El cheapo snow bike boots

[us56456712]

I got a pair of rubber bottomed insulted snow boots at Menards at seasons end for around $7.00 Payless also had a similar pair on sale for the same price in the spring. The original price was around $15 so they would self destruct if you did any walking in them. But because they are so cheap they are very light. Low top, so I use gators for snow biking but I like the gators better than higher top boots because they are lighter.

I got them two winters ago but because the treads point towards the rear your feet are always slipping off the pedals.

I have a worn out pair of New Balance walking shoes who's soles are almost as sticky as 5-10 downhill shoes. I have a pair of 5-10s mountain biking shoes and they are not much stickier than the NB. The worn out NB walking shoes are in the first picture. I used a utility knife the cut the sole off the NB and ground it flat with a grinder.

I also ground the treads off the snow boots. The top of the cut off New Balance sole had some groves in it that I filled in with black Shoe Goo. The center part of the snow boot threads were feeling thin and rather than risk grinding through I left some very shallow tread lines that are also filled with Shoe Goo.

The next step tomorrow will be to apply 3 coats of Barge contact cement to both the NB sole and the bottom of the snow boot and stick them together. You can buy a resoling kit for 5-10 shoes but that is too pricy for me. These snow boots came in whole sizes only and were bigger than the same size shoe. I bought them a size too big so I can wear my silk sox under my wool sox. I also have room for chemical foot warmers. When it gets -0F I coat my toes with Vaseline, which is an old ice fisherman's trick; works good. Stay tuned and I will post if this experiment is a success or failure.

 

[us56456712]

I got them glued up. I have to wait 7 days for max strength. I tend to peel the soles off some shoes on the inside of the foot where it rubs on the crank arms. I just glue it down with Shoegoo but it is frequent fix. I have extra wide pedals for the snow bike but I think I will have a problem peeling the crank side of my sole loose. I'll have to think about possibly gluing on a piece of inner tube to reinforce the seam, the idea being that the inner tube would peel first? It's an experiment and I will wait and see if it peels. I don't use cleats and those that do use some kind of expensive mountain bike boot cover over their $300 cleated winter mountain bike boots. Some people still get cold feet even with the covers. I like to ride with my pedal more on my arch but on my snow bike I rub the boot on the front wheel when turning so I have to use the toe area. We get -20F or worse weather and those mountain bike winter boots are made for places like Ohio. Some people can ride in -20F with cleated boots and covers but a lot can't. I couldn't.

 

[us56456712]

OK, the glue is dry now, it takes a week. I have been walking around in these boots and they haven't delaminated yet. They are big for my feet so I can put polypropylene base socks on, then electric wool socks over the poly. They have boot beds that come out and I might replace them with an electric heated boot bed. I would then have the option of using both the electric socks and the electric liner when it is real cold or ride for 4 hours switching from the socks to the liner when the socks batteries die. I went for a 60 mile 6 hour bike ride and could not feel my feet after about 30 miles and it was only in the 30s F. I had to look to see if my feet were on the pedals as I could not feel them touching the pedals. The same thing happened to my thumbs and I could not shift. I plan to use a twist grip shifter on the left this winter as they are only about $12 and I think I could shift that. It will get much colder so I will most likely be limited to one or 2 hours rides this winter. The older I get the colder my extremities get so it calls for drastic measures. Hope this works.

 

[alistair clark]

Never thought of this! Gee dumb city boy here would never think of this!

 

[us56456712]

The boots worked great. With electric sox my feet stayed comfortable in 20F for a 2 hour night group fat bike ride. My feet stayed on the pedals. However, my hands froze. I used electric gloves with chemical hand warmers on the top of my wrists in case they batteries didn't work. My hands were cool but not cold for an hour and 23 minutes. My cell phone told me how long. You could tell right away when the batteries went flat. After the ride I could not untie my boots or button my shirt because my fingers didn't work from the cold. I have an extra large pair of leather mitts (choppers) that fit over the gloves and I will try this next, but this makes it harder to brake. Another 70 year old guy I ride with uses electric mittens. He split them open and stuffed them full of more down as they still were not warm enough. It seems the electric socks work better than the gloves. They are both the same brand. Stay tuned and I will update if I find a way to keep my fingers warm. Any ideas are appreciated. I had some problems with the bike in the cold. I ride the fat bike with 8 pounds of pressure but the cold dropped the pressure to 4 pounds and the bike was a little hard to steer. I checked the pressure when I came back but ran out of time to check it before I went on the ride. The bike was banging pedals worse than usual and I think it was because of the low tire pressure. A contributing factor might be from the air in the shocks getting reduced because of the cold. There is not a lot of air in the shocks so I don't know if this was a problem. I have to check and see if they go down more than 25%. Today it is 10F so the problem could be worse. I hope more air pressure helps.

 

[Danssoslow]

You guys are warriors. I'll work in 10 degree or colder weather when I have to, but I'm getting paid to do it. To bike ride in those conditions? That takes more man than I can muster.

