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How should you dress for winter cycling? Here are our best tips for layering up

From base layers to waterproof shells, we cover all the layers

Riding in the shoulder seasons and winter is really the time when your cycling clothing matters a lot. In the summer, you can get away with throwing things on and heading out for a ride with just one layer. In the winter it’s a whole other story.

Winter cycling conditions are often very changeable, which means you need to prepare for everything on your ride: rain, wind, snow and occasionally, the odd heatwave. 

A while ago we talked to CAMS-Basso rider Megan Barker about her best tips, and some of the most useful are included in this article. You can watch the video with Becca and Megan here and read our tips below. 

Keep your hands and feet warm

2023 Scott Foil RC Pro riding GoPro.jpeg

"Once your toes get cold that's when your whole body starts to feel really cold, so keep your fingers and toes warm with nice gloves, socks and overshoes, and keep that emergency waterproof in your pocket at all times," Barker says, and she is very right. 

> How to keep your feet warm cycling — fend off cold feet on the bike with these toasty tips

Your body tries to hang on to warmth as best as it can, and when things get cold the heat in your body is centred around your essential organs, most of which are around your core and in your torso. This means that your limbs are left to their own, and quickly turn icy if you haven’t wrapped them up properly. 

There are plenty of ways to keep your feet warm, from overshoes to home hacks with tin foil. Invest in a good set of overshoes, and layer up socks or pull on dedicated winter cycling socks with warming merino wool knit into them. 

> Winter cycling — 6 top tips to help you keep riding through the colder months

The same applies to hands. The first thing to invest in is a good set of winter cycling gloves - and if you are nowhere near a bike shop, you can also resort to some good ski gloves, but those might make your shifting ability worse with the added bulk. 

Layering up your gloves is an excellent way to add warmth and a reason to size up slightly in gloves. You can pair your winter cycling gloves with merino or technical liner gloves, which can really change a winter ride experience. 

Layer up the upper body

2021 Castelli Alpha RoS 2 Light Women's Jacket - inside chest panel.jpg

Wrapping up your core in several layers is the key to winter cycling comfort. Start off with a base layer, add a long-sleeve jersey and top up with a jacket or a gilet and you'll be loving it outside. Layering up allows you to easily adjust your clothing on the ride: if you're too warm, you can zip open your jersey, or take off your gilet, and vice versa if you get too chilly. 

You can of course layer up your bottoms, too, by pulling non-padded tights over your bib tights, for example. The lower body affects how cold you feel less, though, and your legs keep moving the whole time when you cycle, so it does not need quite as much attention as the upper body. 

Winter cycling base layers come in all shapes and sizes, and it is somewhat down to your personal preference what suits you best. Merino base layers are very warm and odour-resistant, but some might find the wool material slightly itchy. 
Base layers come in designs that can have wind-blocking materials built into them, ensuring that the front of your torso - taking on most of the wind - will stay covered even if you have just a jersey on top. 

2021 Spatzwear BASEZ 2 Black Baselayer - collar 1.jpg

You can also find base layers with tall (polo) collars, that are very handy as they save you from wearing a separate buff tube. ​

On top of the base layer, you can wear your winter cycling jersey. These, much like base layers, come in multiple colours and designs, and it depends on your typical riding conditions which option is the best for you. 

> Top cycling hacks to save money this winter

On milder days you can get away with a light long-sleeve jersey, but on the proper chilly and damp days you are better off with a softshell-like, thicker winter jersey. These can resemble a jacket in their design, and indeed many winter cycling jerseys offer some kind of weather-proofing properties, either blocking off wind or rain, or both. 

The less waterproof the garment is, the better it is likely to breathe. If you are a heavy sweater, having very thick and waterproof layers might leave you feeling like you’re boiled in a bag. 

A base layer and jersey might be enough for some days, as Barker says, as well:

"I think when it's a fresh day you just need to have layers, you might be fine setting off in just a base layer and your long sleeve, but if you've got your gloves and gilet and your waterproofs in your pocket, so if you stop and go to set off again you can just layer up. 

2022 Pas Normal Essential Collection AW insulated gilet

“They [gilets] fold away quite nicely so you can always have that in your back pocket, I also quite like using a handlebar bag now." 

As Barker implies, carrying extra layers with you is necessary especially if you stop for a coffee on your winter ride. Once the sweat you’ve worked up cools down, it’s harder to get warmed up again, which means that a light gilet or even your emergency rain jacket is great to throw on for the first part of the ride.

If it is really windy out, having a third layer on straight from the start of your ride is helpful. Most of the wind will affect your core, so if you top your base layer and jersey with a winter gilet, you’re going to stay toasty without the danger of overheating. 

