Winter footwear

[jthomp]

If you have enough room in your footwear of choice, they make toe warmers that you stick to the top of your sock. Worked great 2 Saturday’s ago when the temp was around 10 degrees.

[Rickwetherald]

I used to have issues with icing over the cleat-pedal interface, but I was using a generation of 45Nrth Wolvhammers that had exposed felt on the cleat bed, which held ice in place. Once i put a thin sheet of plastic over that, I've not had any icing issues. I use both the Wolvhammers with the plastic 'shield' and a pair of Northwave Artic GTXs with no modification; zero issues in all weather conditions (I ride the fat bike on the snow a lot).

I can't stress enough the value of true winter cycling shoes. Yes, they are expensive, but the costs, especially if you buy used, are coming down substantially. Cycling shoes are not like running shoes in that you don't need to worry as much about purchasing used shoes (assuming they are in good condition). If you don't like the feel of a particular shoe, and it's sized correctly, you can just sub in another insole. The benefits in warmth and waterproofing are well worth it. There is also a time and hassle component; it's much easier to get into some winter shoes than it is to get into summer shoes then pry shoe covers over. If you're using them every day, the shoe covers are bound to rip or otherwise wear out/fail at some point, and then you have to buy more. Before long you've matched the cost of a true winter boot.

[bbender785]

I used to have issues with icing over the cleat-pedal interface, but I was using a generation of 45Nrth Wolvhammers that had exposed felt on the cleat bed, which held ice in place. Once i put a thin sheet of plastic over that, I've not had any icing issues. I use both the Wolvhammers with the plastic 'shield' and a pair of Northwave Artic GTXs with no modification; zero issues in all weather conditions (I ride the fat bike on the snow a lot).

as i mentioned before i've been running the NW GTX the past three seasons myself. i did add these insoles:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E1ABKSQ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_sgUwCbPBAAS7Z

they've prevented alot of the cleat icing like Rick mentioned, but i was also afforded another 10-12 degrees of usability. i was out for over 2 hours once during the recent "vortex" with temps between 1 and 3 degrees, and only started to get cold near the end. granted i was putting in a pretty good effort and had the blood flowing, but i was still impressed.

[Roy]

All good advise, but,
do you have hot or cold feet.
My feet stayed warm in summer shoes with just covers, but that was not safe.
I never considered what would happen if I had to walk out.
At the bare minimum pick a shoe with ankle protection ( keep snow out of shoe) and semi waterproof.
Then just match the insulation to what your feet need.
Do not wear a shoe that fit so tight that it restricts blood circulation. This especially true if your feet get cold easily.