because it's cooling down here on the frozen tundra of central Maine.
Anyone have a suggestion for heated socks that won't break the bank?
Anyone have a suggestion for heated socks that won't break the bank?
I'm having cold feet....
- Thread starter vzshadow
- Start date
OP
OP
Temps were in the upper 40s to low 50s. I rode about three hours worth. The feet got pretty chilly in spite of the wool socks. I saw those Cabelas socks, but the reviews were so so. I guess for $15 it's worth a shot.
mikesim
Site Supporter
I rode last winter in temps down to 15 degrees and I too experienced cold feet. I have the Tourmaster boots and they helped mightily but my tootsies still got chilled. I found some Merino wool socks online from the Canadian Sock Company that really made the difference. I don't have the link any longer but a Google search should find 'em. My commute to work is about 1/2 hour at Interstate speeds so I don't know if they would ward off the cold for longer rides.
Mike
Mike
What boots are you wearing? With my TCX X-5 and wool socks, I've been pretty comfortable down to 10F.
I've found that wearing more socks, wool or not, can cause colder feet. As long as:
1) my feet are dry,
2) my boots are wind proof,
3) I wear a warm pair of socks (nothing terribly expensive),
4) and (this is key) there is some air space between my toes/feet and my boot,
I have warm feet. Packing extra socks into a tight boot can cause heat to transfer out faster.
I wear leather Red Wing work boots (like a 6 in Chukka boot) that are minimally insulated and have ridden many times into the high 20's comfortably. I have ridden in the high teens (~18F) for about and hour and was starting to get cold enough to start looking at heated socks....haven't done it yet though.
1) my feet are dry,
2) my boots are wind proof,
3) I wear a warm pair of socks (nothing terribly expensive),
4) and (this is key) there is some air space between my toes/feet and my boot,
I have warm feet. Packing extra socks into a tight boot can cause heat to transfer out faster.
I wear leather Red Wing work boots (like a 6 in Chukka boot) that are minimally insulated and have ridden many times into the high 20's comfortably. I have ridden in the high teens (~18F) for about and hour and was starting to get cold enough to start looking at heated socks....haven't done it yet though.
Best thing I've found is a cycle boot (Allstars)with Thinsulate. They work @ 55 degrees and above cause won't ride when it's any cooler than 55 degrees. 
Wimp! If you lived up here, you wouldn't ride for a big chunk of the year.
gerbings heated insoles are $40. they're quite nice. if you don't have a heat troller already though, then not worth it just for that.
Warren
2
Really? I am still wearing my Air Tech boots when its 55. I don't switch to solid leather until the 40'sBest thing I've found is a cycle boot (Allstars)with Thinsulate. They work @ 55 degrees and above cause won't ride when it's any cooler than 55 degrees.
elizilla
Guest
My feet are cold right now, sitting here at my desk. They are cold when I am sitting on the couch, and cold when I am in bed. I have cold feet even in midsummer. This is something that bothers me a lot, and causes me to wear ski socks all year round.
However, I almost never feel like my feet are cold, when I am on the bike. I'm not sure why this is.
For skiing, I put Grabber chemical heaters in my boots. They work really well. I carry a few pairs on the bike when I travel, just in case, but I almost never tear one open.
(Note that Grabber makes a variety of heaters, and the ones for feet are different from the hand heaters. Don't use anything but foot heaters on feet, or you could burn yourself.)
However, I almost never feel like my feet are cold, when I am on the bike. I'm not sure why this is.
For skiing, I put Grabber chemical heaters in my boots. They work really well. I carry a few pairs on the bike when I travel, just in case, but I almost never tear one open.
(Note that Grabber makes a variety of heaters, and the ones for feet are different from the hand heaters. Don't use anything but foot heaters on feet, or you could burn yourself.)
If you already have a piece of heated gear (including a controller), then adding a pair of heated socks isn't to expensive. If you don't already have a controller though, it is a pricey investment. I have gotten my "money's worth" from my heated gear. I am never cold even at temps of 0F.
How many controllers do you have?If you already have a piece of heated gear (including a controller), then adding a pair of heated socks isn't to expensive. If you don't already have a controller though, it is a pricey investment. I have gotten my "money's worth" from my heated gear. I am never cold even at temps of 0F.