Invest in a good rainproof jacket

2022 Castelli Idro 3 Women's Jacket.jpg

Rainy rides are a story of their own. When it’s cold and wet, it is quite difficult to stay warm. A good quality waterproof jacket is a lifesaver when it is pouring it down. 

Ideally, your waterproof top layer is also breathable so that it lets the moisture from the inside out - although once things are wet everywhere, it is hard for even the best waterproof jackets to shift the moisture from the inside. 

> 37 of the best pieces of waterproof cycling clothing

Packable rain jackets are very handy for changing conditions so that you can store them away in your back pocket or frame bag when the rain pauses. 

Gore-Tex Shakedry is one of the most praised options for stashable cycling jackets, but because of the environmental impact Gore-Tex technologies cause, the Shakedry is a garment that is being phased out and replaced by more environmentally friendly options. 

Waterproof jackets have specific waterproof ratings, but it’s not necessarily always the best to go for the one that offers the highest waterproof rating. Look at both breathability and waterproof ratings in conjunction, and you can find a garment that keeps you dry both inside and out. 

Of course, you can also protect your lower body with waterproof cycling trousers. These are best for more leisurely rides or commuting because of the relaxed fit, but you can also find DWR bib tights that keep your lower body warmer. 

Prepare your kit and check the forecast

Komoot routes-8

Motivation to ride outside in the winter ride is perhaps harder to muster than ever before, with indoor cycling options such as Zwift seeming so much more appealing. 

> Best indoor cycling apps 2023 — push your fitness to new levels with immersive virtual cycling experiences

Riding outside is refreshing, though, and a sunny, crisp day outside beats a turbo trainer ride every time! To make heading outside a bit easier, it’s worth checking your kit and bike out on the evening before the ride, and perhaps even putting your base layer on the radiator so that it’s nice and warm when you’re getting dressed. When everything is laid out and ready you won't be wasting riding time searching for the lost winter sock or overshoe on the riding day. 

Check the forecast as well, so that you know what to prepare for - although in the winter it’s usually best to prepare for everything instead of relying on the meteorologists too much. 


Let us know your best layering tips below in the comments! 

Suvi joined F-At in 2022, first writing for off-road.cc. She's since joined the tech hub, and contributes to all of the sites covering tech news, features, reviews and women's cycling content. Lover of long-distance cycling, Suvi is easily convinced to join any rides and events that cover over 100km, and ideally, plenty of cake and coffee stops. 

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24 comments

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matthewn5 | 11 months ago
0 likes

Don't overlook winter cycling boots. Transformed my winter cycling, and they're much more robust than toe covers or overshoes.

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Organon | 11 months ago
1 like

What is with all the winter this, winter that articles lately? It is all far to late as spring is coming very soon if it isn't here already. It was 13c this afternoon. I wonder if all this is just to flog some gear (well, obviously) perhaps it has been a slow sales season. But give it a break staffers.

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NotNigel replied to Organon | 11 months ago
3 likes

I do find it easier and usually cheaper to buy things opposite the season to what were in...it seems to be a harder to find decent stock of winter stuff just as we're heading in to winter and the same with summer...unless you're xxs or xxxl

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Fignon's ghost replied to Organon | 11 months ago
1 like

WTF?

Punxsutawney Phil made it known. There's six more weeks of winter. Suck it up. Dirt bag

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Organon replied to Fignon's ghost | 11 months ago
0 likes

Fignon's ghost wrote:

WTF? Punxsutawney Phil made it known. There's six more weeks of winter. Suck it up. Dirt bag

This is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, darling. We do not follow rodent prognosticator's here.

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ktache replied to Organon | 11 months ago
1 like

There can always be a sting in the tail. Beast from the East hit late February.

I do hope not.

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Steve K replied to ktache | 11 months ago
3 likes
ktache wrote:

There can always be a sting in the tail. Beast from the East hit late February.

I do hope not.

I'm doing a charity ride from South London (Selhurst Park) to Birmingham (Villa Park) at the start of March, so I hope not!

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ktache replied to Steve K | 11 months ago
1 like

Not to worry you unduly, but I have just read that we are undergoing a Sudden Stratospheric Warning event. We had one that may have caused the Beast from the East.

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Rendel Harris replied to ktache | 11 months ago
2 likes

ktache wrote:

Not to worry you unduly, but I have just read that we are undergoing a Sudden Stratospheric Warning event. We had one that may have caused the Beast from the East.

