Cycling Wardrobe to Tone With

Ottawa weather is so bizarre. It was 15°C and sunny on Thursday before dropping to just above zero and stormy all weekend. I love the rain, but it was a bit of a shock. Cycled around Vanier for the annual maple sugar festival and to a drive in prayer grotto (?!). I don't mind the rain, and the sugar shack was serving hot maple related food and drinks. And now it is even colder and the rain hast turned to snow! Weird. It makes daily weather and traffic cam checks necessary, especially because my new-old cruiser is not outfitted for snow. Or the traffic generated by three days of Tamil demonstrations, although I soared by the riot cops and lines of cars attempting to get onto the freeway.

The usual amount of rain has necessitated a change in footwear while cycling, specificaly boots to keep my work clothes clear from splashbacks. Most of Ottawa's percipitation comes in the form of light, powdery snow that doesn't soak into your clothes. The typical winter temperatures also require something warm, so I wear snow boots that are apparently certified to -30°C. Luckily the temperature here usually doesn't go below -20°C in the winter, other than on terribly windy days. My rain cycling outfit of choice is a hooded jacket, long-sleeved shirt (depending on temperature), light knee-length and hooded coat, leggings, skirt and knee-high boots. I usually lose the legging and switch to heels when I get to work.

Right now my favourite flat boots are in need of resoling, so I have been wearing some with heels. Doesn't really affect my ride since I don't pedal with the heels. I can actually cycle better in heels than I can walk, which is why my pumps stay at the office. The one thing I do notice is that different muscles are sore at the end the of day. I normally feel it in my hamstrings, although my usually work-home route has long sinced been a challenge. Since I started cycling in these (low, wedge) heels, I feel the effects in my gluts. No science, just when I have noticed. Has this happened to anyone else?

Pretty Gloves

Oh yes. Mine are actually white. I bought them to celebrate getting my work contract extended and because I only have fingerless and winter weight gloves. I wanted something which covered my entire hand but allowed me to feel through the material and not get too warm. There were no black pairs there and I didn't even realize that Fox offered black. I am not sure which I would prefer. I usually wear more black but the white will not get as warm in the bright Ottawa sun, although it will show more dirt. I have a white helmet right now too, so I match. At least until I get a Bern.

I got them at Fosters, as usual. 15% of for students with an ISIC. The province of Ontario does not charge taxes on many bike accessories. I am not sure if clothing counts. I need to find where I put my receipt!

Oops

It is hard to motivate myself to update when I would rather be out riding in the spring weather. The change in temperature is also leading me to cover prettier cycling accessories. If I were a full-time functionary instead of a part-time functionnaire (we are bilingual here) and full-time grad student, I would purchase the following things:

- Pretty new bike from Ottawa's Tall Trees Cycles. I would get the "city" Kona Africa instead of the "womens" because then I would get specs rather than a heartwarming story, not to mention better grammar.

- Chic Bern Muse helmet. I am linking to the London Cycle Chic blog's shop because I love their blog and because Foster's

- Riding Pretty's helmet covers, although that would be better for winter as well as covering up my current, less attractive helmet. The Bern Muse would look fine on its own.

Covet.

Pretty Helmet Cover

I'm a day late to call this Wordless Wednesday. How about Thesis Thursday? As in, I need to frantically make things up rather than talk about cycling.

All I really have to say is that now that the weather is nice enough to ride in a skirt and now I have a beautiful ladies bike with a skirt guard and step-through frame that I coveted for so long. This has left me coveting something new, namely a helmet cover for maximum prettiness while riding.

I have been eying this one on one of my favourite women's cycling sites.