I have been really struggling this winter with cold toes. They are getting very painful before then going numb. Starting to worry that hours of numb toes is going to do some permanent damage. It's never been an issue for me in general and I'm doing nothing different this year but something has clearly gone wrong with my central heating.

Currently using winter boots with over shoes, warm socks and corners of carrier bags round my toes. I'm not tightening the boot to much. Generally it's the only part of me that gets cold, unless my gloves get saturated then fingers can start to suffer as well. Generally my core is warm and comfortable.

So looking around for more tips and found these.
http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/index.cf ... e/A7310008
&
http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/heatmax- ... colour=180

Any one have any experience of using them?

Any tips on getting your feet warm again once they are cold but you still have plenty of ride left to do?

Mate uses them and they last a short while.
You thought about heated socks?

http://www.primrose.co.uk/-p-38665.html ... tAodDCkA4A

Rab do a primaloft hot socks they r ace mate for using under boot or as me wearing in my sleeping bag.

Dan_K wrote:Mate uses them and they last a short while.
You thought about heated socks?

http://www.primrose.co.uk/-p-38665.html ... tAodDCkA4A

No I hadn't thanks for the link. They certainly look more affordable than the heated insoles I found.

Insoles are awful. Bought them when I used to ride motorbikes. Didn't work.

Second that, the heat packs don't work well for me either. I suffer a bit from raynauds syndrome, so when feet go cold I loose all circulation to them, to the point of it being painful on longer rides.

I found thermal insoles helped. Got these of Amazon which are OK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Woly-Unisex-Adu ... al+insoles

Another thing that helped was prewarming my socks and shoes. Can't remember where I read it but someone said the sole of your shoe acts as massive heat sink and if you can pre warm it on a radiator it will stop drawing heat from your foot and even give a little warmth back. Not sure how well insulated your boots are but it's helped with my spring/autumn shoes which I've been using with overshoes.

The other tip that helped me Is making sure you overdress. You may feel your core is ok but it could be drawing heat from your peripheries which gives this impression, once you loose the circulation it will be slow to return. Starting off is when your at biggest risk of this especially if you dress expecting to warm up in ride. Try dressing with an extra layer than normal to see if it helps. My friends have a standing joke that they look how I am dressed for the ride then they minus 3 layers

I use neoprene socks. An old trick from my fell running days. They are reasonably cheap at decathlon if you have one nearby. They don't keep your feet dry but they will be warm

Felted wool boot insoles here. You'll have to remove the original insoles as these are quite chunky but they do pack down after a few wears and are extremely comfortable. They provide a great barrier between you and the sole of your shoe. Great for wellies too.

http://www.woollyshepherd.co.uk/woolly- ... bootliners

Reading what Brothersmith has said about over dressing got me thinking about the cold feet I have been
suffering with over the last 18 months and I think in my case it could be linked with losing a fair amount
of body fat as I have got fitter and therefore possibly not retaining my core heat as well which in turn affects my feet. Just a thought !
As yet I have found no solution to my cold feet, the next thing on my list of things to try is Alpaca wool socks

Chicken Legs wrote:Reading what Brothersmith has said about over dressing got me thinking about the cold feet I have been
suffering with over the last 18 months and I think in my case it could be linked with losing a fair amount
of body fat as I have got fitter and therefore possibly not retaining my core heat as well which in turn affects my feet. Just a thought !
As yet I have found no solution to my cold feet, the next thing on my list of things to try is Alpaca wool socks

I'm 20lbs lighter this winter than the last few winters so that could be something to do with it. My feet aren't slimmer but the rest of me certainly is, I guess this would back up the idea that my core is sucking the warmth from my feet.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Lots to look at while at work tomoz.

I also think i suffer abit from this raynauds syndrome, ive googled it and it sounds like it. My fingers n toes get cold and loose circulation even in the summer also. I hate cold feet so i bought some North Wave Artic winter boots last yr mate they have a fleecy lining and paired with some thick merino walking socks i now dont get cold feet! They work a treat and worth every penny

Can also vouch for the LouisGarneau winter boots. Ride in this morning in temp of 1-2 degree and feet were OK. They weren't boiling but my feet were comftable and I could feel my toes. Normally I would have lost all circulation to them in this weather and they would be painful by the time I got to work.

And at £80 from Evans at the moment they are a bargain :D

As soon as I bought the Northwave Celsius boots, that was the end of the my cold feet a few winters ago.

Going to try a layer of gaffer tape around the toe area under the over shoes this weekend. Maybe even a wrap of tape round the over shoes to stop the toes coming off?

Replacing the insoles of the boots sounds like a good plan as well. Torn between the Woly Unisex-Adult Woly Astro Therm Comfort Insole and the Woolly Shepherd Bootliner Insoles.

composite wrote:Replacing the insoles of the boots sounds like a good plan as well. Torn between the Woly Unisex-Adult Woly Astro Therm Comfort Insole and the Woolly Shepherd Bootliner Insoles.

Get 'em both and stick the less effective ones into your wellies. :)

Just a thought, I used to suffer from similar cold/numbness until a wise friend suggested changing the angle of my saddle. He was right, it was restricting blood flow. My feet never get cold anymore. Try tilting your saddle forward a bit to take pressure off your perineum.