It does sound alarming but I did see a feature on the BBC a couple of days ago that explained that SSWs happen relatively frequently (two of every three winters) and quite often pass without influencing UK weather at all, a lot of different phenomena have to coincide for it to result in a Beast from the East, so hopefully Steve will only have normal early March weather to contend with.

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Steve K replied to Steve K | 10 months ago
0 likes

Steve K wrote:
ktache wrote:

There can always be a sting in the tail. Beast from the East hit late February.

I do hope not.

I'm doing a charity ride from South London (Selhurst Park) to Birmingham (Villa Park) at the start of March, so I hope not!

Thankfully, it was Friday and Saturday last week, and not today!

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adamrice | 11 months ago
0 likes

I would pay real money for a base layer/mid layer/jacket set that I could mix and match to be comfortable across a range from (say) a little below freezing to just below shirtsleeve weather, with decent rainproofing in the jacket.

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check12 replied to adamrice | 11 months ago
1 like

Have a look at galibier's offering

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perce replied to check12 | 11 months ago
0 likes

I'm a big fan of Galibier clothing - Quality stuff.

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NotNigel replied to perce | 11 months ago
0 likes

Their winter gloves have just the right absorbency so as not to smear snot across your face but can then be transferred easily to another item of clothing during cold rides.  They also do a pretty good job of keeping your hands warm.

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IanMSpencer replied to NotNigel | 11 months ago
3 likes

I am sure there is a whole article to be written on the management of snot while cycling.

I resist using my gloves as I try to avoid washing them, but then if I know I am going to wash them, I can use them. The thigh is my place of favour for long term storage. For some reason, I can only use the cyclist's hankerchief on my right nostril, attempts leftwards always go horribly wrong.

Then there is the ettiquette. There is something deeply unpleasant about trying to read a Garmin where the rider in front has succcessfully flung one of their finest green grollies onto them.

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ShutTheFrontDawes replied to IanMSpencer | 11 months ago
1 like
IanMSpencer wrote:

I am sure there is a whole article to be written on the management of snot while cycling.

I resist using my gloves as I try to avoid washing them, but then if I know I am going to wash them, I can use them. The thigh is my place of favour for long term storage. For some reason, I can only use the cyclist's hankerchief on my right nostril, attempts leftwards always go horribly wrong.

Then there is the ettiquette. There is something deeply unpleasant about trying to read a Garmin where the rider in front has succcessfully flung one of their finest green grollies onto them.

It's all about the flying snot rocket. Bonus points if you can hit a fellow club member. Double if you can hit an open car window while being close-passed.

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NotNigel replied to IanMSpencer | 11 months ago
0 likes

Outside, left hand thigh is the go to for transfer.  Never had the need to do the old blowout, don't think I would dare if riding in a group...I only spit if it is absolutely essential, not begrudging anyone else doing it...everyone has different needs.

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andystow replied to NotNigel | 10 months ago
0 likes

NotNigel wrote:

Outside, left hand thigh is the go to for transfer.  Never had the need to do the old blowout, don't think I would dare if riding in a group...I only spit if it is absolutely essential, not begrudging anyone else doing it...everyone has different needs.

My nose runs constantly below about 50 °F / 10 °C. If I used a handkerchief, it would need wringing out mid-ride.

I either open up a gap of at least five bike lengths, go to the back of the group, or go to the other side of the road to clear out.

My gloves are only needed in case of a mis-fire.

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Secret_squirrel replied to perce | 11 months ago
0 likes

perce wrote:

I'm a big fan of Galibier clothing - Quality stuff.

Thirded.  I have the Mistral longsleeve gabba-esque plus a matching gilet. Works from 2-3 degrees upwards.

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Capt Sisko | 11 months ago
0 likes

Any one know what the make of the high neck base layer without the zip is?  . . Two things I don't like are zips next to the skin and if you've got several layers on, zip pull build up!

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Suvi Loponen replied to Capt Sisko | 11 months ago
1 like

Hello! It is a Spatz BASEZ 2 baselayer

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Capt Sisko replied to Suvi Loponen | 11 months ago
0 likes

Cheers

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Basemetal | 11 months ago
3 likes

Wrist warmers -take up no room and make a huge difference to the performance of sleeves and gloves. They also make a use for worn out socks - just cut the foot off, to leave the length you want from the cuff. Costco Merino-mix hiking socks make fabulous thickish wristwarmers once the foot has worn out (the cuff doesn't wear) and don't even need hemmed after cutting with scissors, I use them cycling and winter climbing and they last years without unravelling. 

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peted76 replied to Basemetal | 11 months ago
1 like

I have never heard of a wrist warmer before today! 

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