Interested to hear what mtb-related things people have bought this year and which they’d recommend

Most useful to split into price brackets I think, so for me:

<£20 – Rahox brake pads. Last ages, great modulation and power. Annoyed how long I spent using cheap ones

<£100 – Knipex pliers wrench (150mm version). Like having a third hand and far more useful for non-biking stuff than I expected.

New Hans Dampf (on the back) and an Aussie Grit gilet have also been excellent

>£100 – Coil shock for my Jeffsy (CCDB Coil). I knew it would make the bike better on the descents but I was astonished how much better it made the climbs and flats/berms. I enjoy riding the bike much more now – best upgrade since a dropper post.

Wahoo Element Bolt, a week with White Room in Les Arcs and an Exposure Maxx-D were also good

Regrets – not many but my Camelbak Skyline LR 10 is rubbish on rocky descents and tries to overtake me. Least stable pack I’ve ever ridden with, despite considerable faffage with the cinch straps multiple times a ride

plane tickets to Norway.

Bird Zero 29. First new bike for a out 17 years. What a machine, I’m loving it and had a great 6 months on it. As a result of getting it I’ve not really bought anything else this year.

Croix de fer.

Swiss army knife of bikes,love it!

<£20 – Royal Racing jersey on sale at JensonUSA, one of my throw on as its just comfortable.

<£100 – Some Sweat Protection knee pads, just feel so right from day one even if a little pricier than the alternative, luckily on Sale.

>£100 – ASX Dropper post, really digging it and planning to go full AXS when I finally kill my X01 rear mech.

eeWings, zero performance improvement but boy do they look good.

Regrets – Too few to mention.

Ferry tickets

Can’t beat being first to roll off into France at 8am with a pile of French tarmac, gravel and kouign amann ahead of you…

Can’t beat being first to roll off into France at 8am with a pile of French tarmac, gravel and kouign amann ahead of you…

one of the best feelings ever.
nothing to think about except riding your bike, have a cold one at dinner…… ace

Ergon GA3 grips and Nukeproof Carbon bar & stem
No more wrist pain after longer than 1 hour rides. I always said I´d never get a carbon bar but it really seems to make a difference.50€ with a discount on crc and a lifetime warranty from Nukeproof

I can’t think of anything I’ve bought that wasn’t a like-for-like replacement for a worn out part. I did get a pair of Pearl Izumi thermal tights for free which I like a lot though.

Shoe-drying device.

High-rise carbon handlebar.

Magic Mary 2.6 tyre.

Carbon seatpost on my gravel bike made an immediate and big difference to comfort which I really didn’t expect. Sold the bike 2 months later anyway.

2nd hand pikes for my hardtail, so much more fun than the 100mm recons it came with. I’m sure my headtube will snap and kill me 🙂

Ticket for the lakes Jennride – fantastic weekend riding with friends
My cycling club membership – gets me out on wet weekend mornings
Really liking a newly built up Trek Domane winter bike, much nicer to ride than my old Kinesis

Chapaking beat me to it, but:

Shoe dryer

A van. No more pissing about dismantling bikes or faffing putting them on a rack.
Space to get changed easily.
Loads of room for work kit and the dogs as well as the bike so I don’t have to keep swapping stuff in and out to be able to get home from work, walk the dogs and then go for a ride.

Plane tickets to Slovenia

Unless you count my bike…

Whole new Campag Potenza groupset for my Wilier, plus a carbon FSA seatpost new from Wiggle that was on sale from £175 to £40. Jackpot!

Plane ticket to whistler

Insurance

£4000 medical bill for concussion! Thanks insurance! Phew

(slight hijack). Which shoe driers did folk get?

This is the one I got…
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Prepare-Folding-Eliminate-Bacteria/dp/B07MR7HGYX

Fun fact: When searching for it I accidentally typed “she dryer” and it came up with a load of hair dryers.

How very sexist!

Some Northwave Raptors. Has shaved a good chunk of ‘getting ready’ time off, and waaaay more effective/warm/dry than shoes & covers.

