Keep Your Hands and Feet Warm while Cycling: Cold hands, Cold feet
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- čas přidán 22. 07. 2024
- How to dress for winter cycling is always a challange. Winter cycling has its most effect on hands and feet. Here are some suggestions for your windter cycling kit.
Cold hands?
1. Good quality gloves for warm hands. They do make "pogies" (also called bike mittens) that cover the brake and shifters. Some swear by these and they do work well, especially those that allow you to wear a thin glove when inserting your hands. Don't buy cheap pogies. Go with Bike Mitt pogies or 45 North pogies.They do restrict placement of your hands, so, if you’re one that likes to move your hands around on the bar, these may not be for you. They do make "claw" gloves that group your fingers but I find that the following work better.
2. Hands Warmers (used by skiers): Most of us know about hand warmers, but you may not be aware that it takes up to 30 minutes to get hot. So, remove them from the package on the way to the ride so they'll be ready. In extreme cold, consider the follow: Use Hot Hands boot warmers used by hunters. These really get hot, in fact, too hot to handle. So what I did was cut the end of an inexpensive pair of mens dress socks to make a small pouch to place the warms - which then go in your gloves
Cold feet?
1. Good quality Marino wool or alpaca socks seem to be the best cycling socks for warm toes. But make sure you have enough room in your shoe or you'll constrict the vessels in the toe and actually make them colder.
3. Or can use a good quality lined overshoes such as I have here, or even a dedicated cycling boot (which are by no means cheap) such as the fleece line Sidi Cycling Boot.
3. Toe warmers - take about 30 minutes to allow them to warm up. Cut the edge but leave them in the wrapper or they may puff up too much to put into the shoe. Again, make sure that they do not make your shoe feel too tight or they will have the opposite effect of cutting off circulation and making your feet colder. One set of my bike shoes that have a little extra room that makes them ideal for heavier wool socks and toe warmers.
4. Finally consider hunters foot warmers, not for feet (too bulky) but for hands. They get so hot one must make a insert for them out of an old dress sock as shown.
And don't neglect the rest of you which needs to be layered and warm.
1. Layers: Long sleeve lined bicycle shirt, fleece vest and good jacket. If it gets hot, you can unzip or remove layers as needed.
2. Head Covering: Although it's a myth that you loose 50% of your heat thru your head, it is true that if you're otherwise bundled up, you should also use head covering to keep you're body warm. Depending on the temperature, I use two to make a double layers. I can remove one and throw it in the knapsack if I know it warms up.
3. Neck Warmers: From thin to heavy duty depending on the temperature.
Finally, the quickest way to warm up is to look for those hills or just ride harder, if you're so inclined. - Sport
A few suggestions and comments
If you keep your core warm, the warmer blood flow to the extremities (hands, feet) is improved.
Also consider warming the blood going to the extremities rather than the extremities themselves.
When I'm using "Hotshots" for my hands, I place them at my wrist (palm side).
This way, the blood is warmed up and I don't add bulk or tightness that would reduce blood flow (counterproductive), comfort and dexterity.
It also keeps warm for longer since it's hidden from the wind's cooling effect.
On really cold days, I carry a very hot water bottle (stainless steel) in a neoprene sleeve in my back pocket.
The stainless steel bottle with the neoprene sleeve fits in a bottle cage to keep it warmer.
Once the bottle has cooled down, I remove it from the sleeve and put it back in the back pocket.
This way, I control my core temperature easily, improving warm blood flow to the extremities by putting back or removing the bottle.
As for the feet, I used a ""Hotshot" over the shoes at the toes and wrap the whole front of the shoes with it in aluminium foil and then put my overshoes.
So this way my feet get the same blood flow (not tighter) but keep warmer feet.
Because the cooling effect of the wind through conduction is greater for wet fabrics, always remember that sweat is you enemy. NEVER OVER DO IT !
Great points! Hot Hands also makes "body warmers" which are large and fit between you bike shirt and the next layer. But will have to try your methods. Regards and safe cycling, Tony
@@tony10speed
If any of the methods is up to your liking, maybe a short update video would be appreciated by your viewers.
ottimi consigli Tony è sempre utile ascoltarti, un cordiale saluto da un ciclista Italiano.
