Issue 163: Winter is coming (mini group test)

Head-to-toe extremity wear to keep you heading out – and staying out for longer – on your bike during the forthcoming challenging times.

Fox Dropframe Pro helmet

• Price: £259.99
• From: Fox Racing UK

There are other brands making similarly Pizza Delivery Moped Driver style helmets, but we’re giving the nod to Fox simply because the Dropframe Pro seems to fit more people’s head shapes than rival lids. It is also one of the better ‘Snoopy ear’ helmets in terms of being able to hear stuff around you which is useful on the road as well as being less annoying for your riding buddies. During the deep, dark times of winter this helmet has been most welcome on all sorts of rides. From messing about in the woods with lots of standing around, through to slogging across the moor tops, the Dropframe Pro has kept the chills at bay without being overly hot or claustrophobic.

Madison Eyewear Enigma glasses

• Price: £29.99
• From: Freewheel

Winter is not the time to be wearing expensive eyewear. There’s far too much grit and filth being flung around. Not to mention potentially more time spent crashing and rolling through the undergrowth. Expensive lenses get scratched just like any other lenses. The Enigma specs from Madison offer decent coverage, a comfy, adjustable fit and they come with a clear lens (for night riding, or just really dingy days) and an orangey lens that isn’t overly dark (so it still lets you see what’s going on even in dense tree cover). There is also a dark lens in the box but we’ve not used it much because it is arguably too dark. Anyway, thirty quid. And you get a rigid zip-up box to keep it all in. What’s not to like?

Classic Pogie

• Price: £34.99
• From: Hotpog

Yeah, that’s right. Pogies. After our never-ending quest to find a winter glove that properly works for mountain biking (spoiler alert: there ain’t any) we’re going to call it a day and admit defeat. So what is the answer? The more socially acceptable answer is to simply take multiple pairs of spare gloves with you (the understandably ubiquitous 100% Brisker most likely). If you couldn’t give a toss about fitting into normal society – hey, why would you? – then the simple answer is pogies. Pogies are essentially duvet greenhouses for your hands. You don’t even have to wear gloves with them if you’re brave. Despite what you may expect, these Classic Pogies from Nottingham’s Hotpog still afford your fingers and thumbs sufficient freedom to operate your controls with a high level of tactility and control. Go pogie or go home. Quite literally.

Geckowear Knee Length Ultimate Waterproof socks

• Price: £39.99
• From: Geckowear

We have tried every brand of waterproof sock under the sun (well, rain). Pretty much all of them have some sort of issue. Whether it’s being too thick, too stiff, too short, too droopy, too silicon-grippy, ripping the membrane, or just simply just not being very waterproof, there’s always something disappointing about them. By far the best waterproof socks we’ve encountered thus far are these lengthy lovelies from Geckowear. Are knee length waterproof socks overkill? Nope. In fact, the only waterproof socks that reliable and consistently work are knee length ones; anything shorter simply fills up with water being wicked in from your trousers or drainpiped in off your leg flesh. These Geckowear knee length offerings aren’t overly chunky or hot, nor do they creep and droop down your calf. They are the best waterproofs socks currently available.

Leatt 7.0 HydraDri Flat shoe

• Price: £189.99
• From: ZyroFisher

These aren’t a new product. They are the very same shoe as we’ve reviewed and recommended in previous wintertime issues. And still nothing has knocked them off their perch. You can keep your Gore-Tex shoes. Good luck with Primaloft as an upper lining. Neither of these materials work. Not on the end of your leg anyway. The genius of the Leatt HydraDri shoes is that they are essentially shoes (not boots) with an integrated boot-high overshoe. The overshoe is also nicely tapered and close-fitting above your ankle bones. Paired with a decent a pair of riding trousers, water has a devil of a job getting in to the top of these shoes. And the overshoe layer does incredible work at keeping your feet from getting cold. Get half a size up a pair them with waterproof socks if you really want to keep nature at bay. They may not have the outright pedal traction of other brands but it’s good enough, and staying comfortable is way more important in the grand scheme of things.

Shimano EX900 clip-in winter boot

• Price: £269.99
• From: Freewheel

This is the third iteration of Shimano’s true off-road winter boot. Built more like a hiking boot, with grippy Ultread sole and EVA mid-sole padding, it’s GoreTex-lined and heavily reinforced on the outside. There are scuff-resistant fabrics and rubber bumpers all around, with a sewn-in tongue to keep water at bay. The (sealed) cleat slots are more mid-foot mounted (and can be covered up completely with a bolt-on cover for flat pedal use. Keeping your foot secure are two BOA dials, with the side-mounted dial protected by a deflector to stop you popping shoes open on rock strikes. In use, they’re roomy and adjustable, with the sizing assuming you’ll be wearing a wooly sock and they’re comfortable whether riding over the moors, or pushing your bike through snow and mud. These are the boots to wear when you need to ride 20 miles off road to the forest to then spend all day digging trails and ride home in the cold and dark, via the pub.

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