Essential winter clothing?

My cheapo dhb toe warmers have been good enough to keep my feet warm at the zero degree mark. Quite waterproof too. They take a second to put on and take off. One of the best piece of kit I own. And if the conditions are wet enough to make shoe cleaniness / dampness an issue, then its proper overshoe time.

Still don't understand this oversock thing... :/

As miro said, that's where the vents are. Keeping the front warm means the rest of the foot stays warm.

They keep your shoes clean and provide a bit of extra warmth.
I find if you combine a decent pair with some toe covers and a pair of winter socks it gets me through all but the coldest days. They also breathe loads better than regular overshoes, which always make my feet sweaty, and then cold if it isn't freezing weather.

I like my Shimano winter boots. Much better than riding in normal shoes when it was actually cold a couple of winters back. Woolie Boolies if it's really cold.

I heart woolie booties. Especially the newer long cuff ones.

It doesn't even need to be damp for my shoes to get dirty. I live in the country which I share with tractors and horses.

We have mud/dust (mostly mud) out here, rather than black slime.

I wear oversocks loads in spring, autumn and cooler rides in the summer. They only do a little to keep feet warm but often that's enough.

I don't really like wearing overshoes until 10° (or rain). As i'm sure you're aware they're annoying things and don't last.

Let the oversock into your life @Hovis. Or don't...

It doesn't even need to be damp for my shoes to get dirty. I live in the country which I share wit tractors and horses.

This. Shoes are expensive and if you aren't riding on A roads all the time then they get pretty mucky on most rides. Even with mudguards.

Would say also that not all oversocks are created equal - the DeFeet ones are head and shoulders above all the other brands I have tried (mavic, Rapha, Assos etc).

...the rest of the foot stays warm.

Well... kinda. Not your ankles.

Anyone got the Defeet merino armskins? I have long and very skinny arms (castelli nanoflex arm warmers are baggy on me, even in S) and a bit of googling suggests these fit well for stick arms...

yesterday at pre-alleycat boozing saw 5yr old overshoes that were still going strong

prorace or sumthn over dominators, we were all amazed

I'm not the best person to compare with, as quite stocky, but have you considered the Defeet Armskins standard Coolmax version? I have them and they're brilliant. Warm but breathable, stay in place, no gripper at the top so more comfy, and can be had for about £10 online (got mine on sale at Wiggle a while back). Very good. They come in 2 different sizes I think. They will probably fit better than anything wool.

I've not gone through more than one pair of overshoes, mainly because I'm a wuss and don't particarly like riding in cold or wet weather. How do most die?

I've had my current pair (PRO something)for 4 years now and during winter I don't really take them off the shoes, I just kinda roll them down past the buckles so I can tighten shoes and then zip up overshoes.

#CSB

I'll check them out, cheers!

Anyone know what the warmest arm warmers around are? (warmer than castelli nanoflex at least)

A windstopper jacket over the arm warmers

A windstopper jacket isn't an arm warmer.

Next.

What is making your arms cold is likely to be the wind. Stop that and your arms are warm. You can open the jacket if your torso gets too warm.

Dude, I have a windstopping jersey already. Looking for better arm warmers, not a jacket.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/gore-bike-wear-universal-softshell-arm-warmers/

a quick google

I've got a set in L/XL, they are very long and nice and snug. My girlfriend wore them the other day and they were still a fairly slim fit, you could probably pinch about 1/2 a cm of material or so, I guess the small/medium might work.

ta

Shimano seem to make some cheaper ones aswell if you can find the right size

Helsinki

finally get to put on the winter gear

Below -5 I like to wear a central heated house as an outer layer.