Originally Posted by vtjim
Wow Kat, I just read this thread. Sorry to hear you went down. I'm riding studs on the Island Line Trail. Nice not having any cars to deal with. Tomorrow morning is going to be a frigid ride! Supposed to be near zero. At least I'll have a tailwind in the morning. No exposed skin for me!
I am envious of your commute, I would trade French Hill for the bike path any day! I got a pair of knobbies after the crash, but I am a little nervous about using studs as I have heard they are hard to ride on when there is no snow.
Good luck with riding in this cold we have been dealing with lately! I am not envious of that!
Originally Posted by ajkloss42
Wow. It sounds like it was even less pleasant than I had originally thought. How cold was it outside, what was the wind like, and when you changed your footgear were your socks wet from sweating?
The frostbite was a week or two after the crash (can't quite remember which ride). My feet were dry, just extremely cold. I think the temps were in the low teens, and it was somewhat windy (gusts that were strong, and then no wind as I rode through some areas with trees). I think I am going to try to find some kind of battery operated socks. Warm toes would put me back on the bike more often this winter I think. Definitely not going to try it without guaranteed warmth though!
Originally Posted by Merriwether
Vapor barrier has always been a toe-saver for me. I've got some booties that go inside my shoes. Grocery bags or bread wrappers are the Fred Sanford equivalent. If your feet come back, you might give it another go with a vaporproof barrier inside your footwear system.
I had forgotten about this trick, I remember reading about it in another thread earlier in the season, and will have to remember it if I decide to give it another try.
Originally Posted by Merriwether
So, you learned your lesson about bombing downhill when cars are sliding on ice? The short version: don't do that! Are you crazy? I'm sorry the lesson was painful. On the bright side, it could have been worse... Shudder...
Umm...well...I don't really know what I was thinking.... Guess ignorance was bliss for a few short minutes prior to going down. At least I learned how slippery ice can be when on a bike, and what the penalty is without becoming a road pancake.
Kat