Electric Socks

[godivatrailrider]

I'm fed up with cold feet.
They ruin a ride for me.
I've tried all sorts of sock combinations.
Warming you feet, socks & boots does help on a short ride but over 2 hours the cold creeps in and I get grumpy and miserable.
I do wonder if the cleat ( attached to a rather large heat sink) is the root cause. Or that the foot is held in one place.

Anyway ... with my 57th birthday upon me next week I've bought some electric socks.
https://amzn.eu/d/jhH4Oux
They've arrived promptly and I'm impressed with what's in the box.
I charged the batteries and gave them a quick test watching tv last night and they seem to work.

Will test further on a ride on Saturday hopefully.
Also bought some HotHands feet warming pads to try too. These look pretty good for BP trips, apparently last 8 hours and take up very little space. £4 for 5 pairs... worth a punt.

[Lazarus]

My.solution.is simply.to walk till they warm up. It was suggested on here and works well

[FLV]

Back in my clipless pedal days I felt the cold through bottom, also I use flats now and using plastic pedals greatly improves this over aluminium ones.

Big comfy socks and roomy boots then does it for me.


You can also get all kinds of winter footbeds, reflective wool etc.

I havnt progressed to insulated boots yet as I worry about them being too tall and numb but many on here swear by Columbia Fairbanks Omniheat and I hear good things about vaude insulated boots.

[fatbikephil]

I think I might give these a whirl as I'm fed up of frozen feet - last nights ride was horrible and I think I was near to frost nip by the end....
Currently using, vapour barrier socks, thick wooly socks, insulated boots (-10 rated - ha!) with plenty of wiggle room. I was never convinced about the effect of cleats sucking heat out of my feet but I've realised this is due to my bike living in the house. It spent all day yesterday sat outside in -1 to -5 and I could feel the cold on the soles of my feet. This was with footbed heat packs (those tea bag - like things that give out heat for an hour or so) which do work well but you need two sets for a 4 hour ride....

Also tried plastic flat pedals with Columbia bugaboots allegedly rated to -20. (Ha!!) OK for a while (they are two sizes too big so I can put in extra thick socks) but the cold creeps in eventually - I've only ever used them down to -10.

My.solution.is simply.to walk till they warm up. It was suggested on here and works well

This works up to a point but once my feet are froze, they are froze....

[Lazarus]

Scotland is considerably colder though and last night must have been about -10. ( it was -5 here )

[whitestone]

On the two Rovaniemi trips I used a pair of Scarpa ice climbing boots that I already had (couldn't get, or justify, a pair of 45nrth Wolvhammers). i think they are an earlier version of these https://www.scarpa.co.uk/mountain-boots ... m-tech-hd/ (I paid nowhere near that price BTW) The boots have a built-in short insulated gaiter which I think helps a lot. Certainly didn't have cold feet even at the initial -28C when we got there the second time.

45nrth used to do an insulated gaiter but they discontinued it about three years ago. A pity really but they probably didn't sell that well given that they stopped rather than updated it. Might be worth looking through mountaineering stores to see if there's anything similar, I'm thinking something along the lines of the Berghaus Yeti gaiters - these only really work on rigid soled boots but you can glue the rand onto your boot, effective but somewhat permament. Basic principle I suppose is keeping the blood warm(er) on its way to your feet. Slightly cheaper would be long length socks that come up to just below your knee.

I find VBL socks to be of most benefit on multi-day trips: they aren't really about extra warmth but preventing insensible perspiration (AKA sweat) from your feet soaking the boot's insulation which then freezes overnight rendering the boots ineffective. I used the system when alpine winter climbing, a very thin pair of Helly Hansen liner socks, the VBL socks then a decent wool mix insulating sock. I'd carry a second pair of liner socks, when I needed to bivy I'd swap the liners so I had dry socks next to my feet and put those I'd been wearing inside my baselayer to dry out. Because the liners were so thin they'd only really be "damp" rather than "wet" so didn't take much drying.

[PaulE]

I've got some of those (well, a different brand from amazon but very similar looking) and they're great. Wife and kids got me them for Christmas as my feet are always frozen following a frostbite issue and then Strata Florida. I wore them on this morning's short ride in -6, with just some normal riding shoes, and all was good. On a really cold or long/cold ride I'd wear insulated boots - currently some £19.99 insulated wellies from decathlon - and the combination of heated sock with insulated boot works all day. Start with the power on high for a few minutes to warm the boot up and then change them to the lowest power just to keep a bit of heat going on.

[godivatrailrider]

I've got some of those (well, a different brand from amazon but very similar looking) and they're great. Wife and kids got me them for Christmas as my feet are always frozen following a frostbite issue and then Strata Florida. I wore them on this morning's short ride in -6, with just some normal riding shoes, and all was good. On a really cold or long/cold ride I'd wear insulated boots - currently some £19.99 insulated wellies from decathlon - and the combination of heated sock with insulated boot works all day. Start with the power on high for a few minutes to warm the boot up and then change them to the lowest power just to keep a bit of heat going on.

