Dry feet

[quixoticgeek]

Is it reasonable to expect to be able to have dry feet when cycling for 10+ hours in constant rain? I had shoe covers over sealskinz socks. But the problem was water running down my legs into my socks. Where the waterproof socks jest held it in place ?

Can feet be dry when riding in such conditions? And if so how ?

I had similar issues with rain running down my neck onto my jersey, and wicking up my arm warmers from my gloves.

J

[Kim]

No.  Hands and feet produce sweat when cycling.  They'll get wet even in a position where gravity is a non-issue.

[quixoticgeek]

No.  Hands and feet produce sweat when cycling.  They'll get wet even when gravity is a non-issue.

Yes but not at a level where you take the socks off and pour a puddle of water on the floor... I hope...

This was epic soaking

J

[nuttycyclist]

In my opinion, no.

I've read many tricks such as cutting the cuffs off of rubber gloves to form a seal around the leg/sock, but they fail.  A completely sealed shoe just has me with wet feet from sweat.

My solution is to embrace the wet by using clothing that is still warm even if wet.   In the infamous "Nutty's slimed bottom" incident, where my riding partner was worried that I'd been swimming in cycling gear and there was frost on the ground and insisted we return home, I refused as we were nearly halfway around the circular ride we were checking for the Council so continued.   When I got home I was still wet, but warm.

Riding long distances in rain (and I've done more than 10 hours in the past) I know that the rain will be trickling down inside the waterproofs, my legs will be wet, and nothing anywhere will be dry.  Stopping at public toilets and abusing the hand dryers to reduce a little dampness by blowing the air inside the clothing is a treat, but not essential.

[nuttycyclist]

No.  Hands and feet produce sweat when cycling.  They'll get wet even when gravity is a non-issue.

Yes but not at a level where you take the socks off and pour a puddle of water on the floor... I hope...

This was epic soaking

J

I don't think it got published, but after one long wet audax I took my gloves off and rung nearly a glassful of water out of them.  I know it was nearly a glassful as that's where I was videoed squeezing it into in order to save the floor of the hired village hall.

[Kim]

No.  Hands and feet produce sweat when cycling.  They'll get wet even when gravity is a non-issue.

Yes but not at a level where you take the socks off and pour a puddle of water on the floor... I hope...

No, not that bad.  A few drips and an absolutely spectacular smell.

My preferred approach for continuous rain is SkinTex™ but that only works if it's not cold.

[tatanab]

Eager Sport spats, end just under the knee.  Made in Wales, sold through ebay, but Mercian have stock and they are reduced in a sale.  https://www.merciancycles.co.uk/online-shop/assorted-clothing/eagar-sport-spats/

[mrcharly-YHT]

No

IMO, the ultimate solution is SPD sandals, wool socks and overboots (if really wet and cold). Water drains out of the hole in the bottom.

[Frank9755]

I've never had dry feet in those circumstances. 

Layering helps - ie longs covering the tops of your socks and shoes so rain doesn't flow in directly.

I've found overshoes make it worse as they trap sweat so feet don't dry when it stops raining.

[arabella]

I'd rather have warm wet feet than cold dry feet.

I've found that the trick for me is hand knitted woollen (70%+) socks [in a random pair of (Lake) mtb shoes with a bit of sheeps wool just above the toes instead of a chilly gap (no cleats for me)] and overshoes to keep off the draft.  This worked after I had to cycle along a flooded road and couldn't avoid total immersion of my feet.
fwiw I've also found that ski-ing gloves come up warm (after 5 mins) when wet.

[JonB]

Yes but not at a level where you take the socks off and pour a puddle of water on the floor... I hope...

This was epic soaking

J

I think that's a problem with sealskinz socks, once water gets in it doesn't want to come out. I tried them for a while but never got on with them, certainly didn't breathe in the way that they claimed. I've never managed to keep dry feet in persistent rain but as others have said that isn't a problem if they stay reasonably warm. Shoe covers seem to help with that but they don't keep heavy rain out but they do keep the cold air/wind at bay.  Every winter I think I'll buy a pair of winter cycling boots/shoes but the price always puts me off and I defer for another year, I also suspect that their waterproofing qualities diminish over time.

[arvid]

Depends on how hard it's raining. A 10 hour drizzle, sure. But hard rainfall will soak anything in under an hour, if it rains hard enough most things wont last 15 minutes. I have a pair of Sidi winter mountain bike shoes and distinctly remember getting them soaking wet in some brevet in the Ardennes. On a recumbent. I think they were as good as dry when I finished that ride, probably about 15 hours later.

[MattH]

Sweat can be an issue if it's too warm out, but otherwise I manage dry feet. It's just about layering and making sure there is no easy path for the water.

Thin socks (or thick merino in winter) under long Sealskinz socks make them more comfortable and less sweaty feeling.
Tights go over the top of the socks not tucked inside. Shoes or sandals with waterproof covers (proofed nylon normally rather than neoprene, as neoprene can be too warm) go over the top of the tights, then Goretex waterproof overtrousers go down over the top of the shoe covers to my ankles.

Water runs down my legs on on to the shoe covers, and off rather than down my socks. If it does creep up over the shoe covers (and it is hard for it to past the cuff of the goretex overtrousers), or creep in through the big hole in the bottom of them, or soak through them, it has a long way to go before it can start to get down to my feet.

My feet do sometimes feel clammy, but they are always dry when I de-kit rather than going all trench-foot on me.

