Can PH kit me out for winter?

[Dr Murdoch]

Ive been cycling to / from work for the last few months, 25mile round trip on an MTB.

Apart from a helmet, gloves and cycling shorts I do not have any other equipment, either clothing, lights, tools etc etc

I'll be looking at the more budget options at this stage.

Any advice welcome!

[AC43]

A variety of cheap base layers that you can add and peel off as the temp varies. Sports Direct have this sort of thing. Or Tresspass. Probably Decathalon.

Over shoes - I have a thick pair and a lightweight pair.

A pair of thin gloves for light chill and something thicker for really cold weather.

I use Moon Comet recharchables backed up by some battery-powered Cat Eyes.

[numtumfutunch]

Everyone will have their own top tips, here are some of mine:

Mudguards will make a huge difference in foul weather - check out what your MTB will take
A narrow beam strobe light on your helmet so cars in side roads can see you
Heavy duty (prob just heavy) tyres to reduce you know whats
A decent technical/breathable jacket - nobody wants to arrive after an hour of boil in the bag
I use Ron Hills for my legs but then mudguards keep most of the spray off me

Good luck

[TSCfree]

Layers for winter.

Base layer either merino(DHB) or polyester(Nike)-Sports Direct.
Cheapest option would be arm warmers(Castelli or Santini) & gilet(Endura) with one of your jerseys or you could splash out on a long sleeve thermal jersey.
Overshoes.
Again leg warmers are cheap or thermal long bibs for a few quid more.

Depends how hard you ride but unless its torrential rain i don't wear any water proof jacket. You just get wet from the inside instead, no matter how technical they may be.

A Buff- great for head/neck/or both.

[Matt_N]

I ride road so slightly different clothing requirements but essentially:

Belgian style winter hat
Winter collar / buff
Long sleeve base layer
Long sleeve jersey with windproof front or not and use a gilet
Winter gloves
Long winter tights
Winter socks
Overshoes

[daddy cool]

Get your ass to Aldi this week, and buy the merino wool skullcap for £5.99 (i wore it this morning, nice and toasty) and the ~£16/17 softshell jacket. I have a previous iteration of that jacket from Aldi, and only wear it when the temp is sub 5c as it is insanely warm....

I got some DHB "roubaix" winter bib tights from Wiggle last winter which were very nice (other brands are available)

[richardxjr]

Get thee to a Decathlon store.

[Gruffy]

^^^
This

I just kitted a mate out for winter in Decathlon. They have really good jackets at less than half what you can find an equivalent for online. Depends how warm/cold you run but their £49 jacket looked like the sweet spot if you plan to ride in all conditions.

They have fleece-lined longs at £35, which is a great buy, but my preference for winter is a pair of longs without a pad. They can go over all of your other shorts and because they don't sit against the skin you can wear one pair for a week. It's the cheapest way of stocking a year-round commuting wardrobe. I have a pair from Rose that cost me £40 and they're great in sub-zero temperatures.

I'd echo the mudguard comments. That's 80% of the battle won straight away.

If you get cold feet then overshoes help to keep the wind off.

For me a decent pair of gloves is worth spending some money on as nothing turns a ride to st quite like cold wet hands. These https://www.sealskinz.com/UK/gloves/ultra-grip-glo... have proven themselves in the foulest of conditions, descending actual mountains in snowy conditions.

A good mesh merino base layer is a wonderful thing and makes a huge difference to temperature management (keeping you warm but also managing moisture when you're wrapped up against the rain). Merino has the advantage of being naturally anti-microbial, which means it can also be worn for several days without smelling.

I'd also recommend a Belgian style cycling cap.

[Dr Murdoch]

Thanks for all the replies!

I'm a keen runner so I have lots of base layers I can use, so I'll get myself down to Aldi to so what I can get, then maybe go to Decathlon for the remaining kit.

Thanks again

[Kell]

If you're a runner, then you'll probably not need that much 'specific' cycling stuff.

I've always found the best advice to be 'dress for the second mile'.

It's easy to stay (too) warm on a bike by putting too many layers on, the trick is staying at the right temperature for you.

I run hot, so last year I didn't bother with tights at all, but some years, I've worn them right through the winter.

that said, I don't like cold hands or feet, so I spend a lot of time trying to get the right gloves. I also use winter cycling boots and hiking socks to keep my feet warm.

