What do you REALLY need?

So I’m shiny and new to mountain biking. Still yelling and whooping when I manage to get over anything and yet to crash properly. (Crash beyond just freaking out at a slightly steep decent, grabbing a fistful of brakes and toppling slowly sideways.)

Currently just tentatively scrabbling round trail centres with friends, joined you mutants on the last MNPR and been out exploring part of Peaks once on my own. Loads more planned in the future of course!

Really enjoying myself, and can see this being my next cycling obsession. But cycling obsessions are spendy. Was hopeful that the mass of road/audax/cx stuff I’ve amassed over the years would see me through… but will it though?

What do you really NEED to get started out? In my position, what would you be putting on your Christmas list?

Do I NEED a MTB specific helmet? Beyond style, why won’t my road one do?

your roadie helmet will be fine, but mtb helmets tend to have a peak, for a couple of reasons.

1) they look cooler.

2) a peak is reasonably effective at blocking sun/wind/rain – roadie helmets don’t have peaks because you can’t see through them when you’re in the drops (without dislocating your neck).

a pressure gauge? – as a roadie, you’ll know how important it is to pump your tyres to exactly 100psi. But it may take a while for your thumbs to recalibrate to the needs of mtb specific pressures.

(as a VERY rough guide: 30psi rear, 20psi front. and a little difference can make a big difference, if you know what i mean)

(the gauges on my track pumps are all completely useless at mtb pressures. ie. low to high 20’s)

Skills coaching. you say you’re near the Peak District. i’m inclined to suggest ALine coaching, Sheffield.

i’ll stop there before i make myself look even more stupid.

A camelback.
Decent full finger gloves.
Balls.

Knee/Elbow pads?

need?

fat bike, 29er, 27.5, 29+, 27.5+, fs, ht, ltht, 29650b best alternated upon for each trail section.

An ability to carry as little as possible but still be able to get yourself home whatever happens.

absolutely nothing wrong with using a road helmet on the mtb.

use them all the time – massive peaks on the helmets these days look pish – roadie helmets at the same pricepoint are often better vented and lighter and with a half decent stretched out position on my mtb make the peak an obstruction to my view……

but im not an enduro-gnarpoon wielding maniac.

Specialized S3 swings both ways.

The only thing you absolutely need is a bike, most of us managed with just that for years, most everything else makes things a little easier/better but you don’t need them.

Basically my advice would be to not rush into buying anything, ride what you’ve got and enjoy it. if you start to notice a limitation in your gear then look to address it rather than building up a kit list based on other peoples perceived needs.

My personal equipment list for a normal ride consists of an old backpack (non bike specific) with a reliable pump, a puncture kit, 2 tubes (I prefer tubes to tubeless) and a multi tool. 1 or 2 water bottles in cage(s) if the weather is decent, but I’ll sometimes chuck it in the backpack if the ground’s really gloopy or if it’s a longer ride I’ll take a 3 litre camelbak. I’ve not had to use the multitool for a couple of years but I still wouldn’t leave home without it.

All the kit you have from road riding will be fine, though as mentioned above, get some full finger gloves if you haven’t already.

There arent really many NEED bits of kit, more ‘nice to have’ or ‘wouldn’t now be without’ for me they are:

Decent Shoes, flat or clip pedals are up to you.
A camelbak, bottles get shitty.
knee pads

Decent MTB specific shoes that offer a bit of protection, good fingered gloves, sense of humour, ability to say hello to other riders (you may find this tricky if you come from a roadie background) Camelbak. Chain quick links….er a bike. 🙂

Chain quick links is a good shout, I always carry some cable ties too.

Full finger gloves are really the only thing you may need, road helmet and clothing will be fine.

Knee/Elbow pads?

I’ve not used them in 20+ years of MTB riding so I wouldn’t agree.

A camelback. Maybe but it’s certainly not essential
Decent full finger gloves. Agreed
Balls. No more so than road or CX work.

NEED?

a bike, and shoes, definitely shoes, riding barefoot is painful.

Everything else is a case of want, or a (potential) improvement of the experience, but there is nothing else you NEED.

Personally I find decent, not necessarily expensive, clothing that works well and is comfy is worth getting sorted, some roadie stuff works fine offroad, others not so much.

