Recommend winter shoe/toe covers

[trailgumby]

I undertook the coldest Sydney ride I've experienced yesterday morning. The dhb WindTex windproof jacket, windproof Cycology gloves, trusty Ground Effect L/S merino thermal with built in balaclava, buff to cover the lower face, and Endura fleece-lined tights worked a treat, keeping the 1degC descent of McCarrs Creek Road from leaving me with rapid-onset hypothermia.

Except for the toes. Has anybody seen my toes? Feels like they've gone missing. I didn't regain any sense of feeling in them until well into the coffee stop at Dee Why.

What do the members of our southern states recommend for keeping this wimpy Sydneysider's feet warm for when the air temperature gets into the low single digits?

[warthog1]

I have a pair of these;

https://www.bbbcycling.com.au/a/cycling ... t_id=10141

Easy to fit/remove and wear.
Nice and warm.

[am50em]

I have been using Northwave winter boots for last few years for Sydney winters.

[Arbuckle23]

I have a pair of these;

https://www.bbbcycling.com.au/a/cycling ... t_id=10141

Easy to fit/remove and wear.
Nice and warm.

I have the flouro version of those for really cold stuff, or damp.
Down to about 6 deg I use the Castelli Toe Thingies. Best toe warmers I have found

[Tim]

Not quite as cold here in eastern Vic as Warthogs neck of the woods.
I wear a pair of toe covers very similar to these.
https://www.bbbcycling.com.au/a/cycling ... nt_id=9862
I leave them on the shoe all winter. I can take the shoes on and off without removing the covers. Very convenient. With a pair of merino socks I'm good down to about freezing point. I also tape up the vents on the underside of my shoes.
This has been the coldest bloody winter I can ever remember.

[open roader]

I had a pair of the (overpriced) Assos toe warmers until I left them in NZ............

They work a treat - look like Grosby slippers but work a treat in freezing wind / cold air movement but if you need water ingress exclusion go for the BBB style covers - my mate has used them nearly every morning for years and they still keep his fancy Sidi shoes clean and dry ready for weekend racing..........

[warthog1]

Not quite as cold here in eastern Vic as Warthogs neck of the woods.
I wear a pair of toe covers very similar to these.
https://www.bbbcycling.com.au/a/cycling ... nt_id=9862
I leave them on the shoe all winter. I can take the shoes on and off without removing the covers. Very convenient. With a pair of merino socks I'm good down to about freezing point. I also tape up the vents on the underside of my shoes.
This has been the coldest bloody winter I can ever remember.

Those toe covers look good.
I used to race tts in Mildura and still have a couple of pairs of these;
https://giordanacycling.com/collections ... shoe-cover
They do the job if it isn't too cold.
Not super strong though.

[Audioio]

I've not had much luck with shoe covers. I used to use the BBBs but they'd fall apart in three months. More recently I've been buying others from Wiggle when I've been ordering other stuff. All of the house brands they sell makes are ridiculously small... like the Enduras that were 5 cm shorter than the shoes they were supposed to cover. Some GripGrab XLs I could barely get over my shoes and then sometimes couldn't clip in because the hole in the bottom was in the wrong place and the stress on the stitching means they're now falling apart. Most recently, I went for XXL Grip Grabs and they're good, but you'd never look at me and think "he's an XXL".

Of course it doesn't help that guides don't tell you whether they're sized the same as shoes--that is, a size 42-44 cover is the same size as a 42-44 shoe--or indicate that they'll cover a shoe of those sizes (so must be a little bigger).

[am50em]

Yes, I tried shoe covers but they didn't last long so bit the bullet and bought dedicated winter boots. Given our winter is northern summer can get them on discount if you can find your size. Plus they are warmer.

[robbo mcs]

I live and ride in the snowy mountains in winter. Generally I just use relatively thick merino cycling socks, which work fine for most circumstances

The length of time it is going to be cold matters. If it is a cold morning, and I know it will warm up in 1-2 hours, that is easier to cope with than cold all day.

If it is going to be below zero for a while, I go with merino socks + full foot covers, rather than toe covers.

