Get your bike ready for Autumn and Winter. Commuting through the wetter, colder and darker months is much more pleasant when your bike is properly prepared. Here’s what you need.

With the nights drawing in and the sunny days of a summer just a memory, it’s time to get your bike ready for what the other seasons have in store. The right accessories and components will keep you drier, cleaner, more comfortable and safer, and will help prevent punctures and other mechanical problems. Note that we’re just looking at the bike here. You’ll also want a winter wardrobe that includes a good waterproof jacket and other cold weather essentials.

Mudguards

Many commuters keep mudguards on their bike year round. If you don’t, now is the time to fit them. It rains more in the autumn and winter, and the roads stay wet for longer. Full-length mudguards that fit to threaded eyelets on the frame and fork will provide the best spray protection, keeping dirty water off your clothes and away from the moving parts of your bike. Mudguards that aren’t quite long enough to protect your feet or following riders from spray can be lengthened with mudflaps, either leather or plastic. Don’t go without mudguards if your bike lacks the relevant fittings; there are workarounds for road bikes.

Lights

You’re required by law to have working lights on your bike – white front, red rear – whenever you cycle between dusk and dawn. Additional lights on a helmet or jacket are allowed as long as they’re the correct colour, but the ones on the bike are non-negotiable. Invest in good lights and don’t forget to recharge them regularly. When you park your bike in public, take the lights with you to prevent theft unless they’re bolted securely in place. How much lighting power you need will depend on where you ride. Urban cyclists might only need be-seen lights.

Reflectors and reflectives

As well as lights, you’re required to have reflectors on your bike after dark. Specifically, you must have a red rear reflector and amber pedal reflectors. While a blind eye is often turned to this legislation, reflectors and other reflectives will help make you more conspicuous. The up-down motion of pedal reflectors is particularly useful as it immediately says ‘cyclist’ to drivers. Reflective ankle bands do a similar job and are recommended by the Highway Code – although not as a replacement for pedal reflectors. Hi-vis sticker kits are available if you want to add additional reflectivity to your bike’s frame, mudguards or luggage. 

Waterproof luggage

In the less rainy months, you can usually count on the contents of your commuter bag(s) staying dry. So you won’t have to contend with soggy office clothing, slowly rusting bike tools or a scarily damp laptop. In autumn and winter, rain is a given. It’s important that your luggage is waterproof. Not water resistant or showerproof – waterproof. While rain covers can work, luggage that is inherently waterproof is more effective. That means impermeable fabric, sealed seams and closure via a roll top or deep lid. There are plenty of waterproof panniers to choose from, as well as backpacks and messenger bags.

Chain cleaner

Chain care is more important in autumn and winter as the chain will get wetter and dirtier. It may become coated with salty slush if the roads are gritted, which will turn your chain orange with rust overnight. It’s not enough to keep dumping oil on the chain. You’ll end up with a thick, oily paste that’s part lubricant, part abrasive. You need to clean the chain as well, prior to oiling. The easiest way to do that is with a clamp-on chain cleaning device but you can also do it with a pair of stiff brushes and some degreaser.

Tougher, wider tyres

Punctures are more common in autumn and winter as there’s more sharp debris on the roads and you’re less likely to spot it in the dark. If you’re getting more than a couple of punctures per year on your commute, fit tougher tyres. The toughest, such as Schwalbe Marathon Plus and Continental Contact Plus, are almost impregnable. Anyone who commutes on narrow, high-pressure tyres – in other words, on a road bike – can benefit from switching up a tyre width for winter. That means going from 25mm to 28mm or from 28mm to 32mm, assuming they’ll fit the bike. Wider tyres can be run at lower pressures, which provides better grip on wet roads and more comfort on potholed ones.

Floor pump

Firm tyres are less likely to puncture than soft ones as fragments of flint and glass won’t become embedded as easily. They’re also less likely to suffer snakebite punctures, where the innertube is pinched on both sides by the rim when you hit a pothole. Yet you don’t want your tyres to be too firm as this reduces grip and comfort. How do you find this Goldilocks level of firmness? With a pressure gauge. They’re available separately but it’s easiest to use the gauge on a good-quality floor pump, as you can then immediately adjust the pressure. Inflate the tyres to a pressure within the range stated on the sidewall. Not softer, not harder. For winter commuting, 1bar (approx 15psi) less than the maximum is a good starting point.

Toolkit

Roadside repairs are even less pleasant in the dark and chill of autumn and winter. To make sure everything goes like clockwork, and to avoid being stranded (or forced to phone a friend), make sure your on-the-bike toolkit is ready for use. Your mini-pump might have seized up since you last used it, or the seals might have perished. Your spare innertube might have a hole in it, or you might have mislaid your multitool. Replace whatever needs replacing. If you don’t like the idea of fixing a puncture at the roadside, consider carrying an inflator with sealant; this can seal a puncture and reinflate the tyre in seconds.

Brake pads

Brake pads suffer more wear in autumn and winter. You’ll be squeezing the levers harder as the pads skim off water from the rim or disc rotor, and any dirt will act as a grinding paste. Listen out for – and address – any problems. Disc brakes work well regardless of weather conditions, although you can improve stopping performance and reduce noise by switching to organic pads instead of (admittedly more durable) metallic pads. Rim brakes can be vastly improved by using different pads. SwissStop BXP pads are particularly good in the wet, as are Kool-Stop’s salmon-coloured pads.

Bike cover

The best places to store your bike to protect it from bad weather are indoors or in a bike bunker. If yours has to live outdoors, locked up but unsheltered, you’ll need a waterproof cover for it. Make sure the cover will fit your bike as they come in different sizes. Heavy duty ones will tend to last longer, and eyelets in the cover are useful for securing it to your bike. If you need to take your cover with you – for use at work, for example – Topeak’s come with a storage bag.