Discussion: Frozen Fingers

Mine, too. Maybe you have Raynaud's Phenomenon....that's what I have. It's pretty annoying. Have you found any really good biking gloves that work for you? I'm currently debating over gloves vs. pogies....but they're going to have to be majorly insulated for me.

haha i actually thought about Reynaud's this morning! did a little research but it doesn't seem like there's an actual treatment so i didn't spend too much time on it. I started using Bar Mitts (road and mtn) this year and love them. sadly they were not on this bike - don't like to use them when i leave the bike locked/unattended.

for gloves i really like the kind with the adjustable windshell like http://www.brooksrunning.com/Adapt-Glove-II/280230.... i haven't tried that exact glove but i have some similar and they're great for changing conditions/effort levels. i have a pair of lobsters too that are good 30-40F. Bar Mitts for everything under 30F.

Bar Mitts are the way to go. Now, if they just made something like Pedal Mitts, I'd be all set.

you might be on to something - know any patent lawyers?

Bar Mitts for your feet:

http://45nrth.com/products/softgoods/fasterkatt
http://45nrth.com/products/softgoods/wolvhammer

I was envisioning a cowl that clips on to the other side of the pedal and extends forward, up and over...so you wouldnt neccesarily have to buy another set of shoes. Say it was real cold at the beginning of a ride but then it warms up, for instance. Those boots look mighty warm though.

They also look like $350. I was intrigued by the insoles, though. The main problem with booties is that they do nothing to stop heat escaping through the cleat. My solution has been to wear thermal socks under neopreme, but that makes your feet a full size bigger, so you're back to needing another pair of shoes. With the thermal insole, just the neopreme and a light sock might do it.

in the scenario i described above, the cleat is inside the bootie, so it tranfers less heat. to get the thermal insole, dont you have to buy shoes anyway?

wolfies are $$$. 'katts less so but still not cheap. you can buy the insoles separately. http://45nrth.com/products/softgoods/jaztronaut

i agree w you ebuckley that the heat sink of the cleat is the worst problem. wind you can deal with w bootles/plastic bags/duct tape, etc. but the cleat is a harder problem to solve. i don't see how an external cowl would help that issue. but it would be awesome to see matching foot cowls and bar mitts!!

for the cleat, what about putting a toe warmer underneath the foot, in the arch?

That's basically what the insole is doing (and what I do with the thermal sock inside the neoprene).

for the record, yesterday's clothing. 10F or so at the start, clear/sunny, not too much wind. might have warmed up to 20F by noon.

FEET
used an adhesive toe warmer on the top of my toes for the whole race. wore my normal AR socks (Swiftwick Vibe or similar). trekked in cascadias w no modifications (i.e. no duct tape over mesh). they were wet after first trek but TA was indoors so just left them there while biking/paddling. biked in fasterkatts, was super worried about zipper exploding, but they held. feet stayed warm even on the paddle. ran about 1.5mi in the 'katts and they did fine.

LEGS
tri shorts. thin icebreaker tights (150 weight?). GORE windstopper tights. waterproof pants. i wore all of these things until the last trek when i took the waterproof pants off (but still had to carry them in pack, mandatory gear). everything was great.

TOP
Under Armor long sleeve mock neck top (a random xmas present from my mom that has turned into one of my favorite tops). Alpine Shop jersey. long sleeve 1/4 zip fleece. rain jacket. started in everything but the rain jacket, got super hot on the first trek (condensation outside of fleece, bad!) but didn't have time to change so rain jacket on over everything for the bike/paddle/bike. got chilled on the paddle but everything else okay. did final trek in just UA top and AS jersey (still carrying rain jacket and fleece), and was perfect.

HANDS/HEAD/FACE
started race in Serius liner gloves and hands got sweaty. should have brought dry pair for TA but did not, so just put lobster shells on over for bike/paddle/bike. seriously suffered on the paddle - cried so much that Jeff swapped gloves w me, he had these huge down mittens that were already warm inside - lifesaver. his hands were fine in my lobsters. wore those mittens for the second bike and shifting was difficult but warm hands were better. final trek in liner gloves and carrying a handwarmer - swapped between hands to start and then didn't need it toward the end.

buff around neck on bike/paddle/bike. xc ski hat the whole race. dermatone on face but didn't really notice that it was warmer. however, all of my teammates used balaclavas and i didn't so maybe it helped.