Winter road shoes

In what temperatures do you ride? It must be very cold I suppose! If temperatures are not very extreme, buy the best overshoes and it must be enough..

I ride in Connecticut in the winter and it's tough keeping the finger and toe tips warm when the temp drops into the 20's or even 30's; I have wool socks and Pearl booties for my Shimano road shoes and heavy mitts but the tips still get cold.

I've stopped riding below 40 degrees.

I grew up in Newport - I bet the Ocean Drive gets nippy on some winter days ???

Virenque said:

In what temperatures do you ride? It must be very cold I suppose! If temperatures are not very extreme, buy the best overshoes and it must be enough..

Cold enough that I've had my water bottle freeze in the first couple of miles.

litespeedguy said:

I ride in Connecticut in the winter and it's tough keeping the finger and toe tips warm when the temp drops into the 20's or even 30's; I have wool socks and Pearl booties for my Shimano road shoes and heavy mitts but the tips still get cold.

I've stopped riding below 40 degrees.

I grew up in Newport - I bet the Ocean Drive gets nippy on some winter days ???

It is beautiful on Ocean Drive, I ride year round with my bike club so it gets mighty cold here as you know.

if you're not using a 3 hole cleat then you could try a winter mountain bike shoe. they tend to be heavier. i use a cannondale shoe and it's definitely warmer than my specialized roads. i can switch because i ride eggbeaters which use a 2 hole cleat. (all mountain shoes are 2 hole)

i'm still trying to keep my finger tips warm also. haven't found the solution for them yet.

later

bob

litespeedguy said:

I ride in Connecticut in the winter and it's tough keeping the finger and toe tips warm when the temp drops into the 20's or even 30's; I have wool socks and Pearl booties for my Shimano road shoes and heavy mitts but the tips still get cold.

I've stopped riding below 40 degrees.

Hm..strange! I was riding with usual socks and windstopper overshoes last winter and I didn`t have big problems with my tips! I was riding at min. 35, so I think you don`t need special shoes for the temperatures you mentioned! Maybe you`re more sensitive to cold..

I ride during the winter.
The standard neoprene booties worked good till about 35 degrees. Below that, my toes would freeze.
Performance has a pair of neoprene booties with an insulated fleece lining.
They work great. I also use toe warmer packs. This does the job till about 20 degrees. So far I haven't ridden below that.

Booties are on sale too......Good deal $20.00
Booties.......
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=17558&subcategory_ID=1344

Toe warmers......
http://www.fogdog.com/sm-grabber-toe-warmers-6-pack--pi-15943.html

Hey BikeyGuy,

Never used booties, so when ordering them do you order the same size as your shoe? For example, I wear a 43.5 or 44 road shoe and a 9.5 men's tennis shoe, so should I order a size 10 booty?

Thanks.

BikeyGuy said:

I ride during the winter.
The standard neoprene booties worked good till about 35 degrees. Below that, my toes would freeze.
Performance has a pair of neoprene booties with an insulated fleece lining.
They work great. I also use toe warmer packs. This does the job till about 20 degrees. So far I haven't ridden below that.

Booties are on sale too......Good deal $20.00
Booties.......
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=17558&subcategory_ID=1344

Toe warmers......
http://www.fogdog.com/sm-grabber-toe-warmers-6-pack--pi-15943.html

I wear mountain bike shoes (Sidi) on my road bike. Likewise, went looking for a winter shoe. Found a pair of Sidi Winter Storms at LBS. Good looking shoe but wasn't impressed with the insulating factor in the toe and especially along the bottom sole. Research on the web indicated that same issue as a weakness with the Sidi winter shoes (both Storm and Freeze). Someone recommended Lake winter shoes. Responses on the net indicated they are top quality and keep the feet warm. I ordered a mountain pair (MXZ300)through Lickbike.com. and received them this week. Relatively cumbersome to put on (compared with my summer Sidis) but I would guess that's why my feet will be warm and dry. Look forward to a cold day later this week to test these puppies out.

Lake also makes a winter road model (CXZ 300).

The Performance people recommend that you get 2 sizes larger booties over you mountain bike shoes.
I wear an 11 and got 13 booties. They fit well.
Good luck

Not sure if you guys do this, but it really helps keep your toes from freezing. Simply tape the front of your shoes. Cover the whole toe area with that clear wide packaging tape or Duct tape.
Add neoprene booties and my feet are good down to 20 F.

I ride year round in CT too. Central, southern area. I find the biggest problem is keeping my face warm. If I could I would ride no matter how cold it got. I wear a balaclava but I still have exposed skin.

BikeyGuy said:

The Performance people recommend that you get 2 sizes larger booties over you mountain bike shoes.
I wear an 11 and got 13 booties. They fit well.
Good luck

Those booties are great. Definitely get a big size - especially if going over Mtb. shoes.

hey veloman - are you putting us on with the duct tape ? - what's the principle ? creates a barrier to prevent heat loss ?

I've also used a plastic bag over the socks inside my shoes. Of course they get pretty sweaty after a while, but it helps - kind of like stuffing newspaper inside your jersey on a descent.