Once you’ve found the mountain bike that’s right for you, you’re going to need some mountain bike accessories. These will make your ride more pleasant, fun, and safe. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and spend too much money, of course. So here’s a list of the basic mountain bike accessories you’ll need before you hit the trails.
Hydration: priority number one!
Among the most vital mountain bike accessories is a water bottle and cage. Or you can opt instead for a hydration pack.
Water bottles and a water bottle cage are both inexpensive accessories that allow you to bring hydration with you on the ride. The cage can be bolted to your mountain bike frame, and it holds your water bottle solidly so it doesn’t escape when you’re bumping around rocks and roots.
But if you’ll be spending a lot of time on the bike, you’ll want to bring more water (and probably a lot of other things like tools and a rain jacket). So a hydration pack is the tool you’ll need.
Hydration packs are basically backpacks or hip packs that include a soft water bladder. the bladder features a hose that allows you to drink from the bladder quickly, and often hands-free. Hydration packs come in a variety of sizes and configurations to suit your needs. A small pack is ideal for short rides, but a larger pack is good if you’ll be out for many hours or if you need to bring lots of clothing and mountain bike accessories.
Mountain bike safety equipment
A hydration pack is, in a sense, a piece of safety equipment in itself. (Some of them even come outfitted with spinal protection systems, but that’s a topic for another article.) But you’ll need a few more mountain bike accessories that will play a key role in keeping you safe.
The most important piece of safety equipment is a mountain bike helmet. We’ve all seen the vast variety of helmets, so it may seem daunting to choose between them. Fortunately, every helmet you find in a bike shop has gone through standardized testing, so they’re all going to protect your head to some extent.
Many helmets now have spherical protection systems such as MIPS that can reduce the risk of concussion but not completely eliminate the risk of a head injury. These helmets will generally cost more, but they’re a good investment. (Look for a MIPS explainer on DawnPatrolMTB.com soon.)
Now that you’ve got your head protected, it’s time to consider what lies beneath your dome. Sunglasses offer protection from the sun of course. But perhaps equally important, they’ll protect your eyes from dirt, flying stray rocks, and bushes hanging over the trail. Your regular pair of casual glasses should work if you don’t want to spring the cash for an expensive pair of specialized biking shades.
Gloves help you grip your handlebars and also protect the skin on your hands if you crash. Some riders swear that the feel of ungloved hands is superior to gloves and that they can grip the bars just fine with naked hands, and it’s certainly a personal preference. To err on the safe side, grab some full-finger gloves for mountain biking.
There is more safety equipment such as kneepads and elbow pads, but many riders don’t use these until they get more into the downhill and gravity side of the sport. There’s no reason not to wear them, however. So if you want extra protection for beginner trail rides, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Basic mountain bike tools
You’re going to need to pump up your tires so it’s a good idea to have a floor pump. This will live in your garage or the back of the car. There are more compact solutions for stuffing in your hydration pack or pocket. More on that in a moment.
If your bike has air-sprung suspension, as most do these days, you will also need a shock pump to adjust the air pressure, which dictates your sag measurement. (Look for an explainer on sag measurement here on DawnPatrolMTB.com very soon.)
At home, you can get yourself prepared for basic repairs by purchasing a set of metric Allen Keys. You’ll find these at most hardware stores. These keys will fit most of the bolts on your bike. If your bike has carbon components, you’ll also want to invest in a torque wrench to make sure you don’t overtighten your bolts and risk cracking your carbon.
On the trail, your tool selection needs to be compact and versatile. Your hydration pack should be packed with the following:
- multitool
- tire levers
- CO2 and Inflator
- Hand pump
- Tube patches and tire boots
- Tubeless puncture repair kit
These tools are meant to help you get back to the trailhead. They are key mountain bike accessories that can save the day should you have mechanical difficulties during your ride.
Shoes and pedals
If you’re starting out with flat pedals (a standard platform pedal that doesn’t have any mechanism that attaches your feet to the pedal), you can ride in your tennis shoes if you want to. But as you ride more and more you will want a pair of shoes that are specifically designed to stand up to the rigors of the activity. Mountain bike shoes feature stiffer soles than your tennis shoes, as well as a stronger upper that’s resistant to impacts and abrasions.
When you’re ready to clip in and be secured to your pedals, you’ll need special shoes to work with what’s known as clipless pedals. The name is confusing, but this means you’ll clip into your pedals via a cleat mounted to the bottom of your shoes. This offers more control and pedaling efficiency, but there’s definitely a learning curve to getting in and out of the pedals safely.
What should I wear when mountain biking?
If you own it, run it! You can start by wearing workout clothes that you already own. Hiking or running shorts and tops can work great. The goal is to seek out technical materials that will breathe well, wick away sweat, and move well with your body as you dip and dive through the trails. Avoid cotton, denim, and other materials that get sweat-logged.
There are different versions of mountain biking tops and bottoms: skin tight spandex like road cyclists wear—or baggier clothes that look a bit more casual. It’s up to you what you want to wear. If you’re going to ride Trail bikes, the current style dictates baggy shorts and a loose top. If you’re an XC rider, feel free to kit up in tight bibshorts and a race jersey.
Whatever you wear, you’ll definitely be more comfortable if you include a comfortable chamois in your kit. You can wear these padded shorts as a liner underneath baggy shorts. Just remember to not wear underwear underneath a chamois! This causes chafing.
The total price tag of all these mountain bike accessories can get really big really quickly. But don’t worry; you can get started small with just the basics, like a helmet, gloves, chamois, and a few basic tools.