The Best Winter Cycling Gear: Everything You Need to Ride in Cold Weather

Made from an insulated, three-layer waterproof material and lined with fleece, Baleaf’s Winter Cycling Jacket delivers warmth and comfort at a reasonable price. There are two zippered side hand pockets and a zippered back pocket to stow your phone, money, and snacks. It also has a decent number of reflective panels, which will make sure drivers can see you in low light conditions.

The elastic cuffs and double layer collar keep the cold out and the warmth in. Surprisingly, this is one of the warmest jackets I own without a ‘puff’ layer.

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I own a few pairs of Rapha’s Core Winter tights, and have been wearing them for years. I’ve tried many other brands but always come back to these.

The “Cargo” version has all the properties I love: They’re matte, stretchy, lightweight, and lined with fleece to keep you warm. The nylon-elastane fabric is also wind- and water-resistant to keep you warm and dry through short bouts of freezing rain. They have wide, breathable bib straps and a comfy chamois, too. The coup de grace, of course, is a pair of cargo pockets for stashing your phone and some snacks.

Never one to adhere to conventional norms when it comes to dressing for a cold-weather ride, I’ll wear these over a base layer on days when the wind chill falls well below freezing. Most riders find it uncomfortable adding a layer under a padded tight, but, somehow, Rapha’s flexible chamois hasn’t ever bothered me.

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No winter riding kit is complete without a trusty balaclava. Keeping your face and neck warm will make you infinitely more comfortable when the temperatures dip close to freezing. This mask from Bontrager sports a water-repellent and wind-resistant shell with a brushed thermal interior to keep all that hot air around your head from escaping, keeping you nice and toasty.

The neck portion is long enough to keep tucked into a collar, even in a bent-over position. The clamshell design allows you to easily pull the front down under your chin if needed or if, like me, breathing directly into a balaclava makes your glasses fog up.

Nothing beats fleece for keeping frigid winds from penetrating your noggin. This helmet-friendly winter cap from RockBros curves down at the sides and back to properly cover your ears. It’s lined with warm, but breathable polar fleece around the front and sides that keep you warm without holding in sweat vapor. It also has an elastic edge that keeps it securely in place without curling or drifting upward.

Overall, its thin profile lets you forget you have it on. On extremely cold, windy days, I’ll put this on under my balaclava for an extra layer of warmth.

Designed for riding in all seasons, the Kask Wasabi features an innovative airflow adjustment system. There’s a vent on top that’s easily opened or closed mid ride with the push of a finger (giving a whole new meaning to the statement, “I need to blow off a little steam.”)

It’s just one of six vents, but gives you a lot of freedom to adjust to airflow through the helmet; I definitely notice the difference between when it’s open and closed. With a merino wool lining and a floating inner head cradle with supports that have 180 degrees of adjustment, this is the most comfortable bike helmet I’ve owned.

If you aren’t ready to break out the winter cycling shoes or just don’t want to pick up a second pair just for the cold, these shoe covers from Pearl Izumi slip on over your regular cycling shoes and keep you warm.

Constructed with a softshell fabric, and treated with a water-repellent finish, they protect your feet from wind, freezing rain, and cold. They’re held in place by two hook-and-loop flaps on the heel, which require a little bit of pulling and adjusting to get on just right, but give you a cozy fit in the end.

Cold and wet hands lead to all kinds of unpleasant things, like blisters, numbness, and even frostbite. The Bodham waterproof cycling gloves from Sealskinz are made with three layers of fabric, including a polyurethane membrane to block precipitation and a polyester anti-slip lining that eliminates any potential pullout.

These gloves keep your hands dry in any weather and prevent sweat from mucking things up from the inside, out. They’re also smartphone-compatible, so you don’t have to remove your glove when answering a text or looking up the nearest train time.

Oakley has long been a frontrunner in cycling sunglasses, and these Plazma frames are one of my favorites. The lightweight dual-lens frame is specifically designed for strong (and progressive) prescriptions like mine, and the Plutonite lens material provides 100% UV and impact protection.

I prefer these for cold weather riding because they fit close to the face and keep my eyeballs from freezing while providing excellent optical clarity at every angle. The frames never impede my peripheral vision.

And, yes, even though they are described as “men’s,” they work just as well on women’s faces. They’re also available in a low-bridge fit.

One of the best defenses against wet, windy, cold weather is a quality waterproof jacket that you can layer over multiple garments. The Rapha Core Rain Jacket line features a relaxed fit that will accommodate warm layers underneath, while protecting you from both rain and wind.

