Secrets of Warm Toes? - Page 2 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

12-31-2006, 05:54 AM

In article <YLvlh.2511$5q6.52@trndny02>, oughtfour <luster@rnospam.net>
wrote:

> Can anyone explain to me how to keep my new toe warmers from falling off
> my shoes?

Next time, buy a full cover.

> Do these ever work? I could really use something that does.
>
> It was about 32 degrees on my ride yesterday but I was warm
> enough--except for my toes.

The question is *why* your toes get cold. It may be more of a
circulation issue than losses through the shoe. It certainly doesn't
hurt to add a wool layer and use a cover to trap heat, but keeping good
circulation (especially when your core is only "warm enough") is fairly
important, too.

--
My personal UDP list: 127.0.0.1, 4ax.com, buzzardnews.com, googlegroups.com,
heapnode.com, localhost, x-privat.org

12-31-2006, 06:30 AM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
Ron Hardin <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> 88% wool socks
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> Cathartt A-111 sock. Works for me.
>
> Keep it moth-protected in the summer.

Wool socks are great, I agree.

I learned from Nordic skiing that tp keep the extremities warm, keep the
head warm. Since the brain controls circulation, it will keep itself
warm at the expense of all else.

Good luck
Happy New Year

12-31-2006, 11:00 AM

"bfd" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]:

>
> "sally" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> news:Xns98A99F43E449s321@192.160.13.20...
>> oughtfour <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in
>> news:YLvlh.2511$5q6.52@trndny02:
>>> Can anyone explain to me how to keep my new toe warmers from falling
>>> off my shoes?
>>
>> I love toe warmers. They are lightweight and don't overheat your
>> feet like
>> full booties. If yours are falling off, they are probably too big.
>> Try a smaller size.
>
> Another tip - try WOOL socks, it works!
>
>

As for wool socks try Alpaca wool socks.
Dahlgren Alpaca wool socks are really comfortable,I now use them for
cycling constantly. I am in So Cal so it doesn't get terribly cold here
but last week I was cycling to work at 38 degrees, I put on my short
Alpaca socks and added a pair of cotton socks over them and my feet
stayed toasty over the entire 10 mile commute.

I was first introduced to Alpaca socks when I was given some Dahlgren
Aplaca backpacking socks by my brother in law (who knows the people who
sell them). I liked them so much I decided to try some for cycling so I
asked my brother in law to see if they had cycling socks. The socks he
provided look alot like the short cross training socks listed on the
website but those are only listed in white, the pairs he gave me are
green and blue, so they may actually have other other lines of socks
that are not posted on the website, you will probably have to contact
them to ask.

Here is a site that you see what they offer.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Richard B.

12-31-2006, 11:43 AM

Doc O'Leary wrote:
> The question is *why* your toes get cold. It may be more of a
> circulation issue than losses through the shoe.

I'm sure that is part of it. Perhaps even aggravated by my new
extra-thick wool socks, which make for a tight fit inside my bike shoes.

The toe warmers fell off at the start of the ride, but my feet were nice
and warm until the second half, when I turned into the wind to return
home. So I think it was the wind that did it, and that a wind shield on
the ends of my shoes would be just the thing.

What if anything can I do to improve circulation?

12-31-2006, 02:46 PM

Shoes with enough room for circulation work for me, and I'll throw the
old cheap folding closure baggies over each sock. Works great. Wool
socks and neoprene booties for near zero. Thin wool gives more room and
can be layered with something else.

oughtfour wrote:
> Doc O'Leary wrote:
> > The question is *why* your toes get cold. It may be more of a
> > circulation issue than losses through the shoe.
>
> I'm sure that is part of it. Perhaps even aggravated by my new
> extra-thick wool socks, which make for a tight fit inside my bike shoes.
>
> The toe warmers fell off at the start of the ride, but my feet were nice
> and warm until the second half, when I turned into the wind to return
> home. So I think it was the wind that did it, and that a wind shield on
> the ends of my shoes would be just the thing.
>
> What if anything can I do to improve circulation?

12-31-2006, 03:17 PM

In article <Xns98AA6FF49288Cbluerandoneegmailcom@216.168.3.50 >,
Richard B <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:

>> Another tip - try WOOL socks, it works!
>>
>>
>
> As for wool socks try Alpaca wool socks.

