UKH

I'm just about to start commuting by bike, about 25km round trip, so looking for any recommendations for what waterproofs people find good and any other recommendations for winter commuting.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Now a thing of the past for me but I only wore waterproof trousers about three times in 7 years of long distance cycle commuting (60-90 minutes each way).  Instead, a decent jacket and bib longs.  For feet, neoprene overshoes (which let water in, but are warmish) and waterproof socks.  I tried the usual names but ended up with DexShell, which are thicker and toasty.  The most important thing is a solid wrap of wide masking tape around the top to stop them filling with water.  I was never man enough to try gaffer tape....

Plus neoprene gloves.

If it was cold and wet (c. 2-6 degrees) I wore Assos double thickness bib longs.  The rest of the time, just single thickness.

If it's sort of rainy, Stole Goat Kiko jerseys (or jersey and arm warmers) are very, very good and last for ages.

Rain on the way home is fine - rain in the morning is grim unless you have somewhere to dry stuff during the day as putting the cold, wet stuff back on is not great.  But once you're out, as long as you're warm and wet, all is good

Used to commute by bike all year round, unless exceedingly wet or icy. I used:

• Castelli NanoFlex bib tights/bib shorts+leg warmers for legs (I find waterproof trousers too restrictive pedalling, but the NanoFlex material repels rain and keeps you warm enough on the move). Others do similar, such as Sportful NoRain, etc.
• waterproof shoe covers for feet - waterproof shoes just fill up with rain eventually
• softshell for drizzle or full waterproof if very wet.
• Good mudguards that really cover the tyres - especially the front one, or you just spray your feet/shins in more crap.
• Glasses - keep the rain/crud out of your eyes
• thin waterproof hat under helmet.
• Decent waterproof gloves.

Unless you have very good drying facilities at work, you'll need 2 sets of most stuff, probably more if doing it every day - putting on a cold, wet chamois at the end of the day is miserable!

Altura Night Vision Jacket is almost the urban commuter standard. Heavy duty as it gets frequent use, pit zips on the one I have are good.

Never used waterproof trousers.

Panniers - good ones that are easy to firmly attach & quickly remove if you are doing that daily. I used Altura Arran. No need for the heavy duty fully waterproof ones if you have carrier bag for clothing.

Good mudguards.

The daily winter faff of putting on cold wet socks/shoes/overshoes to go home was miserable.
Winter MTB boots with breathable lining that you just put only like normal shoes/boots far better.
Despite Goretex not 100% dry but never more than a little damp. Apply wax to nubuck.
I used old version of Shimano MW7 MTB with SPD cleats. Expensive but worth it for daily use.

Thermals, winter jersey/tights, neck buff & skull cap under helmet for the worst weather.

Altura night vision winter gloves - they're not lasting as well as the previous pair I had.
I've seen recommendations for work gloves.
https://www.screwfix.com/c/safety-workwear/thermal-gloves/cat6500002

At least two usb chargeable lights front and back so it doesn't really matter if one goes flat. Lots of USB cables at work for charging from PC or Ikea charger that has 3 outlets.
I liked front/back lights on helmet as they're above traffic and the front one points where you look

If frosty or icey you will fall off. Unless you still bounce well, use car or public transport if you can.

I also didn't cycle when recovering from colds.

My experience (43km daily) year round.

be warned - this is based on having somewhere to shower and dry clothes at work, and you may not like my last suggestion.

1) Mudguards

2) Neoprene gloves

3) Neoprene socks

4) Merino t-shirt/jumper

5) Any old waterproof jacket

6) Lightweight quickdrying MTB shorts

7) Waterproof bag for work clothes

8) Sandals

The reason for the sandals is that you're not going to avoid getting wet feet. It can't be done. The combination of neoprene socks and sandals will keep your feet dry (for a while) and then wet and warm. The sandals won't hold any water, so will easily dry out (nowt worse than having to put on wet shoes the next day).

