I’d spend most of Saturday afternoon turning my Simplified frame from SuperFast prototype back into its intended purpose as a single speed. Russell at Sun built up some nice wheels using some Surly hubs I gave him. We decided on Venus rims with the machined rim-brake surface and a normal 3-cross lacing with butted spokes.

I also tried out some new boots today. Keen Winterport boots. They felt great! I had just a single pair of wool socks on and during the 1 hour and 15 minute ride my toes never got cold. They also work well on the bear trap style pedals on the Simplified.

This wasn’t technically a transportation ride but the clothing info may be of some interest.

Today I went with the single thick wool sock plan and I think it was better than yesterday when I got cold feet a bit while trying a thin base layer sock and a Polarfleece sock over that. The single sock seems to fit the boots better and doesn’t bunch up in the toe are as much.

The Smitty was great again and I did a bit of snow bashing to see how the Big Apples work and I am impressed. If you get all silly out of shape they will slide but keep ‘em under you ad they work surprisingly well. More testing is needed but I am not totally buying the narrower is better argument 100% any more.

I am also working with both the iPhone App Runkeeper and the Garmin Edge 500 to find out what I like about each.

Runkeeper Route Track – http://bit.ly/7bxmiv

Garmin Track – http://connect.garmin.com/activity/21819009

I do like the auto stop feature of the Garmin. I hope Runkeeper comes out with this soon!

Got out yesterday too. Transportation too because I went somewhere. Post Office and Bank. Pretty much the same type of day. I switched from a longish shell with a solid vapor barrier to a “soft-shell” style jacket and didn’t over heat as much as the last ride. So this ride was Smartwool Midweight Jersey, Sahalie Butterfleece mid layer and an old Columbia soft-shell.

Runkeeper Route Track – http://bit.ly/5E6HkU

Garmin Track – http://connect.garmin.com/activity/21754702

My clothing choices worked well. A Smartwool medium jersey, a lightweight PolarFleece mid layer and an Alpenlite Shell. I was warm for the entire ride except for my toes which got a bit cold in the last 10 minutes or so. Today I tried a thin wool sock with a Polarfleece sock over the outside. I think it way just have been that my toes were a but stuffed into the Columbia Bugaboos. I am going back to a single, thick wool sock for the next ride.

My favorite piece of gear today? The Pearl Izumi balaclava!

My ride was 1hr-24min on my old Univega 507 commuter rig. Basically just a cruise down the Oak Leaf Trail to the lakefront, down to Summerfest, through downtown and back.

I stopped for a few minutes to watch the angry lake as the east wind was really kicking up the waves. Pretty cool.

We’d gotten about 2-3 inches of snow last night but the majority of it was cleaned off the trail and the streets. I had to go out of my way to find any to ride through and test out the traction of the old IRC studded tires. They seemed to work well but I think I want to try some narrower Nokias on my Smitty to see how they compare. I’ll report on that soon.

My clothing worked well today with an old Trek Polypro base layer, a Sahalie Furnace Shirt and the inner liner of my Columbia coat as an outer layer. A pair of Bellweather tights under Mt Borah pants and medium weight wool socks with Asolo boots on my feet and Pearl Izumi Lobster Claw gloves covering my paws and a Pearl Izumi Balaclava under my helmet completed the kit. The only thing that got cold were my toes at the very end of the ride. No biggie though.

I took the Xtracycle to the Lakefront looking for some slope winds. Forecast was good but the wind was too SE so I just enjoyed the ride on the Xtracycle-converted Zize bike.

I rode on snow-covered roads, snowy grass (about 4 inches deep), slushy streets and wet pavement. The rear end of the bike seems to have great traction and the handling is very stable.

All I need to get this bike really winter ready is to add fenders that are on the way.

Check out more pix on Flickr.

To help you get prepped an to keep you motivated the folks at bikewinter.org plan and promote winter riding events in several cities with the promise of more to come.

From the Bike Winter website:

Each winter, bicyclists in Chicago, and other cities hold events to promote winter bike riding. By taking part in Bike Winter, you will have the opportunity to have fun, socialize with other cyclists, and learn winter biking skills.

The idea is very simple – with the proper gear and a little determination, you can continue to enjoy bicycling year round. Add in the camaraderie of hundreds of riders and dozens of exciting events and you’ve got Bike Winter!

Bike winter started in Chicago 10 years ago but the scope has grown some and the  bikewinter.org site currently lists events in:

• Chicago, IL
• Milwaukee, WI
• Madison, WI
• St. Louis, MO

In addition to a schedule of events the site has a bunch of great info on riding in the winter so you can extend the use of your bike all year round and enjoy all the great benefits of riding, even in the winter. Check it out!