surgtech1956

In some of your pics I see some wearing knee and elbow pads, some full helmets, etc.... What are some items that I should buy? Hydration pack - how big? Baggie shorts, full finger gloves, frame pump, computer, first aid kit, multi tool? Thank you

pablosnazzy

you can buy whatever you want, but....

to properly mountain bike, you NEED: a bike, and a helmet. everything else is optional and for comfort or style.

you don't need a full face unless you are doing downhill and there are lots of rocks and trees you are probably going to hit.

pads are good if you are gonna be doing drops and rocky things and downhill and such, you don't need them to just ride around.

gloves are nice. i prefer full finger. hydration pack makes things a bit easier. if you get one, get the 3 liters (100 ounces). you will eventually need all that water. multitool is handy to have, not necessary.

you do not need a computer unless you really need to know distances and speeds. you don't need a first aid kit. you don't need lycra or chamois, you can ride in cut offs. i occasionally ride in jeans or carharts. if you do want to buy cycling specific shorts, i like baggies with pockets, so i can carry stuff like car keys and phone and wallet and all the other things i carry around. ( i ride in the shorts/pants i am wearing that day).

YamiRider1316

youve got a good list going there. this is what i carry on the trail with me and or use the most.

-Hydration pack (50oz bladder for shorter rides 100oz for longer)
-Small pump (i like something thatll fit in my pack frame pumps are cool but they get muddy)
-Knee Pads (only thing i can stand and they do help, anything else feels to restricting)
-Multi Tool
-Swiss army knife
-spare tube
-pressure gauge (some pumps have them built in)
-full finger gloves(the fox gels are awesome and full fingers protect your hands a little more.)
- A good helmet that covers the back of your head. (full faces are nice but i think overkill unless youre doing extreme downhill or freeride.) Poc Trabec, Urge Enduromatic and the fox striker are all a good bet)
- Tire Levers
- Personally prefer baggie shorts to lycra. Baggies have pockets and im too skinny to pull off lycra lol. They hold up a lil better when you crash too.
- Chain tool


IMO those are the essentials everything else is kind of your preference.

Also recently started wearing motocross jerseys. Lightweight, long sleeve and they will usually have some type of lightweight elbow pad in them. you can pick those up on clearance for dirt cheap too. Right now is great time to buy gear because they will be trying to get rid of the leftover 11' stuff to make room for the 12'.

cyclops

Good idea! why didn't I see this. I prefer long sleeves but its hard to find them in a loose fit and lightweight fabric. Genius!

Op, Bike (critical to your riding success) Helmet (critical to retaining the ability to speak coherently) gloves (critical to being able to ride your bike without bleeding palms when you plant it)

jjaguar

- A tent.
- A passport.
- A leather glove for your shooting hand.


Seriously, I'd put hydration, along with a bike and a helmet, into the "must have" category as well. I'd pick a hydration pack over water bottles because everything your front wheel rolls through will end up on your bottle cages. Keep in mind that I live in Florida, but I'd get one with a 100 oz. bladder because you will go through all of that at some point.

In the "really nice to have" category I'd list gloves, a multi tool, a spare tube and/or patches, and some way to inflate them - frame pump or CO2 cartridges. I personally prefer fingerless gloves but full-fingered do have more protection and are good for when you catch a banana spider on the face (again, Florida rider). But really, everything else depends on what sort of riding you're doing.

pablosnazzy

i will be riding with these from now on.

formicaman

Hydration pack is a must for me. Bern multiple-impact skater helmet. That's it. I wear hiking shorts or pants and regular cotton underwear. Not ideal, but most of my rides are just a couple of hours. I don't use gloves, but I'll regret that when I crash and tear up my palm.
Oh and tire levers, MiniMorph pump and a spare tube (I patch at home).

sunstorm

I consider a multitool and hydration pack essential (I've repaired other's bikes enough to limp home rather than hike-a-bike several times with just a multi tool.) I also consider shatter proof eye protection essential (but in my career, losing an eye = loss of licence.)

I keep a CO2/patch/tube kit in my hydration pack. I also always wear gloves, though I prefer half-fingered. extra car key and house key in the hydration pack. a gel or energy beans (I have boinked before.) I also keep a small (credit card size, slightly deeper) first aid kit with wipes and bandages. epi-pen (bee sting allergy.) tecnu (for poison ivy). when we hit the jump track, I wear padding. I'm a klutz, I have, in the past year, endo'd and taken 3 pretty bad falls, but no broken bones. lots and lots of abrasions, including some from left ankle to left hip. couple sutures here and there (stupid tree branches.)

Max C.

Along with gloves, goggles/wrap around sun glasses are a great idea. They keep the glare out of your eyes and help prevent the dreaded stick-in-eye disease.

Hou-Tex

X2 on the MX jerseys.

ed 

You're gonna need to buy some more money 'cause biking is 'spensive.

ShimmerFade

I have a 100oz Dakine Nomad hydration pack that only occasionally gets fully filled (but it is very nice to have when you need it!). I love it. In this pack goes hex wrench multi, mini chain breaker, little pump (I use blackburn mammoth..nice to have the high/low pressure option), extra tube, granola bar, some homemade anti fog spray, cellphone and keys.

What you should wear depends totally on where you are, and what time of year it is. I like lycra shorts with chamois and fast drying blend t-shirts in summer. Depending on my route difficulty I sometimes put rugged nylon baggy biking shorts over the lycra. Good shoes (depends on clipless or platforms) and gloves are nice to have, I like long fingered for protection and more grippyness on the brake. In winter pretty much the same just with thermo stuff/wind proof jacket and goggles to keep my eyes from watering when it is too cold.

I also have a wireless computer because I like being able to keep track of how far I ride so I can feel better about myself in general ;P.

Edit: Oh yea also have some tape and a plastic baggy to put electronic stuff in if it starts raining hard.

Hou-Tex

And carry some baby whipes. You may have to poop on the trail.

dminor 

Please do that OFF the trail.

Oh, and that's what those big, fuzzy leaves are for. Oh wait, those are nettles - - never mind.

ShimmerFade

Or at least cover it with a good little ramping rock