[MichaelB]

I have either had/have tried those toe covers and also used Woolie Boolie socks for winter.

Whilst I'm sure they help, I still have cold toes. The only time my feet got hot was with the thick shimano neoprene overshoes. But they are a faff to get on & off.

I'm sort of tempted to give the winter shoes a go ....

[caneye]

I'm using the Pearl Izumi Amfib toe covers. Has held up well.

https://www.bikebug.com/pearl-izumi-amf ... wAEALw_wcB

I just find the full-length shoe covers a PITA to put on, and also overheat by 10am (sydney winter morning).

I like the brightly coloured toe covers but they smudge very easily with stains that are impossible to remove.

[Retrobyte]

I'm using the Pearl Izumi Amfib toe covers. Has held up well.

https://www.bikebug.com/pearl-izumi-amf ... wAEALw_wcB

I have these as well and they are toasty warm. I also find Velotoze good enough for 95% of winter morning rides in Sydney

[warthog1]

I'm using the Pearl Izumi Amfib toe covers. Has held up well.

https://www.bikebug.com/pearl-izumi-amf ... wAEALw_wcB

I have these as well and they are toasty warm. I also find Velotoze good enough for 95% of winter morning rides in Sydney

Grabbed some via bikebug and added chainlube to get the free postage at $40- . Thanks

The neoprene bbb shoe covers are warmer than what I need most times now, no longer commuting so avoiding the coldest part of the day.
Not many morning bunch rides either. 20+ years of rotating shift work has destroyed my sleep.

[Thoglette]

Same as others: thick socks and thick neoprene works best outside proper winter boots.
At the mo’ I’m liking the Castelli toe covers for cool-but-not-cold days. Any brand would to but I don’t mind a little bling and the one-size-fits-all actually does fit my shoe!
They won’t last: all the shoe/toe covers I’ve had eventuality succumb to being walked in.

[Retrobyte]

They won’t last: all the shoe/toe covers I’ve had eventuality succumb to being walked in.

Yep - I'm generally buying a new pair every year because of that

[Mr Purple]

Another vote for the Castelli Toe Thingies here.

Mind you they're the only pair I've ever owned and I only bought them because they were literally the only ones in stock. Not much call for toe warmers in Queensland up until this year.

[baabaa]

Yes, McCarrs Creek Road can get cold but what is cold? - last friday in the south west slopes it was -6 c (with a BOM feels like of -9.8c) at 7.30 in the morning.

Nothing other than proper winter shoes/ boots really works at that temp but I still go for the pair of bigger sized shoes with thermal inner soles with thick, long above calf wool army socks then a plastic bag between shoe and sock then another thick plastic bag gaff taped onto the shoes. Cut out and tape around the cleats and pedal contacts and they are good for at least one or two rides and can be stripped off and binned once it gets warm.

Found most of the fabric type shoe covers I tried for the souths of the 50th parallel south South American winters just rot as they shift between being wet and frozen so you still need plastic bags over the over shoes to protect the over shoes.....
But the on clear nights this winters mornings have been just plain and pain cold - my chilblains toes are nasty now so we have pulled up stumps and back on the south coast till it warms up.

So... try thermal inner soles in your shoes first up, my call is even in mild Sydney mornings your feet and toes get cold more so from below and up than front from the wind chill and once your feet and toes do get cold it is tricky to get them warm again.

[Mububban]

I've had to ditch my fluoro cycling socks as even 3 pairs of normal summer socks weren't doing much for me. I'm wearing Bonds Explorer socks and have been toasty warm, although I've got roomy MTB shoes, not snug fitting road shoes, so that may not work for others.

[warthog1]

They won’t last: all the shoe/toe covers I’ve had eventuality succumb to being walked in.

That will also depend on your shoe/pedal retention clip, shoe and shoe cover, plus how much you walk in your cycling shoes.
My BBB neoprene shoe covers are a few years old now.
I use Shimano road cleats SPD-SL and don't walk much in them.
They aren't designed to walk in and I do it very little.
The cleat and shoe heel pads touch the ground, not my shoe covers, but yes not walked in much also.