[Dr Murdoch]

Just an update, and a question. I purchased:-

Seal skin overboots
Winter gloves
Beanie
Exposure lights for helmet and bike, both front and rear (question to follow)
Schalbe Marathon Plus tyres

Now, with the lights, is it best to have the helemt lights flashing and the bike lights on full, or visa versa?

Realised I should of got some chain oil, any recommendations\?

[louiebaby]

I prefer to have the fixed light on the bike, so like a headlight on a car, it's relatively steady on it's position. I hate the idea of the main light being on my head, it would feel very odd. However, the next chap along will say the exact opposite.

I found this stuff in Aldi too, and it seems pretty good for a winter lube in that it actually sticks to the chain fairly well:

[river_rat]

Are you still doing a 25 mile round trip without tools?!

Sounds a bit risky, would have spare tube, puncture repair kit, pump and chain tool as a minimum (yes I learnt the hard way)...

For chain oil I use (in the winter/when wet):

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/finish-line-cro...

[Dr Murdoch]

river_rat said:

Are you still doing a 25 mile round trip without tools?!

Sounds a bit risky, would have spare tube, puncture repair kit, pump and chain tool as a minimum (yes I learnt the hard way)...

For chain oil I use (in the winter/when wet):

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/finish-line-cro...

Yes

Thanks for reminding me! Ive got a spare inner-tube, tyre levers and a pump.......I just need to take them with me!

Whilst its still mild, I can forsee the need for arm / leg warmers in a month or two. I can't afford wet weather gear, so I'll have to pick a choose my days carefully.

[GarryDK]

Personally I go for soft shell over hard shell. full water proofs (IMHO) are not worth it. you get more wet from sweating your ass off. If you ride in heavy rain you're going to get wet anyway best is to stay warm and dry your clothes out.

my list (clothes) for winter is

• skull cap/beanie
• Snood
• baselayers
• softshell
• overshoes (for rainy days)
• toe warmers (dry days)
• thick socks
• light weight and thick gloves for diff temps
• long shorts or bibbed trousers (I have thermo fleece lined castelli bibbed trousers that I have used for the past 3 winters and they are amazing eve nin -5oC and snow)

For the bike

• decent lights (I have rechargeable moon front and back)
• mudguards
• wet lube
• plus the usual tools and tubes

[Renn Sport]

Interesting topic...

At what temps do you guys stop riding? Near 0? I am thinking 5 degrees maybe too chilly to enjoy the ride, which is maybe a month off riding to work?

[GarryDK]

I ride all year round. You soon get warm when you start pedaling.

[yellowjack]

Renn Sport said:

Interesting topic...

At what temps do you guys stop riding? Near 0? I am thinking 5 degrees maybe too chilly to enjoy the ride, which is maybe a month off riding to work?

I never stop due solely to temperature. I've (very stupidly) ridden out onto a frozen Hawley Lake a few years ago. So it was definitely below 0°c and for quite a few days too, to freeze the lake to such a thickness. I'd intended to make it across to t'other side,but turned back when the front wheel started to sink into a patch where the sun had been on the lake. A few days earlier,and it's have been OK!

Pre-Strava, too, so I don't even have a GPS file to prove...

What keeps me off the road bike is ice. No point in taking a silly risk of broken bikes and bones if you KNOW it's icy out. What tends to keep me off the MTB is wet weather. Not so much the actual rain, but waterlogged, slurry-like muddy trails are not much fun. And fun is why I ride bikes. A crisp, frosty winter morning, perhaps a hint of snow, and your breath condensing in the air in front of you, or turning to frost on your balaclava? Perfect!

[ChunkyloverSV]

Dr Murdoch said:

river_rat said:

Are you still doing a 25 mile round trip without tools?!

Sounds a bit risky, would have spare tube, puncture repair kit, pump and chain tool as a minimum (yes I learnt the hard way)...

For chain oil I use (in the winter/when wet):

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/finish-line-cro...

Yes

Thanks for reminding me! Ive got a spare inner-tube, tyre levers and a pump.......I just need to take them with me!

Whilst its still mild, I can forsee the need for arm / leg warmers in a month or two. I can't afford wet weather gear, so I'll have to pick a choose my days carefully.

Yep I learned the hard way 28 mile round trip. No tools. I thought I would be invincible pumping my tyres up before every ride. Ironically the day it happened I didn't check my back tyre pressure before the ride.