lollin
-40° is really something amazing. I have done a bit of camping in that weather. It’s weird. Fabric gets all stiff, snow inside your tent isn’t a wetness issue 'cause it never melts, it’s more like dust.
Think about what temperature it is right now wherever you are. Then add 70° to that and realize how warm you would be. Now imagine how at -40 if you add 70 you are still below freezing.
Also fun fact: -40° is -40° in both C and F.
Camping at -40F? Did you bring along a sacrificial tauntaun?
switcheroo by jeff_d_carson, on Flickr
Trying this in conjunction with neoprene booties I cut down to spats after the zippers exploded.
What material is that? I’m thinking of doing something for my road shoes today. Home Depot-able or are these actual insoles?
That’s impressive Jimmy. The constant snow inside a tent is almost hallucinatory at those temps. Was this a sled dog trip or how did you come by the gear needed to pull that off?
Spats is a very good way to explain what booties become when the bottoms explode. I’m curious now what neoprene or waterproof(On Topic!!!) shoe covers you people have been using. Amazes me the price the market will bear for these since it is a given they will get trashed if you use them at all.
Consensus winner around here currently is the Louis Garneau Neoprotect 3mm neoprene bootie. Works with both road and mtb shoes with toe spikes at a cost under $30. Yes they continue to work well as spats just as long as their is enough material left to hook over the front of the shoe.
I’ve had the same pair of Castelli neoprene booties for 9 years. Wore through the bottoms long ago, and the seams are in such condition as to expose 3 or 4 inch-long slits per shoe, but they are still waterproof-ish and warm enough and intact just enough to stay on (although they do unhook at the toe if walked in for more than 50’ or so). Wore them today at -1F with just some wool socks and was fine. Ride to work is only 12 miles though.
The guts of it is bubble wrap, and both sides are silver faced. Definitely bought it at Lowes. Used it for a home insulation situation.
[quote=rando]That’s impressive Jimmy. The constant snow inside a tent is almost hallucinatory at those temps. Was this a sled dog trip or how did you come by the gear needed to pull that off?
Spats is a very good way to explain what booties become when the bottoms explode. I’m curious now what neoprene or waterproof(On Topic!!!) shoe covers you people have been using. Amazes me the price the market will bear for these since it is a given they will get trashed if you use them at all.
Consensus winner around here currently is the Louis Garneau Neoprotect 3mm neoprene bootie. Works with both road and mtb shoes with toe spikes at a cost under $30. Yes they continue to work well as spats just as long as their is enough material left to hook over the front of the shoe.
[/quote][quote=jeffro]
switcheroo by jeff_d_carson, on Flickr
Trying this in conjunction with neoprene booties I cut down to spats after the zippers exploded.[/quote]
Tried these out today on a standard 90 minute roadbike ride at ~37F. Wore thickish wool blend socks and my neoprene spats. Shoes as loose as practicable. I won’t say the insoles did nothing, but they didn’t make a huge difference. Mostly, I was reminded why I usually ride fixed in the winter: half the speed and twice the effort will keep you pretty warm.
I just ordered some thermal insoles. I’m presuming my new-to-me winter cycling shoes are already insulated at the sole, but my other shoes/boots could benefit from a pair.
I might relocate the mylars to my regular winter boots. Those are the standing around freezing footwear and could maybe benefit more.
Personally I would plan on installing them into the Winter shoes that are designed around them being added.
I got scolded for my exploration of socks before being able to make it clear the purpose of sewn ins and why they rarely work. Unless given the OK I’m going to leave you to figure insoles out from there.
i didn’t see the gaerne g artix on the rundown, which they make as a road shoe and an mtb shoe (why you’d want a winter road shoe is kind of a mystery to me but whatever). i have a pair. here are my notes.
would buy again, in one euro-size higher (i’m a 43, would buy a 44).
I used a pair of Sidi Genius 5 Pro one very snowy Winter with some DA 7401 pedals. Biggest reason why road shoes is neoprene booties fit better and last longer on road shoes. Up here a neoprene cover is hard to live without given the new breed of ice melting chemicals keep roads wet below 10 F. If you can stay clipped in road cleats are better at the riding part of the equation. Clogging up with snow is the only downside.
Have to admit I’m curious to see how well the Winter road shoes from ferg work compared to the well worn road and mtb shoes I’ve been using. So far it has been a very low total snowfall Winter. I am excited.
Wished those assos wündersocks would have been available on amazon so I could have used my giftcard on them.
Biggest reason why road shoes is they don’t have that huge vented metal insert transfering coolth up into the ball of your foot.[/quote]
ftfm
…cuz dealing with neoprene booties blows. I don’t have a pair but might get some.
i meant winter ROAD shoes, not winter MTB shoes. but rando’s comment about the heat transfer is pretty good. i don’t notice the cold coming up through the cleat mount point in my gaerne shoes, but i’m sure it doesn’t help.
booties suck.
After all that talk about how he only needed assos wündersocks.[/quote]lololol[/quote]
FYI, the white panther colorway wündersocks are on sale at Ribble for $38
After all the negativity I held towards this segment of bike shoes I wanted to offer some short term test findings. Sadly the coldest the Sidi torture devices got used was maybe zero windchill and only in dry conditions.
Gore-Tex is the worst material you could imagine to line a shoe. That goes double if it is for cold or cold and wet use. It does not breathe and the only function it serves is to make your feet clammy and colder. Having advance knowledge of this was why I started in on wündersocks and other liners that effectively create a barrier from the barrier. With that in place these have worked wonderfully or at least as far as a flexible soled intentionally looser fitting shoe can.
I’ve tried to throw as many forced issues at these as I could. Dry warmish weather relegated this to variations of intensity and how suitably I dressed for the conditions based on planned intensity. Wind played as large a part as possible when it was sufficiently strong. At the extremes of cold/windy/underdressed and warm/windy/overdressed they regulated temps beyond my expectations. I strongly suspect closing the gaiter over with a pant or tight leg would have a sub-optimal effect by removing any way to exchange air or allow moisture to escape.
The one thing that could be better is how well my heel locks in without over tightening the topmost of the three load bearing straps. I have the stock insoles from my Wires in there right now but plan to try a thicker insole and/or gluing two shaped pieces of closed cell foam in to restrict upward and lateral movement at the rear of the shoe. That last one is some old school tech still used by pro fitters for shoes and helmets. I have done some hard climbing efforts and extended periods above 120 cadence without. Having a more refined fit is only going to make that better.
tl;dr Link for wündersocks deal!! Winter shoes do work if you know how to use them from the inside outwards.
'sup this thread bumpdate tis the season.
Anything new out there for winter feet 2015/2016?