Neoprene socks can either be swapped out for Dexshell waterproof socks (avoid Sealskinz - they don't last) for when it's less wet, or the two combined for when it's absolutely horrific.

Another bonus for the sandals is that you can extend the velcro fastenings with a spare bit of velcro tape, so you can wear multiple pairs of socks when its freezing cold, yet still maintain circulation in your feet.

This.  They need to flash and be seen among the myriad of reflections on a rainy city night.  I also used bombproof panniers, but everything was packed in a rubble sack anyway (these are stiff enough to keep clothes uncreased and dry).  You need to know how many items you should have with you - in my case it was three - socks, underwear, shirt - everything else was at work on rotation.  You just need to count - if the number's wrong you can then work out what you've forgotten.

I also used to wear a runners reflective gilet (mostly just mesh).

Tried the builders waterproof gloves and they didn't work for me.  If it's wet, neoprene is the way to go I think.  If it's cold, Decathlon 900 series are very warm and cheap (a lot cheaper than Castelli alternatives)

If it's icy, drop your tyre pressures a bit and be cautious and as smooth as can be.  Fixies give more control in icy conditions, but it's all relative.  There's nothing quite looking out of the window at 5:15 in the evening and seeing that it's started to snow.

Totally agree about multiple lights, but (as a driver) I disagree about flashing.

I personally find a static light is actually more visible on wet roads with multiple reflections and it's also far less inclined to dazzle me, so once I've spotted you I can keep an eye on your position without it distracting me from other road users. Maybe one static and one flashing at the rear, but super bright flashing front lights are a bloody menace.

Also reflective panels and highlights are really helpful to increase your visibility, the more the better, be them on clothing, bags or the bike itself. From side on bike lights are minimal use to other road users, but reflective panels can make you stand out really well.

One of my cycling buddies swears by cling film over his socks then neoprene shoe covers. He also puts cling film over his cycling helmet to stop heat loss!

I have Castelli Nano Flex, leg warmers, arm warmers and also some long bib tights which are rain-repellant and relatively warm. The leg warmers are on special at quite a few places at the moment. Separate waterproof trousers are a pain, in my opinion.

For commuting I have a Castelli Commuter Reflex Jacket in bright orange. 

Thanks for the advice and suggestions everyone, I wasn't planning on changing into lycra as its only going to be 30-35 mins each way but might for the wetter days.

Fortunately the bike already has mudguards, panniers and dynamo lights so will look at getting some flashing lights as well.

all good advice above.

personally I'm a big fan of bike-specific trousers (no lycra for me on a workday), they tend to be shaped better to suit a riding position. 60min daily 5 days a week is enough to chafe.

I'll leave it up to you to make the balance between ride comfort and puncture protection. but I'll just say: fixing a puncture, even just swapping out an inner tube, is a total and utter pita on a cold wet winter day by the side of the road. worse if you have to walk home.

if you've got a locker or something at work - at the very least leave a spare pair of socks, if not a full change of clothes, in there. it's only a matter of time before you use them.

When I commuted by bike (10-15 km each way) I found it much more pleasant to cycle in lycra shorts/tights (depending on the season) & change once at work, but I had space to store a change of clothes.

Tyres were going to be the next question, are the marathon plus still the go to for puncture protection or is there something that rolls better and still is as puncture resistant.

Schwalbe Marathon or Bontrager AW worked for me. Getting there & back reliably is the priority.

If the bike is a hack bike, you can fit about 5m of 25mm hi viz yellow reflective tape on frame, forks & mudguards mostly for side visibility (although I had white/red facing forwards/backwards).

25mm tape conforms to curved surfaces better than 50mm tape.

I really like my Proviz reversible waterproof. Pretty waterproof. Very reflective on one side and very bright on the other. Too warm for riding home on a sunny afternoon though and doesn’t shove into a pocket easily.

