How to get your bike ready for winter riding

Getting your bike ready for winter riding means four things: lights you can rely on, mudguards, tyres with more grip, and a chain that can cope with rain and salt. Do them in October and you can keep riding through the dark months without a breakdown on a cold evening.

Lights you can rely on #

The days are short, so most commutes in winter happen in the dark. You need a white light at the front and a red one at the back, switched on from dusk. Rechargeable lights are fine, but charge them twice a week, not once the battery is empty. A small spare rear light in your bag costs little and saves a dark ride home.

Mudguards #

Mudguards stop the spray from the wheels. You stay drier, and less grit reaches the chain and brakes. Full-length guards work best. Clip-on guards are a good choice for bikes with no fittings for full ones.

Tyres with more grip #

A winter tyre has a softer rubber and a tougher layer under the tread. That means more grip on cold, wet roads and fewer punctures from the grit and glass that rain washes into the gutter. If you got flats last winter, fixing a flat bike tyre is a skill worth practising at home before you need it on a dark road.

Ride with slightly lower pressure in the wet for more grip, but stay inside the range printed on the tyre.

Chain care for winter riding #

Road salt and rain strip a chain of oil within days. Wipe the chain after every wet ride and oil it once a week, using a wet oil that does not wash off. Our guide to cleaning and oiling a bike chain shows how.

If you stop riding for the winter #

If the bike will sit in a shed until spring, it still needs a little care first. How to store a bike covers what to do. The Met Office weather warnings help you decide when to leave the bike at home.