Heated Insoles - advice

[thistler]

I saw my Dr last Friday and was complaining to him about how cold my toes have been while riding despite wool socks, plastic bags, windproof toe cozies, compression socks etc. I normally have quite low blood pressure and have recently begun taking medication for my kidneys that makes it even lower. The Dr suggested this was the cause of my cold toes and to look into heated insoles.

I have done a search here but the ones most people are recommending are quite expensive - £100+. I am sure they are worth it but I just don't have the money. Today I had to cut my ride short after only 15 miles because my toes were painfully cold.

Are any of the less expensive heated insoles worth buying? Thank you for any help!!!

 

[semislickstick]

My local poundshop type has these insoles that heat for an hour or two, the ones that you shake to activate, one use only. I'm sure you can probably get the 'click' gel ones that you reactivate by boiling.

Amazon, Wilkinsons, camping shops and Boots have had similar products in the past. £1 - £10.

I've only used the shake up throw away ones myself and in cold biking emergencies(easy to carry), not regularly.

 

[rualexander]

These might be worth a try from Maplins, I've often wondered if they are any good, but can't really see 3 AAA batteries keeping them very warm for very long but not sure.

 

[thistler]

My local poundshop type has these insoles that heat for an hour or two, the ones that you shake to activate, one use only.  I'm sure you can probably get the 'click' gel ones that you reactivate by boiling.

Amazon, Wilkinsons, camping shops and Boots have had similar products in the past. £1 - £10.

I've only used the shake up throw away ones myself and in cold biking emergencies(easy to carry), not regularly.

Thanks - I don't think I could afford to use the single use ones on any kind of regular basis. The click-activated gel ones say they last aprox 30 mins - so I could buy two/three sets, wear one and take the others with me.....any idea if they are small enough to fit inside your shoes?

 

[thistler]

These might be worth a try from Maplins, I've often wondered if they are any good, but can't really see 3 AAA batteries keeping them very warm for very long but not sure.

Those certainly seem to be a bargain.....has anyone here used them?

-edit-

I just read a review where the person who bought them put one in one shoe and nothing in the other, turned it on and could tell no difference between the two. 

 

[snorri]

The click-activated gel ones say they last aprox 30 mins - so I could buy two/three sets, wear one and take the others with me.....any idea if they are small enough to fit inside your shoes?

I bought a pair of these from Lidl last week for 99p, they are about the size of my palm, too big to go inside normal shoes.

 

[ThePainInSpain]

Must go to Specsavers....................thought this was a thread about saddles.........

 

[Davidc]

I was given these last year and they go for about 4 hours on a set of 2700mAH NiMH rechargeable AAs. they're more expensive than the Maplin ones above.

I don't use them normally - I use some superb thermal socks recommended on here (but can't find the link) which are just as good.

 

[steve52]

might be teaching ya to suck eggs but wool socks wind proof membrains (plastic) bags are of little use if the shoes youe waering are too tight to allow then to tranp air?

 

[thistler]

Thanks - I have tried everything to keep the heat in, and have made sure there is enough room to trap air and not cut off any blood flow. It turns out the problem is there is not enough heat there in the first place to keep in due to this low blood pressure thing.  I just tried some "Deep Heat" cream that is supposed to improve circulation but apparently it doesn't work so well on toes/feet because there are more ligaments than muscles.....it certainly didn't warm my feet any!

 

[Wooliferkins]

I too suffer with extremeties and along with the wool socks not too tight shoes, fleece overshoes found that keeping myself warmer than I felt I needed to helped. As the body cools it concentrated on keeping the core organs warm and fingertips and toes suffer first as blood supply is concentrated elsewhere. I have a pair of electric insole that came from Tchibo, they're great in my wellies but I'd never get them in riding shoes

 

[Davidc]

Got my heated gloves out this week. Sad isn't it?

 

[Tynan]

seem to recall a seasoned rider on here saying to run alongside the bike for a 100 yards to get the blood flowing

the best socks I have are part merino wool, much lighter and much warmer than a standard 'winter sock'

 

[thistler]

Thanks for the replies.

I have a pair of Woolie Boolie moreno wool socks, and have been wearing them.

Today was probably the coldest day I've been out on the bike. This morning I found some of those click-activated hand warmers in Home Bargains and bought two. They are too big to put in my shoes but did fit okay over my shoes and under the overshoes. My feet were toasty for about 1/2 hr, then they cooled down pretty quick. 

I'm going to get a few more - changing them every 1/2 hour will be a bit of a faff but having warm toes is worth it. 

 

[Fiona N]

Another tip is to warm cycling shoes and socks on a radiator so when you put them on your feet are immediately warm and don't need to heat up the new environment. I often find that it's the act of putting on cold shoes and socks that causes my toes to go dead - even before I get outside the house - so there's not much chance of them warming up once out. The running tip I guess is in a similar vein although stiff cycling shoes wouldn't necessarily result in the activation of foot muscles enough to overcome the cold shock of going outside.

Those foot heaters from Maplins are probably OK - with my Hotronics ones (i.e. the >£100 jobs) probably about £70-80 is for the high spec rechargeable batteries (my first pair last 9 winters in the Lake District, so a hell of a lot better than the AA rechargeables that I use in the cordless computer mouse), £20 or so for the smart charger (judging by the cost of buying it alone) and about £20 for the other bits and bobs (heaters, leads, insoles, insole sticky stuff if you want to do your own thing, battery clips).