i really dont see myself taking the bike out below freezing so can u guys direct me as to what i should use on my feet? does it warrant buying special boots like i read in the other thread or will some heavy wool socks, covers on my normal shoes be good u think? maybe throw in some toe warmers?

I'd think you'd be fine with wool socks and your normal shoes at 30 degrees, but everyone's different. If you're only riding for 30 minutes or so I wouldn't put too much thought into it. If you're riding for an hour or more you might want to think about shoe covers and possibly toe warmers. In a pinch, covering your feet with plastic bags does a lot for keeping your feet warm as a result of their ability to break the wind.

My Cold Feet article might offer a few tips ...
Charlene Barach (Machka) - Cold Feet

For me, down to 30 degrees? No change, I just continue using the shoes and socks I would have anyway. If it gets colder than that, certainly there are options for keeping feet warm - but 30? No worries, mate!

Here's a perennial post about my pretty cheap and effective foot coverings, in particular for cold (well below 30 degrees) and wet:

+1 to this.

That's not to say someone's feet aren't getting cold. I remember having the same questions about cold feet and it's maddening when nothing seems to work. Stuffing thicker things into my shoes never helped, because cutting down blood circulation just makes it worse. Same shoes same socks and I'm fine at 30°. One thing I did discover: keep the lower legs warm and the feet will stay warmer.

Around 30 I wear my hiking boots, a single pair of wool socks and neoprene toe cover on the boot. I can ride for hours with warm toes.

If you take the plastic bag idea a step farther, they work much better for extended periods of time. Also it you have to go indoors while you are wearing them.

What I have been doing for years: 1) put my bare feet in produce bags. Put on the socks I would wear anyway. Then another produce bag, Last, the high stretchy men's socks your grandpa used to wear. (One great feature if this system is that your socks stay clean and dry. No sweat, no road grime! And dry socks are the secret to warmth.) When I get home and shower, I don't pull of the inner bags until I step into the shower. Pull them off inside out to start my shower and rinse them. When they dry they are ready for another ride.

Another trick is to have winter shoes like your summer shoes but a full size larger.

Ben

And a big +1 to this. You can bundle your feet up all you want, but if you're throwing away too much heat on its way down there, it won't help.

Thoughts on a couple of the last posts - yes warm legs help a lot! (Think about it. If you are sending cold blood to your feet, what chance do they have?) And from my youth ice hockey days - the wooden feet. Just life after playing hockey all afternoon with tightly laced leather skates outdoors in the teens and 20s, often in wind. As it got dark, we would sit on cold stones, put our feet into very cold books and walk home on wooden blocks we couldn't feel at all. (And our heavy socks stayed on until our feet warmed. Doing it fast was pure h***!!!) I don't believe I never had frostbite.

Ben

That's one of the reasons why I've been using Gore-Tex Gaiters for my lower legs for the past 7 winters. Not only do they add extra warmth but they also keep my pants clean and dry and prevent road slush and crap from getting inside my hiking shoes.

I have found that the same principle works for my hands.

I'm OK with my LL Bean Mocs. warmer is their insulated boots ..

Wear a size 9 shoe? I have a prototype shoe cover pair that came out too small for me.

cordura, thinsulate & Goretex lined. sell them to someone that will use them..

Let's say you're at work and have a five mile bike ride home, but you want to stop at a grocery store for half an hour, or perhaps at a bar for a couple hours. What does it feel like walking around indoors with the bag-sock-bag-sock combo? I may try it, but I'm curious to hear your feedback. Thanks.

30F is near a breakpoint for me. 30.1 degrees, and it's mid-weight tights and wool socks. 29.9 degrees require heavy thermal tights and the plastic bag over the wool socks.

Wind or sunshine might modify things a bit.

+1

I'm one of those folks with a low tolerance for cold, whether it's hands, feet, or body. You can usually recognize me because I'm the first one to start putting on an ear band or tights or a wool base layer. I started switching over to my Woolie Boolies (thick wool socks) for my commute last month (and I live in California, so no Polar Vortex for us). This morning it was low 40s on the way in to work and I was wearing Woolie Boolies, and PI Elite Barrier shoe covers over my bike shoes - and my toes were still a little cold. But have no fear, I gots me a plan: Once it gets down to the mid-30s, I've got a pair of Lake MX303 winter biking shoes all ready.

I'm in NY so I don't see super cold weather. So far my secret to warm feet is to insulate the legs. The less heat I lose above the ankle the warmer my feet feel. For super cold, or if wet is a concern, I use neoprene dive boots, which work well, but the feet sweat like crazy.

That's one of the times I really like the bags. My socks are still dry when I go back out. It used to be that I could get places with dry feet but not do another ride unless I took my socks off when I got there. Yes, sometimes I notice the bags and wet feet and they look like they've been in a bathall day when I get home. (My routine is leave the bags on my feet until I step into the shower. Pull the first off, now inside out, step in and do the same with the other. Rinse the bags under the shower stream bag openings down and take my shower. Everything stays clean smelling.)

For longer stays indoors, bags that are in good shape (no holes and still hold air) are important. That sweat is smelly, near toxic! (Not to you, but all noses involved. Keep it contained until you get home!)

Ben

All this talk about bags on feet and I just purchased a pair of 54 North Fasterkatts. Dry feet! I got them big enough that 2 pairs of medium thickness Wigwam socks and a liner go in easily. I haven't worn them in colder than 40F yet, but 4-5 hours of riding with lots of equipment adjust stops and they were toasty and dry as a bone when I got home. The next day I rode 45 minutes, sat in a meeting for an hour and a half, spent the same time at a Farmers market, back indoors of a couple of ours then home. Again, dry feet. The ame socks are still clean!

I've never had this level of winter comfort cycling. Not even close! And they are good riding. No issues mounting cleats (mountain 4-bolt only; I am using Shimano XT pedals) and nice stiff soles. Good walking and very good grip on the lugs. Wet floors are not scary.

Now if I can only figure out an elegant gator that runs 1" up under my tights and 1" over my boot tops to seal out water and wind (under my tights so when they get soggy, that runoff goes over my boots, not in. I tried my XC ski gators but I have to put them on before my tights to secure them above my calf or have them too baggy (and pretty dumb looking until it snows).

Ben

I am in the same dilemma as I rode today in mid 30's. I will try my toe booties on my next ride. I hope that helps keep my toes warmer. Or shall I invest in full shoe covers like the goretex that someone in this thread is using?

One serious caveat with these things: They are useless if you have cankles. I wear a 48, got the 50 because you're supposed to go bigger. I am literally unable to zip them up fully. So they're pretty useless in the cold, unfortunately. I understand this is my fault for being fat, but, well, I figured I ought to put the warning out.

I use insulated hiking boots and toe clips for my winter riding. If you're clipped in then you'll have to spend an arm and a leg on a pair of winter cycling shoes. But as mentioned before. Riding in thirty degree weather isn't that bad on the feet. The biggest thing is blocking the wind and the cold. If its above 35f, I'll sometimes wear my socks/sandals combo w/shoe covers.