18 degrees

[topaz]

18 degrees, originally uploaded by qwrrty.

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Sent from my bionic implant

Edit: the gear I wore for today's ride:

on the head:

• neoprene face mask
• helmet

on the torso:

• t-shirt
• light cotton sweatshirt
• fleece pullover
• windbreaker
• reflective vest

legs:

• regular underwear, jeans

hands/feet:

• thinsulate glo-mitts
• winter socks
• Shimano cycling sandals
• neoprene booties

In other words, not actually a lot of specialized gear, just a lot of layering.

The hardest things for me to keep warm are my ears and fingers. The face mask ($12 at the Army Barracks in Boston) is key, because it's thin enough to fit comfortably under my helmet, but still insulates enough to keep my face from falling off. The gloves ($11, also from the Army Barracks) are fingerless gloves with a mitten flip-top, which is perfect for winter biking: the mitten top keeps my fingers warm but I can pop out my fingers if I need to use my keys or open a lock.

Comments

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

Well, I have a Performance-branded set that I bought from Performance Bike years back, but I don't remember exactly what model name or number, and it looks likely that they're not still offering this exact model. This booty has a zipper in the back and a rubberized sole, and says "14" on the bottom, but the current line of Performance Neo Booties (http://www.performancebike.com/bikes//Product_10052_10551_1082829_-1___#ReviewHeader) says that it uses a Velcro closure and comes in sizes S/M/L/XL. Also, one of the reviews says "the old model with the zipper worked better". :-/

[xuth.livejournal.com]

After contacting Performance, they say they have nothing that is large enough. I recommend treating the booties that you have with some level of care since I don't think you can replace them.