Are you prepared for winter?

In winter you need to protect yourself from the cold and damp as well as from other vehicles. You can ride anywhere and anytime as long as you’re warm, dry and have good visibility. Read on for useful advice from RiDE magazine on staying warm and safe this winter.

OK, so riding in the colder weather does require a steely nerve and meticulous dressing-up ritual akin to a medieval knight suiting up for battle. In fact, let’s think about riding through winter in this vein; with the correct equipment, the cold and wet can easily be defeated.

For those who rely on a bike to commute, the nine-to-five winter roads are busy ones. More people rely on their warm cars during this time of year, rather than waiting for a train, bus or even walking. This means increased congestion and therefore makes riding through the colder months a more valid option than ever to beat the queues.

Spare gloves

Owning a spare pair of warm gloves may seem unnecessary, but think twice before throwing out that old pair. There’s nothing worse than having to put on cold and wet gloves to ride home.

Waterproof over-suit

The motorcycling equivalent of a plastic mac comes as a one or two-piece suit and usually scrunches up small enough to occupy little bag space. When the going gets too cold and wet, stick it on.

Booty call

Though boots that claim warmth and waterproofing seem the obvious route, some sports boots (along with thermal socks) do surprisingly well on both fronts.

Field-testing is the only way to discover whether another pair of boots is justified. To help avoid ‘trench foot’, make sure boots fit under trousers so water doesn’t run into them.

All-in-One Riding suits

The idea with an all-in-one suit is to be able to be fully dressed underneath and step out of it easily, ready for business, a little like Superman. These have all the benefits of a warm and dry jacket-and-trouser combo without the chance of drafts getting between the joins.

The downside is the inability to mix and match with leather trousers if you want.

Helmet

Colder temperatures make the inside of a visor more likely to steam up; opening chin vents to help clear this will only direct frosty air into eyes. Simple-to-fit inserts such as the Pinlock are available for most helmets; give a visor airtight double-glazing to ensure it remains mist free without the need to open the visor.

If you don’t want to fit an insert, an application of a product like Fog Tech can keep your visor free of mist.

Pain in the neck

Always wear a neck warmer and never a scarf. Balaclavas are also an option. Cold necks are surprisingly painful.

Jacket & Trousers

Function over form is king here and you get what you pay for. Once you have a dependable combination – stick with it. A good winter jacket and trousers will be multi-layered affairs; a hardwearing outer made from manmade fabrics secured with armour, a waterproof layer (Gore-Tex is the industry standard) and a thermal lining.

A long jacket, especially if it zips to trousers, helps keep wind chill off the back. It needs to be close fitting in order to retain warmth. Check out our list of the top 10 textile winter suits.

Heated clothing

Often powered by the bike’s battery, heated jackets, waistcoats, gloves and even boot insoles help massively to ensure a warm rider. Keeping the body’s torso warm is the best bet as warm blood is then pumped round the rest of the body. Some feature a lot of wiring though, which can be annoying.

Under layers

Or base layers. Surprisingly, bulky jumpers under jackets do little to retain warmth compared to close fitting, ‘technical’ underwear.

This has a top layer designed to keep the cold out and the main construction to regulate the body’s temperature without getting sweaty. Your M&S long johns will do a similar job, but won’t offer a ‘Milk Tray man’ look.

Be Seen

The days are short and nights are long! Do everything you can to stand out more when light is past. Some companies offer fluorescent and reflective clothing, from the dominating to the discreet. You can even get rucksack covers and adhesive shapes to stick on to your riding kit.

Winter top tips

Keep a damp cloth under the screen or somewhere accessible on the move to wipe away muddy spray from your visor. Worried about water? Tuck your gloves under your jacket cuffs so water doesn’t flow into your fingers.