So, it finally felt a little wintry this morning. It was 35° out when I left the house at around 7:50am. We got a lot of rain yesterday evening, and I’m told there were a few flakes mixed in, though by dawn, there was no evidence of snow anywhere. In a true shocker, schools weren’t even delayed. All the same, I trotted out the mountain bike with the studded tires this morning. The only really slick spots on my commute this morning were on the wooden bridges in Patapsco State Park. I took River Rd. out to Frederick Rd. and into Ellicott City. Parts of River Rd. were very washed out, so my fenders got a good workout. But it wasn’t cold enough for widespread ice.
The only real problem with today’s ride was that my toes got really cold. I’ve got SPD pedals on this bike, and my regular neoprene shoe covers don’t fit over the shoes. In the dead of winter, I switch to standard pedals and straps, and ride with hiking boots. This was my first time riding the SPD shoes in colder weather, and my toes were pretty frosty by the end of the ride. It looks like my cheapo Performance toe covers do fit over the shoes (though it’s a tight squeeze), so I may try riding with them to see if they help. But in any case, if this is going to by my everyday winter bike, I need a good way to keep my feet warm with the SPD shoes.