Winter Wardrobe Clothing Reviews

Extremities

Sealskinz mid-length, mid weight waterproof socks & Sealskinz merino liner sock.

The extremities are where cold can have a real effect and in biking, in particular, this is bad news. Contact with the controls is crucial and numbness from the cold is going to result in earth-sky-earth moments.

I have been using Sealskinz waterproof socks for several seasons now and year round. They feel slightly bulkier than regular socks, but they are waterproof, so no matter what the conditions are, your feet stay dry.

For 2012, they have redesigned them to be even thinner, more ergonomic and slightly articulated. I wear them with my standard shoe size. However, they are not the warmest, despite being made from merino, so I usually add in a thin cycling sock as a liner. The company does have a simple merino liner sock which is excellent and now a staple of my winter wardrobe too.

Sealskinz waterproof gloves

For the hands try this waterproof glove. Gripper dots on the palm and inside the fingers help with gripping the controls and the thermal regulation is really good. They are easy to get on and off and hold their shape. I often forget I am wearing them. Most winter gloves get sweaty or clammy when you take them off but not these. Really excellent.

Icebreaker Unisex Pocket 200

Don’t forget your head with this lightweight and snug beanie hat that is thin enough for wearing under your helmet and keeping your ears nice and warm. It is reversible too which is handy, and it is small enough to easily slot into your jersey pocket if things warm up enough.

More on preparing for winter riding

Ben combines work as a qualified mountain bike guide with reviewing and rating products for Singletrack.com as well as Outsider magazine and Spoke.ie and is also working on a PhD in tourism and entrepreneurship.  With 20 years of mountain biking behind him, Ben remembers the Girven Flexstem, U-brakes and the first time he saw a suspension fork with a 1-inch piece of elastomer in it. He has ridden bikes on four continents and has covered events as diverse as the 2007 mountain bike world championships, the Giro D’Italia and the Single Speed World Champs and lives in Dublin, Ireland.  He is happiest riding technical singletrack and was an early adopter of the 29er… for a European. Find him on Twitter: #spoketweets. Check out all of Ben’s stories.

FILED UNDER: Bikes and Tech TAGS: Ben Marchant / Columbia / Icebreaker / Sealskinz / winter / winter gear / winter jacket