Winter Socks- VBL or WPB?

For winter cycling just wear warm overboots and you'll be fine.

VBLs are definitely not called for in this situation.

Even as a Nordic (XC) skier I only wore overboots on my uninsulated XC boots on very cold days. Like a cyclist whose feet are not on the ground my feet were standing on foam filled skis.

nm

I wonder how those borah gear socks hold up compared to the rocky goretex socks?

Can't find a Borah sock review anywhere.

At any rate, my feet do get prohibitively cold. Fact. Remember, I'm cycling for 8-12 hours a day.

Last winter I only biked less than 5 miles at a time, and when it was real cold, I wore boots. I've never toured in the winter. Also, i've yet to use the VBL socks and can't test yet (not cold).

Overboots are really heavy. It's like me asking for UL gaiters and you recommend "just get the full calf gore-tex cordura ones." Not trying to be snotty, I just want to clarify that i'd prefer an UL solution to overboots, but i'm sure they work.

Also, I've never skied, so the analogy isn't a guarantee for me. They could be apples and oranges, I just don't know.

"Would love someone to explain to me exactly how Stephensons Warmlites are expected to behave"

According to Stephenson – once sensible sweat begins the skin will shut down the "sweat mechanism" and that equilibrium will be maintained.

Is that really how it works, or is that Stephenson's hype? I don't know.

But I do know that I have spent many days snowshoeing in liner-socks/bread-bags/thick-wool-socks/neoprene-socks/trail-runners and NOT poured water out of the bread bags. My feet are damp, but not "pruned".

Greg, do you ever combine Wool liners with thicker Polypro? If so, how do you like the combo?

Nope.

I'm a synthetic guy.

Ok, thought you might have tried it since you mentioned using "thick wool socks" earlier. I'm a synthetic or natural guy depending, and overall i find i like combos the most. Thank you for the reply.

Max, I've always had a problem with cold feet, and cycling just makes it worse. I think it's a combination of things. Tight cycling shoes cutting off circulation, and wind-chill on sweaty feet are the biggest culprits.

Run your shoes as loose as you can tolerate without excess slippage (don't want blisters), and get some windproof booties. I have some Quintana Roo TT booties that fit well over my Sidi Dominators. Combined with a thin wool blend sock and some wool knickers my lower body stays pretty warm.