When it’s bitterly cold or rainy, slushy riding conditions prevail, you’ll probably want to cover your cycling shoes.  Cold wet feet make for some miserable riding.

Pearl Izumi’s AmFIB fabric collection of gloves, tights, shoe covers, and jackets have been around for a long time and do the job very admirably. It totally blocks the wind and insulates your feet, so you won’t want to use them unless the temps are down below 40F.  Some shoe covers leave the entire sole area uncovered, but the Pearl covers leave only a small hole for your shoe cleats which increases your warm factor.  You may want to size up to make it easier to slip over your shoes.

Pearl Izumi AmFIB Shoe Covers, msrp: $49.99 (also available in a mountain shoe version).

So you’re serious about riding all winter?  Fall and winter can be a great time to keep riding as a commuter or mountain biker.  If you’re moving slower than you would on your regular road bike, the wind doesn’t bite as hard.  But what about the hard-to-keep-warm parts like your feet?

Keeping feet warm and dry is a challenge and the Sidi Diablo does an admirable job at both.  The Gore-Tex® liner is waterproof and the shoe is built slightly larger than normal to accommodate those groovy wool socks you’ll be wearing.  If you have problems with really cold tootsies or Raynaud’s disease, Sidi makes battery powered insoles called Toasters that will also fit inside your Diablos.

If you are going to be out in the cold rain or even slushy snow, make sure your waterproof pants are long enough to cover the tops of the shoes.  One of our favorite makers of waterproof duds is Showers Pass out in Seattle, where they know rain.  We haven’t had a chance to test their pants yet, but their Elite 2.0 women’s rain jacket is just about perfect.

It’s already August, and you’re probably squeezing the last good drops of sunny summer heat out of each day. Maybe you’ve been riding on the local trails or you’ve finally taken the plunge and you’re commuting to work on your bike. But your tootsies get all steamy in regular cycling shoes! Let me introduce you to Keen’s cycling sandals.

I went out and bought a pair when I first heard about them and I’ve worn them more than any other cycling shoe this summer. You can put cycling cleats on them if you like to ride a clipless pedal, but the cleat is recessed enough that you can walk around with no trouble or wear on the cleat (I use Crank Brothers Eggbeater pedals/cleats). And the sole is flexible enough that you don’t notice much stiffness when you walk. Of course, this becomes a disadvantage if you decide to wear these out on a road ride with your carbon-soled colleagues, but these are cruising shoes not racing shoes!

You can see from the picture that they look just like regular Keens - no one at my office knows their secret life as my cycling sandals. I’ve worn them so much this summer, I’d put them in the indispensable category. And there’s no feeling in the world like air on your toes when you ride!

Keen Women’s Commuter Bike Sandals $115, available at www.rei.com

I love my new Masai Barefoot Technology shoes — my other cute flip flops and summer shoes are getting dusty in my closet since the MBTs are the only ones I have been wearing!

The premise behind the Masai Barefoot Technology is a curved sole that creates instability, sort of like walking on the sandy beach. Your body feels the instability and compensates by using balancing muscles that rarely get a real workout.

At first, when I put the MBT sandals on, I did feel unsteady with the curved sole. I got used to them slowly, only wearing them around the house for an hour or two, but felt my legs working each time. I had to keep my core engaged so I would not fall backwards. It was a little awkward, but it worked and I liked it. Since my core was engaged, my shoulders fell into better alignment.

My first real test was a long day at a swim meet with my kids. I wore them from 7:00am to 2:00pm and was on my feet most of the time. They felt great! The next day my hamstrings, calves and butt were sore — I workout a lot and feel like I’m in really good shape, so I could not believe how sore I was! I’ve had foot pain for the past few years and while I still do after an aggressive game of tennis or a long hike or run, these shoes help me settle back in. I feel they are helping me build those small muscle groups that usually are taken over by my quads!

While the MBT shoes are expensive, they have been the only shoes I have worn all summer so they are getting a lot of use. I guess I would compare it to a good pair of jeans, I don’t mind spending a lot on a pair I love and then I wear them all the time. They aren’t going to stack up to a pair of Jimmy Choo’s in the looks department, but who cares when you’re building gorgeous legs?

MBT Staka Beluga Sandals msrp $240 www.swissmasaius.com