cycling

Over the last few weeks we've looked at how to keep your bike running and looking like new through winter, as well as our top clothing picks and our favourite lights. All of these things will help get you through winter, but what about the bike itself? Take one look at your "summer" tyres or go for a ride sans mudguards and tell us it was fun. It wasn't fun, was it? You got covered in muck, slid all over the place, possibly crashed and your brake pads turned to mush and didn't really slow you down much, if at all.

Oh, and if you went out on your road bike, you perhaps didn't think about the effect the conditions would have on your gorgeous carbon wheels. The less said about the better, as given the price the consequences can be wince-inducing to say the least... In this guide we'll take a look at the ways in which you can make a few subtle changes to your bike that'll help it perform better through the winter months.

Tyres

Conditions under tyre are wildly different