Monday, January 21, 2008

sieze her with a tweezer


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Originally uploaded by cbnystrom
It was cold out this morning. Desperate times and all that had me strategically placing an armwarmer down my bib shorts to protect my junk from frostbite. Been there, done that, not doing it again!

Once completely suited up (thank you Craft!) I stepped into the freezer.

The trails were frozen solid and slick, especially the rocks.
I ran the tires as low as I could go and had a blast floating over frozen ruts and using body english to find traction on glazed rocks. I didn't go fast. It was all about keeping the bike upright and moving forward.

I'm not sure which froze up first, my bottle or my toes.
Aside from the feet I was pretty comfortable.

Once back home in the shower the pain from my toes thawing out was brutal. Hours later they're still not right. I need to invest in a better pair of winter riding shoes. The Sidi's are ok for temps down to the 20's, but lower than that and my feet turn to ice after an hour.

Get out there and enjoy the trails while they are still frozen. Just remember to dress for the weather.

6 comments:

Scott T. said...

Dude, you have got to stop getting up so early in the morning.

Chris said...

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may...

Scott T. said...

My rosebuds do not bloom that early in the morning, but you go...

I strongly encourage the toe warmer things you get for $1.99 at REI for temps that low.

And you get points toward your Man Card for that ride.

DaveG said...

Yup, use the toe warmers. I have serious problems w/ my feet, and I'm able to ride down to close to 0 degrees w/ a set of the toe warmers and Lake boots. My hands are still frozen blocks of ice though.

Chris said...

I was running the toe warmers. I use 'em all Winter. We've got a box full in the basement. I think the problem is I should have a larger size shoe to allow more room for movement and toe warmers. It gets pretty tight down there and circulation suffers.

My plan has been to buy a pair of the Lake boots when the Sidi's wear out, but that could take years as the Sidi's are well-built.

Thankfully, it's rare that the temps get below 20 around here.

Jim said...

Nice going on the riding - hit Rosaryville on Sunday AM and it was the same story of painfully cold feet. I'm looking to buy some Lakes or the Sidi winter boots too. *Sooooo* expensive, but it seems to me there's enough pain incident to riding without choosing to inflict unnecessary, collateral pain on yourself.