Ultimately, you can wear anything that you feel comfortable in while riding your mountain bike. Comfort, weather conditions, protection, and some other extent personal style have a significant impact on what you decide to wear.
During the summer the trails are mostly dry, you’ll require less protection from the elements than in the depths of winter. However, going with a proper kit will go a long way to keeping you safe, comfortable, and happy.
However, whenever and wherever you’re riding, there are several essentials you’re likely to need.
1. Helmet
While mountain biking the most important piece of protective gear to wear mountain biking is a helmet. All types of bike helmets are not created equal. Some of these mountain bike helmets feature greater protection around the back of your head and ears. Mainly, helmets come with half-shell or full-face designs.
Yes to choosing any type it all depends on the rider’s comfort level as well as the terrain he or she is riding. Occasionally, full-face helmets are paired with a neck brace, which prevents the head from being dangerously thrown back in the event of a big crash. Likewise, those who love downhill riding, and downhill and Enduro racing, usually wear a full-face helmet.
If you are wondering to get a helmet then choose according to the comfortability of your head. As Higher-end helmets will be very light, and present maximum exposure to air to keep your head dry and cool. Wearing a helmet does not prevent a head injury, having a helmet on one’s head will provide a cushion for the blow.
A proper helmet significantly reduces the probability of concussions and other head injuries. On your terrain you may encounter, animals, trees and bushes, rocks, other trail users, and more. Thus, being said that a helmet is an absolute must to overcome these obstacles.
2. Shorts or Pants to wear while riding
What shorts & pants to wear for mountain biking? Mountain biking shorts are padded shorts that are designed to keep you comfortable when you are getting in and out of the saddle. They are also ideal if you are going to be doing a lot of trail riding where you will be spending a lot of time sitting on your bike.
Padded shorts with a chamois pad are the most popular style, but there are other options available as well. You can find padded shorts made of lightweight material or mesh, which are designed to be used just as liners under baggy shorts.
Over the top of your chamois, you might also need some trousers or shorts that are waterproof and water-resistant variants. Normally, bike shorts are specially designed to be stretchy for freedom of movement. And some also comes with a padded crotch liner that provides a cushion, eliminates friction, and reduces moisture.
Now coming to how to choose shorts from multiple options, always keep in mind where and what type of rides you’ll be doing. Because fitting your match according to the weather and trail is also important.
There are a few things you need to look for mountain bike shorts: quick-drying material, stretch, pockets, and an adjustable waist (or elastic waistband). Thus, while buying shorts make sure that your shorts must feature water-resistant DWR coatings.
3. Bike Jerseys, Jackets & Tops
Picking the right mountain bike shirt is regarded to be less important than the bottoms. While choosing this t-shirt there are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind.
Normally, there are two types of jerseys you will find one is a short-sleeve jersey and another is long sleeve jersey. Compared to these two jerseys, wearing shorts will keep you cooler in the heat of summer but a long-sleeve jersey will offer a little more protection for your arms both from the sun and nettles, thorns, and branches.
Meanwhile, some of you might wonder about wearing a normal shirt. As normal shirts are mainly made up of cotton that will get saturated as you sweat while biking. Thus, while biking choose a bike jersey that has wicking qualities which means it will breathe, wick water away from your skin, and quickly dry.
Talking about jackets sometimes, it is needed to keep you warm. During winter the temperature goes below, so to resist the temperature and avoid cold a jacket is necessary. Thus, select waterproof jackets that have nice breathability and pit-zips while buying.
4. Footwear
Riders have three points of contact with the bike including handlebars, saddle, and pedals. The accessories that are associated with each are considered to be the most important piece of mountain bike clothing including shoes.
Shoes, give you a solid connection to your bike that you can trust. Riders must have to feel secure when riding over rough ground and also be able to pedal efficiently up tough technical climbs.
Many people might be curious about Can they Wear Regular Shoes Mountain Biking? Yes, you can wear any shoe for mountain biking. However, these shoes won’t offer as good of grip or power transmission. Mainly there are two types of mountain bike shoes: flats and clip less. If you are not a great fan of knobs and texture on the soles then flat shoes are better. When it comes to clip less pedals, the right pair of shoes is essential, but shoes are also important for flat pedal riders.
5. Knee pads
Another most important thing that you need while riding a mountain bike is Knee pads. Most of the riders use Knee pads at a minimum as they are riding any trail.
Because, mountain knee pads have high-density foam protection around the knees and a stretchy, breathable fabric around the rest of the leg. The pads are very comfy, even in the heat, and cover a whole limb or the entire body.
6. Gloves
Gloves are often worn by the bikers so that they can protect their palm, fingers, and knuckles from abrasion on rough surfaces. It also brings comfort while riding, by alleviating compression and friction, and can protect against superficial hand injuries.
Meanwhile, some riders don’t like to wear gloves. But we recommend to all riders, especially beginners to wear gloves. Because gloves give better grip on your handlebars and brake levers, they will also help you reduce hand and arm fatigue, letting you ride for longer.
In the market, you will find a variety of gloves with various fits, sizes, finger lengths, palm padding, and armor options available. The cost of Gloves varies on preference and necessity.
7. Socks
Like pants, shoes, shirts, and shocks are also important for mountain bikers. As they protect from ticks, poison ivy, low bushes, and branches. Mountain biker’s socks are specially designed to be close-fitting, the thought being some compression, can assist recovery. These socks also keep the sock in place and remove the chances of rubbing.
Waterproof socks are quite famous among mountain bikers who ride in wet conditions because they help keep feet warm and relatively dry when shoes get wet. Meanwhile, lightweight, breathable socks will help keep your feet cool in summer.
Thus, you can wear just about any style of sock for mountain biking but if you want the best sock out there, you’ll want one that is long and relatively thick.
8. Glasses or sunglasses
Many mountain bikers prefer goggles over sunglasses. Google improves your vision and allows you to focus on the trail ahead. So that while choosing lens select polarized lenses. Because they are excellent for mountain biking as they can filter out the intense glare you’re likely to see on water, snow, and metallic objects.
Meanwhile, black or gray lenses are classic lenses that can dim sunlight and darken your vision. Thus, these lenses are best for light and bright conditions but do not enhance contrast or depth perception.
9. Chamois, Liners & Underwear for Mountain Biking
If there is one piece of mountain bike clothing that is essential to buy, it’s a good pair of chamois or liner shorts. Like other clothes, these are also a necessity. While riding a bike, those bike shorts” are loose or “baggy” fitting shorts that do not include a pad.
To bring comfortability Chamois are needed. Chamois are padded shorts that will immediately level up your comfort in the saddle. Mainly, they come in both shorts and bibs, whichever you choose is more based on preference.
If you are a casual rider, you probably don’t need a chamois. However, serious cyclists swear by these shorts because they make the experience much more enjoyable.
