Today I took my 1979 Motobecane Mirage, converted to fixed gear, out for my first ride in fresh snow.



It was a fun ride, and not as scary as I was expecting but one thing that came to mind was if I should keep the toe clips or not. I wiped out once, it was a slow speed fall where the rear wheel slid out. I feel if I didn't have the clips I would have been able to slip my foot out faster to catch myself. As I rode more I did build more confidence and was able to save myself from other slides but I feel the positives of riding without clips out weights the positives of riding with them in the winter.

I guess I should tell you a bit about my history in cycling, I've been riding since I was a child but as with most teenagers strayed from it when I got my drivers license. A little over a year ago I got back into cycling for commuting and it completely re-ignited my passion in it. Not only do I commute on the Mirage, I also do a bit of distance riding and quite a bit of mountain biking so I do know how to handle a slide and fall properly.