I genuinely love winter mountain biking. Here are the items that help me maintain my loving relationship with The Filth.

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By ben_haworth

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Make winter riding actually fun with these

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

Oh and hot chain wax, because it’s the only way to keep your chain actually lubricated after the first 10 mins of mud.

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.

Ankle gaiters are perfect for winter.
Not so long that they make your legs hot, but keep the crap out of your shoes/boots

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.

Five Ten Goretex Boots have been a game changer for me, second winter with them and they are just brilliant! 🙂 TLD Stage full face for the win too, it’s almost like it’s not raining. Almost. 😅 

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 😂

Forgot the boot-drier-out-er

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.

a rigid singlespeed, bugger all cleaning

Putoline, bugger all cleaning… And still gears.

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?

Thick merino wool socks

Which ones?

I also have issues with jackets. I have to wash mine, every ride. I swear lots so I can’t do a jacket that can’t be washed and washed.

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.

I still need waterproof shorts. Now, ankle gaiters!

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.

How does sizing work for the Briskers?  Where are you measuring from/to?

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

An electric shoe dryer is the best invention ever – unless you’re a spoilt jurno who has different footwear for each day of the week 😂

IME, waterproof shoes are just harder to dry once they are wet.

Knee-length sealskins (army surplus from ebay is 1/2 bike shop price), worn under trousers (army surplus gore-tex if it’s proper bad weather) are better than anything else I’ve found to stay dry. The whole lot will be the right side of £50.

A hat, sweatband, or any other way to keep your ears warm is vital.

Sintered pads – I got 5 laps of this years puffer out a set – they last way longer than resin.

Yellow IKEA bag…?  THIEF!

I’ve tried the army surplus GoreTex trousers. You could fit two of my legs down each on them and I’m not exactly a stick insect!

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.

I take a simple approach for winter, too much faff or thinking about it and I will procrastinate until spring 🙂 A hardtail with mudguards front and back, lights, waterproof socks, trousers and however many layers I need to be warm.

When I get to the car, outer layer of clothes in a builders trug and straight home, shoes in airing cupboard to dry and me straight into the shower. If the outer layer of clothes are caked then I’ll rinse them off otherwise I put the lot in the wash. Bike gets a wash every few weeks when its really bad or when the chain needs attention. Other than that it gets the worst of the mud bashed off and put away.

I always feel better having been out, even if it is filthy. The only exception is claggy mud that stops the wheels from turning, if it is like that I would rather stay at home in front of the fire and get fat.

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 tried the cut-off Marigolds before the GripGrab gaiters came along. Sort of worked, but they were a bit fragile. 

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.

If mountain biking then singlespeeding is the way to go in the winter slop, so cheap and less hassle to clean.

Or get out on your cx bike with proper cx tyres fitted, so much fun and surprisingly a lot less filthy than mountain biking due to the much skinnier tyres.

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 that procrastination is a real killer of outdoor winter slurry surfing ambitions.
The key antidote is to not give yourself any reasons to procrastinate in the first place.
This means you need to prep, prep and prep some more the night before.

• Charge lights
• Check bike over
• Pump up tyres
• Lay out winter cycling clothes (for me this generally consists of old cycle clothes your wife would throw out if she carried out your post ride clothes wash).
• Lay out shoes, jacket, gloves, buff and glasses.

Did I mention you’re to prep?

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

Short sleeve top for winter?
Surely a long sleeve.

Short sleeve top for winter?
Surely a long sleeve.

With a LS base layer underneath. Hot arms = overheating.

@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.

Hi Molgrips,

My experience differs.

I find glasses good for riding in all weathers – for me they do what they need to do, protect my eyes from grit and muddy spray which may include dog egg slurry.  I do use a RRP front mudguard as it reduces a measure of spray.  

I have found waterproof shoes great – especially those with a neoprene ankle cuff to keep out the worst of the spray.  I also use SealSkinz waterproof socks as they go up to my knees – well I roll them down to just below my pads.  In wet weather I also wear waterproof 3/4’s as they give me a good measure of waterproofness and breathability.

Since last year, I have used Revolube in all weathers and it has kept my chain clean and lubricated and does not wash off – it also lasts at least 200 miles before I re-lubricate.  I would recommend.

 

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?

Two things I don’t get

– why don’t think 100% make an even warmer version of the Brisker? Very slightly more warmth on the inner (i.e. 50-100wt fleece) and a thicker outer

– why don’t other companies make something similar?

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?

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£40 decathlon cycling trousers with waterproof panel on rear

I ride with these and find them brilliant, slightly short for my leg length, but dexshell socks cover this

“Rear and shins = triple-layered waterproof membrane fabric

On the thighs and waist = breathable stretchy fabric. Thanks to this fabric, the bottoms are lighter and dry more quickly”

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

why don’t think 100% make an even warmer version of the Brisker? Very slightly more warmth on the inner (i.e. 50-100wt fleece) and a thicker outer

They do don’t they? The hydromatic brisker – I had a pair and hated the palm feel so sold them.

“Rear and shins = triple-layered waterproof membrane fabric

My experience of the decathlon trousers has been that they’re vaguely water resistant but certainly not waterproof.

There is a new Brisker Extreme out now..

Well **** me, I came along to say E-bike and the article beat me to it.