A helmet that fits you and is comfy is more important than how it looks, small peaks are handy but not a necessity, and only other people have to look at it not you, so pick any stupid colour you like.

Bike wise, spend money on decent tyres before anything else. Crap tyres can ruin any decent bike, but decent ones can make even a poor bike acceptable. Everything else is incremental gains and personal preference (rigid/suspension/steel/alu/carbon/big wheels/little wheels/discs/rim/1×11/3×9 blah blah blah)

Work out whether you’re a backpacker or a pocketer/saddlebager and then go from there with regards to working out carrying kit.

absolutely nothing wrong with using a road helmet on the mtb.

use them all the time – massive peaks on the helmets these days look pish – roadie helmets at the same pricepoint are often better vented and lighter and with a half decent stretched out position on my mtb make the peak an obstruction to my view……
+1
The more recent ‘Enduro’ styled helmets are vented really poorly imo. I spent two hours riding my MTB yesterday with my Bontrager helmet pouring sweat down my face every few minutes. On Sunday my Spesh road helmet didn’t do the same despite being used for an hour’s racing…

I’d recommend an mtb coaching course. I had been riding for a couple of years before I went to see Tone at Ukbikeskills, it made riding 3000% more enjoyable afterwards. I know a lot of people on here have also been there to meet the Jedi and will back me up when saying it’s the best thing you can do.

There and two coaches there now too, so availability is hugely increase

Coming from a roadie background you’ll have to develop the ability to conduct friendly chat around the trail centre and instead of scowling perhaps try a friendly wave or a smile at other mtbers.

I always find the mtb helmet peak useful for dipping my head when approaching oncoming traffic at night to save my night vision a bit.

Definitely some decent gloves. Warm and waterproof ones at that with winter coming. I’d rather ride without a helmet than gloves.

Currently just tentatively scrabbling round trail centres with friends, joined you mutants on the last MNPR

What do you need? Better friends. 😉

In my Camelbak I have

2 x tubes
1 x pump
1 x multi tool
2 x tire levers
1 x power link
1 x tiny first aid kit with antiseptic wipes and plasters
1 x small bag of Tangfastic
1 set tiny “get me home” LED lights

I can’t remember the last time that I used any of them, but I’m not going to tempt fate by taking them out.

As for the helmet, wear what you like. I’ve got a Giro Hex for MNPR duties because the vents are good for fastening a light to. For commuting I’ve got a high viz green Bell Stoker piss pot because it was only £20 and for the road I’ve got a nice looking Giro roadie hat that matches the colour scheme of my bike and “best” kit.

Other than the bike I don’t use or NEED any more than I used when riding on the road.
Wear all the same clothing (lycra based shorts/tights, jerseys, hats, clothes, SPD shoes I can walk in etc,.), no helmet and no tools or spares (realize that is risking it!)

WHat they say but as its about to become winter decent waterproof and warm clothes and a does of rule 5 – HTFU

What do you REALLY need?

In true STW style….whatever I have……and another bike…..and a woodburner…..and different size wheels…..and a VW / Audi / Skoda Octavia…..and a medical problem which prevents you from ever actually riding a bike…..a pair of Bombers…and a sudocreme covered, AIDS ridden cat.

Not a lot apart from the bike and an open mind with regard to lower tyre pressures, differing riding positions etc. (depending on what/where you want to ride of course)

I ride with one (roadie) helmet for everything. Peaks on most helmets these days are too small to actually do anything useful and I ended up removing them for road riding and never refitting.

Some people will say pads etc. but any crashes on the MTB are likely to be at much lower speed so unless you’re doing particularly rocky stuff (which you may be in the Peaks) I wouldn’t bother.

You’ll probably need fewer clothes due to the lower speeds.

And you need to make sure you have enough spares for anything that might go wrong and be prepared to walk home in cases of extreme failure.

Practice crashing.

Your roady helmet will be fine.
NEED = not a lot, just a few spares so you can look after yourself if you need to (2 tubes, pump, multitool, quick-link, brake pads) and some appropriate extra clothing if you’re going high.

Not strictly needed but a very good idea = spare mech hanger and a spare gear cable.
The rest is all personal preferences so don’t be rushed into spending a fortune until you’ve ridden loads of different places and decided what you like doing best.