Goretex boots on the bike were a disaster - I could never stop water running in to them and had swimming pools. If it's warm and summer, so too warm for the layering, then ideally I'd just have bare feet in sandals and not care about getting wet as I'll dry out quickly.

[citoyen]

My preferred approach for continuous rain is SkinTex but that only works if it's not cold.

You need to upgrade to the stuff with the special HTFU membrane.

[andrew_s]

My preferred approach for continuous rain is SkinTex but that only works if it's not cold.

You need to upgrade to the stuff with the special HTFU membrane.

The trick is to not mind that your feet are cold (see the Lawrence of Arabia quote).
With practice, I've now got to the stage where zero is tolerable for bare feet & SPD sandals, and on one ride, in about 3°, I was somewhat surprised to find my feet were feeling quite warm.

[SpaceBadger]

No.

[Paul H]

No, but you can delay and minimise.
First, reduce the water hitting your legs to run down onto your feet, but as you won't contemplate that there's no point going any further.

[citoyen]

My preferred approach for continuous rain is SkinTex but that only works if it's not cold.

You need to upgrade to the stuff with the special HTFU membrane.

The trick is to not mind that your feet are cold (see the Lawrence of Arabia quote).
With practice, I've now got to the stage where zero is tolerable for bare feet & SPD sandals, and on one ride, in about 3°, I was somewhat surprised to find my feet were feeling quite warm.

There is a balance to be struck between not minding that it hurts and putting yourself at genuine risk of frostbite and/or hypothermia though. That (in)famous edition of LBL pictured in the Cyclist piece left Hinault with lasting physical damage.

Since I’ve become a more regular all-weather sea swimmer, I find my tolerance of cold has massively improved, and I often feel quite comfortable while my wife is complaining of it being too chilly, but you do still have to be careful - hypothermia can creep up on you if you stay in cold water too long. Obviously the dangers are different for cyclists.

[quixoticgeek]

There is a balance to be struck between not minding that it hurts and putting yourself at genuine risk of frostbite and/or hypothermia though. That (in)famous edition of LBL pictured in the Cyclist piece left Hinault with lasting physical damage.

Since I’ve become a more regular all-weather sea swimmer, I find my tolerance of cold has massively improved, and I often feel quite comfortable while my wife is complaining of it being too chilly, but you do still have to be careful - hypothermia can creep up on you if you stay in cold water too long. Obviously the dangers are different for cyclists.

Having had frostbite to my toes. I can confirm. It fucking sucks.

On Sunday I couldn't feel my feet from about half way along forward.

No, but you can delay and minimise.
First, reduce the water hitting your legs to run down onto your feet, but as you won't contemplate that there's no point going any further.

Mudguards do some. But they are not going to be enough given the amount of rain I was in. Also as I was gravelling about on the days prior. Mudguards are a problem.

J

[aidan.f]

Whatever the amount of rain a front mudguard with ground level (almost) flap makes a huge difference.  Zero sex appeal, but at my age being dryer rather than sexy is what  matters.

[quixoticgeek]

Whatever the amount of rain a front mudguard with ground level (almost) flap makes a huge difference.  Zero sex appeal, but at my age being dryer rather than sexy is what  matters.

So asumy a fitted mudguard. What's next? What's the solution to keep the rest out ?

J

[Kim]

I think that's a problem with sealskinz socks, once water gets in it doesn't want to come out. I tried them for a while but never got on with them, certainly didn't breathe in the way that they claimed.

Sealskinz are excellent^[1] for keeping your feet warm and dry when you're wandering about in wet grass while camping, and have earned their place in my cycle touring kit on that basis.  But they're useless once you start sweating properly, so I only wear them for cycling if it's an emergency, or a literal 5 minute ride to the shops or something.


_{[1] At least until your big toe pokes a hole in the membrane.}

[Kim]

Whatever the amount of rain a front mudguard with ground level (almost) flap makes a huge difference.  Zero sex appeal, but at my age being dryer rather than sexy is what  matters.

So asumy a fitted mudguard. What's next? What's the solution to keep the rest out ?

Recumbent.  Dead easy to keep your feet dry^[1], as long as you don't ride behind someone with inadequate mudguardage. 


_{[1] Crotch and elbows are another matter...}

[mzjo]

Whatever the amount of rain a front mudguard with ground level (almost) flap makes a huge difference.  Zero sex appeal, but at my age being dryer rather than sexy is what  matters.

So asumy a fitted mudguard. What's next? What's the solution to keep the rest out ?

Recumbent.  Dead easy to keep your feet dry^[1], as long as you don't ride behind someone with inadequate mudguardage. 


_{[1] Crotch and elbows are another matter...}

Whatever the amount of rain a front mudguard with ground level (almost) flap makes a huge difference.  Zero sex appeal, but at my age being dryer rather than sexy is what  matters.

So asumy a fitted mudguard. What's next? What's the solution to keep the rest out ?

J

Kim beat me to it . I have been thinking long mudguards, big mudflap and huge, all-enveloping cycle cape for a while but that would be totally inappropriate for you. So the alternative, which is still totally inappropriate (particularly so to a flatdweller in or near Amsterdam) would be a velomobile with an enclosed cockpit. Otherwise you're going to get wet. Radical opposite solution would be triathlon-style swimsuit, sandals without socks and a hot shower and a couple of big bath towels at the finish line. Oh and whatever "medication" stops your nerves and your brain from telling you they're cold, wet and miserable!

[arvid]

Recumbent.  Dead easy to keep your feet dry^[1], as long as you don't ride behind someone with inadequate mudguardage. 

_{[1] Crotch and elbows are another matter...}

ITYM "Velomobile".