Mountain Biking Gear List

So you want to start biking but aren’t sure where to start? Through this article I hope to help you know what gear you need, but also realize how affordable biking can actually be. If you’ve ever spent time around mountain bikers, you may have heard about how much money they spent on their bikes, and it can be what seems to be an exorbitant amount. These bikes, helmets, and accessories will all be very nice, but not necessary for novices in this sport.

Bike #

While I would recommend getting something that is higher quality than a Walmart bike, I would put your price range under $700 to begin. This should get you decent shocks, brakes, and shifters. Spending more money on a bike will generally get you two things: better components, and less weight. These are things to keep in mind when looking for your new bike.

Helmet #

Once you have a bike, the only other essential piece of equipment is a helmet. A $20 helmet from Walmart in this case will often do the job, but once you start riding on more technical terrain, it is worth investing in a better helmet. I would recommend looking in the $50-100 range for these helmets.A helmet should be snug: not too tight that your head feels like it is going to pop, but not so loose that it wobbles around. Fortunately, many helmets are adjustable which helps you get the right fit.
Once you have these two things, you are ready to roll! For the rest of this article I’ll be going over different parts of your bike, or additional pieces of gear that I enjoy using.

Bike Rack #

The next thing that you will want after buying a bike and a helmet is a way to transport your bike. When desperate times called for desperate measures I have put my bike in the back of minivans, SUVs, and even a little sedan. The best way, in my opinion, is to invest in a bike rack. These are easy to find used for under $100. Using a bike rack not only provides for easy access to your bike, but also allows you to keep your trunk empty for all your other gear!

Bike Tools #

From personal experience I can tell you that it is not fun to have something go wrong with your bike on the trail only to realize that you have no way to fix it. That is why I generally bring a small bike tool, patch kit, and a spare tube. Bike tools will have different wrenches and screwdrivers to adjust your bike, though I have used patch kits and spare tubes way more often while out biking. And, of course, the most important part of any of these tools is knowing how to use them. If you don’t know what a tool’s purpose is, it becomes useless to you. If you’ve got a local bike shop, that would be a great place to get some pro tips and tricks on how to use your gear.

Hopefully this will help you get started. Biking is tons of fun and something that anyone can get into!