Any tips? I find if I use waterproof socks, the water just runs down my leg and eventually fills the sock - which defeats the entire purpose? Anyone have tips for keeping your feet dry on longer rides?
I wholeheartedly agree about fenders. Although neither of our gravel bikes (Niner BSB9 RDO and Cannondale SuperX) are designed for them, I picked up some Planet Bike SpeedEZ fenders that are designed to fit any bike. Installing them took some significant customizing of the shape of the support struts along with some industrial-strength Velcro and reusable zip ties, but now we have fenders that go on and off the bikes reasonably quickly. I also made a wider extension for the front fender to reduce road spray.
That said, your feet and your drivetrain are still going to get splashed and staying dry is going to be a challenge, especially if there are any hike-a-bike sections where you may step in mud or puddles. This is especially a problem if it's also cold. I'll outline my cold weather system, which you can adapt/simplify if temperature is not an issue.
Start with waterproof shoe covers. Open-sole covers are fine for rain and road spray, but will allow water to get into your shoes when you're off the bike and trudging through wet stuff. My feet sweat a fair amount, so they're never going to be completely dry. What's important is for my socks to stay dry, so they provide insulation in the cold. The best system I've found is to use thin wool liner socks, covered by vapor barriers (I use the think plastic bags that newspapers come in), which are in-turn covered by wool cycling socks. If you have good shoe covers, this should be enough to keep your socks dry, which will keep your feet warm. If you anticipate water getting into your shoes, use a second waterproof barrier over your socks to insure that they stay dry. Note that with this system, your feet and liner socks will get quite damp, but your feet will stay warm because your insulating socks stay dry.
Ideally, you'll have some form of waterproof pants that will overlap your shoe covers. Barring that, you can try to create a seal at the top of your shoe covers, using the cut off cuffs of rubber gloves. If you're wearing tights, do not tuck them into your shoe covers, as they'll just channel water into them.
Thanks for the replies everyone. Looks like fenders are the way to go with potentially some shoe covers. Generally if it is cold and wet - I am in my basement on the smart trainer. Most of my wet riding is when it is relatively warm out - so I would be reluctant to put on pants/tights.
I've used Seal Skinz cycling socks and they do a pretty good job. On colder days though they can kinda keep your foot clammy, but overall I've been pretty psyched with them. When it's really nasty and I don't want to get my shoes dirty, I'll use their shoe covers and then the socks to make sure nothing seeps in.
DKeane wrote:Thanks for the replies everyone. Looks like fenders are the way to go with potentially some shoe covers. Generally if it is cold and wet - I am in my basement on the smart trainer. Most of my wet riding is when it is relatively warm out - so I would be reluctant to put on pants/tights.
when it is warm enough not to need long pants I just let my feet get wet.
That can be rough on your shoes long-term, especially if they're leather. With the high cost of quality cycling shoes, I'll take reasonable steps to keep them dry.
when it is warm enough not to need long pants I just let my feet get wet.
This is essentially what I have been doing. I was just wondering if there was a better solution. I should just spray my feet with a DWR before the ride LOL.
This is a total hack but works pretty good. I bought a 5" x 1000' roll of stretch wrap at Home Depot for less than 10.00 and wrap my shoes in it. Durable stuff. I can even clip in my spds without having to cut a hole out for the cleat so you have a non compromised seal on bottom. When finished just unwrap and your shoes are clean and dry.
This must be a road biker issue? I come from a MTB background and I don't have a problem with muddy, wet shoes: they get muddy and wet and it isn't a problem
Red wrote:This is a total hack but works pretty good. I bought a 5" x 1000' roll of stretch wrap at Home Depot for less than 10.00 and wrap my shoes in it. Durable stuff. I can even clip in my spds without having to cut a hole out for the cleat so you have a non compromised seal on bottom. When finished just unwrap and your shoes are clean and dry.
This is awesome. You need to produce one of those life hack videos my kids love so much on Facebook
