This morning's commute and other commuting stories

9 miles from my house to work

Ah, 9 miles is borderline for me on whether I would wear cycling-specific clothes or not. For starters, get yourself some mudguards with flaps and a good front and rear light. You’ll want waterproofs, a jacket and gloves at least but possibly some trousers/tights as well. Some proper merino base layers will help. I wear a long-sleeve one through most of the winter. If you get really cold a buff will help (I always overheat with one though). Then you need to think about what clothes you can store at work and what you need to take with you. On days when it’s obvious I’m going to get wet I will take a change of bibs and some spare waterproof socks to keep my feet dry when I stick them back in wet shoes for the ride home.

London !! Have to get in at 830 am with a 9 mile commute.

My winter cycle outside in the rain all day setup was

Full length guards (with flaps ofc!)
Poncho (for heavy rain)
Light waterproof jacket (for light rain)
Fleece (if cold)
Water resistant boots (if cold and wet)
Bucket hat for rain
Gloves
Waterproof gloves (if cold and wet)
Jeans / lined jeans / shorts. Lined thermal jeans were good for cold but if they got wet wouldn’t dry for aaaages.

I tried out some waterproof socks too. Good for the odd day but v warm and take ages to clean / dry. Would need a few pairs if you liked to use them a lot I think.

Sounds like a lot lol. I get hot so couldn’t wear anything waterproof unless it was raining really (poncho is great cos it allows loads of airflow but keeps you dry). Would also combine layers together if it was especially cold and wet..

If you cycle to work in London at the same time every day you get rained on 12 times a year 100% trufact.

winter cycle outside in the rain all day setup […] Jeans / lined jeans / shorts

Cycling all day in the wet in jeans sounds horrible

It was. Luckily that sort of truly soaking wet all day weather is rare in Ldn.

Maybe I wore those swrve WWR trousers too. Bit water repellent but also a bit synthetic and dry really fast

The poncho covers my legs, which is why I’d keep it with me. Could have worn waterproof trousers but never got on with them.

I think I have some sealskin 'waterproof' gloves somewhere in decent condition and possibly other winter bits I could send you if you like. I'm a bit of a fairweather cyclist these days and the sealskin gloves were a bit much for me.

I run cold and merino layers and softshell work for me. Fleecy lined leggings are good too.

Fox, owls, pheasants, muntjac, partridges
All the wildlife out and enjoying the stillness with me this morning

Also really depends if you run hot or not. I run hot and even on the coldest commutes I'm generally just in a jacket, long sleeved top, tights and gloves (I'd say these are most important, cold core on a short commute and you can just pedal a bit harder and you get a warm shower at the end but freezing fingers is grim).

Luckily I have showers at work so that helps a lot. I got an assaver fender bender because I do t have clearance for fenders.

For now ill just try a windproof waterproof jacket

Lots of people suggesting a mountain of specialised kit here. My london commute is the same distance, and I use a hybrid of normal/cycling clothes.

Normal trainers, thermal long sleeve t shirt, normal trousers, topped off with a good quality cycling jacket. Oh and gloves obvs. Add a buff for very cold days.

Also, don't buy from Sports Direct. If youre on a budget get some DHB kit from Wiggle.

YMMV, but I found basic DHB waterproof shoe covers over trainers worked surprisingly well to keep feet dry without splashing out on boots.

I'm more of a get wet in the rain kinda guy and wear kit that keeps me warm when wet but dries out quickly. I do 10 miles each way. I find that destroys normal clothes so I tend not to do it in jeans etc unless I'm riding home from the pub after work.

Summer kit: bib shorts, short sleeved jersey, fingerless gloves.

Early autumn kit: as above but switch to a thicker wool jersey, then switch to long sleeve wool jersey.

Late autumn kit as it starts to get colder (i.e. now): switch to short sleeve base layer under a long sleeve soft-shell. Switch gloves to soft-shell full fingers. Start wearing cycling cap underneath crash helmet. Start wearing buff. Start wearing a pair of wool socks over normal socks. Expect to remove buff and/or hat partway.

Winter kit (sub 10°C in both directions and likely to get wet): switch to bib tights. Fingers will be getting chilly. Switch from cycling cap to thin fleece beanie hat which covers ears.

Deep winter kit (sub 2-3°C and below freezing): Bib tights, long sleeve base layer underneath a windproof smock, two pairs of socks as above, thick windproof winter gloves, buff often pulled up over my mouth and nose, beanie hat. Expect feet to get cold.

Also, this. Best advice.

If you're on a budget get some DHB kit from Wiggle.

get wet in the rain

Solid words. I tried for years to try and keep dry on commute which was about 11 miles each way.

Then I realised that like you said, keeping warm is the goal.

Enter merino and windproof jackets.

Embrace the rain.

Ok thanks for all the good advice !!!

Will take recomendations for windproof / waterproof jackets, trousers and gloves

Is being wet not a precursor to being cold? Don't mind my lower half getting wet, but a good waterproof cycling jacket improves things no end from a warmth perspective.

Not if you keep the wind off, generally. Any rainwater trapped in there with you comes up to sweat temperature pretty quickly, it's the evaporation that chills.

Doesn't seem like it needs to be an either or, though. I use an Endura MTR Shell jacket (Bought cheap) which is waterproof. I'm never cold on commutes and it's breathable enough I'll wear it for warmth when it's cold, but not raining.

almost exactly the same as my setup except i tend to run hot so seasons / temps shift a bit.

@tonts - good shout. endura is good kit and they also have a repair service

@Sebasbike

I got an assaver fender bender because I do t have clearance for fenders.

sounds like a good excuse for a functional build ;P

Wearing thin normal merino kit used on eBay may work I find stuff that's official cycling gear often bizarrely £ when an m&s thin merino jumper costs f all.

Build a bike around some mudguards…

Was followed home along the Waterlink Way on Tuesday by a guy singing 'band on the run' at the top of his lungs and very, very much out of tune. He was even good enough to speed up and slow down to make sure he stayed close enough for me to hear him well. Definitely high on life.

Was almost witness to a red light jumper on a lime bike getting squished between the back of a bus that was blocking the junction at Aldgate and a van behind him that also jumped the red and was switching to the inside lane alongside the bus. Genuinely was a matter of inches, sent chills down my spine.

Had to drive a work van in this morning. Absolutely shite. No idea how anyone does that every day. Took twice as long as riding in and was 10 times more frustrating.