I recently got a hearty endorsement of alpaca wool
from my brother, to whom his Peruvian new neighbours/
friends gave a pair of gloves, a toque, and a blanket
made of the stuff. It appears to be a finer fibre than
sheeps' wool, and correspondingly weaves "tighter."
It's almost like felt.

> Here is a site that you see what they offer.
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

It's good to know these are available. Thank you
for providing this information.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

12-31-2006, 03:22 PM

Tom Keats <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:

>> As for wool socks try Alpaca wool socks.

> I recently got a hearty endorsement of alpaca wool from my brother,
> to whom his Peruvian new neighbours/ friends gave a pair of gloves,
> a toque, and a blanket made of the stuff. It appears to be a finer
> fibre than sheeps' wool, and correspondingly weaves "tighter." It's
> almost like felt.

>> Here is a site that you see what they offer.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

> It's good to know these are available. Thank you for providing this
> information.

I think warm toast is best just as it comes out of the toaster. Don't
try to keep it warm.

Jobst Brandt

12-31-2006, 03:52 PM

In article <45984653$0$80050$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] writes:
> Tom Keats <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
>
>>> As for wool socks try Alpaca wool socks.
>
>> I recently got a hearty endorsement of alpaca wool from my brother,
>> to whom his Peruvian new neighbours/ friends gave a pair of gloves,
>> a toque, and a blanket made of the stuff. It appears to be a finer
>> fibre than sheeps' wool, and correspondingly weaves "tighter." It's
>> almost like felt.
>
>>> Here is a site that you see what they offer.
>
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
>> It's good to know these are available. Thank you for providing this
>> information.
>
> I think warm toast is best just as it comes out of the toaster. Don't
> try to keep it warm.

I like to warm my gloves on our gas furnace's plenum or
hot-air duct for a while just before I head out into the
wintery chill. Maybe a similar tactic would work with socks.

My thus-warmed gloves will stay warm for as long as I keep them
on. But if I take them off outdoors & mid-ride, the warmth is
immediately lost. Then I've got to stick them under my arms or
under my waistband, to warm them up again with body heat. And
that can take some time. It feels funny, too. As a Reynaud's
Syndrome sufferer, I /need/ to get those glove warm. Fortunately
for me, I mostly feel the effects in my fingertips, which I can
curl around the handlebar, away from the wind's chill. Folks who
get it in their toes don't enjoy such luxury.

Maybe a fencepost doesn't experience wind chill, but people
with Reynaud's certainly do.

I like my toast to be soft, too. Friable toast is ruined.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

12-31-2006, 05:44 PM

"oughtfour" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:YLvlh.2511$5q6.52@trndny02...
> Can anyone explain to me how to keep my new toe warmers from falling off
> my shoes?
>
> These things [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] have no hooks or flaps or ties to
> tighten. They do not slip over the tongue of the shoe or fasten to the
> laces or anything like that that I can see.
>
> What they do is fall off when I have to make a stop for traffic.
>
> Do these ever work? I could really use something that does.
>
> It was about 32 degrees on my ride yesterday but I was warm enough--except
> for my toes.

My toe covers have a strap that goes all the way behind the shoe to help
hold them on, no problem.
It sounds like they aren't meant for your particular shoe design or they are
too big.
A rubber band might work.
You could use some duct tape. But I found that duct taping over the vents
works just as well too.
Thus no need for a toe cover.

12-31-2006, 11:24 PM

On Sun, 31 Dec 2006 15:17:26 -0800, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Tom
Keats) wrote:

>>
>> As for wool socks try Alpaca wool socks.
>
>I recently got a hearty endorsement of alpaca wool
>from my brother, to whom his Peruvian new neighbours/
>friends gave a pair of gloves, a toque, and a blanket
>made of the stuff. It appears to be a finer fibre than
>sheeps' wool, and correspondingly weaves "tighter."
>It's almost like felt.

I still don't remember losing an alpaca toque but I've searched for
it many times. It was early seventies hippy import stuff made of
panels woven on a primitive foot loom. I used it extensively during
forays into the alpine. Damn near waterproof. It looked a bit like a
psilocybe cap in both colour and shape.

I had a double-breasted 50's era alpaca greatcoat that I gave to
Louis in Montreal.

I still have a genuine Cowichan sweater from the same era that is
still perfect outer wear in our typical air borne dampness. It's
thick, hand-spun sheep wool and its 3 colours are natural. I renew
the lavender sprigs occasionally but don't wear it much anymore.
--
zk