Sold the car, commited to cycle commiting now!

Shopping list so far:

1) More exposure handlebar mounts so my 6pack can go on all my bikes.

2) Exposure micro red eye for my joystick.

3) New rear light for if my knog blinder dies en route (maybe an exposure rear one?)

4) big waterproof rucksack that is high vis and reflective (any recomendarions?)

Anything else I need? Got wet weather gear etc.

Any advice from experienced winter commuters much appreciated

Get some tights and some Northwave Celsius boots.

You are going to get wet, but you can be warm & wet.

A phone case you can easily see in the dark, wet mud at the side of the trail when you put it down whilst fixing a flat and then spend just as long scrabbling about trying to find it again.

Strava. 😉

Mudguards.
Rack.
Panniers.
2 BIG rear lights. One flashing, one constant.
Ankle bands.
Sense of humour.

4) big waterproof rucksack that is high vis and reflective (any recomendarions?)

LOMO hi vis drybag? I like mine, only drawback is lack of internal dividers.

http://www.lomo.co.uk/acatalog/high-visibility-drybag-cycling.html

Cheers so far. Already got strava, northwave celcius boots and mudguards.

Commuting on the xc race type bike through the winter as it’s only 8 miles each way and I’ve got 2.0 tyres full of stans so punctures ‘shouldn’t be an issue.

Sense of humour noted.

Any recommendations on very waterproof and reflective back.packs?

Edit.. Cheers will check.out the lomo

I think I read it on here but I thought it was a good idea and now ride with it:
A not too bright light (obviously!) pointing back at you to illuminate you as a person on a bike. The theory being that, one more bright front light gets lost among other lights on the road / single lights are harder to judge speeds of so seeing a single light plus a rider behind it ‘helps’ drivers cut you up / run you down guilt free as you don’t pay road tax.

Don’t use the 6 pack. Off road lights which are so bright they blind drivers, or (even worse 😉 )cyclists coming the opposite way are a bloody nuisance and quite disorienting when it’s otherwise dark.

Just get a couple of decent normal lights, one steady one flashing and ride confidently.

I expect I’ll get flamed for this, but that’s my honest view, as a committed commuter.

Thanks but I’m prob not going to listen. It’s a £400 front light and I’m loathe to buy a cheaper one when this one does everything I need it to do and I need to spend cash on other kit.

I can run it on a low setting amyway which will get a weeks worth of riding out of between charges.

Goretex socks and some really decent gloves.
Buff or skull cap liner thingy

tape a half cone of opaque plastic on top of your 6 pack like what motorbikes have – saves the light shining into space and your periferal vision.

Mudguards are the most important thing in the world when commuting imo.

in the UK youll get wet from the floor more often than you get wet from above IME of commuting. be sure to get good ones , race guards wont cut it .

Mudguards. Full length ones. With flaps.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres.

A bike that you don’t mind being ruined by the spring (or that’s designed so that it won’t be ruined – drum brakes and internally geared hubs are awesome).

Panniers or a basket.

Rear lights – don’t go for maximum brightness. More lights rather than more intensity is better. Also don’t go for slow blinking, because they are off for too long and you can get caught out.

I use a Cateye Rapid X because it flickers quickly and it has 180 degree visibility. On roads outside town I use a Lezyne micro rear (on low!) too because it throws a long way.

Sometimes if it’s bad weather and urban I’ll use a Bontrager Ion on flicker strapped to my helmet.

I’d second the recommendation for panniers.

Also consider slicks because you might wear out your knobblies. Don’t worry about ‘ruining’ a bike, in my experience a winter of road commuting is much easier on a bike than a winter of MTBing.

4) big waterproof rucksack

Nope

Mudguards.
Rack.
Panniers.

Yep.

Don’t use the 6 pack. Off road lights which are so bright they blind drivers, or (even worse … )cyclists coming the opposite way are a bloody nuisance and quite disorienting when it’s otherwise dark.

