Winter clothing - favourites

2013 Paramo Waterproof Cap. £32. Brim is wrong for cycling.

Seakskinz Ultra Grip - fantastic glove

Winter kit review - personal favourites

With today's road race cancelled, the mercury at zero and snow on the ground (on March 24th in London, UK??), and following one of the coldest and wettest winters in living memory, it seems appropriate to write about what's worked and what hasn't.

I mean clothing accessories that make the difference between misery and enjoying your training ride, race or commute.

I have not enjoyed Assos' over-priced lobster claws. (a) they don't seem to bring much to the party in thermal insulation even if the three-layering system is technically correct on paper. My hands were still cold on occasions. But there are two other problems. (b) The wrist closure is aggressively tight making them a pain to get on and off. (c) Three gloves is too many. (d) I realised immediately I rode away that I like to keep an index finger on my brakes, not index and third. The lobster claws force you to divide your fingers and I hated that. A deal-breaker.

Much better are Sealskinz' Ultra Grip gloves, which weirdly do not get entered under their cycling clothing. Sealskinz are glove experts

Clockwise from top left: Rapha; Paramo; Orvis; Hestra

 

for a wide variety of activities. This might be better than a cycling outfit trying to get gloves right - they always seem to get it wrong. The Sealskinz fit well, they are a unitary solution with waterproof membrane so cleverly  so well integrated you don't know it's there. Merino wool lining always means non-clammy hands, which astonished me - I have never before had such good results from a waterproof glove. Finally, weight and warmth very good given the fairly low 2/5 thermal weighting. I can fit a thin liner inside and have been doing this of late. Dexterity also remains and you could race and train in these. Highly recommended - along with their waterproof socks which shouldn't work but do, for all the same

Assos lobster claws - don't like them

reasons. Worn with neoprene overshoes you can tackle the wettest situation and never again have that damp creep sensation again. Revelatory.

My other favourites: Rapha Belgian hat which covers the ears and can be worn happily under a helmet. Very good in cold but otherwise dry conditions.

Orvis suede and deerskin gloves. OK you're laughing. But I picked these up on clearance  and at £20 they have been super down to 5 degrees celsius but not lower. They offer great dexterity, the about-town smarts that Rapha claim to offer, but (for me) a much better fit at
a much lower cost.

Then for 3 degrees and below, I tend for commuting duties to go nuclear and don my Hestra skiing gloves, which offer a waterproof, mitten shell with a five finger glove sewn in. They would not work for group riding, training or racing, but they do they job, especially with a liner. I have cross-top brake levers on my commuter, and these work perfectly well with such a bulky glove. I pick a gear and cross town. Yes, I have changed gear and ridden on the drops, but these are utility gloves really. Fantastic for defeating the cold when nothing else works.

I saved my all-time favourite piece of clothing to last: Paramo's waterproof cap. This company are not a cycling company at all, but have begun to invade the turf along with other candidates like Rohan. They are really on the adventure/trekking/mountain climbing side of the divide, which is fine by me. I bought this item on a whim when MTB'ing in Yorkshire. Then I failed to use it for months. In the past six months I have used it almost daily  for commuting, training, club riding and the North Road Hard Rider 25 mile TT, a classic early season horror-fest and this year no exception: 1 degree celsius and ice on the course, with a brutal easterly wind sweeping across the course.
What sets this item apart, particularly as it was designed for fell walkers rather than cyclists?
(a) Very thin material so sits wonderfully under a helmet
(b) Brim the same as a racing cap so again, perfect for cycling and keeps rain out of glasses
(c) Optional closure under chin is a thing of genius. You don't have to use it, but when you do you get this fabulous closure over the ears, yet doesn't pinch in any way. When you turn your head, the closure goes with it, but again no pinching. It just grows on you by the second.
(d) Because it isn't clapped to your ears, you don't lose any hearing which is a vital consideration in traffic
I love this item above all others in my winter arsenal. I have come to dread losing it because - and here is the kicker - they still sell this item for £32 (pictured in olive green), but they've increased the brim to baseball cap dimensions. This is so wrong. You can't ride like that you'll look stoopid and get laughed at. So I don't know what to suggest except that they also make a balaclava for £38, which I might take with me shortly to the Tour of Flanders for testing. But that has no brim at all.