I put in 400 miles last January in Michigan, plus the daily commute. I find ordinary ski gloves adequite 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
At 09:01 AM 10/31/00 -0500, Jerry Moos wrote:
>Having begun commuting to work in mid August for the first time in many
>years, I'm enjoying it so much that I'm reluctant to give it up as
>winter approaches in the NW Pennsylvania mountains. The temperature is
>now typically about 30F when I leave home in the morning. The biggest
>problem is keeping hands and feet warm. At 30F ski mittens and Thermax
>cycling socks over wool cycling socks make things tolerable, though the
>thumbs do get a bit cold. In the low to mid 20s F, though, I don't
>think this will be adequate. What do other list members do for hands
>and feet for subfreezing commuting/ winter training. I guy you CA guys
>don't have this problem much.
>
>Regards,
>
>Jerry Moos