Winter is Coming: Urban bike accessories to warm you

Winter is approaching fast… and no one feels that more than the daily bike commuter. Before inclement weather makes your ride to work or play too tough to handle, stock up on the necessary urban bike accessories designed to keep you warm while you ride. Don’t know where to start? Check out our picks below. Happy cycling!

Closca Nordic Helmet 

You always need a helmet while riding—but when it’s cold outside and your urban bike is your only form of transportation, you want to make sure your critical bike accessories add warmth, as well. Enter: the Closca Nordic Helmet. Like every Closca helmet, the Closca Nordic is stylish, customizable, durable, foldable, and built with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology that connects to your smartphone with the push of a button. But on top of that, this helmet has a layer of Nordic Wheat Apparel, a wool accessory that both adds a “cool” element to your look and keeps you warm.

Gloves

Between the wind and snow, your hands could get so cold while riding that they start to get numb… and in freezing temps, even ache. While this would annoy anyone, freezing-cold fingers are especially dangerous to urban bike commuters, who use their handlebars to brake. The solution to this problem? Gloves. There are many gloves to choose from, so pack two to be safe: one bulkier and one thin. Heavy, warm ski gloves will keep your knuckles warm and comfortable as you ride, and thinner gloves will come in handy when you have to fix or adjust your bike in the icy cold. To get the best of both worlds, we recommend these Mountain Made Crestone Gloves as one of your must-have bike accessories. They’re thick enough to keep your palms warm, but come with an innovative fabric on the thumb and index finger that enables you to use your smartphone or tablet with ease.

 

 

High-powered front and rear lights

It gets darker earlier during the winter, so it’s in your best interest (and in some states, legally required!) to get high-powered front and rear lights to make sure passersby see you. For the perfect combo, we love the Light & Motion Urban 900 Commuter Combo. It has front and rear lights that are durable, weatherproof, boast a powerful 900 lumens of brightness, can be easily recharged with a simple Micro-USB port, and offer 360 degrees of light to keep you visible at all times.  

Protective eyewear

Glasses don’t just look cool; they protect your eyes from the sun, and in the winter, shield them from wind, sleet, road dirt and even snow flurries. When looking for the right winter cycling glasses, make sure you get some that have crash-rated lenses, fit comfortably on your face, and don’t slide off. Ryder’s Eyewear Nelson sunglasses are a great choice because they have clear antiFOG lenses (which aids riders, even in low lighting), customizable nose pads and temple tips, and the ability to let you adjust the amount of air that flows behind your lenses.

 

 

Image source: www.ryderseyewear.com

Fenders

Fenders are great all year round, but during the winter months, they’re one of the urban bike accessories you don’t want to ride without. By protecting you from any winter street “slush” that might kick up from your wheels, fenders help ensure you get to your final destination as clean as when you left your apartment. A top choice is the Planet Bike Cascadia ALX Bike Fenders, which have extra-long mudflaps to keep you from getting sprayed, are lightweight, and last for years.

A warm jacket

When it comes to bike accessories during the colder months, a durable winter jacket is key. Its purpose is twofold; along with keeping you warm, a really good jacket will also manage the amount of warmth you feel to keep you from sweating when you’re pedaling quickly through those city streets. When shopping for the right winter cycling jacket, first consider your riding conditions. Will you be battling cold rain? A lot of wind? Below-freezing temps? A combination of all three? For extra safety, get one that’s reflective, too, so that you can ride at night with added protection.

 

Image source: www.chromeindustries.com

With so many cycling jackets on the market today, it’s hard to know which one is right for you. For men, we like the stylish and functional Chrome Storm Cobra 2.0 Bike Jacket. It has a  classic, slimming shape and is made with three layers of breathable, waterproof fabric, zippered pockets for storage, a helmet-compatible hood, and a patent-pending Chrome Reveal Raglan pattern that adds mobility in a tough climate. For women, the striped, casual-wear Rapha Women’s Merino Breton Sweater is a very good look. It’s made with reflective yarns and warm Merino wool to help keep you dry and stylish through your entire commute.