Grazie e buon ciclismo, Tony
Good tips! Thanks
You're Welcome. Also visit our CZcams home site at:
czcams.com/users/MrTony10speed
Regards and safe cycling, Tony
Thanks for sharing!
You're Welcome. Also visit our CZcams home site at:
czcams.com/users/MrTony10speed
Regards and safe cycling, Tony
Thanks for posting, I enjoy your videos. ALSO: For your feet, if you are not in a hurry while you ride, get yourself a set of nice, big flat pedals and where your winter boots with wool socks. I do a lot of gravel riding in the winter (Vermont) and this works really well. I am not worried about trying to chase down Ted King :-) just going for a fun ride and that way if I see a place I want to stop, I am in my winter boots! Works great. Also, for hands, check out gloves made for riding snowmobiles. I have a thin wool insert and a pair of those--good to go. Happy riding to all.
Thanks for the tips. I'll look into the snowmobile gloves. Regards and have fun cycling, Tony
It's important to keep in mind the distance you'll be riding and how warm you get as a rider. Make sure you layer so that you can remove layers if/when you get too warm.
I have a 4 mile commute to work. It's not a super long ride, so I really don't need to be super warm.
I recently got FDX wind resistant gloves and I love them. First pair of gloves that actually keep my finger tips warm. But I can only wear them below 40 degrees F. Above that I wear $10 Home Depot work gloves.
For my feet, I put my feet with socks on inside a plastic bag and then put my shoes on. It blocks the wind and keeps my feet plenty warm.
Thanks for your input. It certainly does depend on how long you're out and also wind conditions. I use toe covers to block the wind and wear alpaca socks. I not tried plastic bags for fear my feet will sweat inside the bag (I do 30 mile rides minimum). Thanks again for sharing and safe cycling, Tony
I loved the old Performance booties, that you showed; they seemed to be heavier than others, but I don't think they have sold them in many years 😞 I also have 3 different size cycling shoes that I can fit more or warmer socks in. Kinda surprised that you didn't mention lobster gloves. They work best for me when its really cold. Thanks for the video!
I too have different size shoes to fit heavier socks and toe warmers. Sidi also makes lined winter cycling boots which work well but they are expensive. I have a good pair of lobster claw gloves, but for me, who suffers from very cold fingers and toes, they don't help as much as using hunters "foot warmers" inside a portion of a dress sock (keeps from burning my hands on the warmer which really get hot!). Cyclist will vary in there needs and for some, lobster gloves, heated gloves, or different types of hand warmers may be enough. These are just a few suggestions that have worked for me. If you have others besides the lobster gloves, please feel free to share them through further comments. Thanks for your comments and safe cycling, Tony
Happy Holidays!🎄
And happy holidays to you also!
I've had success with using disposable vinyl gloves from Home Depot as a liner. They keep the outer gloves dry but are sometimes too effective of keeping the moisture in.
I'm very familiar with disposable glove (I'm a retired physician). And yes, they would work but agree about the build up of moisture. Thanks John and safe cycling, Tony
Neoprene overshoes make a huge difference. I often silk glove liners, which do a very good job. Aluminium foil wrapped around one's feet help retain warmth.
Agree with the Neoprene. Will try the glove liners if there's room in the glove without constricting my hands. With all my cycling, I'd go through a lot of foil. Do you wrap the aluminum foil around the shoe the add the overshoes?
2 pair of gloves, one thin knit pair inside a windproof glove -- both from dollar store. Good till about -5C. I use a cheap helmet with an eye visor shield to protect my eyes in the cold. No fogging issues cause there is still lots of airflow. Works great with prescription glasses.
Sounds like it's worth a try. Thanks for the tips, Tony
I have recently invested in a proper pair of heated gloves from the brand BERTSCHAT and I wouldn't want anything else. Great quality and amazing heating!
They look great. Two questions that would help our viewers and myself: 1. How long do they last on a single charge? 2. Can you easily shift a road bike with these gloves (many heated glove are fine for skiing or even mountain bike shifters but are too bulky for road biking)? Thanks, we can all learn from your experience. Tony
@@tony10speed depends on the setting you put it at of course. It has 3 settings and on the highest setting the ones I have last around two hours but that is too hot for my hands, I do use hand guards for the wind so I don't know how the heating is with the hands but I am very positive about the product. Shifting is no problem for me! :)
@@gertjanheeskens4332 Sounds like it's worth a try. Thanks for the info and safe cycling, Tony
For hands, my preference is lobster mitts. I add glove liners below 30 f.
