Best Winter Bike Commute Gear
Even with the motivation, and know how, biking to work in the winter can be bone-chilling. The last piece of the puzzle is gear—toasty, blissful pre- and post-work rides are just a few purchases away.
Night Rider Lumina OLED 800 & Sentinel 40 Combo: A Beacon in the Night
Winter brings shorter days and ups the need for increased visibility on rides home. If 800 lumens on the front, lasers projecting lanes on either size and 40 lumens on the back aren’t enough, we don’t know what is. Our favorite feature is the light up display on the Lumina—designed to calculate battery life, we use it as a stopwatch record our fastest times.
Swrve Milwaukee ES Jacket: Concealed Function
Just because you bike through hell doesn’t mean you have to look like hell. The Milwaukee ES is all about discreet functionality: a concealed rear pocket allows you to carry your usual cycling arsenal, while hidden wrist cuffs keep wind out of your sleeves.
Check out the Swrve Milwaukee Jacket >
Louis Garneau Sport Enerblock Cycling Jacket: Move Freely
For those with longer commutes, the Enerblock will keep you cool even after you’re a few miles in. Windproof and breathable where you need it, our favorite aspect is the fact that it stretches with you as you lean forward, keeping your wrists and lower back covered.
Gore Bike Wear ALP-X 2.0 Long Glove: Get a Grip on Winter
These are a solid quiver killer on cold weather. We use them for mountain biking as well as commuting as their lack of bulk allows for responsive, reliable grip, and their wind-resistant shell keeps fingertips toasty. On the coldest of days, start with these underneath a warmer glove—once they warm up, they stay that way.
Check out the ALP-X 2.0 Gloves >
Novara Stratos Tech-Compatible Bike Gloves: Text Away
Mittens are useless when you constantly have to yank them off to respond to a text, and gloves are too cold in extreme weather. Novara has found the perfect balance with the Stratos, adding padding and grip to cater beyond commuters, but to snowy-day fat bikers as well.
Showers Pass Transit Bike Pants: Comfortable Coveralls
Like we said, winter commutes are special because you can wear your work clothes without getting them sweaty. That’s right, even in storms. Toss the Transit Bike Pants on over your slacks and not only will they stay dry, the slim fit will keep them a safe distance from getting caught in your crank.
Louis Garneau Neo Protect II Shoes Cover: Toasty Goes, Any Footwear Goes
Whether you wear work shoes or cleats on your commute, the Neo Protect II will keep your toes dry and warm. Louis Garneau keeps it simple, using high quality neoprene and a hook and loop strap so that you won’t spend valuable morning minutes fidgeting with difficult closures.
Turtle Fur Polartec Windbloc Skullcap: Every Warrior Wears a Helmet
If you’ve never tried Turtle Fur, now’s the time. We still can’t believe that something this thin can be so warm. Keeping ears warm is as essential as safety in the winter; this skullcap fits under a helmet so you don’t need to sacrifice either.
Nokian Extreme 294 Studded Tire (29x2.1): The Road is Your Kill
Slap these on your mountain bike and ride ice like it’s sandpaper. Nokian holds nothing back, these are built to last and built to conquer even the toughest ice—trust us, 294 studs are more than enough.
Innova Studded Tire (700x35c): Nice on Ice and Beyond
For a mellower, more cost-friendly option, Innova’s Studded Tire will get the job done. Road-bike ready, these have less rolling resistance than more aggressive options, eliminating the urge to swap back to studless in between snow storms
Images via Richard Forbes
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