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Aright guys, well this is now my first winter being a so called biker! The problem is i still have the whole newness buzz because i only passed my test in may! I want to carry on biking through the winter but it gets bloody cold here in scotland! i have all the gear, winter gloves, heavy neck scarff, and my gore tex has the linings put back in! does anyone have anymore tips that would make riding in the winter not so bad?

Stay off the road if it has frozen over night black ice takes no prisoners.

Steve

Get some anti-fog spray for your visor. With the visor down and a scarf preventing fresh air from entering your helmet, it will fog up very quickly in cold weather (like, after exhaling once).
Have you got heated grips? Worth their weight in gold. I need them here in Australia's winter so in Scotland I wouldn't even consider riding without them. You might also think about investing in some "muffs" (heh heh) aka "hippo hands", they help keep the parts of your hand warm that the heated grips cant reach. If your fingers get too cold they won't respond when you need them most.
Always remember that it will take your tyres longer to warm up in cold weather, giving you reduced traction. When riding in rain I just take it very easy, especially on corners, and brake/accelerate very gently. Rain can also bring oil to the surface of the road, creating another hazard, particularly at intersections and places where cars regularly stop.
If it snows or there is ice on the road, call in sick and stay in bed.

Drive your car

Cold....ok I have heated gear
Wet....drive slower and be misrable
Ice....your going to die

Hey comrad, greetings from SUNNY Oz. My son had a holiday in Greenock a couple of years ago and did most of the walk from Glasgow to Fort William. He also toured Europe, but reckons Scotland was the best.

Use common sense and anticipate the worst. It is better to be safe than sorry. There is no shame in caging it to work on a day snow and ice is anticipated and it does not appear. There is no shame in deciding it is simply too damn cold to be on the bike.

Better yet -- move to warmer climes.

So that explains the living in Tampa

My momma didn't raise no dummies!!

I'll "second" the vote for a warmer climate. After 51 years in the Upper Midwest (Wisconsin and Iowa) -- which meant putting the cycle away from November through April -- I now live on an island in the Gulf of Mexico, and ride year 'round.

Example: It was 25F in Iowa last week. It was 84F here today. Perfect riding weather.

That said, if you MUST ride in the cold, proper gear is the key. Gauntlet gloves, leather riding pants, a full-faced helmet with good seals at the neck, all make a huge difference. Still, anything below freezing is incredibly dangerous, thanks to the risk of black ice that is difficult to see...

Its why I moved to Pittsburgh from San Diego via Italy, for the weather. Trouble here is that the temperature swings from night to day this time of year can be 30 deg. Wake up to 32 deg. F, and by noon it is over 60 deg. My biggest problem is keeping my hands warm. Just got some TourMaster Winter Elite gloves and I use liners. So far the gloves are almost too warm at anything around 40 or above. Otherwise layering under the jacket and using over pants seems to work fine. I also have a polartec bandana that covers my lower face under my full face helmet. I use the bike for commuting only, at about 40 minutes each way.