Winter cycling apparel is designed to regulate body temperature. Photo: CFP

On chilly winter evenings, 32-year-old Zhang Yanbo can't think of a more exciting after-work activity than cycling his new Colnago road bike along brightly lit Chang'an Avenue. Meanwhile, for Yang Yang, director of the Beijing Golden Bike Association, the ideal cycling winter workout is a three-hour training regime in the suburbs twice a month. North China's freezing weather cannot cool the enthusiasm of cyclists.

But none of them underestimate the need to wear proper cycling apparel to make their ride safer,  warmer and more comfortable. Regardless of whether you're training for a long-distance ride, hitting the mountain trails or just commuting to work, you don't want to lose the feeling in your fingers and toes.

Zhang believes every healthy person should engage in one of the three triathlon sports (swimming, running, cycling) on a regular basis. As a middling swimmer who was unwilling to risk his knees by running on Beijing's hard roads, he took up cycling five years ago and has never looked back.

Zhang, who works in the finance industry, is one of Beijing's daily two-wheel commuters; he leaves home every morning when the outdoor temperature is around -6 C. "Cycling apparel must be breathable and insulating," he said, noting that he prefers products from Japanese brand Pearl Izumi and Swiss brand X-Bionic. His full-sleeve cycling jersey cost around 2,000 yuan ($329), and he wears it under a windstopper jacket purchased for 4,590 yuan. "I choose the right clothing for the temperature range in which I will be cycling," he said.

"The core function of winter cycling apparel is to regulate body temperature through textiles that allow perspiration to evaporate quickly," said Yang, who used to be a professional cyclist with China's national team.

According to Yang, winter cyclists should wear three layers of clothing. The first layer - athletic underwear - should not be made of cotton, which absorbs moisture instead of wicking it away. Over that, the cyclist should wear a full-sleeve jersey made of breathable mesh fabric. The outer layer should be a jacket with removable sleeves - and pockets where the cyclist can store candies to keep energy levels up. Separate cycling bottoms are preferable to cycling jumpsuits. All the items are priced between 1,000 to 5,000 yuan. Yang likes Craft, a Swiss cycling apparel manufacturer whose products are worn by many professional cycling teams.

A winter cyclist should also invest in good accessories: gloves that are thick without obstructing finger dexterity, a pair of windproof glasses with anti-fog lenses, and a pair of windstopper booties. Yang even recommends wearing a plastic shower cap, the kind that hotels provide for free, under the helmet to retain heat. "It's a simple but effective way to keep warm air circulating around the head," he said.

Yang's other winter cycling tips include staying vigilant to how the weather affects road conditions. "You need to read the color of the road - white is ice while black is water. Also, decrease the tire pressure slightly to increase surface traction on the road."

Wearable devices also allow for smarter cycling. For 2,000 yuan, Zhang recently bought a Sony SmartWatch that syncs with Android mobile devices. "I can read incoming calls and messages on the watch, which frees me from having to take out my phone while cycling," he said. He also uses a Garmin bike computer to measure not only the distance traveled but also his heart rates.

"My 2013 resolution was to achieve 10,000 kilometers, and I racked up 10,003 kilometers," he said, smiling. "My goal for 2014 is 12,000 kilometers. Snow, coldness, nothing will stop me."