Cold weather riding

[terricksa]

I am looking to do some more riding this fall/winter and am looking for hand and foot options. The big thing is I am not trying to break the bank.
As for gloves I think I am there, but for foot options I am not so sure. I honestly can't justify 100+ on shoes I won't use that much, so do the booties keep your feet warm or should I look for a second pair of shoes that are larger than my normal size and wear a couple pairs of socks and booties? Any help or advise is appreciated

[Intense1]

I use the insoles that have a little open space under the toes for one of the thermal packs. They are inexpensive (about $10) and the little thermal packs are a couple bucks a pair. The insoles can be cut to fit into your normal riding shoes. You could also just try putting one of the packs under your toes if you have enough extra space in your shoes. Keep your laces loose so as to not cut down on circulation.

[PaMtnBkr]

I too, am a cheapskate and would rather spend my hard earned money on good beer! I have never owned a pair of winter specific shoes and have done fine over 11 years of Pa winters riding down into single digit land, for the most part, fairly comfortably. I have tried booties, Toe Covers, neoprene socks, Gore-Tex socks, plastic bags, heater packs, duct tape, etc and have found for me the best bet to be, Thick wool socks w/a heater pack taped to the top of my toes over the sock. My toes will sometimes get too hot w/this arrangement. I do like to weatherproof my shoes w/some Camp Dry to help keep the toe area from getting wet. If it's not super cold, I like my neoprene socks over thin bike socks.
For gloves, I like thin, insulated hunting gloves w/a Windstopper layer in them. An extra pair is nice if you are doing a longer ride because your gloves will get wet w/sweat. Thick skiing gloves are a disaster for me because my hands sweat so much.
For clothes, wicking is key. I like a long sleeve jersey with a short sleeved jersey over it and followed up w/a windbreaker. For the legs, I do shorts and leg armour.
For my head, I have a super thin balaklava made from Thinsulate that is awesome! No bunching or getting too hot.
Best thing to keep in mind, if you are warm in the parking lot before a ride, you are over dressed. A thin fleece sweatshirt is nice to have w/you tied onto your CamelBak if you get cold later on or have to stop to change a flat or some other mechanical. Hope this helps!

[Intense1]

Also, watch ebay. I picked up some Axo boots, which are kinda like some of the winter shoes that are available, for $6 with shipping. I put the heat pack insoles in those and put about 10 studs in the bottoms of each of them for when you put your foot down and realize your studded tires have been doing a great job...

[ruthslp]

hey i am about as cheap as they come but if there is one thing i would invest it's the good boots. not the crappy boots....the good ones.....
yes, they are super expensive, but my last pair just lasted me 7 years with regular abundant use & were still ok to use i just got sick of the fact they were getting pretty stretched out from years of getting soaked.

anyway, my point is over the course of 7 years i would have probably spent more $$$ on disposable warmer packs, insoles, a few pairs of cheap shoes, and/or the footy things. i did used to use the warmer packs and those insoles along with all the sock options way back when, i would never go back to that now, it wasn't worth the effort and like i said i doubt the savings. keep your eye on ebay and stuff for when you see a decent deal.