How To Keep Your Hands & Feet Warm

- A common question among cyclists
is how to keep your hands and your feet warm
when you're riding in cold weather,
but the answer is coming up,
a result of some hard-earned lessons
and indeed, some handy hints.
See what I did there?
So why do we get cold hands and cold feet, eh?
The first point is that the windchill when we ride
is much, much higher than if we're walking or running
because the speeds are higher,
the wind blows over our bodies,
and it cools us down.
And then of course, there are also times
we're actually not really exerting ourselves.
Now, that's certainly not the case right now
as I'm riding half up a mountain,
but when you get to the top and descend down the other side,
I'm effectively gonna stop pedalling and,
to make it worse, the windchill is
gonna get significantly higher.
In order to keep warm, my body is gonna keep
all the blood flow around my core
and neglect my poor extremities.
So what do we do about it then?
Well, so like with your hands, the simple answer
is just to put on a pair of gloves, but
doing that doesn't guarantee that you will get warm hands.
You need to put a little bit more thought
and a bit more planning into it,
and certainly, investing in a cycling-specific
pair of gloves is a very good idea
because although normal gloves might get your hands warm,
of crucial importance is being able
to hold on to your handlebars, change gear, and brake.
So what are the options?
What should we buy?
We mentioned the effect of windchill earlier on,
so if you are buying just one pair of winter-cycling gloves,
make sure they're made out of windproof material,
certainly on the back of the glove,
but I think over the whole glove itself.
That is gonna, of course, protect your hand
from the chilling effect of the wind
and it's also gonna do so with minimal bulk
so you maintain that all-important control over the bike.
Now as the temperature plummets, you will, of course,
need to add some insulation to the mix as well,
so a layer underneath that windproof barrier
is gonna keep your hand warm.
There is also the opportunity to layer your gloves.
So just like with any other part of your body,
you could wear a thinner pair of gloves
underneath your thicker pair of gloves
and then really, really cold-weather gloves
will actually have your fingers in the same compartments,
so like a lobster effect, and while that's not ideal
for riding, it certainly better than a mitten
and if you've got no other option, if it's that cold,
then they are absolutely great.
However, if the weather is like it is today, why,
a little bit damp, then you want a different glove again.
So one is that is waterproof, or indeed,
one that is made out of neoprene,
so that's like a wetsuit material.
It is not waterproof, but it keeps your hand warm
when it's wet by using that water as an insulative layer
between your hand and the glove.
But what you've got to bear in mind with these is that
your hand needs to be warm before you actually put it on.
Otherwise, you'll just get colder.
Having the right gloves, though,
will not guarantee you having warm hands.
We also need to think about keeping our bodies warm
and our arms warm as well because that way,
we're keeping that blood flowing down into our extremities.
So again, choosing something with windproof fabric
is gonna help protect your arms.
It doesn't have to be a dedicated cycling jersey.
Even just a waterproof jacket is gonna do that job
really, really well.
And then, there's also the question of effort.
So long, steady rides in cold weather
are really hard to keep warm during
and so actually maybe you need to think
about riding in a slightly different way.
So going out riding shorter, but harder,
and that way, you will stay warmer still.
So what about feet then?
Having cold feet is absolutely grim,
but fortunately, there are some easy and inexpensive
ways that we have.
The obvious one being overshoes,
so literally, an article of clothing that goes over the top
of your sock and shoe, blocking out the wind
and keeping not just your foot, most of your ankle,
nice and toasty.
There are loads of different types on the market,
from thin ones that are there purely for aerodynamics;
to windproof ones, neoprene ones,
right up to warm, insulated fleecy lined ones.
Now just like with gloves, there is an optimum overshoe
for seemingly every temperature, but unlike gloves,
actually, I think you can get away with just one,
really thick, warm pair.
So I don't think I've ever suffered
from hot feet particularly,
and nor do you have the problem of losing control
over your bike.
The only downside of thick overshoes is
they make your feet look a little bit big.
Now, why overshoe and not under-sock?
Well, to get a same amount of insulation as a sock,
it's gonna need to be really thick
meaning your shoe can then end up being really tight
and that'll mean that actually the circulation
to your foot ends up being restricted,
so actually, despite having that insulation,
you get a correspondingly colder foot,
so it's much better to layer over the top of your shoes.
Now, you can't argue with the fact that an overshoe
is probably the best combination of value and function
but you may well find that a dedicated winter booty
is a great investment.
So there's no mesh, no ventilation, it's just a waterproof
and warm shoe, great for really cold conditions
but also great if you spend any time getting off your bike
and walking, which is an activity that will make right work
of an overshoe.
Now before we leave the issue of feet for good,
we need hand over to my esteemed colleague
for one particularly infamous pro-tip.
Thanks very much Si,
This is a technique that I've been using for years
to keep my feet warm in the depths of winter.
Get some decent-quality foil, simply wrap your foot in them,
over your sock, fit your shoe, push your shoe over
your befoiled socked foot, tighten things up,
and there we go.
Make like a jacket potato.
- So what do we need to remember then,
to banish numb hands and numb feet?
Well, first you need to think about the type of riding
that you do, so shorter, harder rides are likely
to leave you with warmer hands and feet
than longer, slower rides.
Then it's not just about wrapping up your extremities,
remember, it's also about keeping your torso warm,
your arms warm, and your legs warm.
When it does come to protecting those hands and feet though
bear in mind windproof fabric for gloves
that are worth their weight in gold
and then also the concept of an overshoe,
completely bizarre to non-cyclists
but once you've tried them, you will never go back.
Now do make you subscribe to GCN for leaving this video.
To do so, just click on the globe
and if you want some more content,
we've got how to dress for riding in the mountains,
including a hack to keep your hands warm this time.
That's definitely worth a watch.
Or some for some winter riding tips, click just down there.
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How To Keep Your Hands & Feet Warm | GCN's Pro Tips

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