Exploring the great outdoors can be done in a multitude of ways, ranging from biking to walking to even using an ATV. Still, the world of mountain biking gives you not only a sense of freedom and speed, but also the ability to customize your ride, whether rugged and rough or almost floating through the wilderness.
The level of complexity to comfort ratio you get to explore and carve for yourself is done in no small part thanks to the kind of mountain bike you choose (yes, if you are a novice to the world of mountain bikes, different kinds provide unique rides, brakes, tires, and more). Still, even more importantly, the specific accessories you bring (or lack thereof) allow you to tailor your mountain biking adventures to whatever you want or need them to be.
What Accessories Are Important While Mountain Biking?
Safety is more often than not the name of the game when riding any vehicle, and mountain biking is no exception. Other accessories will enhance your utility by providing comfort or quick repairs on the fly.
Escaping the need to wear yourself out by bringing an entire kit for the endeavor will give you a much-needed break in how much you need to carry on your ride, but you can also be highly prepared for accidents and injuries, depending on what you bring.
1. Protective Accessories
Undeniably, the only thing more fun than enjoying your ride and feeling the wind on your face is knowing that if you take a nasty tumble. Even more unfortunately, you experience something going wrong with your bike, which will still cause that tumble mentioned earlier, but this time, it’s not your own fault.
Regardless of how the accident happens, being prepared and protected is pivotal if you want to make it back to your home in one piece, and even more so with potentially severe damage or an ER visit for your efforts. Below, we’ll go over some of the most vital pieces of gear to keep you safe.
Helmet
While a helmet might seem tedious or potentially unnecessary to some people, the undeniable truth is that it is the single most important accessory you can bring with you while riding your bike. A helmet will protect your face and skull from injury, preventing brain damage in a worst-case scenario, or severe cuts and lacerations, which are still relatively serious. Still, these can be boiled down to cosmetic wounds unless they prove to be more dire.
Protective Gear
It would take eons to name every piece of protective gear you can get to make you a veritable tank while riding your bike. Still, some pieces to note include the following:
- Gloves
- Knee pads
- Elbow pads
- Shin guards
- Ankle guards
- Hip protectors
- Compression clothing improves blood flow, making you more alert and responsive while also providing an extra layer of cushioning in the event of a fall.
Now understandably that was an incredibly long list of different items, some of which are self explanatory, and others less so, like hip protectors for example, but should you fall off your bike on a rocky trail, you’d much rather that particularly angry rock wedge itself into your reinforced padding as opposed to your actual hip, which otherwise would be shielded by just a few layers of a fabric.
Going at incredible speeds and potentially slamming into rocks and sticks is all the justification a person needs to stay well stocked and prepared when it comes to protective gear, but painting pictures sometimes helps.
Bike Lights
Hearing people say “seeing is believing” is an interesting concept, but even more aptly described, seeing is having the ability to steer, and without a light, you’ll be sure to have a very intimate discussion with any local rocks or trees that a small bit of illumination could have spared you.
Jokes aside, you don’t need to listen to nature lectures if you invest in some solid bike lights. The best ones offer several lighting levels, from dim to pseudo-sun (talk about a bright idea).
You’ll also consider getting some reflective lights for your bike and placing them in obvious places from multiple angles to give yourself both safety and an easy way to find your bike should you need to.
Gloves
Even if you aren’t a top ranked pianist, protecting your hands should be relatively important at the very least, as you need them to steer your bike (unless of course you are some phenom, or Jedi perhaps), the gloves should have increased grip that will allow you to hold onto the handle bars comfortably, but a bit of extra padding should you need to brace yourself on a fall.
In case it wasn’t entirely clear, there are gloves made explicitly for mountain biking. You definitely wouldn’t want to throw on any pair you have lying around the house. While technically they would be better than nothing, a small investment could give you a much more enjoyable ride in the long run and last you for several months at the very least.
Protective Eyewear
Shielding your eyes from danger is incredibly important, but direct assault from twigs and sticks isn’t your biggest concern; what you really want to avoid is the glare from the sun, which can prevent you from seeing clearly, or, worse, too much exposure to it, which can permanently damage your vision.
Technically speaking, you will be kicking up dust, dirt, rock, and wood fragments while navigating any trails you plan on exploring, so protecting your eyes from those is definitely important, too. Still, most protective glasses will be much more expensive when factoring in extreme durability, which again, is typically worth the investment.
2. Bike Maintenance
The better care you take of your bike, the less likely it is to fall apart when you need it most, or inevitably lead you to having expensive part repairs that can sometimes be very difficult to do in the first place, especially if your specific bike has been discontinued, or worse, you need particular tools to do the job.
Chain Lube
Boiled down to its most basic use, chain lube acts as a protective barrier between your bike’s chain and any dirt, grime, or rust that would love to adhere to it, keeping the chain from becoming damaged and, even more notably, keeping you ready for adventure at a moment’s notice.
Expanding slightly on that, a well-oiled chain will do its job somewhat more quietly, allowing you to enjoy a more scenic ride or prevent damage from whatever weather you might be exposing it to in the long run.
