One of the really fundamental things about riding in the winter is to make sure you can be seen. The winter months can be hazardous, with dark conditions resulting in reduced visibility, so lights should be your first purchase.

Of course, winter means colder temperatures. Here, keeping warm on your ride relies upon a combination of layering – just as you would for any winter walk – but arguably more so when you’ve got wind-chill to factor in. Even on a still day, if you’re riding at 25km/h, then that equals a constant 25km/h wind.

Of course, winter means colder temperatures. Here, keeping warm on your ride relies upon a combination of layering – just as you would for any winter walk – but arguably more so when you’ve got wind-chill to factor in. Even on a still day, if you’re riding at 25km/h, then that equals a constant 25km/h wind.

A windproof outer later (like you’ll find in a waterproof jacket above) will keep the worst of the chill off, but a thermal base layer or mid layer will also help to keep your body warm on a ride. Also consider a neck gaiter to keep out draughts too!

But, if we had to pick one key accessory to keep you warm, it would be gloves. When you ride, you need to be in control of your ride, which means you need to be able to use your fingers to work the brakes and gears, and grip the handlebars. Cold temperatures can interfere with your finger mobility, and so your control and safety.

Consider waterproof gloves that can keep water away from your hands, and for the extra cold days opt for gloves that have an additional lining for added insulation.

Good advice for all year round, not just winter, is to wear a helmet. They offer vital protection for your head if you do happen to fall off or have an accident, while there are many that are designed in bright colours that can boost visibility, effectively acting as a preventative measure.

Good advice for all year round, not just winter, is to wear a helmet. They offer vital protection for your head if you do happen to fall off or have an accident, while there are many that are designed in bright colours that can boost visibility, effectively acting as a preventative measure.  

Urban style helmets normally feature a hard shell outer that stops rain from getting onto your head too, which is a nice bonus in winter.

You can also buy lights that can mount directly onto a helmet for even more visibility. Cosmo’s Ride Light can be fitted to the back of a helmet as well as a bike, and includes the ability to indicate by pressing a button on a remote control mounted to your handlebar.

The great thing about an e-bike is it can often also help you to transport luggage too. With pannier racks pre-installed on many urban e-bikes, you can carry everything you need for a day (or even a weekend!) on one.

The great thing about an e-bike is it can often also help you to transport luggage too. With pannier racks pre-installed on many urban e-bikes, you can carry everything you need for a day (or even a weekend!) on one.

To protect your belongings, your pannier bags should be water resistant to repel rainfall and puddle splashes.  

If you prefer to ride with a backpack, then a waterproof model or one with a waterproof covering will help to keep your essential kit dry. Our chosen Oxford V12 backpacks come in a two bright high visibility colours too, boosting visibility as an added bonus.

Winter can be particularly hard on bikes. With water, grit, salt and grime from treated roads, frames and components get exposed to a lot of wear and tear. Throw in sometimes freezing temperatures, and winter can become a real bike destroyer!

Winter can be particularly hard on bikes. With water, grit, salt and grime from treated roads, frames and components get exposed to a lot of wear and tear. Throw in sometimes freezing temperatures, and winter can become a real bike destroyer!

In order to keep your ride in perfect working order, it’s really important to wash it regularly – reducing the eroding effects of all that dirt and grime. Ideally, you should wash your bike after each wet ride, but realistically a wash down once a week should stave off the worst wear.

Mudguards can also help if you don’t already have them installed. Not only do they protect you from added road spray from the tyres, but the frame from additional splashback too.

It’s also worth re-lubricating your chain regularly too. In the winter especially, chains can dry out and start to wear much faster. In order to maximise your chain’s life and efficiency (which in turn makes riding easier), we recommend cleaning and drying a chain before re-lubricating it.