Winter is here....

Yes, dear reader....the clocks have gone back, the days are shortening and it's only a matter of a few weeks until Christmas. Where did the year go?

Biking wise, I have to say that 2012 has turned out to be a complete non event, which is a shame because 2011 was full of good riding, including a couple of fantastic long weekends in France. I had plans for this year but work, circumstance and (mostly) the weather has got in the way. I definitely need to make amends in 2013 but this year isn't over yet. You never know....

While plenty of fellow bikers will be putting their pride and joy away in the garage for the winter months, I'm not one of them. Never have been. As far as I'm concerned, bikes are there to be ridden and there is plenty of good winter riding to be had (there's plenty of crap, attritional riding to be had on the commute too, but we'll ignore that for the purpose of this piece). Yes, the winter months get a tad chilly and you might have to deal with a bit of wind and rain on occasion if you're caught out but I don't think there's much that's better than a bracing blast in the bright winter sunshine. It's good for the soul!

And if you are so minded (or a bit of a pansy), there's a plethora of kit and accessories available these days to keep you warm and dry - from handlebar muffs and handguards to heated grips and seats to all manner of waterproofs and heated clothing....gloveliners, vests, jackets, trousers, boot insoles etc etc. Just make sure your battery (and wallet) can cope!

Personally, I don't bother with any of that (other than waterproofs). I had some heated grips on a previous bike (my beloved VFR) but found that while they can almost burn your palms off on the underside, they do very little to offset the chill on the outside of your fingers. They just didn't feel right, so I got rid.

I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to winter riding anyway - I prefer layers to manufactured heat and, despite my advancing years, actually quite like the chill and the feel of exposure to the elements. And yes, I get a strange kick from the cold weather tears, ruddy cheeks and nose dribbles that go with it! It seems to me that if you have heated everything, then you may as well be in a car. Others will disagree, I'm sure (I'm also sure that if I had to do long motorway schleps on a regular basis, I'd be taking a very different view!)

Mind you, there are limits. It was 3°c on the ride into work early this morning and as I drew up to some lights alongside a young guy on an R6, I could see that all he had on as protection from the elements was a thin jacket, jeans, trainers AND NO GLOVES!!! Brrrrr!!!!! 

Enjoy the winter ride!