Flat Tire Repair Kit
Even if you didn’t aspire to be a fledgling bike repairman or repairwoman, keeping a flat tire repair kit will make all the difference between you taking a few minutes of your time to get your bike back in functioning order to make it back to your home or car, or having a very depressing walk back.
Your average repair kit that’s worth its weight in salt can be a tad expensive. Still, these slight price differences usually entail a higher-quality patch job. If you spent 5$ on a repair kit and it only got you a few hundred feet, I bet you’d have loved to have “splurged” on the 50$ one that could have gotten you home!
Multitool
If you’ve never heard the name before, a multitool is essentially a Swiss Army knife for bike repairs and other quick fixes you might need on the go. Being small, compact, and lightweight makes them invaluable, mainly when used in tandem with a repair kit.
Pump
At the cost of nearly being more prepared than Batman at this point, managing to get a small pump (probably one that either fits snuggly on your bike itself, or into a backpack), you would be left in a tough spot if you justified getting a flat tire repair kit, with no way to replace the lost air in the first place.
3. Other Essential Items
Aside from the bike accessories mentioned above, there are some other essential items to note before we continue. These would include a first-aid kit, mountain bike shoes, a water bottle, and the cage that lets you fit it snugly on your bike!
First Aid Kit
The only thing worse than taking a nasty fall on a trail is not having a way to patch yourself up, or at the very least, clean any wounds you obtained. A compact first-aid kit should be wedged into your backpack at all times, or in a bike frame bag.
Mountain Biking Shoes
We briefly touched on the importance of wearing the right gear to keep you safe. Still, mountain biking shoes take this to the next level. You wouldn’t want to expose your feet to the sticks, dirt, and other debris kicked up by the ride, so exchange those flip-flops for proper safety shoes, and you’ll be in for a very secure and comfortable ride.
Water Bottle and Cage
Nowadays, most bikes come with a few humble accessories included in the initial purchase. Now, if you’ve been fortunate enough to have a water bottle and cage included with them, fantastic, you have a way to stay hydrated right out of the gate, but if not, you’ll need to make yet another purchase.
The good part about needing to purchase your own specific bottle and cage is that you get to choose the size and the cage, allowing you to get a product combo that works best for you instead of settling for what you get.
Hydration Pack
Given how important staying hydrated is on the trail, it only makes sense that hydration packs come up at least once. These wondrous inventions can combine the utility of a standard backpack with the ability to store a massive amount of water, keeping you and maybe a family member hydrated on longer treks.
What Are Some of the Best Mountain Bike Accessories?
The best mountain bike accessories should be handy and relatively affordable so that you can justify the initial investment in virtually any situation. When these specific metrics align, you find yourself looking at a product that not only heightens your game as a rider but also your safety and enjoyment.
1. Crankbrothers Mallet MTB Bike Pedal
If you are new to the scene, purchasing a bike pedal might sound like something you’d only do if it broke or was defective in the first place. Mountain biking, as we’ve said before, is all about customization, and Crankbrothers MTB Bike Pedal showcases this masterfully.
Featuring a sleek design that comes in three colors, you’ll get an aluminum pedal with a reinforced center, a lightweight kit, and exquisite center grips, all tied together with a clip-in system to ensure your feet have almost no chance of slipping off mid-ride.
2. Tannus Armour TUBELESS Tire Insert
While the name might be just a tad confusing to some, this tubeless tire insert is used to protect your tire’s rims from damage while you are riding around nature’s bounty, and more impressively, will allow you to do so with relatively low PSI’s in the tire itself, allowing you to continue forward with that level of ride customization we initially spoke of.
3. Fizik Vento Argo Adaptive Bike Saddle
The Fizik Vento Argo Adaptive bike saddle might look like something straight out of the Matrix series at first glance. Still, this bike serves a unique purpose in reducing overall weight thanks to its carbon fiber design, and, more notably, it features a breathable design that keeps you well ventilated and aerodynamic.
4. Pit Viper Sunglasses
Holding to its name, Pit Viper showcases some absolutely stunning polarized glasses that will combat any glare you might be fighting on your rides, with over ten different colored designs you can choose from, and a wide fit or trim fit variant to choose from for people of all facial shapes and sizes.
5. SRAM Hammerhead Karoo GPS
Despite us living in the 21st century, GPS’s being on almost everyone’s phone won’t cut it when you don’t exactly have the luxury of stopping every few minutes to micro adjust where you are going as opposed to where you want to be, thankfully enough SRAM Hammerhead’s GPS navigation system can mount directly onto your bike, giving you a good understanding of where you are at, with just a glance!
6. Fix Manufacturing Mountain Bike Repair Kit
While it might sound bold, this Bike repair kit with a literal mountain biking guide included might be one of the best investments you can make as a newcomer to the mountain bike scene, complete with a multitool kit, refillable degreaser and lube bottles, and a storage kit for all of them.
The included tape measure and additional space to fit even more choice-selected gear in let you make this kit whatever you like, and feel secure knowing your personal needs on the road are easily met.
Final Words
Taking the time to make sure you place special emphasis on safety before luxury will allow you to ride with confidence, knowing every ride on your mountain bike will be memorable, knowledgeable, and prepared for just about any accident that might happen to you.