With the cold months upon us, it’s becoming increasingly important to dress warm, before hitting the road on your bike. Mum always told you to dress warm, but what exactly are all the tricks to keeping warm and dry?

The basic idea is to ‘layer up’ – that is, to wear as many layers of clothing as you find suitable. That way, you can undress or dress up during your ride, depending on the weather. This is especially important on longer rides. Below are some affordable items of clothing that should be readily at hand. From head to toe, here’s the go…

Skull Cap: A thin fleeced, or non fleeced cap to be worn under your helmet. Some caps cover your ears, others don’t. Try to keep your head warm at all times.

Glasses: A good pair of sunglasses help cover your eyes and a large portion of your face. This reduces the perception of cold, and stops your eyes from drying out in the cold air.

Undershirt: One piece of clothing that helps regulate your body temperature! A good undershirt is worn in direct contact with your skin, and is the base layer of clothing. It keeps you warm, and in summer it holds moisture and keeps you cool. Clever, huh?

Cycling Top: Try avoid long sleeve tops unless riding in extreme cold – if you get too warm, you can’t remove your top. A good quality summer top will do on most occasions.

Gilet: A sleevless jacket made from windproof fabric. Also ‘drizzle proof’ these gilets (gee;lay) come in very handy all year round.

Knicks: The same knicks worn in summer, ending a few centimetres above the knee.

Leg warmers: A fleece lined warmer, running from your middle thigh, to your ankle. These are absolutely crucial to warm winter riding! They also come in a ‘knee warmer’ version, exactly the same as a leg warmer, but ending halfway down your shinbone. Worn underneath your knicks, not over the top!

Socks: Any colour, but make them black. Wear socks that reach about 4-5cm above your shoe. This isn’t a fashion statement – the functional purpose is to keep your Achilles tendon warm.

Shoe covers: Either a toe cover, which is wetsuit material over your toes, or a neoprene full shoe cover. The full shoe cover must be waterproof, and fleece lined. The best value for money when it comes to winter clothing…

Masking Tape: What? Yep… masking tape, to cover that little air intake underneath some models of cycling shoes. Keep your toes warm, and a smile on your face.

Gloves: Full finger gloves made of windproof fabric. Some are even totally waterproof too, and usually heavily fleeced.

Arm Warmers: The same as leg warmers, but for your arms. Great for autumn, winter and spring.

Pro Tip: Baby oil – if it’s raining heavily, replace your leg warmers with a light coating of baby oil. The oil repels water, and retains heat in your legs. That way, when the rain stops you aren’t left with soaked leg warmers and hypothermia.

Back pocket: A spare tube or two, some tyre levers, and a pump. Then try fit in some food, and a tightly rolled up rain jacket. Keep the rain jacket rolled neatly with an elastic band.