It’s waterproof with taped seams, which makes it less breathable than most of my favorite cycling jackets, but it provides exceptional protection for a shell without any inner lining.

One of my favorite things about Rapha jackets is their offset front zippers, which help keep drafts from penetrating through layers. I wear this jacket for warmth while cycling (and running), even when it isn’t raining. It creates a nice, toasty inner warmth, no matter what the weather is doing.

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Cold weather rides often lead to painful, freezing toes. It’s especially difficult to keep your feet warm while cycling, since they’re relatively stationary, resting on your pedals as the breeze blows through them.

Made with a breathable Gore-Tex membrane and a soft fleece brushed lining, Fizik’s Tempo Artica GTX shoes keep you warm, while providing a stiff outsole for efficiency. The BOA dial system and top hook-and-loop strap create a secure fit that keeps the cold out and, at just over 11 ounces, they won’t feel as if you’re lugging bricks on your feet.

Like any Gore-Tex product, these shoes do an excellent job of keeping your feet dry, unless you roll through a deep puddle or next to a car that creates enough splash to send water over your ankles and into the shoes.

Winter road sludge is wet, dirty, and often full of road salt. A set of fenders will block that gross spray, keeping your posterior clean and dry. Made from recycled beverage bottles, Portland Design Works’ “Sodapop” fenders attach to your bike with a frame clip in the rear and a bolt through the front.

Since they’re made from plastic, they won’t add any significant weight to your ride. Together, the fenders weigh in at a little over half a pound combined. They’re also slim enough to fit under a rear rack if you have one, and flexible enough to throw in a bag if you need to remove them.

Alternatively, the company also makes a set of strap-on “Origami” fenders, which are also flexible and easy to remove and reinstall without any tools.

While many experts herald merino wool as the best material for a base layer, I’ve long been partial to Patagonia’s synthetic Capilene crew, which is made from a bluesign-approved proprietary fabric.

Capilene features a hollow yarn construction that delivers exceptional wicking properties and dries quickly. Plus, its antimicrobial treatment prevents odor-causing bacteria from taking root. I’ve owned my go-to Capilene crew for about 25 years and it remains odor-free. With a slim fit and a slightly dropped back hem, it's perfect for cycling – or any other outdoor activity.

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Winter rides, in my experience, often require a little extra storage space. I like carrying an extra pair of gloves and socks, and it always helps to have some room to stash a hat or jacket if you get warm.

The Post Carry Co. Frame Pack provides enough space for both these scenarios, as well as a side pocket for your phone, without taking up too much real estate on your frame. It also provides quick access to snacks mid-ride, which is more important in winter when slowing down also means cooling down.

I’ve never been a fan of handlebar bags, and while I am eternally partial to my Revelate Seat Pack, this is my favorite by far. Even though my bike has a small custom frame–about 50cm–I can, miraculously, fit the small size of this pack on it and still extract my water bottles (with just a bit of finagling.)

I grew up in the 1980s, so headbands always remind me of Olivia Newton-John’s Physical. This one, from Smartwool, is much warmer and more functional than the one worn in that music video.

It’s the perfect solution for days when you need head ventilation and ear protection at the same time. The shaped lower edge of this soft and comfy merino wool band curves down over your ears and the back of your head to retain extra warmth and protect you from the wind, while allowing heat to radiate off the top of your head.

The windproof front panel adds an extra shield from particularly icy gusts, though those with sensitive hearing may find that it makes an annoying crinkly noise.

When the days get colder, the nights grow longer. Whether you’re commuting or just on a group ride that pushes on past sunset, you should always keep a bike light handy. I love the 1600-lumen Countdown front light from Blackburn, which will make sure you aren’t pedaling in the dark.

On its most powerful “blitz” setting, the Countdown can illuminate a heavily forested trail. (I put this to the test last winter while commuting at 5am on the Ponkapoag Trail and paths in Canton, Massachusetts.)

It’s also winter-ride ready: The Countdown is weather-rated to withstand heavy rain, and can stay submerged in 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes in the event you decide to go through the lake rather than around - though in cold temperatures when staying dry is key this is obviously not the best course of action.

The light will only last about an hour at max brightness, but with six modes, including high, low, pulse and strobe, so you can always start at a dimmer setting to save power. It also features a titular countdown feature, which alerts you to just how much battery life you have left so you can switch illumination modes or launch a concentrated time trial effort to reach your destination before the battery dies.

Even if you miss the mark, the battery will recharge to 80 percent in just 10 minutes, so you can always stop and top it off with a battery pack.