1. Winterproof your bike

To help your steed cope with gritted roads and grimy puddles, you need to prepare it for the horrors ahead. Clean it properly and then apply an all-weather lubricant to the chain and any other parts where metal meets metal. Don't go mad. The oil should not drip and must under no circumstances must it touch your brake pads or wheel rims.

2. Get lights

With the rapidly decreasing number of daylight hours, a good set of lights is more important than ever. Any brand will do, just check the running time and avoid any that use expensive, awkwardly shaped batteries. Knog lights are very popular, and clip straight onto most bikes without fiddly brackets (knog.com.au). You can also get flashing pedals such as those made by Pedalite (pedalite.com).

3. Fit mudguards

Many bike snobs would sooner cycle naked than sully their bike's geometry with a pair of mudguards, but we'll leave them to their boneheaded idiocy. A good pair of mudguards will give you a far better chance of turning up at your destination looking vaguely respectable. If you don't want to fix permanent guards, get so-called racing guards, which are shorter and clip on and off using rubber straps. I like Topeak Defender guards, which cost around £36 for a pair. Avoid the "crud catcher" types for mountain bikes which sit high above your back tyre: they are good for deflecting big lumps of mud but will do next to nothing to keep you dry on your commute. Some bikes, usually hybrids and "sit-up-and-beg" Dutch-style models, can also fit skirt guards and chain guards, which will keep you even cleaner and drier.

4. Get some good gloves

This is a must. You don't necessarily need proper cycling gloves – I had some lovely fur-lined leather gloves that served me well – but avoid wool, as it slips on the handlebars, and get something waterproof. Mittens are unhelpful for gear-changing and braking, but in a gloveless emergency during a cold snap, anything will do. Even socks.

5. Get a cycle-friendly winter coat

This does not have to be a day-glo cagoule. Look for something breathable which covers your bum when you lean forward and won't get heavy and soggy in the rain. French firm Do You Velo? makes lovely cycling trenches for both sexes (doyouvelo.com), and young London designer Anna Glowinski has just produced some very stylish ladies jackets in a shower proof "softshell" material with designerly pleats and ruffles (ananichoola.co.uk). Cyclodelic has come up with some funky women's jackets too. You could get a cape if you don't mind looking as though you are wearing a tent. If you want to keep your thighs try, consider strapping on a set of Rain Legs, which are made out of a water- and windproof parachute material (rainlegs.co.uk).

6. Keep your feet warm

If you are going to be doing long rides, or anticipate a lot of rainy cycling, buy some waterproof overshoes. Cyclists rather embarrassingly refer to these as "booties", but don't let that put you off: they really will keep your feet warm and dry. They are generally made out of Neoprene, a wetsuity sort of material, and just slip over your ordinary shoes. If you wear proper cycling shoes, they have holes for your cleats. You could also investigate the TWOnFRO reflective spats from Cyclechic.co.uk, which keep feet and lower leg dry in a downpour.

7. Be visible

Again, you don't have to dress in head-to-toe luminous yellow, but wearing something light and reflective is a really good idea on the long winter nights. You could get a cheap reflective sash or tabard to sling over your ordinary coat, or consider something a little more playful, such as the Hello Sailor nautical collars from the wonderful Bobbin bikes (bobbinbicycles.co.uk). Designers are being increasingly creative, with Dashing Tweeds incorporating a reflective weave in its cycling suits and capes, which look normal by day but dazzling by night (dashingtweeds.co.uk).

8. Carry a plastic bag

It's no fun getting a wet bottom, so put a plastic bag over your saddle to protect it when you lock your bike up outside. Alternatively, pay £10 for a floral saddle cover from Bobbin.

9. Enjoy the emptier streets

With the fair-weather cyclists back on the buses, enjoy your ride with far less of that stress of jostling for position at the lights. And remember it'll be far easier now to find a parking space.

10. Know when to admit defeat

There is no point stubbornly cycling just to prove to the world (which really doesn't care) that you are hardy. In the Great Snow Fall earlier this year, I was so determined not to be a wuss that I insisted on cycling to work. I skidded and fell off before even reaching the end of my road.