Give some chemical toe warmers a try. I've used toe warmers and sole length warmers and they help. I got them at Menards but you should probably be able to get them at just about any hardware store. I also got them at Sierra Outfitters, when I added them into a larger order, for $1 a pair for the toe warmers and $2 for the full length soles.

My feet will eventually get cold with these, but they do extend the time before that happens. I use them in Sidi GoreTex winter boots and have used both the soles under my feet and the toe warmers on top on colder days and my feet were actually warm for most of the ride.

If I commuted and was out there every day I would probably look into some sort of rechargeable sox, but these warmers should help you, at least on the colder days.

 

My current formula: thin nylon socks + chemical toe warmers + thick wool socks + winter boots laced loosely. If it’s a particularly chilly day I put neoprene booties on top.

It works ok.

 

You're already doing the right things: loose shoes, thin+thick socks (presumably not resulting in a tight shoe fit).

What worked for me was a second set of tights and/or an extra torso layer. If you keep your core warmer than you would like, your body won't try to shut down circulation to your extremities, and more warm blood will flow to them. If you don't want to add full fledged tights, try adding leg warmers. Another solution is to apply those chemical warmers not to your feet, but to your thighs, particularly to the inside of the thigh where the artery runs. It will warm the blood before it reaches your feet.

I have heard rubbing anti-perspirant on the soles of your feet works, but I've never tried it. I guess it stops sweating, so your feet stay drier and thus warmer.

 

thanks everyone...I appreciate the comments. There have been dozens of unusually cold days this winter in NYC, and I feel like it's wasteful to use chemical warmers for an hour ride 2x/day 10 hrs apart (I presume I'd need two sets of warmers each day?).

I was looking for opinions on the socks/insoles just from an economic standpoint...however if people say "they only worked for a week and then broke" or something like that, I won't bother with them either.

 

I feel like it's wasteful to use chemical warmers for an hour ride 2x/day 10 hrs apart (I presume I'd need two sets of warmers each day?).

1. Chemical toe warmers -- These things are activated by oxygen. So you could ride in with them and then seal them in a plastic bag where they would be deprived of oxygen and then use them on the way home. I've never tried this, but it seems like it would work.

I would give this a shot. I use toe warmers (with Shimano winter shoes & wool socks) and they keep me comfortable down to about 22-25F° for a few hours of riding. (And my feet are typically always cold)

After a ride, I'll leave the toe warmers on to keep my toes warm and cozy. They last a good 4-5hrs. So I think putting them in a ziplock (maybe 2) would do the trick to get an hour in the morning and hour in the afternoon.

2. Heated Insoles -- I got my wife a pair of these a few years ago. I think they ran about $250.

A friend of mine has these. He paid somewhere around $200-300 for them. He really likes them and uses them for cycling and skiing. Seems like a PITA though running the wires up your legs and storing the battery packs somewhere.
At $200... that's a lot of $1 toe warmers.

 

My wife gets really cold feet and hands in the winter and has tried a number of things. Since I end up buying all her cycling crap, maybe I can help. I've been a bike commuter for 20+ years in DC and have a similar length ride (17 miles each way). In my old age, I've become less of an avid winter rider. Much below 30 and I bag it.

1. Chemical toe warmers -- These things are activated by oxygen. So you could ride in with them and then seal them in a plastic bag where they would be deprived of oxygen and then use them on the way home. I've never tried this, but it seems like it would work. I don't find chemical toe warmers to be all that great. They only warm a small part of your feet. I wore some once when I did a century on December 31 in 25-30 degree weather and my feet were cold.

2. Heated Insoles -- I got my wife a pair of these a few years ago. I think they ran about $250. I got a second pair for myself (buy one, get one 50% off). I forget who the manufacturer was. They were thin, rigid and red in color. Initially, they worked great. We used them one season. When it got cold again, we got them out and charged them up and guess what -- they wouldn't hold a charge. And the company wouldn't honor a return. So I have to not recommend them.

3. Heated socks -- i got my wife a pair of heated gloves from cozy winters (https://cozywinters.com/) three years ago. They're a bit bulky, but they work really well. They're designed for skiing or motor cycle riding, but usable for cycling. She uses them a lot. Based on the good luck with this company, I got her heated socks this Christmas. So far, they work well except they don't heat the toes. She likes them, but the jury is out on durability.

