The ride home today was around 10 degrees warmer than the morning ride. I shed the extra layer of socks, PolarTec top, and head band. It was a fairly comfortable ride. I rode into the park to check the road conditions, with the expectation that I would have to hike the River Rd access road. The roadways inside the park were more-or-less clear, but down to one lane in spots. The access road had about an inch of snow covering it. I was able to bike a good bit of it, thanks to the fixed-gear, which gives me a lot better sense of control on slick surfaces. I did have to hike the uphill section. Not surprisingly, the Look cleats don’t work too well when packed with snow. I could get them to clip in, but I had to tap some snow out of them before they would stay clipped in. Not great, but better than my old Wellgo cleats, which I had to clean out with a screwdriver before they would even engage the pedals.
For tomorrow, I switched the Looks out for some toe-clip pedals, and I’m going to see how it goes riding these with my hiking boots. At least I know the snowy sections will go better. Next year, I hope to have a cross bike that I can ride in the snow.