Meandering Velonauts

This year I’ve riden my bike four times below 30° and each time I ended up with mild frost nip on my feet. I’ve tried everything to keep my feet warm, but each time I end up with numb toes 1 hour into my ride. Last week was especially cold, and although color has returned to my feet there are still small patches of numb skin. I’m not alarmed, as I’ve heard it can take some time for your nerves to recover from frostnip.

What I’ve learned is that I need to go the extra mile to keep warm during cold morning commutes. I’ve found my existing equipment wont let me safely ride below 32°. To do this I’m going to have to invested in better equipment. So I’ve purchased  Moose Mitts and Lake MXZ302x boots.

Pogies are a simple piece of bicycle gear to cut down on the affects of wind chill while riding. Wind chill, not temperature, is the primary cause of frost-nip in your hands. I’ve found even lobster gloves do not provide enough protection from the wind to keep my fingers warm. After some amount of research, I decided I needed pogies. Moose Mitts are fleece lined, water proof, wind proof, and include a reflective strip. I purchased them from my friends at Chain Reaction Cycles in Anchorage. I hope these little guys allow me to continue riding well below freezing with little or no gloves on.

While my Sidi Storm cycling shoes are considered “winter cycling” shoes I purchased them in Maryland over 6 years ago. They did the trick back in Maryland, but I’ve found them ineffective below 40°. After much reading I decided I wasn’t ready to give up on clipless shoes. Instead of abandoning clipless shoes I’ve purchased the Lake MXZ302 winter boots. They have good reviews and appear to be much warmer than my old Sidi shoes. The good news is they are too warm for fall and spring temperatures, so my Sidi shoes will still have a home.

I fully plan on testing this equipment both commuting and snow biking this winter. I’ll keep everyone updated on how these items hold up to a season of use.