I bought some of those electric insoles and tested them today. One foot with the insoles and one without. They did make a difference. But it was 5/6 degrees today. I wonder whether they will be good enough for three two hour bouts in sub-zero weather?
I might give the old-fashioned approach of wearing thick shoes (a size too big) and thick socks a try. After all no-one wears the same tops and trousers in both winter and summer, so why the same shoes?
When they start to get cold, get of bike and walk/jog for a short time pushing the bike, this gets the circulation going again, often this will not only get them warm again but will keep them like that for the rest of the ride.
In addition if possible don’t wear tight shoes as this cuts down circulation, as mat thicker socks of course, so if shoes are already tight with summer weight socks then overshoes may be a better choice.
I agree with Paul's advice about getting the circulation going. I usually wear more or less the same thing all year round: Specialised mtb shoes and thin black M&S ankle socks (you know the ones - wool blend: not too hot, not too cold. And cheap!). When the weather gets colder or very wet, the first thing I do is add Sealskins waterproof socks on top. If I am in the Borders at New Year, the toastiest thing I have found is overshoes (the Endura neoprene jobs are great for under £20). They don't restrict the blood flow and keep that freezing air off, which is what seem to make your feet the coldest. I inadvertently tested this when my friend had to lend me his second (knackered) pair. The left one was fine but the right overshoe was shredded to bits and hangiong off. Guess which foot got icy cold? That was my conversion.
agree with Paul above but my 2 peneth 1Try slackening the biding/laces 2 two thin pairs of socks cam be more effective than 1 thick pair but only if the shoes are loose enough. 3 wear warmer tights/ leggings 2 pair if necessary keeping the legs warm will help keep the feet warm 4. If you have bad circulation then SPD don't help as the foot is in one position with pressure on the same spot all the time. try Flats in the coldest weather.
NUKe wrote:4. If you have bad circulation then SPD don't help as the foot is in one position with pressure on the same spot all the time. try Flats in the coldest weather.
This has been my concern, and i have recently been confused to the cause. Is it the cold that is making my toes numb or the position of the SPDs?
I'm planning on making a short touring trip soon and am finding that recently after 15-20 miles my feet start to go numb using my SPDs. After reading this i believe it could be the SPDs.
Can anybody recommend a pair of clips for flat pedals?
thedirtyroger before you do. The fact its happening after 15 to 20 miles might point to binding or laces. When it happens stop slacken your laces or bindings and see what happens. Your other option to solve this problem is a more solid sole it is the pressure on one point, with a slightly flexible sole which causes hotspots. The problem with solid sole shoes they are useless for walking. I use an MTB competition shoe as the sole is solid and spreads the pressure over the foot.and the treaded sole gives you the option of walking if not all day at least between the bike and the tea s Other shoes with SPD I have tried can be quite painfull
SPDs do make it worse. Why not unclip for a while every so often? If you have pedals like the shimano M324s, you can unclip and flip the pedals over for 10 minutes. Give your feet a rest and get the blood flowing better!