210mm One Up Dropper – marvellous amount of saddle-lowerage, to go with my new custom chi-ti 29+ hooligan frame.

I like people’s responses on activity purchases, in that vein I’ll stick in 2x days lift passes for Davos, and one day in Lenzerheide, + train there and back from Basel. Best spent money this year by far!

210mm One Up Dropper – marvellous amount of saddle-lowerage

Most jealous of this one so far.

2018 Arkose 3.

Vittoria Revolution tyres to replace the puncture-prone WTB Riddlers

Carnac Equipe Photochromic Sunglasses from Planet X, which are fab, but I lost mine yesterday when I had a little crash. Damn.

Hummvee mitts – very comfortable.

(Maybe) a messenger from Life Behind Bars – im still pondering.

New bike for my boy and a trans provence entry

Tunnel tickets. Swapped tesco vouchers so just the balance of £3

Stamp 7 pedals from Millets online with 50% off

Brand X 170mm dropper post. Improved my Alps trip no end from the 125mm it replaced.

Regrets. Not getting to Finale when the camper gearbox packed in

+1 to northwave raptors. It’s what I wanted the shoe drier for!

Set of Continental GP5000s.

And a 20 year old Tactic Panache folder I converted to fixed wheel.

100 cable end ferrules for a quid!

A one-day, one to one MTB skills course and a pair of Endura MTB trousers.

RRP Bolt on Proguard, nearly 30 miles over the last 2 days in the wettest and muddiest conditions I’ve ever ridden in, I could count on one hand the number of dirt spots on my face over the 2 days. Didn’t even wear any glasses today.

£32 pair of madison bib tights from evans. My first ever set of bib tights, why did I wait so long? No more cold lower back from a gap between shorts and top, or having to hike the shorts up every so often. And no more waistband which feels like it’s going to cut you in half!

Camelbak Repack – just the right size (once I ditched the bladder) for longer rides and short local stuff. Very comfy too.

A cheapy no brand 10 quid rear light from Amazon. Has put up with endless abuse and still works perfectly, unlike the more expensive Lezynes etc it replaced, which broke pretty much straight away.

Royal Racing Storm waterproof trousers might sneak into contention. Wore them for the first time today, warm, very comfortable, not even much rustling.

No >100 quid, unless you count the Orbea Oiz…

Lift pass in Morzine

Trickstuff Maxima brakes and +1 for AXS kit

Honourable mention for Cinq Innovations trigger shifters for pinion gearboxes & steadyrack bike racks.

Carradice Super C Rack Pack and courier bags.
Cheap, tough, practical, repairable, local.

Brand X dropper post – as good as the Fox Transfer on the other bike for less than a service on the Fox one, absolute bargain.

Dakine Skyline gloves – comfy as hell and stretchy over the knuckles, need to order a few pairs as spares!

Ergon SE1 Comp saddle – instantly comfortable and doesn’t get sore as I pile the miles on.

SunRace 11-46 cassette – a much better gear spread than the Shimano one it replaced.

Only dud purchase this year was a pair of glasses that just seem to attract any moisture whatsoever and smear. Back to the cheap £6 safety specs from Arco from now on!

Solaris Max with helm fork- brilliant!

Family bike holiday to Amsterdam from Newcastle- also brilliant!

Best, not sure. But best buy? Dirt cheap pads from aliexpress. Sounds like an awful idea but I’m pretty sure you can buy the same product for 10x as much with brand logos printed on them. Megavalanche approved 😉

My tropical blue Orange Clockwork Evo, with a close second between the Mary 2.6 on the front of it and a Brand X Dropper.

My starting swoop. LLS radness.

Bad, buying an evoc bag meant for snowboarding rather than biking, as it was cheap. Not much call for a show shovel on most rides.

<£20 – Draper Expert 57768 190 mm Wire Rope and Wire Cutters, like a hot knife through butter

<£100 – Lomo frame bag for carry loads of crap while on the fat bike.

>£100 – NS Bikes RAG+ frameset with full Shimano GRX groupset

Regrets – Cracking the fat bike frame and taking it to the tip…