As the months grow a bit cooler, the roads get wetter, and things just get a bit darker it’s essential to be prepared correctly. We at Cycle Division aim for you to be clued up just in time so you can still have a good quality ride, wherever you may be riding to.

With the nights beginning to draw in and the weather starting to turn colder, now is traditionally the time when cyclists turn to their trusty turbo trainers to keep riding throughout the winter in (relative) comfort.

Cycling is a sport where there is always more kit to buy or ways to treat yourself, but what if you don't know what the person you're buying for already has?

If you don't want to risk doubling up on kit or you want to avoid selling out and going the gift voucher option, here are five great cycling essentials which any cyclist will love to receive this Christmas:

It's always difficult to maintain fitness and performance over the Christmas holidays. There's too much good food and drink around and sometimes it's just such a hassle to go out on the bike.

Our top tips to help maintain your performance will help keep you fresh and limit the impact of the festive period ready to begin training properly again in January. They will also help you to keep from gaining too much weight from all of the Quality Street you will eat (it's alright, everyone does it).

Cycling is one of the best sports you can do to lose weight, giving you an early advantage to achieving your weight loss goals for 2017 right off the bat.

But what's the best way to go about shifting that extra timber? Is it epic 5 hours sessions at low intensity? Replacing milk on your cereal with recovery shake? Eating nothing but your base metabolic rate no matter the ride?

Here are our five top tips for losing weight whilst cycling.

The 'base mile blast' or whatever you choose to call it is the practice of riding a set number of miles throughout the winter months, usually some way below your summer mileage. 

The theory behind this is that by riding your bike (your winter bike, mind) steadily throughout the colder months, you will maintain your fitness for when the spring and summer comes, giving you more time to get race-fit and less time to try and get your fitness back. 

We should mention that this only works if you're fit in the first place. 

Base miles are a term bandied around between cyclists all the time, but what if you could actually IMPROVE your fitness in winter?