[edit] Oh, and join a club/group so you can ride with other folk and see what works for them/maybe try their stuff out if you ask nicely.
If you’re in MNPR area, I’d also recommend Bogtrotters for regular Saturday/Sunday and Wednesday night rides [/edit]

GPS bike computer/mobile phone and then you can play that game all the kids are on about, think they call it something like Strava or something 😆

as above + some good padded shorts, and Steve11 judging by the name I suspect balls may not be a requisite

a sudocreme covered, AIDS ridden cat

amazing.

hi ella, you’re gonna get some interesting replies on here!

judging by the name I suspect balls may not be a requisite

usernames can be misleading. I was most disappointed to discover Cougar is a man with a beard and nothing like what I’d imagined

GoPro cameras x3 (helmet, handlebars and under saddle)! 😆

And Strava account, hehe 😉

Seriously speaking: all what others said. There is stuff that make a difference, but is not necessary to enjoy riding (SPD pedals, mudguards when it’s wet, jacket with ripstop sleeves).

What I can recommend: set yourself an Instagram account, as you’ll discover some great views you’ll want to share with us!

Need – Bike, clothes, helmet, sense of humour
Usefull – Camelbak, decent gloves, quick links, gubbins to fix bike, go pro etc…
Useless – Orange 5’s, 26″ wheels.

perchypanther – Member

and a sudocreme covered, AIDS ridden cat.

that thread has cost me a fortune in Physio – i laughed so hard i passed a vertabra.

A Wood burner … if you don’t already have one!

Steve11 judging by the name I suspect balls may not be a requisite

I wasn’t talking literally. In fact if anything in the literal sense they get in the way.

£3k coffee machine, a man bag (even if you’re a female lady), italian heritage sports hatchback, spare crown races

Coming from a roadie background you’ll have to develop the ability to conduct friendly chat around the trail centre and instead of scowling perhaps try a friendly wave or a smile at other mtbers.

Hisssssss! Just because I ride on the road, doesn’t make me a roadie. I’ve spent the last two years breaking myself on audaxes. I say hello to bloody everyone. They may have cake. Or tea. Or sudocream.

and a sudocreme covered, AIDS ridden cat.

How do you know about Hansel?

Thanks for the sought for reassurance that I’m generally OK with what I’ve already got.

Amused to see Camelbak on the need list. I’ve got one, but “need”?!

Need:

Helmet (road, mtb, who cares)
Bike Anything from this upwards in spec (IMO)
spare tube + pump
Backpack
Quick link
water bottle – bottle of Robinsons in the backpack did me for long enough!
gloves
Sunnies (McDonalds/Safety specs)
clothes (eg, shorts, trainers, t-shirt and waterproof if needed).

Then things next on list in no particular order:

Padded shorts
Camelbak
Waterproof socks
Lights
Multitool
Better clothes – eg underlayers, shorts not made by Reebok, whatever you fancy.

It makes me smile seeing someone hooning round a trail centre on a Decathlon special in football shorts. Who cares, did it for years on a £500 Rockrider. Get out there and ride!

Crash beyond just freaking out at a slightly steep decent, grabbing a fistful of brakes and toppling slowly sideways.

No no, you’re doing it wrong. You’re supposed to go straight on over the handlebars.

Anyway I’m assuming you’re already a cyclist so proper padded shorts may be a given. I swore I would never wear baggies. I came off a few times and now wear baggies.

Yes to full length gloves.
I wouldn’t say a Camelbak is essential, a bottle will do but yes it will get muddy.
A decent waterproof – doesn’t need to be cycling specific.
Spare tube, tyre levers, multi-tool.
If you’re out for more than a hour or two you might want a small sac to stick things in, food etc.

I also agree with the idea of a course, even if you just go on a half day introductory session. I came away learning how I was supposed to sit/stand on and steer the damned thing.

Mtb shoes
Mtb spare inner tube.

That is all.

Nice to have:
Skills course
Baggies
Mtb helmet
Lots of bikes etc.

Nice to have:
Skills course

Yes! Good call.

“I swore I would never wear baggies. I came off a few times and now wear baggies.”

what do baggies offer to the experiance of falling off ?

what do baggies offer to the experiance of falling off ?

Increased air resistance, innit?… Slows you down a bit. 😉