Winter Clothing Essentials

Have you ventured outside yet, or have you already become a turbo hermit? We feel you. The cold is horrendous, regardless of having to exercise in it, and the idea of frozen extremities and the cold air sneaking its way into your lungs for hours is somewhat daunting. 

We’re going to let you in on some top tips for winter clothing. 

Top Clothing Tips 

So what do you need, in an ideal world, to be as snug as possible on the bike. 

  • A cracking base layer 
  • A few long sleeve jerseys
  • A winter jacket/gabba to act as a windshield 
  • A waterproof jacket – 100%, although these can also act as a windproof, they’re just unlikely to be quite as warm and breathable 
  • A solid set of winter longs – bib tights, leggings will not cut the baltic temperatures of winter
  • Merino socks
  • A good pair of overshoes 
  • A buff 
  • Wonderfully warm gloves – or two pairs 

Now you know what our winter kit list includes, let’s get to the nitty gritty – the best brands and some items we can’t go without. 

Recommended brands

  • Spatz – will become your best friend, your saving grace and your wardrobe staple 
  • Assos 
  • Rapha 
  • Albion 
  • Velotoze 
  • Decathlon 
  • Gorewear 
  • DhB
  • Castelli

Spatz can provide you with some of the most high tech clothing currently on the market, which has gone through rigorous testing. Spatz have a great range of products on offer, from overshoes and base-layers, to jerseys and gloves. 

Most cyclists who have been around a little while will have heard of ASSOS, they’re a great company producing products for every season. However, their products tend to come with a hefty price tag, and although worth the investment – it really is an investment. 

Rapha is the place we’d opt to go for our winter bib tights, as they’re known for quality, price and providing a few options of thickness. Their deep winter tights come highly recommended from our office. 

Albion are a fairly new company on the block, they aim to be as responsible and green as they can and don’t have any problems creating outdoor kit for gloomy days. They’re so confident in their products, the price is high, but the reward is fabulous, with free lifetime repairs so your garments can go further. 

Velotoze produces various types of overshoes and gloves, from lightweight and aero to waterproof and winter ready, they have your back. 

Decathlon, you might be querying this one, but hear us out. Decathlon provide some of the cheapest items of clothing on the market, yet superb quality. Winter is all about layering up, and this is the place to find extra base layers, jerseys, leggings and socks at a fraction of the cost of the big cycling brands. They’re also the place we head to for ski gloves… what genius thought of wearing ski gloves on the bike during winter?! They need a medal! 

Gorewear, although not a new kid on the block, they have an oversized luggage filled to the brim with experience on creating the best clothing out there. They provide some of our favourite waterproof jackets for on the bike, and for various disciplines – not just road. Allowing you to have one for all kinds of cycling, should you need it. 

DHB provides some incredibly well priced kit for the quality you get. It’s their own brand of clothing and they provide items such as; winter long sleeve jerseys, overshoes, rain capes, gloves and bib tights. All of their products are perfect for certain weather types, though you would probably want to layer up with their products in the depths of our shockingly cold winters here in the UK. 

Castelli are a little more expensive, but that doesn’t take away from the fact their products are very well designed and made. They produce some of the best gabba’s cyclists have used – in our opinions and they come in long or short sleeve, which allows versatility with the product. 

So, what would we be buying? 

  • The Spatz baselayers, jerseys, gloves and overshoes are a no brainer for us and we wouldn’t go without
  • The Rapha deep winter bib tights are our staple 
  • A solid pair of Decathlon ski gloves for when the temperatures drop below freezing 
  • Lastly, a Gorewear, goretex jacket. There really is nothing worse than being soggy and cold 
  • A buff – from anywhere!

We would also recommend a wonderful flask, allowing you to carry hot vimto or tea around with you to weave its way into your stomach and warm you from the inside out, reusable hand-warmers – a game changer, stick them in your middle pocket on your back and they embrace your spine with a little comforting patch of heat and an ear warmer – from anywhere, wherever you can find them cheapest because they all do the same job. 

Now, start thinking about those cheeky January discounts, write your shopping list of winter goodies and get out there on your bike – it really is thrilling!