What he said.
Whilst you may think that you’re more visible, actually everyone else on the road has no idea whether you’re 4 miles away or 18″ away. All they can see is the inside of their own eyeballs complaining about the immensely bright light.
Drivers will, I guarantee it, pull out right in front of you on a regular basis because they just don’t know where you are, how far away you are, or how fast you’re moving.
Just get some proper road front lamps with sideways visibility and vertical cut-off.

Steady lights work better for the front too because drivers eyes can track distance and speed much better. I always just use steady on front.

Two lights on the front. Three on the rear.

Partly for visibility, partly for the inevitable time one dies mid-ride.

Always stop for red lights.

help me not get run over

Find a route which minimises the time/distance you spend in the proximity of motor vehicles.

Reflectors on you pedals/shoes I always find good, and I’d say more rear lights rather than really bright ones.

Yes – route planning is critical. You need a route that has fewer cars but is still reasonably open without tons of junctions. Even if it is longer. If you give is a rough idea of where to and from, we might be able to help?

I would seriously seriously recommend buying a dynamo and B&M dynamo light. So fuss free, easy and reliable you’ll wonder why you didn’t buy one before.

I have an Alpkit Gourdon bag, but that Lomo looks decent too. Definitely mudguards though, mine never come off my commuter. And definitely proper road lights too. And lots of them. Then some spares.

I would ride with what you have now (six pack excepted) for at least a month before making any decisions. You may find you prefer a rucksack as you take very little, you may find every morning is a tour and want panniers. Try it and see first.

You will want mudguards, my fixed wheel will have its winter fork swap presently.

Thanks but I’m prob not going to listen. It’s a £400 front light and I’m loathe to buy a cheaper one when this one does everything I need it to do and I need to spend cash on other kit.

+1 for not using that light for commuting. It’s a PITA for other road users, save it for off road fun and get a proper road light, one that puts the beam on the road and not other people’s eyes.

I would always advocate guards and panniers, particularly as you have no car so might be picking up shopping etc.

Waterproof boots are good, but will only keep heavy rain out if you stop it running down your ankles, e.g. with waterproof overtrousers.

Find a route which minimises the time/distance you spend in the proximity of motor vehicles.

This will help with the above.

I’d recommend a hub dynamo and B&M combo too (there’s one in the attic here if you are on 700c – I’ll do you a deal!)

I used an Overboard rucksack – a touch on the sweaty side, but exceedingly waterproof (it’s a thick drybag with straps). Make sure you have spare socks and undies in there. I had the benefit of a shower at work, so the sweatiness didn’t matter.

CTC style mudguards, with flaps.
Spare shorts at work for the way home.

I’ve got a set of cateye x2s and I really rate them, can go on seatpost of stays so you could stick loads on there. Going to get another rear this winter, to go with the 3 clip ons I’ve got on my SQR Slim (which I’d alse recommend over a rucksack if your commute isn’t short.

I’ve got an exposure link for om my bonce too which I’d recommend, my colleagues at work say it really makes me stand out in traffic, without being a blinding beam.

Mudguards – full length on front and rear.
Dynamo front hub plus a front light that meets the German road standards. You can run a rear light off this as well, mine fits on the end of the rear mudguard. If you don’t fancy the cost of the Schmidt then the Shimano dynamo is fine.
Small rear light on flash mode.

Overshoes will deal with most of what the mudguards miss.
Leave as much kit as you can at work – carting shoes, trousers, etc into and from work every day is just a ballache. I’ve an Ortlieb 4 litre saddle bag and can get everything I need in it with room to spare – that’s t-shirt, underpants, phone and wallet, pump, waterproof top. Tools go in one of those water bottle sized holders.

Arm warmers, leg warmers and gilet are useful in spring and autumn where you get cool mornings and warm evenings – saves either freezing in the morning if you just have a short sleeved top or boiling in the evening if you just have a long sleeved top.

I commute with my Diablo on the bars and I can confirm that it’s a pain in the arse for other cyclists and car drivers. Most of my commute is along an unlit towpath or through the woods, so the light is useful but I have to cup my hand over the top of it every time i see a light in the distance. I still occasionally get called a **** for it, normally by folks with lights just as bright.