4. Winter shoes -- I bought her a pair of Louis Garneau winter shoes a couple years ago and she doesn't like them. I have to admit, they are crappy winter shoes, but all I could find in her foot size. I've been using a pair of Sidi winter shoes for years. They're OK on cool mornings, but not great. Last year I splurged on a pair of Lake MXZ 303 winter shoes. They're big and bulky, but a lot better than the 20 year old Sidis. I bought them a size bigger so I could wear thicker socks. The insoles of those shoes are their biggest strength. They're thick and have a reflective surface. I bought a spare set on stuffed them in the Sidis and it helped.

5. Neoprene booties -- I hate these things. They're such a hassle to take on and off twice a day. And they last maybe two winters if you're lucky. My wife has a pair she bought at the LBS that she uses all the time and says they're better than the Garneau shoes. She uses them in conjunction with neoprene toe covers. They must be better than the ones I used to buy at Performance.

I guess my bottom line is that if you ride in the cold for a period of time, your feet get cold. For me, that amount of time is about an hour which is about as long as a one way bike commute. I'm glad the commute is not longer. $250 is a lot to spend on a pair of winter shoes, but they last forever. Hope that helps.

 

Try "insulated", not "heated" insoles. And put some tape over the vents on your shoes (although with winter shoes you probably don't have vents).

Honestly, for what you described, I'd just deal with cold toes before I'd spend on electric stuff.

If you try toe warmers make sure they don't hinder circulation. I'm not sure those are a good idea for a 15 mile work commute. They take a while to warm up and I wouldn't want to deal with waiting, but I suppose if you have coffee or whatever before commuting no problem there.

 

I'm not sure those are a good idea for a 15 mile work commute. They take a while to warm up and I wouldn't want to deal with waiting, but I suppose if you have coffee or whatever before commuting no problem there.

I unwrap them as I'm getting dressed (which takes a few minutes in the winter). By the time I'm out the door, they're warmed up. Plus if your shoes and body are warm from being indoors, it's 5-10min until you start feeling the affects of the cold. By then the warmers are plenty warm.

 

Given that you already have two pairs of winter shoes, buying a third pair would be a bit excessive. Although I think the Lake shoes are really good, the marginal difference probably isn't huge. My Sidis were literally the first winter shoe to hit the market. They have no venting and a little fuzzy stuff on the inside -- and that's basically it.

Misc ...

Chemical toe warmers are designed to fit inside a shoe. They're small and flat. There's room in your bike shoes for them.

Neoprene booties are designed to fit over regular cycling shoes. They won't fit over winter shoes. No one makes them that large. Back when I used regular shoes and booties, I used to warm my shoes up in the oven at around 150 for 10-15 minutes. Believe it or not, it helped.

Lastly, don't go nuts with thick socks. You're better off with thinner socks and some room to wiggle your toes than thick socks and no room. It's been a cold winter so far. Colder than usual and a lot colder than last year. I think cold feet are hard to avoid in this weather.

 

By the way, if you're just trying to get there, as opposed to working in sprints or whatever, there's nothing wrong with platform pedals. You might consider ditching clipless for the winter and use whatever warm street shoes or boots you already own.

Clipping in is definitely way better, IMO, for spirited riding but for commuting at a casual pace I don't think they bring anything to the table really. I wouldn't even consider a group ride or stuff like that with platforms, but I used them to commute and it was perfectly fine.

 

Commute 15 miles each way? That would pretty tedious with platforms pedals and boots. I ride 17 miles each way with a total of 1200 feet of climbing -- there's no way I'd consider doing it using platforms and boots.

 

A lot of good advice...thanks to everyone for posting up!

Velodog, I need the support of the Superfeet insoles, so 45NRTH may not be a good solution for me.

PMF...I've tried the Lake shoes in the past...they didn't provide a good fit then, but I haven't tried them in the last 5 years...maybe the design has changed. I have tried thick/thin socks and loosening the boots as well...definitely looser is better but not a complete solution.

TLG...I will try the chemical warmers next...thanks for confirming that the baggie preserves the heat for the next ride.

Jay...you're right about not needing cleats for my commute...if all else fails that might be my end solution.

 

There are many variants for accessories that will help keep your feet warm.

My extremely cold weather protocol involves a warm medium weight wool sock up to the bottom of my calf, shoes with very little or no ventilation (taped vent holes in the sole), a full length chemical warmer under the insole, a neoprene toe sock and a waterproof shoe cover (for rain/wet) or a neoprene cover for cold and dry.

