Winter is here, and with it comes dreary, cold, and damp weather. While the seasonal change hits differently across the many places we call home, it’s fair to assume that conditions for mountain biking may not be ideal for the majority of us. Some riders may not even have the option of a “winter riding season.” Fortunately for us up here in Bellingham, WA, we're lucky enough to ride year-round.
As of late, there has been no shortage of sloppy, muddy, and wet conditions. This time of year, every ride requires wet-weather gear, the inevitable soaking of said gear, and a diligent post-ride spray-down (of both rider and bike). Mud, rain, and soggy trails definitely sound rather uninviting, but here at Fanatik we think wet-weather riding is some of the most fun you can have out on your bike. To help you make the most of your rides this “off-season,” here are five wet-weather riding essentials guaranteed to improve your time out on the trails.
Wet-Weather Riding Kit
We all have a staple riding-gear collection that includes items like gloves, jerseys, shorts, and maybe even a pair of riding pants. While these pieces are great for most riding conditions, they can fall short during the colder, wetter months of the year. Having a true wet-weather kit dedicated to keeping you warm and dry plays a huge role in staying stoked on the trail.
Gloves
With your hands exposed on the handlebars, fingers can get cold quickly. A good set of cold-weather gloves ensures you maintain grip, dexterity, and warmth as you rip down the trail. Here are our top three favorites at the shop:
- 100% Brisker Cool Weather Glove - Insulated softshell top blocks out damp, cool conditions, while the thin palm maintains maximum bar feel. All at an excellent price point.
- Fox Ranger Water Glove – Fully waterproof construction with light insulation to ensure you stay protected from the elements and comfortable throughout your ride.
- Troy Lee Designs Swelter Plus Glove – A premium option featuring DWR-treated, water- and wind-resistant fabric with Thinsulate™ insulation to keep your digits warm and dexterous.
Jackets
Your casual raincoat is probably great! Except after a ride, when it’s covered in mud and you’re wishing you had your normal raincoat to use. Having a dedicated riding rain jacket is great so you never run into that problem. Just hang it up muddy, because it’ll get muddy again next ride! Again, here are the shop’s top three:
- Troy Lee Designs Resist Jacket – Lightweight yet durable 3-layer waterproof shell jacket, featuring waterproof zipper pockets, an adjustable hood, and a tailored hem to shield you from rear wheel mud spray.
- Fox Ranger 2.5L Water Jacket – A clean, simple, yet effective option, the Ranger Water Jacket features 10K/5K waterproof stretch fabric, adjustable fit points, and a tailored MTB fit for maximum protection from the elements.
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Outdoor Research Freewheel MTB Stretch Rain Jacket – This 2.5-layer, mountain bike specific jacket from OR is packed with top-notch features like technical stretch fabric, a helmet-compatible hood, waterproof zippers, and a clever back pocket that doubles as a stuff sack for easy packability when the sky clears up. This jacket is available in both men's and women's sizing.
Pants
A pair of purpose-built wet-weather riding pants is also ideal. Beyond the obvious benefit of keeping your legs dry, a moisture barrier between you and a mud-covered saddle is essential for staying warm, dry, and chafe-free. Here are our final three recommendations to complete your kit:
- Troy Lee Designs Resist Pro Pants – Pairing perfectly with its upper-body counterpart, the Resist Pro Pants deliver 20K/20K waterproofing in a highly durable design built to handle the most demanding, puddle-smashing conditions.
- Fox Ranger Water Pants – Another kit matchup, these pants share the same 10K/5K waterproof stretch fabric, offering excellent mobility for pedaling while providing protection from all the muck caked up on your saddle.
- Pearl Izumi Summit 3L Rain Pant – These pants hit all the marks for a highly functional wet-weather option. Fully waterproof, exceptionally breathable, sealed zipper pockets, and a thoughtfully designed fit that accommodates the extra bulk of a chamois and knee pads without feeling tight or restrictive.
The right wet-weather kit makes winter riding far more comfortable and enjoyable. Staying warm and dry means longer rides, sicker laps, and more fun.
Waterproof Socks
Footwear is an easily overlooked piece of your kit when gearing up for a wet-weather ride. When biking in the winter, it’s guaranteed you’ll be doing some puddle smashing. Your feet are always the first to get soaked and the hardest to warm back up once they’re drenched and cold. Waterproofing your dogs is a sure way to ensure you stay stoked on the ride instead of fussing over chilly toes. Waterproof riding shoes are fantastic, and there are plenty of solid options available from most of our favorite MTB brands. Flats or clipless, laced, Velcro, or BOA–there’s a style for everyone. However, there’s a sneaky option not many riders talk about: waterproof socks. At a fraction of the price and with nearly the same effectiveness, waterproof socks are a must-have for wet-weather rides. You can pair them with your current favorite riding shoes or double up with waterproof shoes for maximum protection from the elements. Either way, waterproof socks work incredibly well and are sure to keep your feet dry, warm, and comfortable all ride long no matter how many puddles you jump in.
Here at the shop, our go-to pick is the Fox Defend Water Sock. Featuring a three-layer construction with a polyurethane membrane, these socks keep your feet toasty, fully dry and come in unisex sizing to fit a wide range of foot sizes.
Aggressive Open-tread Tires
If I haven’t said “wet-weather” and the supporting adjectives enough yet, buckle up. Winter riding conditions provide us with deep, loose, slimy, and slippery dirt. This kind of dirt is especially good at clogging up your tire’s tread and turning them into slicks. One of the most impactful seasonal changes you can make to your bike is swapping to wet-weather tires. Tall, widely spaced knobs on a loose-conditions tire help prevent dirt from packing up while simultaneously penetrating deeper into soft soil, giving you traction where you otherwise wouldn’t have it. Cornering grip, speed management, and overall traction are all vastly improved when you run tires built to handle these wet-weather conditions. All of our favorite name-brand tire manufacturers offer loose-conditions tires, so you can stick with the compounds and casings you know and love with the added bonus of increased grip for muck season. Here are three of our favorite tires for wet-weather riding:
- Maxxis Shorty – The Shorty is a premier wet-weather specialist, backed by years of data and feedback from World Cup racers and Maxxis athletes. This classic, mid-sized spike design is a standout example of a versatile, aggressive open-tread tire that can handle anything you throw at it. The knob layout provides excellent cornering performance, efficient mud-shedding, and predictable traction when conditions get slimy. Available in both MaxxGrip and MaxxTerra compounds, with casing options from EXO+ to DH, the Shorty is a no-brainer for a reliable rainy-season tire.
- Specialized Hillbilly – Specialized’s wet weather offering, the Hillbilly, excels in steep, slippery, and loose conditions. With a consistent, tall, and aggressive tread this tire predictably bites into the soil and mud harvesting grip where most tires fall short. Combined with Specialized’s T9 rubber compound for traction on rocks and roots, and a price tag of only $84.99, this tire really hit the mark as a wet-weather winner.
- Schwalbe Magic Mary Radial – The Magic Mary is well known as one of the most popular tires out on the trails–and for good reason. Renowned for its all condition capabilities, the Mary’s aggressive, open tread pattern provides maximum braking traction and cornering grip even in extremely muddy terrain. The radial construction adds the cherry on top, providing extra grip when slippery, off-camber roots and rocks come into play. Because it excels in all conditions throughout the year, including wet weather, the Magic Mary is one of the most popular tires across our staff’s bikes here at Fanatik.
Extra Large Front Fender
There are lots of folks putting front fenders on their bikes these days. Whether it’s purely practical or simply stylistic, fenders are great for adding both function and fashion to your ride. However, when it comes to wet-weather riding, it’s imperative to bring out the big guns. An XL front fender is one of the best seasonal modifications you can make to your bike. When riding in the wet, mud-flinging is at its peak, and having a large fender up front helps ensure that flying muck stays out of your line of sight. It’s an inexpensive yet highly effective addition that makes winter riding that much more enjoyable.
If you want to enjoy that XL fender protection, our top pick is the Mucky Nutz Mud Guard Fender. Made from 100% recycled plastic, it fits all wheel sizes and features six universal mounting points for a secure fit on any fork. At just under $30, this accessory punches well above its weight in effectiveness. Grab one for yourself and say goodbye to mud in your mouth!
Hardtail Mountain Bikes
Hardtails! Chances are high you had one as your first mountain bike, and if you did, I’m willing to bet you remember having a blast when you first started riding it. Well, in case you forgot, hardtails are still sick! The winter riding season provides the most prime conditions for getting out a semi-rigid rig. Softer dirt, slower speeds, and mellower trails make the off-season the perfect time to ride something different. Hardtails also force you to ride more actively, absorbing bumps and focusing on line choice to stay smooth–a great way to reinforce good riding technique that your full-suspension bike may have let you get lazy with. Another bonus is how easy hardtails are to clean and maintain, especially when everything is bound to get covered in mud. The lack of rear suspension means no dirt wearing down moving parts, no blown or rusted linkage bearings to replace, and one less suspension component to service. Just spray it down, re-lube your chain, and hang it up. Ready to go for the next mucky excursion!
When it comes to hardtail mountain bikes, few brands carry the reputation of Chromag Bikes. Hailing from the coastal mountains of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, Chromag has been producing high-quality, innovative bikes and components since 2002.
Since we’re fortunate enough to work with Chromag and stock their bikes here at Fanatik, several of our employees have built up some seriously rocking custom hardtails that we love to shred all throughout the winter riding season. Do you have a dream build in mind? Shoot us a message through our website’s messenger or send an email to sales@fanatikbike.com, and let’s bring it to life!
Although winter is here it doesn’t have to mean cutting your season short, shivering your arse off, or struggling down sloppy, muddy trails. With the right gear and a bike set up, winter can become one of the most fun times to get out in the woods and ride. From a full wet-weather kit and waterproof socks to aggressive tires, XL fenders, and classic hardtail rippin’, these five winter riding essentials make sure you’re set up for a good time out in the wet and truly make the most out of the winter riding season.
