- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
forum
overshoes/toe caps
Hi all,
This is my first winter as a road cyclist and i need advice on best way to keep my toes dry and warm. I do have a pair of Endura Dextor overshoes which have been ok for light rain and in tempertures down to 4 degrees however my toes do get cold after about an hour of riding. Should or can i wear toe covers over the overshoe or is it best to look for a better overshoe and if so what are your recommendations. Nothing to expensive though please! Thank you in advance.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
Latest Forum Topics
Latest Comments
- Rendel Harris 52 min 15 sec ago
Except for the 12th and 13th pictures, which are not only of the rear dropout but also include the "raw" 3D printed version as well.
- Rendel Harris 57 min 5 sec ago
Sorry to hear that, will keep an eye out. You can post pictures in the comments using the "Image" "Choose file" "Upload" then "Save" buttons. You...
- Rendel Harris 59 min 27 sec ago
Channel4.com has every episode of every series available to watch on demand free; here's a link to the pilot:...
- Jbnuts 2 hours 17 min ago
I hear what you are saying, but I wouldn't lump all the Chinese manufacturers into a single category. Winspace for example develop frames that I'm...
- hapaxlegomenon 5 hours 24 min ago
LEGEND
- Hypnoswan 6 hours 33 min ago
I am surprised You didn't comment on the different length of the hems between the watershed fabric and the internal fleece as it's a good couple of...
- eburtthebike 7 hours 40 min ago
No. The BBC has been anti-cyclist for at least forty years. Like you, I'm puzzled, but I've been puzzled for forty years and nothing seems to...
- Secret_squirrel 8 hours 45 min ago
pretty sure Force had fairly significant hood changes in D2.
- Zjtm231 9 hours 6 min ago
Would love to hear what Briggs has to say about this. Yup won't hold my breath
Add new comment
20 comments
As I understand it.
Compression clothing works by not allowing veins to dilate/expand. This keeps the blood pressure up and helps reduce the possibility of dvt and may help get rid of toxins produced by exercise. I guess this could help with keeping the body warm too as it means the blood flows faster? It's a gentle compression due to the fabric not being very stretchy though, and shouldn't be 'tight'.
However, if a garment is too tight it isn't causing gentle compression but will reduce blood flow. I'm not sure why this isn't obvious but that means blood flow will be restricted and little warm blood will get to the parts of the body affected. Will result in pins and needles, numbness and cold feeling. It's bad.
Compression wear can work well as a base layer, but if you try a pair of hiking socks inside most cycle shoes you'll encounter the blood flow problem. This is why I think https://www.prendas.co.uk/products/prendas-ciclismo-thermolite-winter-socks are so effective as the hollow fibres aren't bulky. Overshoes are the best answer, but I haven't found a pair that aren't a right faff. And I can tell you from winter windsurfing that theres a big difference between 3mm & 5mm neoprene, yet this never seems to be specified with overshoes. If I did a bigger winter mileage I'd invest in a pair of winter booties, but can't justify it what with more time spent on the turbo.
Just make sure you've got enough room inside the shoe - winter socks are thicker and the lack of space can cause numb feet from poor circulation.
Overshoes and oversocks are the most cost-effective solution but I find them a huge amount of faff. Currently trying some Sealskinz winter socks, which also claim to be waterproof.
Really? Then why do rugby players wear compression kit to keep warm and if your heart can't pump blood past the pressure of a pair of slightly thicker socks then I think you have serious circulation/cardiovascular problems.
Err, rugby players, like other sport men don’t wear compression layers to keep warm, they wear them to supposedly reduce the build up of lactic acid and help with post exercise recovery. They will wear a thermal base layer if they want to keep warm, which may well be compressive as well, but for the above reason.
I wear hiking socks, which are thicker, but as long as your shoe is the correct size (length wise) it shouldn’t really cause a problem as the extra bulk can be accommodated by not tightening the buckles/ straps as tight as you would with a summer sock. I’ve never had a problem with this, but if you do tighten them too much they can be a bit restrictive and cause your toes/ feet to get cold - tightening a shoe with a ratchet strap will provide significantly more restriction over a small surface area compared to a compressive base layer which spreads this compression across its whole surface.
When it gets wet, or below 5 degrees I wear goretex lined Sidi cycling winter boots with my hiking socks and Spatz overshoes/ gaiters, which, although a complete faff to put on are the only things I have found that keep my feet both warm and dry for 4hours+.
PP
Err, to quote from Skins website, "Designed for thermal defence when the cold weather kicks in with an all over compression rating to afford you a good degree of muscle support for a warmer, drier, lighter outcome and muscle protection too..."
The compression garments rugby players wear at not on the body extremities.
Wearing shoes too tight because you are wearing too mdny pairs of socks is a genuine problem that can cause cold feet.
[/quote] The compression garments rugby players wear at not on the body extremities. Wearing shoes too tight because you are wearing too mdny pairs of socks is a genuine problem that can cause cold feet.[/quote]
Ah, I understand now. Compression clothing in some areas keeps you warm but in other places it makes you cold. Very cleaver stuff this compression clothing.
