Happy New Year!

Wet cold winter riding is a challenge for sure, but with a bit of planning a freezing wet winter night ride can be one of the best rides of the year.

The choice is yours... Stay at home. Moan about the weather. Eat a pie. Moan about your weight. Zwift it. Lose the will to live.

1. So, once you’ve determined to go out in the rain (or shortly after) accept the fact that you are going to get wet and muddy. No matter what mudguards you use. In particular, your feet, legs and chest will take a beasting. 
2. Waterproof shoes and socks will help for a while, but water will soon run down your legs into your shoes; however, wearing a pair of waterproof over trousers should keep you reasonably warm and dry for a couple of hours, perfect for those cold winter night rides.
3. A good quality breathable waterproof jacket will always be money well spent; with cheaper ones you’ll be just as wet from sweat inside, as rain from outside. Unfortunately, no matter how much you pay for a jacket, spend enough time out in the rain and you will be soaked wet through. Ce la vie.
4. Use a quality front mudguard. Our Long Evo mudguards are designed to keep mud and spray out of your face and eyes and will probably stay on your bike 11 months of the year in the UK. If you’re still riding a thin tubed bike, then a downtube guard will give more protection for your chest and upper legs on those extra wet rides. E-bike downtubes are already oversized so they act as a downtube guard themselves.
5. Combining a rear Mudhugger with waterproof shorts or trousers will help to keep you dry for longer, particularly useful for those long cold winter rides. Fitting a rear Mudhugger to the seat stays prevents it from moving away from the tyre line, getting in the way getting on and off the bike, won’t stop the suspension working properly AND will protect your dropper post. Plus, you’ll be able to sit in the pub after your ride without being told off by the landlord!
6. During very wet, rainy rides your backpack is going to get wet and muddy. A waterproof backpack cover will help to keep valuables, spare clothes, phone etc. dry and usable at the end of your ride (particularly useful when stopping off at the pub before heading home).
7. A set of spare dry gloves for the post pub ride home will be a revelation, honest.
8. Your riding style can affect just how wet and muddy you will get out on the trail. Try and lean your bike through corners rather than turning the handles bars, this will lessen the spray onto your feet and legs. Where possible manual through puddles, not only will this reduce spray off the front wheel but help to maintain speed and flow along the trail. Lastly hanging off the back of the bike is one sure fire way of losing control in the slop whilst plastering your butt with mud. Stay centred, but low for the steeps.
9. Try and ride with at least one other person. Having a regular evening/day and time will help get you out, regardless of the weather. If one of you isn’t feeling it, then the other can bring the positive can-do attitude to the evening’s entertainment. If you must go solo, then top kudos to you; if you’re anything like us on night rides then your imagination will be running wild and your Strava times will come tumbling down!
10. Get out and ride. Once you’re off and going it’s rarely (at least here in the Mudhugger HQ Midlands) as bad as it looks from the comfort of your shed/garage/nice warm car/van.

Most of our winter riding is done at night, on our local hills. Running 2 businesses doesn’t give us much free time. So making sure we get out (and sit down in the pub after) for our regular Thursday evening riding slots was one of the main reasons we developed the Mudhuggers in the first place.