I've also heard of people putting a plastic baggie or even aluminum foil over their forefoot (I think I saw this on a GCN video), but i've never tried this.

Obviously, this is a lot of stuff inside your shoe. If your shoe is already a tad tight, you may be stuck with external only solutions. I always size my winter shoes a tad large/loose so I can accommodate a variety of insole/sock/heat layer options.

 

There are many variants for accessories that will help keep your feet warm.

My extremely cold weather protocol involves a warm medium weight wool sock up to the bottom of my calf, shoes with very little or no ventilation (taped vent holes in the sole), a full length chemical warmer under the insole, a neoprene toe sock and a waterproof shoe cover (for rain/wet) or a neoprene cover for cold and dry.

I've also heard of people putting a plastic baggie or even aluminum foil over their forefoot (I think I saw this on a GCN video), but i've never tried this.

Obviously, this is a lot of stuff inside your shoe. If your shoe is already a tad tight, you may be stuck with external only solutions. I always size my winter shoes a tad large/loose so I can accommodate a variety of insole/sock/heat layer options.

I've done the plastic bag thing, and it can work, a sandwich bag over the toes. Those Hot Sockee's look they'd work and for $14 I'm gonna give them a try.

https://www.amazon.com/Factory-Hot-Sockee-Thermal-neoprene/dp/B076BBGCWG

 

Man, that's a lot of futzing around -- especially twice a day. I just stick my feet in and go. I'm liking the BOA system more than I thought I would.

 

I used to work with a guy who used plastic bread bags. Claimed they worked great. He had a fairly short commute, and was incredibly cheap.

 

You say cheap, he says frugal.

Wonder Bread bags probably say cheap tho.

 

Shimano winter bike shoes are not the warmest. Buy a pair of these:

https://www.rei.com/product/123643/45nrth-japanther-bike-boots-mens

 

Cheaper https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=84214&category=4960

 

i use lake mkz 303 cycling boots. they work well into the low 20's and if it drops into the teens i just throw in pack of toe warmers. works well. for lower temperatures wolvhammer boots are even more effective but they weigh more as well. and you definitely want to use a pair of thick merino wool socks.

 

A LOT of heat is lost out of the bottom of shoes and there's air hitting the bottom and pulling heat off pretty quickly too. I was really surprised how well insulated insoles below my normal insoles helped. I have an old pair of SIDIs that became my default winter shoes (IL/WI winters) for multiple socks since they were the 'mega' version and maybe a touch long. For $9, I didn't think I could go wrong and the mega expensive fat bike versions didn't see much different.

I grabbed them at https://www.amazon.com/Pedag-145-Insulation-US-39/dp/B001G0NNDE?th=1.

It made enough of a difference (along with a PI neoprene overshoe cover) that I'm not going to bother with winter specific shoes. I won't go out in the single digits, so this covers everything I need. They were definitely more narrow than I would have liked. If you can, size up (they don't get any wider above size 46/13) and trim the length to get them wider. I think I bought a 47 and the length was identical to the 48 SIDI insole, but a little more narrow (keep in mind it is the wider Mega version).

 

A LOT of heat is lost out of the bottom of shoes and there's air hitting the bottom and pulling heat off pretty quickly too. I was really surprised how well insulated insoles below my normal insoles helped. I have an old pair of SIDIs that became my default winter shoes (IL/WI winters) for multiple socks since they were the 'mega' version and maybe a touch long. For $9, I didn't think I could go wrong and the mega expensive fat bike versions didn't see much different.

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I grabbed them at https://www.amazon.com/Pedag-145-Insulation-US-39/dp/B001G0NNDE?th=1.

It made enough of a difference (along with a PI neoprene overshoe cover) that I'm not going to bother with winter specific shoes. I won't go out in the single digits, so this covers everything I need. They were definitely more narrow than I would have liked. If you can, size up (they don't get any wider above size 46/13) and trim the length to get them wider. I think I bought a 47 and the length was identical to the 48 SIDI insole, but a little more narrow (keep in mind it is the wider Mega version).

I just ordered a set of these that have some arch support(Pedag Viva Winter Insoles) for $22.00. I just got a pair of Sidi Gore winter shoes and I'll pull the stock ones out and drop these in them. Thanks for the information.

 

I have heated foot beds/insoles. The LENZ heated socks are MUCH WARMER and hold a charge MUCH longer.
LENZ branded socks are the best.
I also have the LAKE MXZ 303 that are much warmer than my LG boots.
45NORTH may make the Best really cold weather boots.