (other options are Gaerne Polar Winter and Northwave Celsius)

But im brainstorming ideas. Practical, inexpensive, creative, simple, effective and sensible ways to stay warm going clipless in the winter, but using methods like circulation, body heat and perhaps a needle and thread as your main sources for warmth. My idea here is to prepare and temporarily winterize the shoes. To perhaps add some warmth without restricting circulation. but without spending money on extra gear.
ideas:
-Find the roomier, stretchier meshed parts of the shoe (top, sides) and temporarily sew some custom fitted wool (or material of choice from the fabric store) along the inside lining of the shoe to team up with the sock where it counts.
-Perhaps some kind of nylon shell sewn or even super glued along the outside to add windproofing, or better yet, felt lined vinyl to add some insulation :)
-stop making that shoe so damn tight
-Even stretch your shoes with an old shoe stretcher if you must for circulation purposes.

theres have to be more ways...

-=stevey

Try duct taping over vented areas,insulated insoles,old thermal socks ,over shoes,booties Etc. I know what you mean that's why I made my version of the gripper.re;pedal adaption.I tried them yesterday and worked well. I had no problems getting my boots in and out .Had good contact on full pedalling almost like my old Welgos.Only thing was that a couple of bolts got loose, I will put bigger washers on so I can tighten down onto the rubber, the small star washers dig in too much.

Agreed. There's always the dressing contraints at work. Spend 15min's russling baggies, socks, underwear, etc in the bathroom and notice the reaction you get when departing from the stall :eek: For dressing, it needs to be a quick in-out kind of thing.

For most people, a racing shoe just doesn't cut it. For year around cycling you need more of a waterproof mountain bike shoe with a recessed cleat. A shoe that you can actually walk on the ice, snow and muck). These are good down to about 40F and for colder temps and wind chill they still need a windproof layer like sealskins and *still* need at least 1 set of baggies for the toes.

Haven't found a good solution even with the Diadora H20 Pablanos (Mt. Bike shoe).

Recently saw Lake MXZ 300 shoes on sale for $118. Pricepoint? One of the big Etailers. I bought mine a size too large. I wear thick wool socks over a silk liner. Good to 0 F. If you put on neoprene over booties they're good to -20F (-29C). For me anyway. You still have to get off and hoof it occasionally to warm up though.

one of the things I have been playing with is mounting my look clipless cleat over the rubber sole of my neoprene booties.. I do this with a pair of old Lake road shoes with a single strap.. I can still flip the booties down out of the way and tighten the strap.. This eliminates the need to cut a hole for the cleat and leaves the shoes instead inside the booties when you remove them. No hole in sole means no air leaking in.. rubber sole between the cleat/pedal and the plastic shoe sole slows the transference of cold to your foot.. I'm still playin around but these are working well.. and are very warm..
Initially I had cut down the inner boots from and old set of rollerblades to fit the shoes into before they went into the booties.. but these made the fit too tight .. and too tight killed the circulation.. the absolute final fix would be to invest in the heated inner soles... but that's an investment I'm not ready to shell out yet..

Strap on foot warmers
 

I use the Toe Gloze walker, to strap on over my shoes, for the mountain biking when I vacation in Colorado. Water resistant, with a velcro strap around my shoes, with a Heat Max warmer tucked inside. Work very well, and reasonably easy, even to peddle with. Never had them slip off, even on hard core use. Website is http://www.toegloze.com