 

[us56456712]

You guys are warriors. I'll work in 10 degree or colder weather when I have to, but I'm getting paid to do it. To bike ride in those conditions? That takes more man than I can muster.

I didn't go for last Wednesdays night ride, it was below zero, windy and snowing so I chickened out. Borealis had a fat bike demo that night and I thought it would be a bust. I should have know better, it was well attended and everyone had a good ride. They sold at least one bike. I have gone to many night rides in the poring fall rain and blizzards, thinking I would be the only one and a big group showed up, both guys and gals. It doesn't seem to matter how bad the weather is, this group seems to always have riders. I guess I am getting too old, afraid I couldn't keep up in the snow and I also worry about freezing my hands, feet or face. I like it to be 10 to 20F. The Polar Roll cross country race is coming up and I heard it is bad so I won't do that. There is also a snowcross series that I might go and watch, but walking a fat bike up a hill is not my idea of fun.

 

[Danssoslow]

...and I won't work on my trike because it is 30 degrees in the garage...

I understand it is all in what the body is used to; but what you are talking about is hard for me to fathom. I imagine seeing more people than what you anticipated helps mentally. It's good to know you aren't alone and hard at it. Good show on you guys!!!

 

[us56456712]

...and I won't work on my trike because it is 30 degrees in the garage...

I understand it is all in what the body is used to; but what you are talking about is hard for me to fathom. I imagine seeing more people than what you anticipated helps mentally. It's good to know you aren't alone and hard at it. Good show on you guys!!!

Some of our snow bike chicks and Gary with his beard leading last Wednesday's night ride (the one I skipped).

 

[OddJob]

The boots worked great. With electric sox my feet stayed comfortable in 20F for a 2 hour night group fat bike ride. My feet stayed on the pedals. However, my hands froze. I used electric gloves with chemical hand warmers on the top of my wrists in case they batteries didn't work. My hands were cool but not cold for an hour and 23 minutes. My cell phone told me how long. You could tell right away when the batteries went flat. After the ride I could not untie my boots or button my shirt because my fingers didn't work from the cold. I have an extra large pair of leather mitts (choppers) that fit over the gloves and I will try this next, but this makes it harder to brake. Another 70 year old guy I ride with uses electric mittens. He split them open and stuffed them full of more down as they still were not warm enough. It seems the electric socks work better than the gloves. They are both the same brand. Stay tuned and I will update if I find a way to keep my fingers warm. Any ideas are appreciated. I had some problems with the bike in the cold. I ride the fat bike with 8 pounds of pressure but the cold dropped the pressure to 4 pounds and the bike was a little hard to steer. I checked the pressure when I came back but ran out of time to check it before I went on the ride. The bike was banging pedals worse than usual and I think it was because of the low tire pressure. A contributing factor might be from the air in the shocks getting reduced because of the cold. There is not a lot of air in the shocks so I don't know if this was a problem. I have to check and see if they go down more than 25%. Today it is 10F so the problem could be worse. I hope more air pressure helps.

Just caught up with your post here. The yuppers are a tough breed! Love all those smiles on the 'snow bike chicks'.....kind of reminds me of that group I ran across last winter in Mesa...! I hear you on the cold hands bit. Here is a solution that I made my own version of a couple of winters ago. At first in theory they seem like they might get in the way, but you really hardly notice that they are even there. I did them as an Instructable, so here is the link to that site. My 'Fat Bike Bar Covers'....... Ride on my frozen tundra brother!
http://www.instructables.com/id/Fat-Bike-Bar-Covers/

 

[OddJob]

OK, the glue is dry now, it takes a week. I have been walking around in these boots and they haven't delaminated yet. They are big for my feet so I can put polypropylene base socks on, then electric wool socks over the poly. They have boot beds that come out and I might replace them with an electric heated boot bed. I would then have the option of using both the electric socks and the electric liner when it is real cold or ride for 4 hours switching from the socks to the liner when the socks batteries die. I went for a 60 mile 6 hour bike ride and could not feel my feet after about 30 miles and it was only in the 30s F. I had to look to see if my feet were on the pedals as I could not feel them touching the pedals. The same thing happened to my thumbs and I could not shift. I plan to use a twist grip shifter on the left this winter as they are only about $12 and I think I could shift that. It will get much colder so I will most likely be limited to one or 2 hours rides this winter. The older I get the colder my extremities get so it calls for drastic measures. Hope this works.

Grip shift is def the way to go. I used them on my Fat Rat Surly Pugsley and you can shift with chopper mitts on even. And they are really durable.

 

[us56456712]

Grip shift is def the way to go. I used them on my Fat Rat Surly Pugsley and you can shift with chopper mitts on even. And they are really durable.

