Gearing up for any sport takes precision, especially when not every piece is created equally. Mountain biking is a challenging and enjoyable alternative to your standard trail biking. Uneven terrain, intense exercises, and a greater risk of accidents all make it something to consciously prepare for.
That preparation is well worth it. However, mountain biking demands specialized gear. Olivers is going to do a dive into the essentials to make your next excursion a successful one.
Gear for Mountain Bikers
The first piece of equipment to get when mountain biking is the bike. Generally, mountain bikes trade the speed of racing bikes for vastly improved handling and durability. Bigger handlebars, thicker tires, and variable suspension all define them.
This makes them better than standard bikes at riding in the snow. Your local specialty bike shop can recommend the best mountain bike for your specific adventure.
Identifying the different types of mountain bikes is a guide in itself. If you want to go at a leisurely or brisk pace, your needed bike will change.
Mountain Bike Accessories
Doubly important when mountain biking is the protective equipment you use. Riding on trails or other uneven surfaces offers a far greater risk of falling than riding on concrete.
This is especially true if you aren’t as familiar with biking in this context. The upshot of this is that falling in grassy instead of rocky terrain can provide a lighter landing surface.
Kneepads, mountain bike gloves, and helmets are standard for biking safely in uncertain, backcountry terrain.
Mountain bike helmets are divided into three categories: full-face helmets, XC, and trail helmets. Helmets with a visor are recommended for sunny environments.
The Consumer Product Safety Committee, a government organization devoted to protection, recommends changing your helmet every five to 10 years. We suggest doing so sooner if you take an especially bad fall, exceptionally damaging the helmet's shape.
If you’re going on a longer ride, you may want a backpack to carry snacks and other supplies. Choose a tightly-fitting one that goes over both shoulders to ensure an even weight distribution. A hip pack is fine for a shorter ride.
A first aid kit is critical for any cyclist, both cross-country and street racers. A repair kit with a multi-tool is ideal. Bring a spare tube or tire levers, even if they seem superfluous at first.
Once you’ve assembled the essential supplies in biking, it's time to choose what you wear. Not every piece of activewear is created equally, as wonderful as that would be.
Next, we will be discussing the essentials to look for when choosing your apparel.
The Type of Apparel To Look For
There are a few essentials to look for in all of your biking apparel. The first, and most essential component, is comfort. You need to have a full range of movement as well as the ability to turn on a dime.
However, you don’t need gear specifically for cyclists like mountain bike shorts or a bike jersey. The actual fit of any garment is subject to personal preference, but tight is preferable to baggy. Too loose, and you might be surprisingly caught by something while riding.
The specific materials you are wearing are also essential. The intensity of mountain biking makes it easy to work up a sweat. Because of this, it is critical that your clothes have moisture-wicking or at least moisture-resistant properties. These can be found most handily in synthetic fibers and high-grade wool and cotton.
Tops
Following our above rules of performance fabrics, we have to start our list by highlighting our Convoy Long Sleeve Tee. The relaxed fit and sheer softness of merino wool make the tee the ideal companion for any workout.
The use of merino has many positive implications for this and other garments. The wool is luxuriously soft and has moisture-wicking properties that match and exceed those of any other fabric. It is also highly odor-resistant, making it perfectly suited for biking as its own activity or commuting.
Because of its construction, the Convoy Long Sleeve Tee is thermoregulating. Its fibers help cool you down in warm weather and to retain your heat in cold weather. The end result is a shirt that functions perfectly as a solo piece or as a layering garment.
Eight different colorways in modest cool, warm, and neutral tones give an earthen accentuation to your wardrobe. Use the elevated style and performance of the tee to bridge the gap between athletic apparel and business-casual style.
If you want to go for pure performance, consider the Pivot Tee. This item uses the best in ethical synthetic fibers to create the ultimate training tee. A mixture of spandex and recycled polyester combats moisture and stink for a quick-drying, high-performance garment. Flat-locked seams ensure that even the smallest detail is accounted for.
