Advice Wanted For Winter Shoes and Gloves

[Crickey7]

Those are all very personal choices. There are a lot of styles to choose from, some of which look like street shoes and some of which would not ever be mistaken for anything but cycling shoes. Then there’s ease of walking, and cost. The epitome of the winter shoe is the Lake Northwaves, at around $250, but they’re too warm for regular use.

My preference is for fairly street-looking shoes with a minimum of mesh. Shimano and Lake have good offerings in the $70-100 range. For extreme cold, I will put on Goretex shoe covers and wear 2 layers of socks.

For gloves, there’s another range of opinions, though most people gravitate toward lobster gloves (with glove liners) or bar mitts.

[Judd]

I use these shoes in winter with a pair of thick wool hiking socks:
http://www.shimano-lifestylegear.com/us/fw/products/tour/010sh_ct80.php?pSccontentsPro

My typical commute is 10 miles and my feet were comfortable on the coldest day that I rode last winter, which I believe was about 15 degrees. A lot of what’s right for you is going to depend on how your body handles the cold. I generally run a bit warm, except for the hands and the feet. There are some people on the forum that get by wearing sandals all year and some people that need cycling boots or they’re pretty miserable.

[dbb]

Depending on your feet (size) and your tolerance for cold, I might be able to tighten you right up!

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?9793-For-Sale-Lake-303-Winter-Boots-Size-48-Only-1-mile-new!

My Lake 303s were just too warm for me

[BobCochran]

@dbb 145031 wrote:

Depending on your feet (size) and your tolerance for cold, I might be able to tighten you right up!

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?9793-For-Sale-Lake-303-Winter-Boots-Size-48-Only-1-mile-new!

My Lake 303s were just too warm for me

@dbb, I wish, I wish…I’d pedal right to you with my cash for a deal like this. Unfortunately I’m a size 11. I often wonder if my feet swell when I’m pedaling and increase in width. (I don’t seem to understand too much about bicycling and my feet.) Thanks for the offer — and I appreciate learning how warm Lake shoes are. I might go for them because I have some long rides to train for.

Thanks so much!

Bob

[BobCochran]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Keep them coming. I’m interested in what you think of gloves too. I do have bar mitts but I wonder if they add a lot of wind resistance for long rides.

Bob

[dbb]

A number of riders on the forum have the Moose Mitts http://moosemitts.com/moose-mitts.html brand of bar mitts. I’ve had a couple of pairs and they are wonderful for flat bars and (IMO) a bit less so for drops (I generally ride with my hands on the hoods).

I rode all through last winter with a pair of Pearl Izumi lobster mitts and I lined them with a thin pair of PI gloves (similar to the Escape).

[Rootchopper]

My favorite gloves are a pair of thinsulate mittens. These are not made for cycling. They are made to keep your fingers warm. They work just fine for cycling though.

[Alcova cyclist]

I’ve been an every day winter commuter for the last two years (thanks, BAFS!). My hands and feet are not prone to getting too cold, and I am not generally moving along much faster than 12-15 mph.

My gloves strategy is:
above 45-50 – half finger gloves (I wear these all spring/summer/fall after fracturing a bone in my hand in a fall two years ago)
35-45 light full fingered gloves (Pearl Izumi – I think maybe these: https://www.rei.com/product/872300/pearl-izumi-cyclone-gel-bike-gloves-mens)
25-35 thicker (but pretty cheap) Performance gloves
below 25 – back to the thin Izumis with generic ski gloves on over them

This doesn’t really help answer the OP, but FWIW, I find for my shortish commute that regular shoes on flat pedals works fine – and moreso in the ice and snow of winter. I went through most of last winter with Merrell “Cameleon Shift” Ventilator waterproof hiking shoes. They are awesome. On heavy snow days, I’d shift to a pair of old timberland hiking boots. I wear one or two pairs of wool socks of varying thickness as necessary.

[hozn]

@dbb 145031 wrote:

Depending on your feet (size) and your tolerance for cold, I might be able to tighten you right up!

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?9793-For-Sale-Lake-303-Winter-Boots-Size-48-Only-1-mile-new!

My Lake 303s were just too warm for me

Are those the wide Lakes? If so, I m interested; I have yet to find a too-warm foot situation!

For the OP, shoe covers are a good 80% solution. Boots are really nice, though, but obviously are pricey. Figure around $200 for a good pair of boots. I have two pair of Northwave boots, the regular and the “Arctic” — the regular boots are good for 25-40° and the Arctic are good for when it is below 25° but even then my feet will be cold after an hour.

Which brings up a good point: in the winter it is really about how long you want to be comfortable. If you have a 30-45-minute commute you can get away with less gear than if you have a 60+ minute commute. At least for me things start getting real after 45-50 minutes.

I find PI lobster gloves work quite well for temps below 25°. Bar Mitts are good too for the colder days, if you are willing to give up some hand maneuverability.

[DismalScientist]

Suffering builds character. Just sayin…:rolleyes:

[hozn]

It’s true that sometimes suffering makes one stronger. But heat exhaustion or frostbite don’t actually make one stronger or better able to withstand those conditions (quite the opposite). Everyone is different in their temperature comfort but electively under- (or over-) dressing is a badge of the novice.

[BobCochran]

Thanks folks for all the different viewpoints and suggestions. I know from my experiences last winter that I’ve got to improve both my footwear and glove choices for winter riding. I feel the need to do something extra to increase both hand and foot protection. The Moose Mitts look very interesting — I love that they come in high visibility, reflective colors. For extended cold weather rides they should be helpful. The Lake shoes look both tough and heavy. The other thing about winter riding is that my nose runs like crazy and I look really silly if I forget to bring some Kleenex.

Bob

[Rod Smith]

Let it flow. Unless your ill, it’s mostly water. I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on my snotcicles.

[Rod Smith]

@hozn 145046 wrote:

It’s true that sometimes suffering makes one stronger. But heat exhaustion or frostbite don’t actually make one stronger or better able to withstand those conditions (quite the opposite). Everyone is different in their temperature comfort but electively under- (or over-) dressing is a badge of the novice.

Sadly character and strength aren’t correlated and its possible to be a very experienced novice.

[Steve O]

When (non-bicycling) people remark about my riding in the cold, I often make the comparison to skiing. If you think about your hands and body the way you would for skiing, that may be a helpful angle. In fact, I have snowboarding gloves as one of my winter options. OTOH, ski boots are a bit clumsier on the pedals.

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