Water proof rucksack, i just use my camelbak with the yellow rain cover on if it’s pouring, you’d be surprised how little it actually rains in the UK over winter, and thats from someone living in Manchester.

For urban riding, lots of rear lights is better than 1 mega powerful one. I’ve got 4 on the back of my commuter, 2 constant, 2 flashing.
Related, get a rear light attached to your helmet, it’s at drivers eye height and is very noticeable.
For front lights, similar applies, one bright light to see, 1 or 2 flashing lights to be seen.
Don’t forget visibility from the side. I have some spoke reflectors that I picked up from Aldi that are brilliant.
If you can use a rack do so, much more comfortable than a rucksack in my opinion.
Mudguards are brilliant.
A simple bike is also brilliant, you don’t want to feel like you’re constantly maintaining your commuter bike. Fixed works well if you/your commute allow.
However, make sure it’s still a bike you want to ride as you’ll likely spend more time on it than any other bike.
Tyres are a balance between speed and puncture resistance, pick wisely. Personally Vredestein Senso Xtreme’s are my compromise but others will have their own preferences.
Tyre size is a balance of speed v’s comfort. I run 28’s, I reckon 32’s would be better but my frame won’t allow them.
A frame pump is far better than a mini pump. CO2 is better still.
Play with your route, an extra mile is worth taking if it gets you off a nasty road.
Get your kit out the night before, if you have to find it in the morning it’ll add time and effort that you won’t have.
Mid-range, functional kit works, like the bike, you’ll wear it more than anything else so I don’t like really cheap stuff. Decathlon 500 series or bulk buys from Planet-X is my staple.
Winter boots are good but expensive, overshoes are cheaper and almost as good.

millican bags are lovely but depends on budget. i have a smith 18 that i use for everything

help me not get run over

Don’t use the 6 pack. Off road lights which are so bright they blind drivers

Thanks but I’m prob not going to listen. It’s a £400 front light and I’m loathe to buy a cheaper one when this one does everything I need it to do

If “not getting run over” is a priority, not blinding oncoming drivers should probably be on your list of things you need your light to do.

you’d be surprised how little it actually rains in the UK over winter, and thats from someone living in Manchester.

This a million times.

you’d be surprised how little it actually rains in the UK over winter, and thats from someone living in Manchester.

Agreed. I get lots more use from a water resistant gilet that I wear when it’s threatening to rain than I do from my full waterproof.

There was a very wet summer a few years ago, I commuted every day by bike as my then workplace was only 7Km from home. I got wet about half a dozen times. Sometimes I was lucky with rain starting just after getting to work or back home but generally standard office hours commuting time didn’t seem that wet.

A further tip: leave spare socks and underpants at work just in case you forget to pack some 😳 🙄

I like quick release mudguards – as others have said, it doesn’t really rain that much and I hate having them on. So I’ve got £7 zefals on my ££££KK Tripster 😆
I’d agree with the “don’t use 6 Pack”. I got one of those ‘designed for commuting’ Xeccon lights, plenty bright enough and usb chargeable.
Would also recommend a camera – on the bars not lid mounted. (So you can ride round looking for trouble, of course.)

I’ve been very happy with the See.Sense front and rear lights I bought from them. More than bright enough for commuting through the last two winters up in Aberdeen, and also pretty happy that when I noticed that one of them was not holding its charge well, they replaced it FOC (out of warranty) with the newer model.

Tons of settings available for them, but the movement sensor picks up a car approaching (either front or rear) and intensifies. It does the same when you brake, so gives *some* indication to drivers that they need to pay some attention to what you’re doing.

Spoke reflectors, or additional reflective side visibility would be another of my suggestions. Bike lights are fine for pointing back and front, but your visibility to other users whilst you’re sat at a junction can be limited. (hence why a lot of people above have also pointed out why your Exposure light is rubbish for commuting, as it has no side visibility)

Not sure I’d rely on the See.Sense front light to see by. One of the BuMM lights, Ixon IQ Premium or Ixon Core better for that, not hugely expensive, good side visibility, won’t dazzle if set up properly.