From biking to running to lifting weights, the Pivot Tee belongs in motion. For once, a shirt exists that truly can keep up with those who constantly push their limits.
Your top layers only cover a portion of your athletic apparel, however. We’ll be following up with some high-performing bottom garments and accessories to improve. No detail is too small to be beneath our notice when creating the ideal activewear for mountain biking.
Bottoms
True to its name, the Traverse Pant is designed for bodies in motion that want to stay in motion. The pant is made from function weft canvas, the result of nylon infused with a tiny percentage of spandex.
The result is a quick-drying, water-resistant garment with a comfortable bit of stretch. Sun protection of UPF 50+ and a water-repellent finish on the material further cement its status as an all-terrain pant.
Front, back, and thigh-level pockets make this a cargo pant fit for any practicality. A soft yellow-and-white highlight on the back pocket provides the only extraneous detailing of the pant.
The Traverse Pant is available in military olive, petrol, nutmeg, and khaki colorways. These neutral and understated cool tones are directly inspired by the military and its overall utilitarian nature.
The end result is pant which understands the beauty in simply doing something and doing it better than anything else. However, many of us would just as well wear shorts while biking.
Olivers’ All Over Shorts fills that need. As its name suggests, they can also fill nearly any need imaginable. The material itself combines nylon with a significantly higher percentage of spandex and a water-repellent finish.
The result is lightweight, water-resistant, and wonderfully soft. The Olivers name in elevated tonal embroidery on the left thigh adds a subtle highlight to the garment.
The 4-Way Stretch Weave material is our answer to 70s-era nylon designs. We take the classic staples powering fashion for decades and improve them to meet our exhaustive performance standards. Nine assorted colorways ensure a fit and a color to meet any standard of wardrobe or athleticism.
Your apparel should be able to handle anything you can, and even more than that. That is the mission we strive towards.
Accessories
It’s the finishing touches that turn something good into something paralleled. This is true of individual garments, but it’s also true of overall outfits.
We’ve previously touted the value of merino wool, but one virtue we have not expressed is its antimicrobial properties. Wool naturally helps protect sheep from infection and has the same property when utilized in apparel. This, its luxe comfort, and high resistance to water make it ideal in our Merino Wool Crew Socks.
These pieces are available in two colors, featuring a white primary and either carbon or yellow lining at the ankles. The crew socks are made from a complex blend of merino wool, Lycra, nylon, and elastic for enhanced longevity and shape retention. You can wear these under your mountain bike shoes, cleat or no cleat.
For coverage in the other extremity, we highlight the Olivers Field Cap. This American classic dates back to the earliest days of baseball and has since entered every other sphere of life. The cap, available in four colors, features contrast embroidery on each side. The Olivers name is represented front and center, with Los Angeles showcased on the back.
The garment-dyed cotton twill gives each piece a special, aged look. Keep the sun high above you and your eyes totally clear with this stylish headwear. It won’t replace the protection a helmet offers, but if you must ride without one, you can ride with style.
Just as important as keeping yourself well-styled is keeping yourself well-hydrated. The Olivers Water Bottle boasts a 22oz capacity and various features to maintain temperature. Double-walled and vacuum-sealed, this black bottle holds an outsized level of detail to keep you at your best.
With outfit tops and bottom examined, you’ve created most of a mountain biking outfit. With these accessories, you’ve created the rest.
Mountainward Ho
We’ve explored the minutiae of what makes mountain biking gear special and important. Now it’s up to you to explore the minutiae of the mountains themselves.
Mountain biking makes for a wonderful pastime and alternative to traditional biking. Still, it pays to be prepared. Special bikes are needed, but otherwise, much of the gear you have can serve double-duty in other athletics. Whether you are hopping on your full-suspension bike or your trusty hardtail, adventure awaits.
For everything fitness-related and self-improvement-related, Olivers is here.
Sources:
Winter Riding Tips I Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition
When Was the Last Time You Replaced Your Bike Helmet? | Wirecutter
