Winter Riding Guide

Winter Riding Guide

noviembre 08, 2022

While many cyclists prepare their bikes to store away for the winter season until warmer, sunnier days return, for those who plan to keep riding into the winter, the season is only just getting started. For the riders who seek the chill and the thrill of outdoor winter adventure, preparing for cool winter conditions is essential to ensuring you stay protected against the cold.

Finding the right way to dress for winter will help protect against the elements allowing you to concentrate on your ride instead of worrying about the cold, getting you stronger for the upcoming spring season ahead.

STEP 1: LAYERING

The key to staying warm in winter riding is simple, it’s all about the layers. Starting with a good base layer is the foundation to staying warm and dry during any ride. Being the closest layer to your skin, a base layer’s job is to not only provide a second layer of warmth, and to help regulate your body heat, but in cool conditions to also be moisture wicking to keep your skin dry. Essential during damp, cold winters to prevent you from becoming overly chilled.

Start with MAAP’s Thermal Base Layer Long Sleeve layered with one of MAAP’s Thermal Long Sleeve Jersey’s to provide plenty of warmth for those milder winter rides between 5-10C.

When conditions drop to 0C and below, choose between Assos Winter Skin Layer LS 3/3 and MAAP’s Deep Winter Base Layer using Polartec® Power Wool fabric with advanced thermoregulation and an internal bushed merino wool lining for the coldest riding days.

STEP 2: BIB TIGHTS

Up next is adding a pair of Bib Tights. Designed to keep your lower extremities warm during your winter rides, bib tights are a longer, full-length version of your favourite bib shorts. Just like tights, they come all the way down to meet with your socks and prevent any skin from being exposed to cold conditions.

MAAP Apex Deep Winter Tight offers the warmest protection, featuring windproof and thermal materials with a DWR Waterproof coating for coldest and wettest of conditions. Made using thicker, insulated materials to protect you against the rain, mud, and cold wind of the wet winter months. While MAAP Team Evo Thermal Bib Tights provide warmth for milder winter rides if you don’t plan to ride in sub zero conditions.

STEP 3: THERMAL JERSEYS AND JACKETS

Once you’re covered with your base layer and bib tights, next are your top layers. Depending on weather temperatures and conditions, as well as personal preference, there’s no shortage of possible combinations to help keep your upper body and core warm and regulated.

Thermal long sleeve Jerseys fit over top of your base layer and bib, and can be combined with MAAP Men’s Alt Road Thermal Vest for days where a jacket isn’t needed. Adding on a thinner vest underneath a jacket, such as the MAAP Men’s Draft Team Vest can be a great added layer that can be easily folded away in your jersey pockets for easy access to added heat, ready to throw on during your ride whenever you need the added warmth.

For those days when you need protection against the elements and when the temperature starts to creep close to 0C and below, MAAP Men’s Apex Winter Jacket 2.0 is designed for the harshest winter conditions. Waterproof and windproof, without compromising on breathability, this jacket has a soft internal bonded waffle layer for heat retention.

STEP 4: GLOVES

Protecting your hands and fingers is an essential part of winter riding. Needless to say, the importance of maintaining warmth through your hands for breaking and shifting is crucial to keeping winter riding enjoyable and pain-free.

Between MAAP’s Deep Winter Glove, which offers the highest level of thermal performance and heat retention with a durable water repellent coating, and Assos Ultraz Winter Gloves providing intense insulated protection for extreme weather with a neoprene cuff to boost heat retention of their breathable, waterproof exterior. For milder conditions, MAAP’s Winter Glove, provides fleece lined waterproof protection and lightweight breathability with touch screen fingertips, so you can stay connected during your ride without having to remove your gloves.

STEP 5: SOCKS AND BOOTIES

Starting with a good pair of merino wool socks, offering thermoregulating, anti-odour and anti-microbial features to keep your toes warm during your whole winter ride.

Next up are booties and overshoes. MAAP’s Deep Winter Overshoe is constructed with Japanese Neoprene to provide protection from wind and rain, keeping your feet warm even when wet.

Assos Winter Booties, are protective overshoes engineered to tame the winter elements using a 3 layer soft shell that’s water and wind resistant, while insulating heat in your feet without compromising on aero dynamics or aesthetics.

OTHER ACCESSORIES

Neck warmers, ideal for sealing the gap between the top of your jacket and your neck. MAAP Polartec Neck Warmer is lightweight and moisture-wicking, with internal fleece fabric, perfect for training in cold weather. Fingerscrossed tube scarf is an indispensable piece of clothing versatile enough to be worn on the neck as well as over the ears. With a merino exterior and a synthetic interior to prevent unpleasant scratching on the skin and absorb a lot of moisture without feeling wet.

If you’re looking to keep your ears warm and protected from the cold and the wind, the MAAP Thermal Wool Headband is a wider style headband providing maximum coverage on your ears and head. The thermal regulating materials are also quick-drying, antimicrobial and anti-odour.

THE BOTTOM LINE

At the end of the day, winter riding is all about getting out there and enjoying your ride. Once you have your core layers established, you can play around with adding different layers and intensities of warmth, so you can adjust to the conditions of that day by adding or removing pieces as needed during your ride.

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