Your feet get colder when cycling than when walking. Here’s how to keep them snug whatever the weather does on your commute

Like any exercise, cycling gets your blood pumping and warms you up. The problem is that that warmth isn’t evenly spread: your torso can be too warm while your extremities – ears, hands and feet – are painfully cold.

That’s partly your body’s temperature regulation system doing its job of keeping your core temperature high. But it’s compounded by the lack of movement in your hands and feet, which you don’t flex when you’re cycling, and by the fact that windchill is much worse at 15mph than 3mph. And that windchill is worse still if you get wet…

We covered winter gloves recently. This time we’re looking at ways to keep your feet warm and dry.

Mudguards

British winters are invariably wet, with rain, sleet and slushy snow. Your front wheel will spray this from the road to your feet, making them wet and, as a result, much colder. To prevent this you need full-length mudguards that fit to the frame and fork.

Even then, most mudguards are not long enough to completely prevent your feet being splashed. SKS Bluemels Style mudguards are long enough, as are PDW Full Metal Fenders. Both are available in various widths. Most other mudguards need a (longer) mudflap adding. You can buy these made from plastic or leather.

Overshoes

As the name says, overshoes go over your shoes to make them weatherproof. Most cycling shoes aren’t waterproof or especially windproof; they’re designed for use in mild conditions. Street shoes that you’d wear in winter are generally more weatherproof but will still leave exposed inches of sock to be soaked and chilled.

Most overshoes are designed to fit over cycling shoes and are made from neoprene, the material that wetsuits are made of. This continues to insulate even when it’s wet, although neoprene overshoes will generally keep your feet dry as well as warm. Good examples include the BBB HeavyDuty OSS and the Endura Men’s Road Overshoe. If it’s not particularly cold and you just want to keep your toes from being chilled, you can use toe covers such as Velotoze Toe Covers. Avoid thin Lycra shoe covers. These are intended to improve aerodynamics when racing, not to provide weather protection.

Some overshoes will fit over normal street shoes. They tend to be made from heavy-duty polyester or nylon rather than stretch-tight neoprene, and there’s less coverage of the sole. The Btwin City Cycling Waterproof Overshoes 900 are specifically designed for ordinary footwear, while the Altura Nightvision Unisex Waterproof Cycling Overshoes will fit cycling shoes or (most) street shoes.

Winter cycling boots

Winter cycling boots are more expensive but more effective than adding overshoes to summer cycling shoes. They come up over the ankle, often with a neoprene cuff, and tend to be both waterproof (or at least water resistant) and well insulated. They’re warmer through the sole in particular, as they’re made so that the cleat won’t act as a heat sink. It’s usually worth buying boots a size or half a size bigger, to allow room for thicker socks. Try for size if you can – with the socks you plan to wear.

There are more winter cycling boots for two-bolt, recessed MTB cleats than there are for three-bolt, protruding road cleats. Mountain bikers are more likely to ride snowy trails than road cyclists are to ride snowy roads, so that makes sense. Mountain bike style shoes and boots are better suited to commuting in general but especially so in winter, when walking on icy surfaces – or putting a foot down at the lights – can be hazardous enough even without protruding cleats.

Shimano’s MW7 is a well-made, two-bolt shoe with good insulation and a Gore-Tex layer to keep out rain or sleet. The cheaper Shimano MW5 is a decent option if you don’t need extreme weather protection. Northwave’s Celsius R Arctic GTX is a similar style of boot to the Shimano MW7, with a neoprene ankle cuff and a Gore-Tex membrane, but the sole is designed for three-bolt road cleats.

Ordinary boots

If you use flat pedals rather than clipless ones (which, confusingly, you clip into), your footwear choice is much wider. There are flat-pedal cycling boots, such as the Shimano GF8 or the Five Ten Trailcross GTX, but any weatherproof boots will work fine for commuting.

The Quecha SH100 winter hiking boots from Decathlon are a fraction of the price of dedicated cycling boots but are both warm and waterproof – as is the women’s version. Those calf-high or ankle-high boots you already own? They’ll be fine, too, as long as the grip on the pedal is good enough. (Flat pedals with metal pins, designed for mountain biking, grip most synthetic or rubber soles well.)

Better socks

As long as they don’t make your shoes or boots too tight, thick socks are an easy way to add warmth. There are cycling ones, such as the Endura BaaBaa Merino Winter Sock, but any sufficiently warm hiking or everyday socks will do the job. Heat Holders have some good thermal options.

If your feet are still getting damp from winter sleet or rain – which can run down into the tops of waterproof boots – try waterproof socks. Sealskinz is the best-known brand, and the mid-length Sealskinz Stanfield offers good warmth as well as waterproof protection. More and more manufacturers are offering waterproof socks, however. DexShell Hytherm Pro Waterproof Socks are waterproof thermal socks that are stocked by some bike shops.

Tips for warm toes

Because warm blood is diverted away from your extremities to keep your core temperature high enough, part of keeping your feet warm is ensuring the rest of your body doesn’t get chilled. Your head and torso are key, but don’t wear three-quarter-length tights or shorts that leave your lower legs exposed.

Make sure your shoes are dry inside before putting them on and heading out. Scrunched up newspaper is an effective way to draw out moisture overnight. If you  want them warm as well, leave them next to the radiator rather than in the porch. Ceramic baking beads can also be used to warm shoes. Microwave about 700g for three or four minutes, then pour the beads into a pair of thin socks. Knot or peg the top of the socks, then leave them in your shoes for five minutes. Chemical foot warmers can be left in your shoes or boots as your ride, as long as there’s room in the toe box.

And if a cold snap occurs before you’ve invested in overshoes, boots or better socks, here’s a tip that will get you home or to work without your toes turning blue: use a couple of plastic bags. Smaller bags such as bread bags or sandwich bags are better than carrier bags, which will need to be trimmed down. With your socks on, put a bag on each foot, then put your shoes on as normal. You now have a waterproof, windproof layer between your socks and your shoes. Your feet will sweat a lot, of course. Wrapping your socked feet in clingfilm or tinfoil also works, although tinfoil tends to flake into bits.