wool insoles rather than boots?

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  • January 12, 2019 at 9:29 pm #920944
    peterw_diy
    Participant

    I was surprised & disappointed how cold the balls of my feet were after three hours this morning in summer shoes covered by full neoprene booties. Before I cough up $$$ for winter road boots + another set of cleats, I wondered if anybody here has experience adding warm insoles (maybe like Pedag Solar insoles: wool + reflective foil) to their non-winter shoes…? Everything beside my toes and the cleat/pedal contact points were fine today, so I thought maybe insoles would provide just enough extra warmth.

    Thanks!

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Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
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  • January 13, 2019 at 4:07 am #1093947
    awitt
    Participant

    Do you have room in your shoes for another insole? I added silk sock liners under my wool riding socks and that helped some. A friend puts hand warmers on top of her feet inside her booties. We both wear pearl izumi insulated booties which are probably warmer than neoprene.

    January 13, 2019 at 7:38 am #1093953
    jwetzel
    Participant

    I just switch over to heavier wool hiking socks when it gets colder without using insoles.

    January 13, 2019 at 8:12 pm #1093986
    LuisFilipe
    Participant

    My summer shoes have vents on towards the front of the shoe on the bottom. Did you cover those? Foil would work

    January 13, 2019 at 10:34 pm #1093998
    peterw_diy
    Participant

    @LuisFilipe 185684 wrote:

    My summer shoes have vents on towards the front of the shoe on the bottom. Did you cover those? Foil would work

    The bottom of my neoprene booties is rubber which covers that vent hole, but I have not (yet) tried to plug it. Unfortunately heavier socks + booties isn’t enough for my feet. So maybe I’ll try devising plugs for those vent holes — medium hard foam + thin, hard plastic + maybe some mylar foil for good measure.

    And I can test it as soon as we get some rain to wash all this salt away. The road bike doesn’t get to play in the slush!

    Thanks, awitt, jwetzle, and LuisFililpe.

    January 13, 2019 at 10:56 pm #1094004
    Judd
    Participant

    My cycling boot has an insole that is similar. One thing to consider is that if you’re wearing thick socks with summer shoes, your shoes might be compressing the socks which lessens their insulating capabilities. For 10 bucks it seems like it’s no big deal if they don’t work for you.

    I started wearing thick wool hiking socks with sandals this year and have been comfortable into the low thirties. When I wear my cycling boots they are warmer when I wear thin socks versus the thick wool which compresses a lot.

    A few folks are fans of toe warmers. I’ve got a box that I keep for emergency purposes but haven’t found the need to use them regularly.

    I’d live if there was a Bar Mitts type of device for the feet since they work great for most people’s hands. (Maybe there is?)

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    January 22, 2019 at 4:17 pm #1094563
    jwetzel
    Participant

    Enjoy the fruits, such as they are, of my brief journey around the internet looking for foot mitts.
    http://www.cjwyche.org/toeclips/toeclips.html
    https://www.amazon.com/Lone-Peak-Toe-Clip-Covers/dp/B01N9RLW30
    https://www.rivbike.com/products/musa-splats-pair

    January 22, 2019 at 5:41 pm #1094569
    LhasaCM
    Participant

    @jwetzel 186276 wrote:

    Enjoy the fruits, such as they are, of my brief journey around the internet looking for foot mitts.
    http://www.cjwyche.org/toeclips/toeclips.html
    https://www.amazon.com/Lone-Peak-Toe-Clip-Covers/dp/B01N9RLW30
    https://www.rivbike.com/products/musa-splats-pair

    I think I’ve mentioned this previously, but: for added warmth, I’m a big fan of the Gore Insulated overshoes (https://www.gorewear.com/us/en-us/gore-c5-gore-windstopper-insulated-overshoes-100384.html) They tend to run large, which work great for me as an added layer over my already insulated flat pedal shoes. Honestly, that was probably overkill for me in this morning’s commute (I run warm, and only have a few miles to go), but I never have claimed (and never will claim) to be normal.

    January 22, 2019 at 7:08 pm #1094571
    mstone
    Participant

    Are the shoes open above/behind the cleat? Some are, and you can seal that off with packing tape or similar.

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