I have the grip shifters in my shop but it is so too cold to instal them. Both my snow blowers won't start. Even the starting fluid won't spray so I am shoveling in 5 min intervals to keep my hands warm. I have choppers over my electric gloves with chemical hand warmers and my hands still freeze. People tell me that the hand covers work, but I have poor circulation in my hands that started about 5 years ago. It is going to get up to 30F soon so I should be able to ride again. I am thinking about making a homemade set of electric mitts with more powerful batteries than my gloves.

 

[OddJob]

It was 3 degrees with a -20 windchill the day I tested those Bar Covers. Night and day on the hand warmth. Traps the air around your gloves and gets warmer by the mile.

 

[us56456712]

It was 3 degrees with a -20 windchill the day I tested those Bar Covers. Night and day on the hand warmth. Traps the air around your gloves and gets warmer by the mile.

I went to all 3 of our local thrift stores today to try and find a winter coat or snow pants that I could make into covers like your example but they are all sold out. I could not believe it. People were asking long underwear too but that was all gone. I guess the -10F with 25 MPH winds are having an effect on available used winter wear. We have a lot of homeless as we have public warming rooms and the churches provide sleeping shelter and meals for the homeless. Buss loads migrate up here to take advantage of the care. I plan to keep looking and then electrifying the covers if they aren't warm enough. I looked through my old stuff to but I sent that all to the thrift stores at the end of the summer. Makes me want to never get rid of anything. I am hoping that the covers + my electric gloves will be warm enough. When it is this cold you have to use a mask and goggles and everything gets fogged up so it is poor riding even if you can manage to keep warm. It is going to be a little warmer tomorrow but the winds are still going to be 30 MPH so I won't ride until Wednesday.

 

[RustySprockets]

I just stumbled upon this thread and find the discussion really intriguing. I never gave cold-weather riding much thought beyond studded tires, gloves, and a warm jacket.

NOW, I'm left wondering if your electrified apparel, or at least those "grip gauntlets," couldn't be powered by a salvaged dynamo hub?! I've had those socks before and they were just powered by a couple of D batteries. Hmmm...I must ponder this.

 

[OddJob]

Rusty, I will be curious to see what you come up with! Maybe 'Shark Skins' would be an appropriate name.....keep moving or you die!

 

[us56456712]

I just stumbled upon this thread and find the discussion really intriguing. I never gave cold-weather riding much thought beyond studded tires, gloves, and a warm jacket.

NOW, I'm left wondering if your electrified apparel, or at least those "grip gauntlets," couldn't be powered by a salvaged dynamo hub?! I've had those socks before and they were just powered by a couple of D batteries. Hmmm...I must ponder this.

My e sox and gloves are powered by the new li ion batteries. The pack looks like the phone recharger units. I am going to electrify some homemade gauntlets when I find an old jacket. I rode over 19 miles yesterday without any electric stuff. It was 30F with 20MPH winds and it felt balmy compared to what we have been having. I want the warmer e stuff for our group snow bike night rides when the temp drops to 0F or below.

 

[us56456712]

I found an old winter jacket at a thrift store as a donor for gauntlets. The next step is to remove the sleeves. It has been so warm for the last three days that no hand covers or electric augmentation was required. I waited until 2:30 PM today to give the snowplows a chance to clear the bike path and the subdivisions in my neighborhood. The subdivisions are built on hills and several of the driveways are very steep. I ride these hills to keep in shape. I got 11.01 miles in today and the riding was real good for the winter. Mushy snow, no ice and a lot of bare but wet pavement. Rain is predicted for Christmas evening with it changing to freezing rain on Monday. If it gets cold enough it should make for excellent ice riding with the studs. If there is water under the ice or some on top of the ice then that is very dangerous to ride on. With wet ice you are riding alone without problems and suddenly you are slammed to the ground before you can blink an eye. So far when it has been like that I have landed on my hard shell knee pads and hard shelled elbow pads. You slide until you hit a snow bank and usually end out with a sore back as you are sliding trying to keep your body off the ice. You look like a cobra ready to strike. I use padded shorts, small shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads and shin guards. I wasn't using the shoulder pads but had a bad fall and landed on the shoulder I had operated on last winter. Now it is sore so I have gone back the the shoulder pads, regardless of the snickers I get from my riding buddies. Of course they don't fall, yet. I can't wait to make the gauntlets.

 

[RustySprockets]

I was curious enough to sniff around fleaBay to see what prospective components might be available. I'm encouraged...but step one will be to obtain a re-buildable dynamo hub for a reasonable toll. Will have to check out the local co-op soon.

 

[us56456712]

I was curious enough to sniff around fleaBay to see what prospective components might be available. I'm encouraged...but step one will be to obtain a re-buildable dynamo hub for a reasonable toll. Will have to check out the local co-op soon.

I think I might have a hub. I had a bunch of them and tossed at lest 3 away. If I have one you are welcome to it. All it would cost is shipping. If you are interested I could look through my junk. I keep tossing stuff away as I am going to be moving in the next year and downsizing. May or may not have one? I might also have a wheel driven unit, but I tossed out 3- 4 of them last summer so I might not have kept one of these either.