This is a subject I have touched on before. The problem with winter biking is cold and/or wet feet. I have a pair of overshoes that I wear over my trainers, and they work OK. The snags are, they take about ten minutes to put on, and apart from some straps they have no bottoms in them. I am told that this is to allow the use of pedal clips. My point on that is that I suspect that over 80% of people who ride bikes in wet cold conditions, do not use pedal clips, they use simple platform pedals. They are often people commuting rather than doing training rides.
So an ideal commuter overshoe would have a thin waterproof sole, that would grip a platform pedal, and allow a bit of walking without damaging the sole. Also, my overshoes are quite tall, which allows my waterproof trousers to be worn over them, and prevent water getting into the overshoe. Many overshoes are too short to allow this.
If I put on a pair of wellington boots, I can stand in a pool of water up to a foot deep, and my feet stay dry. This is true of even cheap wellies. So why can`t the same be true of a winter cycling boot. The obvious answer is to cycle in wellies. Experiment shows a few problems with this. The first problem is movement between the foot and the foot compartment of the boot.
The answer here is to wear multiple pairs of socks, so that the fit is tighter, but not so tight as to restrict blood circulation. Problem two, is lack of flexibility of the ankle part of the boot. Wellies have to be wide in the leg to allow the foot to enter. In motorcycle boots, we have a zip that allows access, and then pulls the leg of the boot tight. I can`t cycle in my motorcycle boots due to lack of ankle flexibility. I found that if I put a strap around the ankle of the wellie, it pulls it tighter to the leg, and allows better flexibility.I am trying to find some better, tidier straps.
The final problem is the the wellie soles are not quite rigid enough for comfortable pedaling. No doubt some wellies are better than others in this respect. I might try to find or make some more rigid insoles. I know that wellies are not ideal cycling shoes, but I am hoping that with modifications, I can ride ten miles on the worst of days and still have warm dry feet. Further experimentation is needed.
So an ideal commuter overshoe would have a thin waterproof sole, that would grip a platform pedal, and allow a bit of walking without damaging the sole. Also, my overshoes are quite tall, which allows my waterproof trousers to be worn over them, and prevent water getting into the overshoe. Many overshoes are too short to allow this.
If I put on a pair of wellington boots, I can stand in a pool of water up to a foot deep, and my feet stay dry. This is true of even cheap wellies. So why can`t the same be true of a winter cycling boot. The obvious answer is to cycle in wellies. Experiment shows a few problems with this. The first problem is movement between the foot and the foot compartment of the boot.
The answer here is to wear multiple pairs of socks, so that the fit is tighter, but not so tight as to restrict blood circulation. Problem two, is lack of flexibility of the ankle part of the boot. Wellies have to be wide in the leg to allow the foot to enter. In motorcycle boots, we have a zip that allows access, and then pulls the leg of the boot tight. I can`t cycle in my motorcycle boots due to lack of ankle flexibility. I found that if I put a strap around the ankle of the wellie, it pulls it tighter to the leg, and allows better flexibility.I am trying to find some better, tidier straps.
The final problem is the the wellie soles are not quite rigid enough for comfortable pedaling. No doubt some wellies are better than others in this respect. I might try to find or make some more rigid insoles. I know that wellies are not ideal cycling shoes, but I am hoping that with modifications, I can ride ten miles on the worst of days and still have warm dry feet. Further experimentation is needed.
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