Vaude bike gaiters do a great job of keeping your feet and lower legs dry. 25 quid ex-MOD GoreTex do the rest of waist down, then add your jacket of choice.

You’ll look a proper numpty but you’ll be dry and quids in.

missed the most obvious thing for grotty winters… a rigid singlespeed, bugger all cleaning and just chuck pads in when they wear down, also great for learning some new skills, finding smoother lines and getting your mosh on.

you don’t need glasses.

You do with my eyesight 😂

Boots, knee-length Sealskinz socks, tights and waterproof shorts.

And those gloves in the article aren’t winter wear. Barely 3 season. The waterproof version are better, if a bit more bulky. What you want are Pogies 😂

And those gloves in the article aren’t winter wear. Barely 3 season.

Agreed. I’ve never got the Brisker for the winter love – they are not a winter glove. And we’ve 3 pairs in the household.

Thick merino wool socks are the best thing for me in winter. Yeah my feet get wet but after a few mins I don’t even notice it because they’re still toasty and warm regardless.

I’ve used the original (non waterproof) briskers in -5c and they’re great, maybe I just have good circulation?

Disagree with the glove doubters – Briskers all the way in the winter here. I think it just shows how different folks hands are. Anything thicker and my hands feel too hot once I’m moving.

Neoprene overshoes are a game changer on the feet. Endura MT500 – make your summer SPD shoes cosy down to negative temps.

missed the most obvious thing for grotty winters… a rigid singlespeed, bugger all cleaning and just chuck pads in when they wear down, also great for learning some new skills, finding smoother lines and getting your mosh on.

ive never understood the singlespeed winter approach. i would never be able to ride half the hills around me on a singlespeed in winter. hell! - i can barely get up them on an ebike! and im only on the south downs so hardly mega hill central! singlespeed on the singletrack here is lovely in the summer though – i have one for that purpose!

If i lived in oxford/swinley when all i could ride was riverside singletrack, or gravel singletrack, maybe a singlespeed would be appropriate for any actual mud on an incline then – no chance.

best thing for winter riding is more rain. the sloppier teh trails the better and the more sideways you can get. the sticky, drying-out mud is just grim.

Check the printable sizing guide here https://www.100percent.com/pages/size-guide-mens-gloves

Yellow IKEA bag…?  THIEF!

Which ones?

Smartwool hiking socks, but honestly I’d imagine any thicker merino socks will work. They’re amazing for keeping you warm even when wet.

Glasses are terrible in winter. They get covered with mud unless you have good mudguards, in which case you don’t need glasses.

I’ve known someone get a detached retina on a ride when an oncoming fly went straight into his eye, wear glasses.

Waterproof shoes are no good, you need something to keep the spray out. Boots that go under trousers. Also need something to protect your shins from spray. Once you get that dialed you can bash through the mud without getting any cold and wetness, it’s great.

Waterproof boots, gripgrab gaiters, doesn’t matter what you wear on top of that the only way water is getting in that combination is if you stand in a shin deep pudle and let it soak up the boot under the gaiters. It’s a combination I’m perennially amazed people overlook the existence of!

I have some knee length Sealskinz which are great for keeping cold muddy water off your shins. Great paired with waterproof shorts – full coverage and full flexibilty at the knee. Only issue waterproof fabric can be very cold and wet on your thighs in full rain so you need something warm under there.

Cycling trousers are great for keeping the mud outside the house, just strip to the pants outside. Tights with no chamois over bib shorts also work equally well for the skinny tyred folk.

Agree with singlespeed rigid.
I use chainsaw oil. Really cheap and works well.

Short sleeve top for winter?
Surely a long sleeve.

@tetrode

I’ve used the original (non waterproof) briskers in -5c and they’re great, maybe I just have good circulation?

Wow.  I don’t run especially cold but for me Briskers aren’t really enough much below +5C (so they’re great for the majority of winter but not really cold days) .  I think it makes a lot of difference how warm you keep your arms. I also find quite often cold at the start of a ride (or after a break) – so quite often carry an extra pair of warm gloves.  Once my hands are warm Briskers are enough to keep them warm if I’m active.

I use Briskers in the winter without any problems – in fact I’ve converted most of my riding friends to them. But we don’t get too cold here.

Biggest struggle I have is finding some trousers that are fitted and have a waterproof a*se panel. I’ve got trousers for when its raining, but if I use them when its not raining but everywhere is soaked I overheat big time, tried MT500 Sprays (from around 6 years ago so design may have changed since then?) but too hot and the Madison Zenith’s but they don’t fit too well and are still hot. Ideally something like a Fox Flexor with just a waterproof a*se panel – any recommendations?

If you can still get one Altura make a riding jersey using Polartec for the body , they are brilliant 👍

I tried MT500 overshoes but they aren’t big enough to go over winter boots ( which I guess is unnecessary anyway) but aren’t those gaiters the same thing?

I find a bike bag and an airline ticket to warmer climes the best solution, even if it’s only a week that’s 5 or 6 rides in good weather which is more than 2 months of weekend riding

There is a new Brisker Extreme out now..

I thought the 100% hydromatic was more of a waterproof than cool/cold weather glove

Didn’t know about the brisker extreme, that looks ideal. Any real world feedback on them?