Sorry it's taken me so long to respond - been busy with work lately. As for the rollers, they're a BLAST! I've never had so much fun riding inside - it really makes you concentrate and most definitely improves balance, spin and overall technique. As shown in the picture I posted of my rollers, they're a "parabolic" design with raised edges. This makes it nearly impossible to ride off the sides as you spin and boosts confidence. It only took me about 5 minutes to really get used to them the first time. You set them up in a doorway so you can catch yourself if you start to lean too far to one side. It's actually quite easy! Don't get me wrong, I still much prefer riding outside. But if you can't - rollers are great, fun, and easier-to-learn than you might think. Back on the road, I notice the rides I've done on the rollers really have improved my riding abilities.

Speaking of getting outside, I continue to experiment with cold weather gear. What's been working great for me thus far - in temps around 40F - is the following: on my upper body I wear a liner layer (Under Armour heat gear T-shirt) under a Pearl Izumi Kodiak jacket. For lower body, I wear my Pearl Microsensor bib shorts under a pair of their "flash" (reflective for greater visibility) micro fleece tights. It keeps me really warm - but no too much so which you don't want. Now for my toes - I'll have to look into the booties and wool socks.

loCarbJ - that's awesome on the Muddy Buddy! You certainly did better than I did on my first attempt. Do you have any pics? I'm looking forward to doing it again next year and I think I've convinced some friends to join me so we can enter several teams. As for the adventure race you've entered - GOOD LUCK! That sounds really, really tough but also like a lot of fun. Make sure you get some pictures!