Insoles:Toasty Feet Regular, Insulator, & Heat Factory Foot Warmers

[dekindy]

Does anybody know the difference between Polaw Wrap's Toasty Feet Regular and Toasty Feet Insulator insoles? I am hoping that the Insulator's are thinner and also effective.

Has anyone used Heat Factory Footwarmer Insoles?

[wasfast]

Another choice I've considered now, for 3 winters, is the Hotronics insets. $180 or so with unique batteries for cold use and rechargable. You'll also have to get some extra cables to run the packs from your jersey. They're usually sold for ski boots but should work fine for cycling. Less expensive than the Sidi's which are nearly $300

[Karin Kirk]

I've got those in my ski boots, they are great. However, for cycling I can't imagine having to deal with cables running down from your jersey pockets to your feet. I suppose you could put your tights on over the cables, but that seems like a real pain. Less of a pain than frostbite, however!

[wasfast]

The alternative is to have the battery packs on the side of your lower leg. They show this method on the website.

How do the other companies deal with the wire issue then?

edit: I did some searching and see that the Sidi Toasters have a very thin battery pack in the heel of the insole....

[Karin Kirk]

That makes sense. For cycling use, the batteries would not need to hold a charge all day like ski boots do. So a small battery that could reside on your shoes would seem like a good thing to do.

[dekindy]

I went to the local Gander Mountain and read the Heat Factory insole label. It cautions against using them for running and I just verified on HF's online chat that they do not recommend the insoles or footbeds for cycling . They recommend the foot warmer on top of the shoe held in place by the cover. Don't get the hand warmer. It is smaller but is not designed to generate as high intensity heat as the foot warmer, which makes sense now that I think about it. Since I do not need to make more room in my shoes I will stick with the original Toasty Feet insole.

[Louis]

My perspective:

Temps at which your hands and feet start to freeze (say, below 15* F, no sun) are a sign from some higher power that perhaps you should not be riding in those conditions.

[Volant]

I made a simple battery holder that attaches to the two velcro straps on my Sidi's. The tops of my feet move very little in relation to my legs, so I found this a better place for the batteries.

[dekindy]

My perspective:

Temps at which your hands and feet start to freeze (say, below 15* F, no sun) are a sign from some higher power that perhaps you should not be riding in those conditions.

I do not need to post on the Serotta forum to figure the temperature that I will not ride at. Thanks for stating the obvious, though. Note to self, don't ride if it is too cold.

[Louis]

Thanks for stating the obvious, though.

Anything to help a fellow forumite :)

Seems to me that part of issue is how far to push when our body says "No." Happens to me every now and then, when my knee tries to tell me to back off, or when I'm starting to go all dizzy-like on that last climb.

Mind over body...

I was just trying to take the conversation in a slightly different direction. No need to get pissy about it.

[dekindy]

Anything to help a fellow forumite :)

Seems to me that part of issue is how far to push when our body says "No." Happens to me every now and then, when my knee tries to tell me to back off, or when I'm starting to go all dizzy-like on that last climb.

Mind over body...

I was just trying to take the conversation in a slightly different direction. No need to get pissy about it.

Start your own thread then.

[dekindy]

I asked a specific question and got some responses, none of which even remotely answered my question. Yeah, I guess that I am a little pissy that everybody wants to comment without ever addressing the original question. Least of all I need to have someone speculate regarding the temperatures that I should ride at. Thanks for nothing.

[Louis]

Start your own thread then.

I'll try to remember that.

Stay warm and enjoy your cycling.

[Volant]

www.polarwrap.com

[dekindy]

Since I could not get an answer here or on other forums I did a Live Chat with Polarwrap and talked to the Heat Factory on the telephone.

There is no difference between the two Polarwrap soles. It is just marketing. However, I did learn that the newer version of the Toasty Feet insole is about 1/16 of an inch thinnner than the one I purchased last year. I tracked down a pair at my local Walmart. They are not thin enough to allow for the thicker sock that I wanted. The extra space will allow for more circulation which may be part of the problem since there is not much room in my summer shoes. I did not consider anything other than the stock insole when I purchased them. If the closest Walmart did not have the newest version Polarwrap offered to ship me one and match Walmart's price which is $2 less than on the website. Very nice young lady at Polarwrap.

The Heat Factory folks were equally helpful. They do not recommend their insoles for running/jogging or cycling. However they offered to send me a free sample to try so I am taking them up on it. The recommended application is to put the packet on the outside of the shoe and held in place by the shoe cover. I did this with a hand warmer version because of the smaller size. If I had thought I would have realized that it was not designed to get as hot as the foot warmer. I will try the foot warmer next. The hand warmer helped and I was given a foot warmer packet and it generates much more heat so I am hoping that will be the final part of the puzzle of keeping my feet warm. I never have a problem with the head or hands getting cold so this will increase my comfort considerably.

All my riding buddies have been riding in the winter much longer than I. They all purchased winter specific Lake cycling shoes last year and swear by them. They got tired of the hassle of shoe covers, chemical warmers, etc. I don't want to spend that much but I may ultimately have to. I am about the only hard core rider that shows up all the time that does not have them.

Before I posted this thread I did a search and reviewed all the previous threads on Sidi Toasters and Hotronics footbeds and visited their websites so I was already well versed on that alternative. Electric socks are inexpensive but don't appear to be particularly effective and I cannot find many options there.

[BlackTiBob]

I emailed Polar Wrap: differences:

"I went to the Serotta website and saw the question from one of the cyclists regarding the difference between Toasty Feet insoles and Insulator Insoles (both PolarWrap products) - as I am not a member of the group, I cannot
answer the question. If you'd like to answer, you may tell the inquiree that the insulating material - aerogel - is in both products, and the products have the same insulating properties. Toasty Feet, which is warm
orange, is designed for cold weather marketing and Insulator Insoles, which is tan in color, is designed for year-round marketing. The concept of an insole named Toasty Feet keeping your foot cool in the summer was too
challenging to market - but actually, the insulator blocks the transfer of cold and heat - and Toasty Feet will work to keep your feet cool in the summer time."

So sounds like both will work. Can't wait to try a pair.
I'll report back. BlackTiBob

[capybaras]

Nice work, BlackTiBob. :banana: