New to winter riding - what clothes I must have?

[rebeccaC]

I recently did a ride in light-moderate rain, and I used a Gore-Tex helmet cover. I wore it on a helmet with a visor, and it covered the whole thing. I found that the rain just dripped off the front, far enough from my face to keep the water out of my eyes.

I don't know how well it would work in heavy rain. I hope it's a long time before I find out, since I'm not a big fan of riding in those conditions.

I remember reading a study that found a cover over the helmet had a little more grip on the pavement in an accident causing more load/strain on the neck, especially for children. That was a few years ago when I taught some children to ride. Maybe more studies on newer fabrics have changed that.

[OakLeaf]

Is it any cover at all? Or was that talking about the old helmets that had ONLY a fabric cover over the EPS, and no hard plastic shell? So it wasn't only that the fabric caught the pavement, but the EPS dug in. That's why those were taken off the market.

[rebeccaC]

It was on a polycarbonate shell. Compared to both a rounder and aero shape with no cover so the study was after aero shapes became popular. It only rains here a few days a year so I have no need .....personally I'd just wear a cap or maybe a helmet with a long enough visor if I had glasses.

[Seajay]

I remember reading a study that found a cover over the helmet had a little more grip on the pavement in an accident causing more load/strain on the neck,.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe there's an older study comparing the foam helmets with lycra covers. (stick instead of slide) vs the plastic microshell systems more common today. (more slip less stick)
I could see a study saying that putting a "sticky fabric" cover over the microshell may cause similar issues. Maybe this is the study RC saw.

There has been some talk about the MIPS system where torque is reduced by the outer shell rotating against the inner shell. I imagine this will catch on over time. POC helmets and Laser kids helmets have this system already.

Seajay