I tried and never been impressed with lobster mitts. But with glove liners, they may work better. Thanks, Tony
I like to put toe warmers on top of my toes rather than underneath. That helps to also block the shoe's air vents. I block off the vents in the sole of my shoes with a bit of tape. For the hands, I use a liner glove under a windstopper glove. My hands get sweaty once I've warmed up a bit, so it's nice to be able to remove the liner during the ride. One of the keys to staying warm is to stay dry.
I use toe or shoe covers to block the vents. I will try the glove liners under my own windstopper glove and see how that does. Thanks for the tips, Tony
I use nitrile gloves to covered around my merino wool socks then the overshoes . Works like a charm on my feet 🦶.
And the nitrile glove around the merino sock fits in the shoe (or do I misunderstand what you're saying)?
@@tony10speed yes it is fit enough. i put on merino wool socks first then nitrile gloves (stretched the gloves to reach back of your feet), then shoes, then the overshoes.
@@maxithesnowman Sounds great as long as you have room for both in your shoe. Thanks Maxi.
winter work gloves (those that have plasti-dip on the palms) and another pair of thin gloves under that. around -10c for a week now, I never have problem with getting my feet worm. I have been commuting past 3 winters, I am lucky that I can choose 2 routes to work - one goes uphill for the first kilometer, the other one goes downhill first, then last 500m is ultra steep. but I cant use the uphill start in winter if there is ice on the road, cause thats an unkept road that never gets any service, in stark contrast to the downhill one that goes directly next to my region's main road service station so there are always road maintenance cars on it no matter what, it could be 1 meter deep snow, and that road gets plowed every 10 minutes.
Thanks for the tips. Regards, Tony
Great video.
I want to as something.
Spoke of my wheel has rust on the joint where it connects my alloy rim. I guess spoke itself if alloy or alloy coating not rusted. But joing has metal area and rusted.
How can I remove the rust (i got wd 40).
Thanks
Spray some WD-40 on a small wad of aluminum foil and clean off the rust. Another option is some fine steel wool. Make sure the connection (which is the called the "spoke nipple") is not worn or in poor condition compared to the others. Would not want the spoke or spoke nipple to break.
Have you used bike mittens or pogies that cover the brake/shifter hoods?
I have used pogies from Bike Mitt for my road bike. Worked well but my hands are fixed in one position and I like to move them around which keeps my hands from getting numb and keeps my shoulders from getting stiff.
Are there special tires for ice and snow?
Schwalbe makes studded tires for a variety of mountain bike sizes (Amazon.com)Re. Some of the best tires for winter road cycling can be found at:
www.cyclingweekly.com/news/best-winter-tyres-for-road-cycling-462830
The road cycling winter tires may be a little grippy (i.e. the tires seems to stick to non-wet surfaces) so you may want to only use them in the winter months and switch back to your regular tires at other times.
Thanks for asking. Regards and safe cycling, Tony
What you wear on your head depends on how much room you have under your helmet.
Absolutely correct. For that reason, when you purchase a helmet you want to make sure you can tighten it up when not wearing any cap but will loosen enough to accommodate any head gear. Thanks for the comment, Tony
+1 for Bike Mitts pogies
I take it that you use Bike Mitts. Do your hands tend to sweat within the Mitts? Do you use a glove liner or thin glove with the Mitts?
@@tony10speed Slightly sweaty if the temperature gets above 5C. I just have regular summer fingerless cycle mitts on my hands. Don't want to graze my palms in case of a fall.
@@Ricobass0 Thanks for the feedback. Happy cycling, Tony
What do you think of the claw like gloves that group your fingers?
Personally, I think it's an improvement but you have to get ones that doesn't interfere to much with dexterity and shifting on road bikes.
I also like the gloves that have a sort of mitten attached at the fingers that can be put on and off for better temperature regulation on "warmer" rides.
I, personally, have not found the "claw" glove to help. I rather use the Hot Hand warmers or the Foot Warmers (as shown in the video). But that's my personal approach.