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Jan. 10, 2019, 11:44 a.m. -  Andrew Major

So I've suddenly developed a circulation issue this year - I think it's from carrying my daughter on my shoulders a lot - which manifests itself as a bit of numbness in my feet and hands that I've never had before.  The only time it's really aggravated is on wet cold days on the bike. It's made me hugely grumpy about metal brake levers (hence my [Dear Santa](https://nsmb.com/articles/dear-santa-andrews-list/) ask for plastic levers) and suddenly I find myself able to justify the cost of top-end brakes because lever blades are one place carbon makes a huge difference.  As for my feet, I found that running waterproof socks inside waterproof boots aggravated my issues. I think it's because the socks just can't clear moisture through the boots. So I've been alternating between combining my waterproof socks with an underlayer of a wicking sock (Swiftwick socks branded by Cane Creek) and a wool sock and then a very breathable shoe (Shimano ME7), running a thick wool sock with a wicking sock underneath in a mid-weight winter boot (Bontrager JFW), and running the first combination with a flat pedal shoe.  The flat pedal experience is SO MUCH better in the cold in terms of comfort that it's reinforced my belief that at the end of the day the pedal/cleat/shoe heat sink is by far my \#1 issue (way more than waterproofing). I've picked up some insulating tape but I've also thought about using a sealant between my footbed and the last of the shoe.  I'll hopefully be submitting a couple pieces this year on experiments to try and make cold-wet riding more fun because it's been a challenge.  Definitely, hope your balance of kit works for you!

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