# Keeping feet warm - plastic bags??



## LauraWatson (26 Oct 2012)

New to UK cycling and therefore the cold.... I planned to ride Oxford to Southampton tomorrow - weather looks fine and sunny and good northerly wind, but COLD. I ordered long tights and overshoes from Tredz but they havent managed to get them to me by today so I am stuck with my summer shoes and 3/4 legs... 

Advice/tips please! Duct tape on the sole of the shoe? plastic bag over the sock inside the shoe? plastic bag on the outside of the shoe (nice look, eh!), wear two hats and hope its ok... 

Drive??


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## nathanicola (26 Oct 2012)

The other half uses some old thick socks like over shoes with a hole cut for the cleat, unless you realy look at them they just look like normal over shoes.


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## defy-one (26 Oct 2012)

I used 2 pairs of sports socks to protect from the cold. They do okay. Today i walked into a bike shop and bought some decent neoprene overshoes for £25
Will let you know the difference after tommorow's early morning ride


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## derrick (26 Oct 2012)

Plenty of layers, a couple of pairs of your other halfs socks over your shoes you will be fine as long as the rain stays of , go for it.


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## Broadside (26 Oct 2012)

I think you have it basically right already Laura while waiting for the 'full kit' to arrive. Plastic sandwich bags over your socks is a great emergency measure. If you really feel the cold then another pair of socks over your shoes (with cutouts for cleats and heel) will work well, I have done this when caught out and it works fine. 

Don't be tempted to just put layer upon layer of socks inside your shoes, it will probably make them too tight and become uncomfortable or worse slow down the blood flow to your feet which will make them cold.


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## marshmella (26 Oct 2012)

I finally bit the bullet a couple of weeks ago and bought some Endura overshoes, i used plastic bags over my shoes as emergency waterproofing during the _summer_


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## Bengarbage (26 Oct 2012)

man up, it ain't cold yet. If itis work harder


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## Pat "5mph" (26 Oct 2012)

defy-one said:


> I used 2 pairs of sports socks to protect from the cold. They do okay. Today i walked into a bike shop and bought some decent neoprene overshoes for £25
> Will let you know the difference after tommorow's early morning ride


Don't forget to tell us, I'm curious - rarely get cold feet though.


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## lpretro1 (26 Oct 2012)

I'm curious to know how a woman can 'man up' ?


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## Bengarbage (26 Oct 2012)

i didn't realize we was talking female , same advice stands, it is not cold for me at mo, each and everyone is different, if we need equality why does sex matter , it's a saying, not an order. maybe
*lpretro1*

can help with the feminine side of foot warmth .

kind regards


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## Andy_R (26 Oct 2012)

Bengarbage said:


> i didn't realize we was talking female , same advice stands, it is not cold for me at mo, each and everyone is different, if we need equality why does sex matter , it's a saying, not an order. maybe
> *lpretro1*
> 
> can help with the feminine side of foot warmth .
> ...


'tis cold enough to start snowing up 'ere...oo....look, it has started snowing


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## Bengarbage (26 Oct 2012)

when it snows down south doesn't the world end ?


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## Berties (26 Oct 2012)

Pro over shoes in the wet and half covers over the vents of my shoes in the cold merano Socks or seal skinz socks and keep moving,never get cold feet but my hands get cold when I stop


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## HovR (27 Oct 2012)

Bengarbage said:


> same advice stands _[man up]_, it is not cold for me at mo


 
So essentially you're saying "I'm not cold, therefore no one else can be."



Bengarbage said:


> _each and everyone is different_


 
There you go, you said it yourself. Just because you're not cold doesn't mean everyone/anyone else isn't.


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## Bengarbage (27 Oct 2012)

I bow to your superior knowledge ok, please crack on


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## Oldspice (27 Oct 2012)

Cake and tea or the menopause


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## Bengarbage (27 Oct 2012)

both, where do i start..


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## Nigelnaturist (27 Oct 2012)

Bengarbage said:


> when it snows down south doesn't the world end ?


Well less than two months now, so get ready for the snow.
My right foot got a little chilly Friday afternoon, left wasn't so bad though, might have something to do with a compression injury I had some years ago, as this is the same side that my knee bothers me sometimes..


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## paul04 (27 Oct 2012)

Like some of the others have said, normal socks over your shoes (with a cut out for the cleats), I have done this before and it works fine.


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## barrymanifold (27 Oct 2012)

Just seen a femail mtber going down east lancs with a short sleaved shirt on they make em tough in liverpool .I am going out this afternoon thinking of 3 layers


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## cyberknight (27 Oct 2012)

I use sarnie bags as an emergency layer for when it really rains or its cold and i have not packed overshoes.
They work well enough but can lead to sweaty feet but they do the job of keeping the windchill off , i had my winter overshoes on the morning and i am glad i did .Coming home at 3 am after a night shift there was a frost and the windchill was a killer ( guy at work said accoding to his phone it was a - 8 windchill and it felt like it ) so i am glad i had them on !


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## Fab Foodie (27 Oct 2012)

Yep, another sarnie bag user here as well for years until I bought overshoes.
Also taped-over vents in shoes


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## LauraWatson (28 Oct 2012)

Not quite at the menopause yet !! Tho bit partial to a cup of tea.

So i manned up  and set off with summer shoes on, bread bags between socks and shoes... Merino base layer and light jacket two pairs of gloves bike 3/4 length shorts and - genius move - compression calf thingys to keep legs warm. And light hat under helmet which was superb and kept the cold wind out of my ears all morning. 

My feet froze solid, right one much worse, why??

Really superb ride, cold, sunny, gorgeous views, and i overtook someone else while grinding up watership down.
. Nasty nasty half mile stretch of a34 and i ran my phone out of juice so husband got a bit stressed when i missed the ferry in southampton.

And i recommend the lovely bakery in Whitchurch outside which i sat in the sun warming my toes and drinking a 
fine coffee and fueling with a hot scone.

Anyway, that was my morning, thanks all for the advice and chat x


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## Nebulous (28 Oct 2012)

Got up this morning after a fortnights holiday and went out in the rain and cold. Long sleeves, long legs and my feet have never been so cold in my life! I thought I had frostbite, very painful in the shower as the circulation came back. Time to dig out my overshoes I think. It wasn't that cold, around 7 C but the wind and rain made it feel worse.


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## cyberknight (28 Oct 2012)

Nebulous said:


> Got up this morning after a fortnights holiday and went out in the rain and cold. Long sleeves, long legs and my feet have never been so cold in my life! I thought I had frostbite, very painful in the shower as the circulation came back. Time to dig out my overshoes I think. It wasn't that cold, around 7 C but the wind and rain made it feel worse.


 
+1
Wentout today with long sleeve base, long sleeve jersey , shorts, leggings, overshoes, buff and winter gloves and i was still not to sweaty .
After the cake stop it got colder and my hands and feet got so cold i could not feel the shifters to change gear properly for at least an hour .I suffer with reynauds so when i get cold hands and feet i am stuffed as it can take ages and be painful till they get back to normal .Spent a lot of time on the front just to get warm again !


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## Nigelnaturist (28 Oct 2012)

LauraWatson said:


> My feet froze solid, right one much worse, why??


I get that.


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## the_mikey (28 Oct 2012)

I once used plastic bags over my socks for a 20 mile ride, it kept my feet warm, but they were sweaty and irritated at the end of the ride. Just buy some good socks and thick overshoes.


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## wanda2010 (29 Oct 2012)

@cyberknight, I have the same condition, so I tend to use up to 3 pairs of gloves. I've discovered heated gloves so those came out for the FNRttc. Fortunately the overshoes and footwarmers meant I could leave the heated insoles indoors


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## Andrew_Culture (29 Oct 2012)

I've had numb feet for most of the last month or so of long rides and convinced myself that because I'm clipped in it doesn't really matter, but yesterday's ride changed my mind - I had on compression socks, thick running socks and had gaffa-taped up the vents on my shoes but my feet still went numb almost as soon as I had set out. The numbness during cycling wasn't so bad, it was the recovery that really hurt. My feet went quite multi-coloured and throbbed for about five hours. So I invested in some thermal lined overshoes, I'm really hoping they help.


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## AndyRM (29 Oct 2012)

I use a pair of thick mountain climbing socks. Does the trick without putting my feet into sandwich bags which, I'm sorry, sounds uncomfortable and vaguely ridiculous.


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## cyberknight (29 Oct 2012)

AndyRM said:


> I use a pair of thick mountain climbing socks. Does the trick without putting my feet into sandwich bags which, I'm sorry, sounds uncomfortable and vaguely ridiculous.


Wiggins uses cling film, he tweeted it a while back so it must be on the right lines.


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## AndyRM (29 Oct 2012)

cyberknight said:


> Wiggins uses cling film, he tweeted it a while back so it must be on the right lines.


 
Aye, and he also listens to Paul Weller; I'm not going to start doing that any time soon either.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (29 Oct 2012)

LauraWatson said:


> My feet froze solid, right one much worse, why??


 
too tight... I generally only get cold feet if I have laced my shoes/boots up too tight. after all it is the warm air in your shoes/boots that are going to keep your feet warm - that is warm air inside the socks - this sleeping bag effect... if you lace too tightly, you remove all that insulating effect...

also the "compression calf thingys" may not have helped - they could actually have prevented warmer blood getting to your feet, but I don't know how tight they were etc, so can't really comment on that one.

I just cycle in merino wool socks and soft supple hiking boots. (see here for an idea - 12 months and some seriously cold conditions http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=8S&page_id=190144&v=dP ). Well I never get cold or wet feet and have cycled in -15C and I'm also female. (I was also out on Friday in a hail storm).

Personally I have only used plastic bags once - on my hands when in the very far north of norway (on tour) around freezing and only had 2 sets of gloves. Having taken the wet (failed) waterproof gloves off I was left with my short fingered summer gloves and used the plastic bags to keep the wind chill off which worked really well. hands were still wet from sweat but warm & wet which was preferable to cold and wet. I would only do it again if my life depended on it.[/quote]


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## Andrew_Culture (29 Oct 2012)

AndyRM said:


> Aye, and he also listens to Paul Weller; I'm not going to start doing that any time soon either.



I met him once, he nicked my pen. I thought he seemed like a decent fellow until I saw his associate light his cigarette for him.


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