Ah, Gilbert, cold feet were my biggest winter riding barrier, too. I used to ride 30 minutes, get off and run with my bike for 10 minutes (to regain circulation) and start the whole cycle over again. Here's what has revolutionized my winter riding: "MyCoal toe heaters". These are those one-time use air activate chemical packs that you put over your socks (under the toe area) inside your shoe. Skiers and construction workers use them. They heat a nice low temperature (lower than the heat used for hand warmers) and last about 6-7 hours. I buy about 25 for the winter (~$40) and use them whenever the temperature is from 20-50 degrees. Maybe I could brave cold feet, but having toasty feet make for a truly incredible ride. It warms the rest of my body and allows me to take in all the beautiful winter scenery and feels. I encourage folks to try them.
Jill DiMauro
Maryland
> Greetings Gang,
>
> Where we live it gets very cold at night in the winter but the day
normally
> warms up to a balmy 40-50d. Years ago Canadian cyclists from the Ottawa
area
> (real frozen north territory-not to much worse than Michigan I'll bet)
used
> to come down to train for the race season and complain about the cold at
> night and the morning. They were very surprised. If you can ride midday
in
> the winter no problem but for commuters the early morn and late afternoon
can
> be dilemma.
>
> Below freezing is the problem for feet.
> The feet are a problem and keeping good circulation is critical as
mentioned
> below. I still have some winter shoes made by Rivat years ago and I must
save
> they beat out shoe covers for warmth, fit, and easy of entry every time.
> Garne(sic) and some other brands still offer these by special order from
your
> LBS but fitting is a problem. (Find out the return privileges in advance
to
> avoid hard feelings.)
>
> My simple solution for city riding and short commutes is a little
primitive.
> Put on a pair of $20 or so wide platform BMX pedals and use a pair of
stiff
> hiking boots. The lugs in the shoe stick nearly as well as toeclips and
you
> can have good ankling action if the boots are not cut to high. They keeps
you
> nice toasty and roasty. In addition if the snow is terrible you can slosh
> through it off the bike.
>
> Gilbert "where we had 2 feet of hard snow on our street for 10 days last
> year" Anderson
>
>
>
> In a message dated 10/31/00 3:01:42 PM, jfbender@umich.edu writes:
>
> << I put in 400 miles last January in Michigan, plus the daily commute. I
find
> ordinary ski gloves adequate for my hands. I also have a range of Pearl
> Izumi gloves and mittens. I have a few tricks for my feet. The first step
> is a set of shoes that are just a bit looser than normal so that not only
> can you fit an extra layer of socks, but also the circulation is good. It
> is counterproductive if the additional insulation cuts off circulation.
The
> second step is neoprene booties. Buy these carefully as I have found the
> heavy Pearl Izumi (Typhoon?) to be too thick and rub the crank arms. They
> are also very hard to get on and off. I use SPD pedals in the winter but I
> couldn't imagine heavy booties would work well with toe clips. E-mail me
if
> you want a recommendation. Another step is a Gore-Tex inner sock as sold
> for hiking. This really prevents wind getting through the shoe. These
> liners are thin and do not contribute much to making the shoes too tight.
>
> I have never tried the special winter shoes. Anybody like them.
>
> Joe Bender-Zanoni
> Ann Arbor >>