Here in Melbourne we’ve had a cold snap over the last few weeks. One week it was in the mid 20 and sunshine, the next the temperature plummeted to 12-15 and we’ve had cloud and rain since.

Bicycle commuting through the cold is doable and with the correct gear it’s not all that painful either. One of the big benefits of cycling is you generate your own heat so really all it comes down to is preserving that body generated heat whilst still allowing for some breathability.

Here are 5 items I didn’t have when I started out bicycle commuting but now wouldn’t leave home without during my winter commutes.




1. Ear warmer

This was the first piece of winter gear I bought and set me back a measly $15 or so and the difference was amazing. Instead of arriving at work with blue ears that would painfully defrost in the showers I now enjoy the toasty sensation of wind proof comfort around the ears.

Your ears don’t generate much heat and you can lose a lot of your own body heat from your head, the Uno ear warmers I use go around your head and become wide around the rear to completely cover your ears, even with sunglasses on. Due to the design of a headband they offer protection to the back of your head and they have no effect on a rider’s hearing.

Ear warmers are tiny enough to fit into the smallest of pockets when not in use and really make a huge difference to the frosty morning commute. Hands down they are the cheapest improvement you can make to your morning ride.

Oh yeah… and don’t plan on having anything remotely resembling a hairstyle once you take it off at your final destination.



2. Leg warmers

I don’t feel comfortable wearing winter pants when riding so I wear Netti Equaliser shy shorts all year round. Whilst great in summer they are prone to letting the cool air ride up your legs and circulate around your tender bits which isn’t a pleasant sensation first thing in the morning.

Leg warmers should set you back between $20-$30 a pair and basically cover from about your calves to your thighs. My Netti shy short knicks come down a bit lower then normal nicks so I just tuck the leg warmers over the grab band of the shorts.

You can even go one step further and use thermal shorts under your knicks/shy shorts along with leg warmers. Personally I found this too warm around the crotch area so I just stick to the leg warmers.

Leg warmers offer all the benefits of full length knicks but with minimal dorkiness if you don’t like the lycra look. Warm legs are happy legs.




3. Winter Jersey

A short sleeve jersey through summer is ok but you’re really not doing yourself any favours continuing to use it through winter. Even with arm warmers you’ll find that most short sleeve summer jerseys are too thin and breathable to be used comfortably throughout the icy mornings.

Although expensive ($75-$100+) a good winter jersey should be thicker then the summer variants and be long sleeved. I use a combo Uno Jansie jersey which has removable sleeves so it doubles as my summer jersey too.

I was initially worried about the durability of the zips but after a year they are showing no signs of wear and have been great to use. I do have one gripe though and that is with the print on the jersey, it stands out just a bit too much for my liking. When the time comes to eventually replace it i’ll probably look for something less ‘look at me!’ but continuing with the combo theme.

Wool is also an excellent alternative material to consider when hunting around for a winter jersey.




4. Thermal Tshirt

I find that a good winter jersey still needs to be supplemented with a thermal tshirt. I don’t sweat much so I alternate every day between two Haynes thermal tshirts throughout the week worn underneath my Uno Jansie jersey.

At around $10 each from Kmart and the like they are a steal and well worth the investment. Try to get them in darker colours though as the common white will quickly discolour during cycling use. If you can’t find them in darker colours you can always buy some cheap clothing dye from chemists ($5-$8 for a packet) or a craft shop and just dye them yourselves which is what I wound up doing.




5. Shoe covers

I run mountain bike shoes so it’s not so much about the cold as having shoe covers (or ‘shoe boots’) ready to slip on should it start raining. Road shoes though have a reputation for leaving your feet cold so it might be worth investing in the thermal varieties too.

My BBB Waterflex booties cost $49 and have proven invaluable in the rain. Only on the longest of rides (100km+) have my feet started to get wet as water seeped in through the ankles but given that my work commute is <20km this has never been a problem in the mornings.

I find BBB’s Waterflex booties to be a good compromise of heat retainment and being completely waterproof. They are easily stored in my panniers and attaching them takes no more then a minute or so for each shoe. If it’s raining I’ll whack them on before I leave and if it starts during my ride I just pull over and spend a few minutes slipping them on before continuing on my way.

Although you might only wind up using them once a month or less, you only need to arrive to work once with cold soggy feet to appreciate the difference waterproof shoe covers make.


Other items of note that I don’t think are essential but still important are

Winter Gloves

Your fingers are the first contact you have with the cold riding along and can be subject to a harsh wind chill effect. Summer fingerless gloves might get you through most of the winter depending on where you live but there are mornings when you’ll wish you had full length insulated gloves.

For this purpose I bought the Netti Winter Pro gloves. They have a sleeve type mould inside which feels like you’re wearing snug gloves despite them being wide and paddy on the outside. They are completely waterproof and windproof too and have a nice wrist cover which does a great job of keeping your wrist warm too.

These set me back $50 and because I only wear them during cold mornings they don’t wear as fast as normal gloves. Definately worth it if you get to work feeling like you have frostbite on your fingers.




Rain Jackets

Buying a cycling rain jacket is going to hurt your hip pocket ($100-$200+) unless you buy a poncho style rain cover piece of plastic. I personally prefer to just get wet as cycling gear dries pretty quickly and I find that even if my thermal tshirt gets wet, it still stays warm till I stop riding.

I have worn a waterproof army jacket on occasion when I’m wearing casual clothes on the bike and I’ve found that’s done a good job in keeping me dry. Unfortunately while it’s 100% waterproof it has 0 breathability so I have to ride painfully slow to not work up the slightest of a sweat.




Mudguards

Whilst not clothing, mudguards are invaluable whether the road is just slightly wet or you’re stuck in a torrential downpour. Sure if it’s raining you’re still going to get wet but being wet from relatively clean rain from above is much more pleasant them having your bike spit dirty road water back up at you.

Also mudguards help to keep your bike clean. Components don’t last long if they’re constantly being splashed with gritty road water. I run the SKS P45′s on my Surly Long Haul Trucker and love them. The front flap could be a bit lower but I find it’s adequate enough when used with waterproof booties.

I have used the cheaper Zefal variants in the past but found the fastening mechanism to be a nightmare and extremely flimsy.


Winter cycling gear can be a bit of a steep upfront cost but is a worthwhile investment if you’re keen to rely on your bicycle all year round for transport. My winter gear isn’t the flashiest around but to date I’ve had no dramas with it and plan to get many more years of toasty winter commuting out of them.

I mean really, what price can you put on being comfortable riding on a cold winter morning through Melbourne’s frost.

Related posts that might interest you:

1. 7 reasons why bicycle commuting doesn’t work in Taiwan
2. My experience with a Merino wool cycling jersey
3. Bicycle commuting: is auto vehicle air pollution harmful?
4. Bicycle Commuting: Fat or Skinny Bike Tires?
5. Rainproofing a bicycle bottle dynamo