Cycling has its challenges as the nights draw in and the frosts arrive – but it can also be more rewarding and straightforward than one might think

How to get the most out of cycling in winter

The nights have well and truly drawn in, and for many Britons the frosts have arrived. Time to pack away the bike for a few months?



Don’t be tempted. Cycling, particularly bike commuting, can bring its challenges in winter. But it’s compellingly rewarding, and can be much more straightforward than many would think.

Below is a somewhat arbitrary list of my personal tips, hints and thoughts for the would-be winter cyclist. Do feel free to disagree or add your own below.

Dress for the weather

This might seem absurdly obvious, but it’s amazing how often you see people who’ve clearly dressed for a bike ride based on the previous day’s weather. There’s also that curious sub-group who wears shorts whatever the temperature, but that’s another matter.

Another common error is to wrap up too warm, so you feel nicely snug as you set off. Even a relatively modest-paced bike ride warms you up considerably, so if you’re going more than a mile or so, too many layers can leave you a bit clammy on arrival.

Mind the extremities

The areas to focus on wrapping up well are those which won’t warm themselves through exertion – mainly the hands, feet, neck and ears. If you’re just trundling to work, any normal gloves are fine (though wool ones can slip on handlebars). If you’re riding in flimsy bike shoes, neoprene over-boots are brilliant.

I tend to feel the chill most on my ears, so I’m a big fan of the thin-but-insulated headband things you can, if needed, slip under a bike helmet.

Invest in good lights

While the basics of a bicycle have stayed fundamentally the same for a good century or so, technology has brought benefits, arguably none as great as the modern era of tiny, extremely bright bike lights.

They’re so good that if you’re riding in a town or a city, even at night there is no reason for a driver to not see you in time. Of course, some still don’t, but that’s a separate debate. Winter riding in rural areas can be more tricky, but even modern lights can make it much easier.

Some people swear by dynamo systems, which run friction-free via a wheel hub. I personally use USB-chargeable models. I spent about £80 combined on a front and rear light, which can sound a lot, but they’re robust, small and retina-scorching in their luminosity.

On that note, when riding at night it’s worth making sure your front light isn’t angled too high – some are so bright it’s easy to dazzle pedestrians and other road users.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Cyclists wait by the side of the road in central London. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

Get some mudguards!

OK, you’ve got a flash carbon-framed road bike and it looks more sleek without mudguards. I don’t care. Buy some mudguards – at least just a clip-on rear mudguard – so those riding behind you don’t have to splutter in your stream of liquid road muck.

You wouldn’t gargle mouthwash and spit it out on the bus, would you? Well, have the same courtesy on a bike.

Think about a practical bike

Narrow tyres or drop handlebars can feel tricky for some in the cold and wet. While there’s a reason so many Britons choose lightweight, rapid bikes for their commute – on feral roads there’s a safety premium to keeping up with the motor traffic – there is another way.

If your ride has some bike lanes or isn’t too scary – and, of course, if you can afford it – you could think of buying a more practical, winter-friendly bike.

The model I ride to work has full mudguards, a chain case and an enormous basket at the front into which my bag and any combination of spare coats can fit with ease. In the winter, riding sedately in office clothes can feel much easier than juggling two sets of winter garments.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A cyclist in the snow. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Enjoy it – but don’t make it a chore

It’s still virtually dark at 8.30am and tipping with rain? Great, get the bus, or train, or car into work instead. You won’t be judged. Same for riding in ice or the snow. You won’t get a medal for trying it.

But ride often enough through the winter and you will, I promise, learn to enjoy it – the frosty mornings, the swift, magical dusks, those wet and blustery days when being on a bike feels like being lashed to the mast of a ship in a storm.

And once you’ve tracked the passage of the season firsthand through the breeze and chill, experiencing the arrival of spring is all the more gratifying. And if that’s not enough, may I refer you to Rule 9.