winter commuting

cce

Retrobike Rider
Gold Trader
Feedback
View
decided that when i move back closer to the office i'm going to start commuting to work by bike again

it's about 10 miles to the office across mixed roads (A and B, with some town) - we have showers.

think i'll need a slightly less pretty bike to do it on.

my basic plan was to take the car one day a week to drop clothes, lunch materials etc into the office.

any tips? gear recommendations? bearing in mind i'm doing this cos i'm poor as a church mouse atm
 
Get good lights, day glow jacket. Stop at red lights. And take no shit from any body else on the road.
 
I think appropriate clothing is a must . I only have 3 miles each way ( but done 4 times a day ) , but I dress like if I was doing the world champ .

Gore tex ix excellent , very expensive but you wont regret it .
 
cchris2lou":1xd22e0z said:
Gore tex ix excellent , very expensive but you wont regret it .

Iee tis true - i'm not one for technical clothes but a winter jacket i have is gore tex and its ace.
 
tintin40":bkq1f3a8 said:
Get good lights, day glow jacket. Stop at red lights. And take no shit from any body else on the road.

I second that, I almost knocked some idiot off his bike last night for almost running mygirlfiend and me over when he blasted though a red light with no lights and dark clothing, it was about 8pm and he def say the lights change.

Leave a lock at work so you don't need to carry one with you. Leave some wet wipes are work too in case the showers break down.
 
Rear rack and pannier a must.

Big enough to take all your stuff (so no need to drive one day a week) and no wet back at the end of each ride.
 
For on a budget try to get to an Aldi's, they just had their cycle promotion and the kit is great. The softshell is brilliant and should be the staple of your winter commute, they also have some cheap overshoes and hat and pretty good base layer stuff. Gloves aren't the greatest though, maybe try some ski ones. Goretex is great but not entirely necessary, ideally only wear rain protection when its raining, even goretex will allow condensation to build up. Look out for a Smart 1 watt rear light absolutely blinding unmissable rear led. Invest in some good socks too, I recommend the lewiskit ones, the merino content gives great warmth for low volume. The old 2 pair of socks will only reduce circulation. A buff also is a good flexible item. Oh and some reflective stuff on the bike, if you need to get slicks some are available with reflective sidewalls or I used to run with adhesive reflective patches on the rims, highly visible.
 
For trousers I have been using a Lower alpine triple point , it is like gore tex . They are simply amazing , I could wear them all year round , even when it is warm or with a few inches of snow .
They are now 2 years old , and after washing them and re proofing them they are not as good .


I used to wear overshoes , but got fed up putting them on and off all the time . this year , I invested in some SIDI boots , not waterproof , but much better and warmer . Got them second hand but if you have the cash m get the new SIDI boots with gore tex inside .
 
top tip is keep a spare pair of boxers and socks in a carrier bag in you ruck sac1 nothing worse than spending all day at work with wet kecks!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top