I'm in two minds about this - while it's pretty unpleasant to ride squinting ineffectively through stinging rain, it's also unnerving to ride with one's vision swirling with water droplets on lenses. Especially in night traffic, when  brake lights come on ahead and the world becomes a miasma of red. 
Adjust according to conditions, I suppose, and maybe wear a peaked cap

Can someone recommend overshoes that will cover regular work shoes? None would fit in the bike shop. It's not a long commute but when it's tipping down, the waterproof trousers funnel water into my shoes.

Glasses for me every time. Yellow lenses in crap weather to make the world seem a bit sunnier and treat them with rainex or similar.

I really like the leg warmers - I've also got the knee warmers, which are great for milder days.

I didn't like the arm warmers, as they have a cold strip of Lycra down the front of your arm. On the legs, this is behind your knee, so not in the wind.

Gilet - good for dry cold or light rain without the boil in bag effect of even breathable waterproofs.

Thanks for the PM Dan

Leave the work shoes at work.

I was looking into tyres a wile back with that exact question in mind - but, I just gave up.

the backstory is, I put marathon plus-s on my bike about 5 years ago. I'v changed the inner tubes twice now, just because they weren't holding pressure particularly well over time, one of them might just about have had a slow puncture sometime way back. each time I'v done this I'v picked about 4 or 5 little glass shards out of each tyre (it's moot if these would still have been stopped by a lesser reinforcement). over the years they have softened ever so slightly from their initial teeth-shattering rigidity. their epic rolling-resistance is just something you kind of get used to, along with the lack of teeth.

I can't comment on how they compare to others because I'v not yet swapped over. I'm thinking to just go marathon no-plus / efficiency once my current ones wear out some time around 2050 - I'll keep you posted.

Glasses for me - in winter I wear clear Bolle Contour clear safety glasses which are about £10.

A cap is remarkably effective at keeping rain off the lenses - it's drizzle and mist that's difficult.  Treating glasses with RainX helps a bit.

A gilet - always a gilet....

Why do people assume that cyclists are not drivers too?  

The key words here are "Once I've spotted you..." - as far as I'm concerned, that's too late for the cars that cause problems - the one's pulling out and turning across your front.  Despite the fixation with bike lights being too bright (and of course some are) in the main bike lights are grossly out-competed by car headlights.  You can drive a car happily on dipped car headlights at 30mph - at that speed on a bike you're lucky to see anything useful - they're only USB torches really.

As far as 'distracting you from other road users' I don't want you to lose track of where I am.  I am sure that you are highly observant, but 50% of road users are below average, 10% of them in London don't have insurance and 'SMIDSY' is just a self-excusing shit way of saying 'I didn't look properly'.

I'm afraid that any coming together with a car really, really hurts - and if you find bright blinking bike lights annoying, I'm sorry, but I have to try and out-compete car headlights just to avoid someone trying to dive quickly through the gap that isn't there.

I'm late to the thread but currently commute about the same distance. This time of year until Spring I'll be commuting in Galibier Mistral bibs and jacket, neoprene overshoes, Galibier's winter gloves and a baselayer to suit temperature. The Mistral stuff is similar to Castelli's waterproof-ish softshell-ish but much cheaper so you can buy 2 sets and rotate in the wash.

The clear bolle safety glasses are cheap, replaceable and work fine. They don't shed water particularly well but hey ho. I have a peaked cap that has a windproof forehead patch and just covers my ears with some brushed lining that sees me through winter.

A pannier even for this distance is better than a rucksack but it depends what you carry (I carry laptop, lunch and a change of clothes). Ortleib's waterproof ones are totally trustworthy. I've submerged them through flooding and they're fine.

For lights, 2 is 1 so carry spares. At this time of year the bigger lumen output at the front the better unless you're on lit streets. A good rear obviously, I prefer the pulsing ones to epileptic flashes.

Tyres, I use continental GP5000's as I also ride at weekends and can't be bothered changing tyres. Have had 1 puncture in ~3 years so don't feel hard done by on cost.