Cycling in Winter

What to wear when winter cycling:

Keeping yourself warm is essential when preparing to go for a cycle in winter. We have a number of products that you can take a look at in our clothing range from base layers and cycling jackets to hats and cycling gloves.

Cycling Base Layers:

Skins Men’s Carbonyte Thermal Long Sleeve Round Neck Baselayer

Make sure that you wrap up warm and contain your body temperature with a good base layer such as the Skins Carbonyte Thermal Long Sleeve Round Neck Baselayer. Layer up to begin with, but not too much as once you get moving and cover those miles, you will warm up significantly and need to de-layer. One short sleeved base layer will do the trick along with a zipped cycling jersey such as our very own PBK Santini Replica Team Short Sleeve Jersey to go over the top. The good thing about wearing a zip jersey over your base layer is that when you get too hot, you can cool down with ease without having to take off a layer, just simply unzip your jersey and ride with an open chest, letting the cool breeze hit the base layer underneath.

Cycling Jackets:

Sportful Reflex 2 Jacket – Yellow Fluo

A quality windproof, waterproof and reflective cycling jacket is a necessity for cycling in winter. With several characteristics to keep you warm and dry from the wind and rain, the additional reflective feature on cycling jackets such as Sportful Reflex 2 Jacket, ensures that you have a safe ride also as your visibility is maximised.

Take a look at our full cycling clothing range for a variety of options for what to wear when cycling in winter. It is also worth noting that most of our jerseys and jackets also come with zipped components – handy places to keep your energy gels and nutrition as well as your phone (with emergency contact details just in case the ice gets the better of you)!

Cycling Gloves:

Castelli Leggenda Gloves

Your hands are very precious, and we all know that they can get freezing without a pair of warm cycling gloves on a long Sunday ride, especially at this time of the year! There is nothing worse than losing the feeling in your fingertips and watching them turn blue from the cold. Here at PBK we have a selection of winter cycling gloves such as Castelli Leggenda Gloves that will ensure a warm, comfortable fit – ideal for a cycle in winter. Be kind to your hands, take a look at this must have item, and the rest of our range of cycling gloves.

Headwear:

Buff Polar Headwear Reversible

We have a number of hats and caps to keep your head, neck and ears warm from the chill and the sharp breeze that hits you when riding against the wind.

Available in a variety of colours and a cosy fit are head warmers that you can wear around your neck and pull over your ears and face. We also have a range of headbands that will fit nice and snug under your helmet, keeping your ears and forehead protected from the sharp wind.

We have many options over at ProBikeKit for you to choose from to keep warm during your winter cycle. Don’t let the cold stop you from cycling – browse through our large clothing range all at great value prices.

Cautions and Tips:

Your safety is our number one concern and we have a few cautions to make you aware of as well as a number of tips and products to invest in to ensure that you stay safe when cycling in winter.

Rain, wind, frost and ice are all adverse weather conditions throughout the winter season so you need to be extra cautious when setting off on a ride. Implications of this include reduced visibility and a reduction of grip on the road – be wary of frost and ice lining the tarmac.

Plan Ahead:

Garmin Edge 810 GPS Cycle Computer

Before heading out on your cycle, plan and know your route. It gets dark very early in winter and the conditions can be dangerous for cyclists, so making sure that you are well prepared is essential.

For the more serious cyclists among you, we recommend that you take a look at some of our GPS tracking computers. One of our favourite products is the Garmin Edge 810 GPS Cycle Computer which allows you to track every detail with real-time weather forecasts and alerts. The Garmin Edge also includes a navigation feature which will be great for those of you who tend to get lost!

GPS tracking computers are worth investing in regardless of the time of year as they will not only help navigate you through your route but you can also use it for training purposes and you can see your progress over time – how many miles you’ve cycled, your speed, heart rate and so on.

Bike Maintenance:

Birzman E-Version 20 Mini Tool

Simple bike maintenance is an aspect to keep on top of throughout this festive season such as regularly assessing your tyres, gears, chain set, and brakes especially as the road can get slippery with black ice and frost. We have a Birzman E-Version 20 Mini Tool which is a multi-tool with 20 functions always worth carrying with you for emergencies, ensuring that you will be covered in making sure that your bike it safe to ride in winter conditions.

Bike Lights:

Lezyne Micro Drive 400XL/Strip Light Set

Visibility can be poor as the darkness descends during winter. Make yourself visible to other road users and pedestrians to ensure optimum safety whilst winter cycling – bright clothing (as mentioned above) and bike lights are must have items to keep you safe on the roads. We have a wide range of bike lights for you to take a look at. This Lezyne Micro Drive 400XL/Strip Light Set has a Side Visibility design that allows 180 degrees of visibility and increases user safety. Fixed to the front and rear of your road bike, this set is powerful enough for not only others to see you but also to light your path if you have chosen a route that is not well lit.

Fuel up and Recover:

High5 Endurance Exclusive Bundle

Energy levels are difficult to maintain on the best of days, let alone in the winter when you need all the motivation that you can get. Our range of energy and nutrition provides you with countless options for you to fuel your ride.

The energy and nutrition selection also caters for recovery, so that you can replenish your muscles right away after your cycle. Recovery is essential after many miles of road cycling and in winter, your body is likely to be affected (more so than usual) by the cold temperatures and strong winds meaning that your muscles will need a lot of TLC as they’ll be cold and tense. Make sure that you warm yourself up straight after your ride with a hot bath or shower and have some of our recovery nutrition products.

Once you have got your body temperature back to normal and regained the fuel that you have lost, make sure to do plenty of stretching to loosen and replenish your muscles, particularly your legs (calves, quads and hammies).

So there you have it, our top tips on keeping warm and safe this winter. Take all of the above on board, but please make sure that if conditions are extreme then don’t rise to the challenge, it’s okay to take a day off!