I've got one for my jacket...would I need another one if I added gloves or socks?
it depends on a couple things. if your troller is a single or double. if it's double, then yes you can plug any other heated gear into it directly. if it's a single troller, it would depend on your gear. some jackets will let you plug in and then "share" that connection with something else. they would use the same dial for warmth.
my setup is a dual troller. i plug the jacket into that, and the gloves into the sockets in the sleeves. one lead out from the jacket heats the jacket and is controlled by one dial. the secondary connector is controlled by the second dial and controls the glove heat. there is also a third lead to plug in something else, such as my heated insoles, and this one "shares" the temperature setting with lead #2.
my gear is all gerbings, and i know you use warm n safe, but i think it's all pretty much the same stuff. does your jacket have an extra lead zipped up hidden somewhere? if so, you could plug heated socks or gloves into that - just know it would share the same temperature setting as your jacket. if you want separate heat settings, you would need another controller.
my setup is a dual troller. i plug the jacket into that, and the gloves into the sockets in the sleeves. one lead out from the jacket heats the jacket and is controlled by one dial. the secondary connector is controlled by the second dial and controls the glove heat. there is also a third lead to plug in something else, such as my heated insoles, and this one "shares" the temperature setting with lead #2.
my gear is all gerbings, and i know you use warm n safe, but i think it's all pretty much the same stuff. does your jacket have an extra lead zipped up hidden somewhere? if so, you could plug heated socks or gloves into that - just know it would share the same temperature setting as your jacket. if you want separate heat settings, you would need another controller.
I read something in MCN (I think) a long time ago, and have tried it with success. Put on your regular pair of socks. Then put Subway Sandwich bags over your feet, then another (thin) pair of socks. This adds about 10 degrees of warmth to your feet. Helps a lot in very cold temperatures, and costs basically nothing. I even went in to a Subway once and asked for some of the bags. They looked at me funny, but gave them to me without charge.
These Thinsulate Thermal Insoles look interesting, I have had a lot of gear with Thinsulate and it has worked pretty good for me... Has anyone tried these?
Yeah, you can call us wimps but living in east Texas give us 9-10 months of great riding.
I have a single dual temp controller.
You can operate ALL your heated gear from a single temp controller if you like. You'll just need some Y harnesses to allow for you to join all the plugs together. The only advantage a dual temp controller provides is the ability to separately adjust the temp to different garments. My hands for example are far more exposed to the wind and are the least insulated than any other part of my body. So while I may have my jacket/pants/socks (all on the same "zone") at say 25%, my gloves may be at 75% on the other "zone".
Some like to have 1 controller for each article of clothing for ultimate temp adjustment but all you need is 1.
For Gerbings, each set of gloves and socks come with a long Y-harness that allows you to connect the gloves/socks to a controller. You just run the Y-harness down your pant legs (for socks) or the jacket arms (for gloves). No requirement to have a heat jacket or pants to run these garments.
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Nice! Think I'll give those a try.
The first thing to remember is that air insulates best. That said, if your feet in your boots don't have enough wiggle room you will have colder feet.
If you can get passed the feeling of toe socks (some cannot) you will notice you can withstand 5-20 degree drop in temp from even regular merino wool socks. I wear the Injinji wool quarter length. Everybody's body circulation is different, but one way to increase feet warmth and circulation is to ride with the ball of your foot on the pegs and keep your butt off the seat just a bit. When you just sit flat on your butt you loose blood flow because you don't use the muscle in your legs.
Ha! Which 9 or 10 months is that? When I was down there in June of '11, it was over 100F and the wind blew like heck from Childress to Mount Pleasant and then down to Longview, to Conroe, to Houston, to Georgetown to Amarillo. When I went back to Mount Pleasant in January, it was over 55F, but it was raining and mucky.Yeah, you can call us wimps but living in east Texas give us 9-10 months of great riding.
All things being equal, I'll take eastern Colorado's riding weather over east Texas's.
Wanda, what part of East Texas are you in? I'm down in Houston and occasionally ride up to the Nacogdoches area.
It was 40 when I left Jackson MS this morning. I had all but forgotten I added the Honda under cowl. It must have help a ton as I had no cold feet problem. Generally I'll ride until it gets don to 35 or so. At that temp if there is any moisture (ha ha SE TX right) you get a real threat of ice in certain spots.
It was 40 when I left Jackson MS this morning. I had all but forgotten I added the Honda under cowl. It must have help a ton as I had no cold feet problem. Generally I'll ride until it gets don to 35 or so. At that temp if there is any moisture (ha ha SE TX right) you get a real threat of ice in certain spots.