How to dress for cycling in winter?

Autumn and winter are rather cold and wet seasons, not the most pleasant for cycling. However, they are also an opportunity to discover different landscapes and their weather conditions should not be an obstacle to the pleasure of going out riding! The key is to be well equipped so as not to resign yourself to not seeing as your hometrainer.

Basic principle

In order not to be cold, you must not be wet. For this, it will therefore be necessary to use breathable technical clothing that evacuates perspiration as well as possible.

Well, that was quick, but it's important! 🙂

For the rest I give you the main lines and, for more detail, more advice, I invite you to see the video at the bottom of the page.

Multi-layered upper body

At the top we will use the “3-layer system” which can include more if necessary:

1. The breathable layer: a short-sleeved or long-sleeved undershirt that sticks to the skin. This last point is important because it is what will allow the humidity to be evacuated directly.
2. The insulating layer: a long-sleeved or short-sleeved jersey, a thermal jacket… This is the layer that keeps you warm.
3. The protective layer: a sleeveless windbreaker, a rain jacket… Here the goal is to be protected from the wind and/or rain.

These layers are of course to be adapted according to the weather conditions and the sensitivity to cold of each one.

To help with the choice of clothing, the brands give on their sites ideal temperature ranges for the different parts.

Bottom is up to you

Short or long, everyone will do as they feel. When the temperatures really drop, we will rather turn to long courses of course and even long special winter courses if it is really cold.

One trick I like is using shorts with leg warmers. This allows a certain modularity and can allow some savings by avoiding the purchase of tights.

Very important: the extremities

The head

Keeping your head warm is of immense importance! This is where 30-40% of our body heat escapes. Also, if the brain considers that it is cold, it will make sure to warm itself up as well as some other vital organs. For this he will supply less blood to areas which, according to him, are less useful such as the hands and feet.

We will therefore use: a cap under a helmet, a multifunction neck warmer, a headband, a balaclava, etc.

Also, don't forget to wear goggles so you don't freeze your eyes! The key is to choose a model with lenses adapted to the season. We will ride a lot in gray weather or at night, so transparent or photochromic lenses are ideal.

Currently I use the Julbo Ultimate with photochromic lenses covering categories 0 to 3 and it's just perfect for pedaling day and night.

Hands

For the hands we will obviously use gloves. There are some for different temperature ranges, windproof and/or waterproof. It is also possible to add under gloves to find a multilayer system as for the upper body. 1 thing to remember though: the gloves must be large enough! If you feel a little tight inside, if it pulls between your fingers, if your fingers touch the end... it's not good! A lack of space in our gloves means blood that circulates less well, less air to heat up to insulate from the cold and therefore hands that won't be happy 🙂

The feet

On the side of the feet, we will first think of a pair of winter socks or of putting on 2 pairs of socks. In either case, as with the hands, be careful not to feel compressed in your shoes.

Accessories such as toe covers or shoe covers will be essential so as not to suffer too much from the cold in the feet. A pair of special winter shoes is also a very good idea. Designed to protect from the cold and the rain, it is a gain in comfort and practicality.

GOOD DEAL: Equip yourself at Bicycle Line with -15%

The video below was produced in collaboration with the Italian brand Bicycle Line and on this occasion, benefit from a 15% reduction on the new autumn/winter collection thanks to the code JULIEN15.

VIDEO: Tips for dressing for a bike in winter