Maybe, just maybe, people who don't question things have put on an extra pair of socks when it is cold and still got cold feet so they have made the assumption that it was because of the tight socks preventing their heart from pumping blood around which caused them to have cold feet. I have worn tight fitting walking boots in the summer and bad sweaty feet which is strange, if tight socks give you cold feet how did that happen?
I am glad you have not experienced this, but many have.
Try reading this
https://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/community/how-to/how-to-beat-cold-feet
It even explains the difference between walking and cycling.
Finally consider where the blood is being pumped from and why a compression top under a rugby shirt or under a pair of shorts is unlikely to restrict the flow of blood.
You seem unable to make the distinction between ‘thermal defence’ for when the cold kicks in and ‘with an all over compression rating’ to offer a good degree of muscle support. Add the two together and you get a ‘warmer, drier, lighter outcome and muscle protection too’.
If compression alone keeps you warm, why do they wear compression garments in the height of summer? Surely they would want to be kept cooler?
Why do Under Armour make Heat Gear compression clothing for summer with ‘HeatGear® fabric, with all the benefits of UA Compression, comfortable enough to be worn all day’ and Cold Gear compression clothing for winter with ‘Dual-layer ColdGear® fabric with an incredibly warm, brushed interior & a slick, fast-drying exterior’.
You need to understand what the compression is for and what the thermal qualities are for. At the moment you seem to think the compression is about keeping heat in. Wrong.
PP
I like the Endura MTB overshoes.
I commute in mountain bike shoes and every other type of overshoe I used just wore out at the toe.
The Endura has an extra rubber toe section that works really well.
If I could improve it, I'd go for a model that has a moulded sole at the rear, but it turns out that Endura have thought of this!
The Endura MT500 Plus looks like th eperfect overshoe.
Tredz have them in for £25 at the moment:
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Endura-MT500-Plus-Overshoes_113311.htm?sku=4235...
Thye are fine, as long as you don't have big feet, then it's hard to get them on. I'm not sure, given there is a cut out for clipless and they are mtb, what shoes they used to produce the shape.
If going for the DHB neoprene overshoes, note that there are at least 2 kinds. I have the Extreme Weather ones, which have a TPU coating over the neoprene. These are waterproof on top (though some will get through at the ankle cuffs and from below). I have found them hard wearing and excellently warm.
The other kind are Neoprene Nylon and are cheaper, but are just neoprene and not nearly as good. If the heavens open, you get damp and wet. I bought these for my son (sorry lad) and he still gets cold feet.
https://galibier.cc/product/overshoe/
23 quid
Thanks all, I have bought DHB toecaps as they are in a sale on Chain Reaction and will look into buying neoprene type overshoes, thinking DHB again. That should do the trick. I already use wool socks so all good there.
I've tried a number of options, as get I cold hands and feet very easily. dhb toe covers from wiggle are as good as any of the others, and last just as long. Their neoprene overshoes are also very good, and I've even worn both together (toe covers first, overshoes fit over the top) for extra warmth. Oh and dhb merino winter socks, too, which I find as warm as woolie boolies, but not too thick. Toasty! They're reduced quite nicely (30 or 40% off their normal, reasonable prices) at the moment.
If only it was as easy to skeep my hands warm!
Indeed Welsh boy, I had a train/off road commute and when very cold, and I'd already done the thermal insoles and good merino socks, the Hot Hands foot warmers are wonderful, my feet don't stay as warm as my hands with good gloves on.
Cold train platforms suck the heat from the feet, train delays make it much worse.
It was a bit ridiculous to use 2 bags worth in a day and I found that if I wore some in the morning and when I got to work I would double bag them in zip loc bags and put them on in the evening and they would warm up and get me home with warm toes.
Oddly, I find they keep all of my toes warmer if I have the flat end forward.
I noticed Decathlon do 15 packs for £10, and they advise putting them on the top of the foot/sock.
I tried to use foil under the insoles but it destroyed itself after one ride, I must try foiled mylar from a huge crisp packet at some point.
There's a very lucky lady out there somewhere... "mmmmmmm smokey bacon!"
I just had a look at prices and I'd have to up my limit to £25 if I was buying now
I suffer with cold hands and fet and use Hothands Foot warmers under my toes when it gets very cold (less than 75p per ride). Under a thin overshoe just to keet the wind/rain off and cold toes are a thing of the past. Rumour has it that if you put them in a plastic bag and suck out all of the air when you have finished with them (assuming that they still have some life left in them) then you can reuse them.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hot-Hands-Hand-Warmers-Foot-Warmers-Heat-Feet...
or
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LITTLE-HOTTIES-Foot-Warmers-Hand-Foot-Toe-war...
I think usually the neoprene type overshoes are warmer than the soft-shell ones, cheaper too. Each will only last a full winter anyway. Longer if you cycle less. They're a disposible item, unfortunately. Left foot always gets destroyed underneath putting foot down at lights! Never tried toe covers. Maybe they would be okay over the top but they're more intended for early winter just over the shoe.
Had a good time with BBB and Galibier. Maybe dhb would be okay. Wouldn't pay more than £20 now. I usually get my winter stuff in the spring sales and vice versa. Overshoes usually half price.
Also think a decent pair of wool socks is half the battle