New shoe covers

On yesterday's ride to work, I noticed that my left shoe cover was coming apart. Actually, I had noticed that the fabric under the toe was failing some days ago, but there were some strands holding it together until yesterday morning. They gave up in the cold, such as it was.

Figuring that there is more sub-freezing weather to be dealt with between now and spring, I ordered a replacement pair of shoe covers yesterday. I had thought about getting some from Pearl Izumi, since my newest tights came from them and are quite good. No luck--their XL won't fit on my shoes, and the two cold-weather models that will be available in XXL won't be available for another month or more (what's the point of stocking them in February, gang?). Few of our suppliers have Craft shoe covers in stock at the moment, surprisingly. However, both QBP and J&B Importers stock Planet Bike's shoe covers, and J&B ships next day via UPS Ground sort!

I wound up buying a pair of Planet Bike Blitzen shoe covers instead of their Comet model, as they seem to have better wind resistance and insulation. I ordered the XXL size, which they indicate fits US shoe sizes from 11 1/2 up (but not far up...I don't think these would fit size 14 shoes, for example, but they might).

Ian Ritchie, aka The Soup Guy was by the store yesterday, and I mentioned to him that I had ordered these. He'll be interested in my eventual review of their suitability (or is that soupability?) for temps in the <20F range.

They arrived a while ago, and I'm pleased to say that they fit over my shoes with ease! I'm looking forward to seeing how they do in colder riding weather (I didn't really need them today, since the low this morning was over 30F).