Once started in Mountain Biking one begins to have different needs of accessories both for the modality you are going to practice, for comfort, as well as for personal taste or simple fashion.
In the case of mountain biking, due to its different modalities, these accessories may vary or flat not need some of them. In this article, we will separate the most relevant and that every mountain biker needs to improve his/her experience.
- Mountain Bike Helmet
There are different types of helmets for the different branches in which mountain biking is divided. Choosing the right helmet (size and type) is important to protect the head and enjoy a more comfortable ride. For example, a Cross Country helmet (XC) helmets are more ventilated but offer less protection than a helmet designed for Trail or All-Mountain. To learn more about this, we invite you to read more about the types of helmets for MTB.
- MTB Gloves
Many times we believe that any glove can serve us, we have even come to use those of the gym; however, as in everything, there are specific gloves for mountain biking.
If it’s too hot, your gloves can work with short fingers. For the rest of the climates and the most common modalities are long gloves. There are several types of MTB gloves; some have protective plates on the knuckles or near the pinkie, which protect you on the descent for the modalities of DH, trail, AM, etc.
Other gloves for mountain biking wear pads. Are usually made of gel or a kind of foam. Some gloves have a little reinforcement, in terms of the synthetic material they use for the rest of the glove. There are gloves for cold weather or rain, which are repellent to the water and its interior protects from the rigorous air in winter to keep your hands warm.
- Plastic Glasses
You’ve probably heard it a lot. But you probably don’t know why they’re asking for plastic frames. It is quite clear; in case of a fall, a metal frame or similar can cause a serious accident by embedding in your face. Plastic frames are (most of them) made to disarm under a certain pressure in the area of the legs, making them suitable for sports activities. Good cycling lenses are recommended for any type of cycling.
- Portaanfora and Amphora
If you like long routes, you’ll probably need a little more hydration. Most MT bikes have a set of screws to install one or two amphoras in the frame.
From Amphora we recommend that you use an average size to chico, as in descents very high amphoras usually come out easily because of the excess vibration transmitted by the picture.
- Knee Pads
It’s a fact, in mountain biking you are more likely to fall, due to the irregularities of the terrain. In the competitive XC mode, they are not usually needed, because pedaling can hinder and even graze the skin. However, in the rest of the modalities, it is considered to be used to protect the leg from possible scrapes or even fractures. From our experience, you will even enjoy the falls knowing that you will be protected.
There are several types of knee pads, and their difference is found in manufacturing materials. There are rigid knee pads that carry the full shell made of rigid plastic, offering better protection but are somewhat uncomfortable to pedal. There are semi-rigid or soft knee pads, using in the shells a material with soft technology that hardens with the impact protecting your knee from the blow. The material is made of neoprene making these knee pads very comfortable, but some models are very hot. Depending on the brand they vary in prices, and we cannot say that there is one better than the other, rather, it will be the one you feel most comfortable with.
- Protection Pads
The elbow patches also are used in competitions XC and very rarely cyclists who practice trail use. They are considered as optional protection, and it will be your choice to carry them or not. Just like the knee pads, we can find them rigid or semi-rigid, there are even some markings that handle them with only foam in the elbow area.
- Hydration Pack
In mountain biking we must make use of ourselves, that is why hydration backpacks are an ideal accessory. In addition to serving to transport water, they also help us to store the jacket and the refreshment in case of a roll that takes all day. The brands handle several sizes, from 5L to 25L (charge), which is already considered a very large backpack for cycling. All of them carry a bag of water that can withstand 2-3 liters.