all i need to get is long sleeved jersey and rain cape or something (although my softshell blocks water nicely)
You can't stay totally dry no matter what you wear when then heavens open, so its matter of staying warm if your warm being wet is not such a major issue, many a time I have come back wet but the ride has be good because what I wear keeps me warm (and yes my Jacket is pretty good at keeing me dry and warm, as do my winter leggings, both from Aldi), feet and hands you need to try and keep warm above almost anything else as if these are cold the ride will be very unpleasant.arming myself up for winter, just ordered castelli thermoflex leg warmers and castelli skully
Winter before last I wore some Aldi winter gloves, they still had some oyster gloves when I was in on Wed, suspect these would be ok, last winter I wore something like these on the colder days I rode I managed to fit another pair of light weight full fingered gloves inside.
I use some winter motorcycling gloves I have had for a while. They come pretty far up my arms but I can get them off ok to wipe my nose with a paper towel or tissue while I am riding. They do make shifting a little tough but I can ride for quite a while in freezing weather before my fingers start getting cold. I leave them by a central heating vent so they are warm when I start.
They sound like the ex-army type mitts I got. I struggle to keep my hands warm and have tried numerous so called winter gloves without success. The mitts are warm but, as you say, not great for feeling the shifters.
Not that far behind me Mo, I just passed 4,600 yesterday.
ironically lightening is the one thing that does phase me, Nigel. But then I have had a really near miss whilst out cycling across a nature reserve where I used to live. The main road had been closed due to a nasty accident and it was also no pedestrians, no cyclists closure and my only alternative was to head out across country with the storm approaching (the road alternative was a 20 mile detour)... as I left the woodland going out onto the common/moorland (this was surrey so not exactly elevated moorland) every hair on my body stood up as I was cycling under the high voltage power cables (the ones that hum...) and a few yards further on the lightening 'arrived'. It was the first flash and hit a tree no more than 50m behind me. I didn't stop but I can tell you I got home very quickly! thankfully I was only 1/2 mile from home at that point, but it was too close for comfort for me. But don't get me wrong, lightening fascinates me, I would just rather not be quite that close to it unless indoors!@Torvi I have (after reading previous posts) been updating the weather data in my database, I only have it fully back to the star of this year, but avg temps going way back to Aug 2012, when the temps drop below 0 and with wind chill it is bitter, its not so much on the bike, but actually getting out I am not bothered about temps so much got enough kit to keep warm, but ice and snow, whilst I have done it, its not something I will be doing much of in the future, wind, rain thunder lightening, don't phase but ice, it doesn't matter what your riding on tyre wise (don't pipe up about ice tyres I know) ice will take you out, snow isn't so bad till its compacted.
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Anyway the coldest I rode in that I know of was -5.5C then add wind chill of the speed your doing it starts to feel like -10C, not trying to put you off like, as i will be riding rather than a turbo.
when approaching long hill i just keep staring at my wheel and on tarmac focusing on rolling myself up and totally not watching where i go, while it im controlling my breath speed and how much air i take, thanks to it i was able to get past one of best out of our group climbers sooo yay for me 
, and admittedly I still got a few spokes wrong to start with
, but I got there in the end, truing wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, didn't have a truing stand but made a makeshift stand out of the bike for dishing and lateral adjustments, all in all turned out great (with a lots and lots of patience mind!
) dead chuffed 
good that im not the only with sucha idea
Not quite sure thats what @Big_Dave meant, as like me he likes his triples, and 105 11sp isn't available as a triple as yet (if it every will be)haha dave i also want to dress my carrera with 105s 11sp
