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Newbie question - 37F Bike Ride Feet like ice cubes

zmandreazmandrea
in General Training Discussions

Hi,

I am a newbie to the forum as well as to biking outside in colder weather.  (Usually I just stop riding when it is cold.) Yesterday was a beautiful sunny, dry, but cold day to ride a bike (37F).  I had a great ride but my feet were freezing.

Tights were great.  Gloves were great. However, I could really use some advice on how to keep my feet warm.  Also, what are folks wearing for shirts/jerseys/jackets when temps are <40?  (Thinking I might need to upgrade from polar fleece.)</p>

Thanks in advance,

Andrea

 

Thanks to everyone for answering this!!!!

Comments

  • Coach RichCoach Rich

     Neoprene toe caps (goes over the toes of your shoes) or booties (covers your entire shoes). The later should do the trick but may be overkill if you're overzelous. Ie, wear them when the temps don't absolutely warrant them. 

    In short, it will take some time for ou to figure out what combination of gear works best for you. My advice is that you should be cold, maybe shivering the parking lot before your ride. If you're warm, then you'll really warm up once you start riding and then it becomes a puzzle of potentially stripping layers. 

    On our coldest days here in SoCal (high 30's at the start of the ride, warming to high 40's low 50's by about 10a...don't hate ) I'll wear:

    • Bibs
    • Jersey
    • Tech-t undershirt
    • Leg warmers
    • Armwarmers
    • EN jacket, our new one. Sleeves zip off and it becomes a vest
    • Toe caps
    • Gloves
    • Glove liners, worn over gloves
    • Beanie/bandana

    We do lots of climbing out here so at the base of a climb I can take most of that stuff off, jam it into jersey pockets, then put it back on for the descent. 

     

  • Joseph LombardiJoseph Lombardi

     Andrea...I'm in Philly and woke up to the same conditions...I waited until 1 o'clock to ride..it was int he 50's ..beautiful...but as Rich noted...the thing you need are neoprene booties...I learned the hard way last year...brrrrrr...but the booties will solve that in those conditions.

  • NortonNorton
    Neoprene booties work well for a while, usually two hours or less, depending on how cold it is. Charcoal activated hand-warmers usually give the rider another 10 degrees or 2 hours. Also: gotta keep the legs warm; if the blood getting to the feet is cold, no amount of foot insulation will help!

    If you can find a pair, the now-discontinued Lake winter boots are the berries.

    Randonneurs know cold weather riding.
  • Peter WickPeter Wick

    Yeah, what Bill said. Booties come in a variety of flavors, some wind proof only; others are just plain neoprene and still more are insulated and water proof with Goretex and whathaveyou... Eventually you'll realize that a true winter boot is what you need. I've already been out 3 times with my Specialized DeFrosters this past week. Brrrrrrr...

    Oh, and get them a Euro size (45 instead of 44, for example) larger so you can wear a nice comfy toasty thick merino wool sock inside them. I got some from SmartWool on sale last year and I practically lived in them.

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