Sounding good then! Got to say I'm super impressed with the way they're presented, really good looking batteries & double USB-C charger ... heat goes full length of foot and curls around the toes a bit
I have high hopes!

I've started pre heating the boots ( some 45Nrth waterproof jobby Chalie T Bikemonger briefly sold at £100 ) with a Tonic Water bottle half filled with near boiling water... half fill, squash the air out of the top bit and you can shove them in the boot fairly near the toebox ... 30 mins before a ride seems to help.

But man I HATE cold feet. And as said above ... once they're cold, they're cold.

[fatbikephil]

What's the sizing like? XL seems to cover my euro size but they are quoting 9" length which is about 3 too little for my large feet. Do they stretch?

[godivatrailrider]

What's the sizing like? XL seems to cover my euro size but they are quoting 9" length which is about 3 too little for my large feet. Do they stretch?

They seem to fit me ok but I do have size 9-10 feet ... and pretty skinny ankles ... girth of calf might be an issue... there's loads out there... just choosing what fits your needs/wallet/feet

[Lazarus]

an insulated gaiter

You canget roadie type insulated overshoes.
I use some.gravel spatz which seem to help but not be a magic bullet ( and not cheap either) and you cannot walk in them so really depends on yoir route choice

[fatbikephil]

I think I've tried everything now... On my ride last night (4 and a half hours at -6 with a stiff breeze so proper parky) I was wearing paramo velez trousers and goretex paclite gaiters so plenty warm down below. The heated footbeds lasted about an hour and then stopped - possibly due to lack of air. During this time my feet were toasty, even a bit too warm. Thereafter it took about an hour to go from toasty to freezing and by the time I got home both feet were numb. Right tootsies took about an hour to warm up, left tootsies twice that.

The gaiters were sodden inside - typical for goretex paclite which isn't very breathable, especially in cold temps. So the top of my socks were a bit damp and this is likely why my feet got so cold, so quickly. So insulated gaiters may be a good thing, but only if they are properly breathable. It's worth noting the Lake boots don't breathe very well. Above freezing this leads to damp but hot feet, below freezing the sweat freezes I think....

I got a pair of yeti gaiters last year and they fit well round the Lake boots so I may try them in anger. I suspect they won't help much unless I insulate them. I've also used my NW arctic goretex boots (old style ones which are roomy, unlike the new ones) on road rides with thick socks and neoprene over boots = freezing toes below 0 degrees....

I guess Wolfgars are the next option for spd rides but I'll go back to the bugaboots and flatties the next time it gets cold (December the way things are going...) Plus I've just re-discovered a pair of battery heated insoles in my ski kit box which are old but still seem to work so I'll give them a whirl before trying heated socks. They may catch fire however but at least my feet will be warm....

[MuddyPete]

... Basic principle I suppose is keeping the blood warm(er) on its way to your feet.

Indeed. Warm body and legs prevent the capillaries in the feet contracting and allow warm blood to circulate to your toes.
When it's proper nippy I've found that insulated ski sallopettes, flat pedals and boots delay the misery considerably.
SPDs are just too cold for winter.

Down trousers, socks and jacket when bivvying are worthwhile too .

Electric socks...amazing where the space race led us!

[johnnystorm]

Electric Socks: Danger! High Voltage!
https://youtu.be/2a4gyJsY0mc?si=6Ph6cEjKEearvgHz

[jameso]

I do wonder if the cleat ( attached to a rather large heat sink) is the root cause.

I believe so. Nothing I add to the top of my feet/shoes or increasing sock layers or insoles makes that much difference. Eventally my feet freeze and the heat loss feels like it's at the ball of my feet. Battery powered socks might be a good thing.. I like SPDs but in winter it's hard to solve the cold spot problem.

Walking does work if you do it before you get really cold and it seems to delay the cold returning. I tend to walk up a descent hill at the right point on a winter ride as 1) I'm going at walking pace by then if my feet are getting really cold and 2) walking uphill seems to be effective sooner than walking on the flat, maybe more muscle use/pump.

If I could buy cleats and plates made of an insulating material I'd try them. 3D printed?

[Bearbonesnorm]

and then Strata Florida

Careful, you know what happens when you throw electrical appliances into the bath.

[MuddyPete]

Electric Socks: Danger! High Voltage!
https://youtu.be/2a4gyJsY0mc?si=6Ph6cEjKEearvgHz

[godivatrailrider]

UPDATE!
I’ve been out and tested the socks … ok it’s not quite as cold as last weekend but it’s still cool.
Put them on the middle of the three heat settings initially.
Omfg warm feet!
After 6 miles/ 40 mins I stopped and dropped to the lowest setting as my feet were a bit too warm
For the rest of the ride my feet were like the proverbial toast
What a fabulous experience having genuinely warm feet on a cold day.

I’m not saying I’ve made the best choice… but I’ve no complaints at all .

After 2.25 hours the batteries had only dropped one bar of four .

Very pleased.

[fatbikephil]

Out today and the temps were between 5 and 8 degrees. Still got cold feet! Defo going to get some (or mebbes heated insoles)

[Leerowe76]

Probably be great for kipping in then during the colder months, great find I never knew they did these