Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
Serious winter warmth, especially for extremities
Am thinking more hands/fingers/feet really plus waterproofing.
The base layer type stuff I am OK with but one pair of gloves is simply not enough yet two is too bulky.
Neoprene overshoes are mostly OK but is there a "super duper" version
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
feet - sealskinz socks or some neoprene swim socks under the neoprene overs. you get a double wind/waterproof layer then. Petal says popsocks - yes they are ladies kit but she says they are the best feetwarmers around
and cycle faster and HTFU - we all get cold, live with it
Same as with the rest of your body - layer up. Two pairs of overshoes will keep your feet a lot warmer than a single pair - if it doesn't then get some winter cycling boots and then put overshoes over the top. Same sort of thing for your hands - get some thin running gloves or some motorcycle glove liners and put your normal cycling gloves on top.
Or do what FB suggests and get some ski gloves or similar - don't have to be bike specific.
Another vote for Sealskinz socks and neoprene overshoes to keep your toes toasty. Have yet to find a similar solution for my hands.
Concur with the chaps on layering socks. I use thin silk thermal socks as a base layer you can buy them from ski shops (must be my version of the popsocks) and then follow up with seal skins. Then overshoes.
Though for my hands I've never needed anything any warmer than winter bike gloves, last winter mine were the Altura ones and they were toasty.
For the body, I do offer myself the luxury of good winter bibtights from Assos and for the top half I always wear a merino base layer.
Neoprene gloves are ace - I use these ones from Mavic, but these from spesh are recommended by my LBS. I've had no dexterity problems with them at all, and rode down to -7 last year with no problems.
thats a few votes for the Sealskinz, I'll give them a try - they're not cheap though !
You get used to the cold after a while though! So get out and toughen up!
You get used
I've got sealskins sitting in a drawer, thought they were pants.
WRT overshoes, neoprene soon absorb a shed laod of water but covered with a thin fleece lined waterproof overshoe and possibly yet more toe warmers, then two pairs of socks and you'll make it through a bad one - just!
For the hands, the best thing I've found is a pair of lightweight waterproof mits that cover you're gloves when wet. Water and wind proof they let you're gloves do the job without getting water logged.
Also be wary of ski gloves with annoying liners, nothing worse than having a pee stop then not being able to get your fkn gloves back on again. Someone told me about mtn climbing gloves but not tried them.
The main thing is to realise there is no reason to suffer cold hands or feet even in sub zero temperatures - it's the old one about never being bad weather just unsuitable clothing. A lot of people understandably start looking at cycling specific gloves and in my experience they are massively overpriced and generally aren't made for really cold weather without sticking another pair of thinner gloves either underneath or over the top. I have painful memories of one ride when I was fairly new to cycling where I was seriously considering weeing on my hands just to warm them up such was the pain - I didn't though !
For gloves if people ride motorbikes for hours in winter where the windchill is so much greater you shouldn't have a problem coping with the cold on a bike. Same for the feet - the problem is when people think a pair of summer road shoes designed to be well ventilated will be OK so long as they stick one pair of overshoes over the top.
when i've been out i the cold and wet and my hands have started to suffer ... i've poped into a petrol station took a pair of the plastic gloves (next to the diesil pump) and put them under my sogging wet nomal gloves ...
.. works a treet for a tempory fiix
Well, I ttok the plunge & went for some Sealskinz socks & gloves. Tried them out today in 3 hours of rain and no problems apart from dreadful hotspotting on the feet but that is probably the shoes wearing out.
I thinkj the gloves will struggle when the temperature drops though and they transmit the buzz from the bars a lot worse. But pleased for the moment. And the socks really are waterproof!