30 Essential Mountain Bike Accessories

Ready to enjoy your first mountain bike ride? Want to enjoy the thrill and excitement of riding?
Before you go for your first ride let’s test if you are ready for your first ride or not. Have you taken all the necessary protective gear? Did you not forget to take the emergency gear?

Ask yourself What are the best bike accessories that you should take with you. Give the answer to yourself and be sure you are ready for the ride.

Mountain biking is a popular way to exercise with nature.

If you are a beginner at mountain biking and clueless about what gears you should take on a ride then this guide is for you. We will let you know about more than 30 outstanding gears that will make your ride more enjoyable, adventurous, and safe.

So, Be with us and learn about the must-have gears.

Do You Need ALL Of These Items?

No, you don’t. Just because we mention it here doesn’t mean you have to take every single gear before you go for a ride. Having some must-have gears is enough for a ride. 

We accessorize our bikes for a more enjoyable ride, It means all aren’t must-have gears. We will give a list of top mountain bike accessories and will also recommend some gears that you must keep with you when you go for a ride. You may read the full list and decide what gears you should carry with you to make your riding safe and enjoyable or leave your worry to us. We will tell you about the must-have gears in this guide. To know about those gears, keep reading till the end of the list.

Mountain Bike Protective Gear

Protective gears are used to be safe on the trail. When you go for a ride you may face an accident, be it minor or serious. an accident is an accident. It may take your life. But when you have protective gears with you like a helmet, knee pads, gloves these gears will help you in getting less injured.  We have listed down some most important mountain bike gears, read them, and select some that you feel are must-have.

1. A Bike Helmet:

A helmet is the most essential accessory any biker needs. It will protect your head from any type of injury during the trial. But some questions: why a mountain bike helmet when I have a regular helmet? Because traditional helmets and mountain bike helmets aren’t the same. A Mountain bike helmet will give you extra coverage to protect your head from mountain bike falls. It will give your face full protection and will stop the sun from reaching you with visors and will provide extra ventilation to help you to stay cool. Before you leave for the first ride or any ride make sure you have worn the mountain bike helmet.

2. Hydration pack:

When you are on a ride and become thirsty or get hungry, sometimes it becomes hard to reach your hand on the backpack and get what you need. So you need a hydration pack to carry your needed food and water. When you have a small hydration pack you can get the food without searching a lot and wasting time and recharge yourself in a minute.  So keep a hydration pack full of small hydrating food and protein shake.

3. Knee Pads:

Mountain bike essential tools also include a pair of knee pads. To pedal more comfortably with full safety,  you should wear knee pads. There are various types of Knee pads available in the market. You should choose one that fits you best, if you want an adrenaline-based mountain bike then hard plastic padded knee pads are the best choice for you. They are like armuor, they will keep your knee safe and will help you in enjoying a race or technical ride. But if you want easy paddling, better ventilation, and ride in general trails then soft padded knee pads are better.

4. Bike Lock:

A bike lock is there to protect your bike from thieves. It’s very common to lose your bike on a ride. So when you have a Bike lock you can be a little convinced your bike will be safe while you are resting or taking a little break. So it’s another essential thing you should have when you are on a ride.

5. Bike Gloves:

Mountain bike gloves are necessary to keep your hand safe. Gloves will reduce friction and will add extra comfort. While riding for a long time you should wear padless full finger gloves. Gloves without pads are lighter, and cooler which allows you better maintenance. But when you are new you should wear padded full finger gloves for better comfort.

6. Bike sunglass:

A bike sunglass or goggles are one of the needy things. It will protect your eyes from sun blaze and the trash grows from your front wheel. The glass must have multiple lens options and allow you to swap them when you feel the need. Like when you will ride on a dull or dark road you will need a clear lens, but when you will need to fight against glaze or flash you will need a tinted lens. If you want you can use goggles also. Goggles will give you sealed enclosed weather protection. Goggles are usually used by downhill riders. A pair of goggles are safer and give better protection than glasses.

7. Bike Bells:

No matter if you are a new rider or a skill one, a bike bell is the most needed accessory you will need. A bell is there to signal the road for passengers to move or be careful when a bike is coming. It can save you from many unexpected accidents. So having a bike bell is a must.

8. GPS Bike Computer with Mapping:

GPS tracker is one of the most Mountain bike essential equipment that you should take with you. Sometimes our mountain bike got stolen between the rides. What can we do then? If we have a GPS tracker on the mountain bike we can easily track the bike location and find it. Or if we got lost or met with an accident on the ride. your friends or family can track you through this device.

9. Bike Headlight:

Thinking about a night ride? Or its night while returning from the trails? What about the mountain bike headlight? A mountain bike headlight is another essential thing any biker needs when he takes a ride at night. Managing the bike and light together isn’t possible. So what can be a better option than a headlight? You won’t have to hold it in your hand or have to worry about changing the location. When you have the light on your head it will give light automatically in the direction where you need it. So for better visibility at night don’t forget to take a headlight with you.

10. Survival Compass:

With time we have become smart, we use smartphones or tracking devices to keep track. But sometimes these devices aren’t enough. If there is a network problem you will lose track or sometimes the road map is so complicated on adventurous roads that devices are unable to understand it. So it’s better to keep a survival compass with you. It’s a small device, won’t eat up lots of space but can save from big danger. A survival compass will ensure you are always on the right track.

Essential Mountain Bike Tools

Emergency gears are those which we need in an emergency. When we go on a ride sometimes we get hurt, our tires get punctured, or the bike needs a little repair. To overcome those emergency situations we need some gears that are called Mountain Bike Emergency Kit/gears. We listed down some emergency gear, read them, and choose the ones that you feel you will need for sure.

11. First Aid Kit:

Accidents don’t happen by telling us. We don’t know when we will get hurt. So it is a must to carry a first aid kit. On the trails, you should take various sizes of bandages, gauze pads, disinfecting ointment, adhesive tape, and pain medication. Some more things like nitrile gloves, paper, and pen, should be also included in this kit.

12. Mini MultiTool Kit:

In the midway, your mountain bike may need some repair. Maybe the screw is loose, or some other minor issues that you can fix yourself. So to get rid of such minor problems you should carry a repair kit that will help you. If you still don’t know how to repair the bike, you should carry one, maybe you have someone on the way who can do this. But due to lack of a repair kit, you got stuck with this problem.

13. Mini Bike Pump:

You went on a ride and don’t want to come back home by walking in a taxi or whatever then a mini bike pump is the option you should carry with you. In a ride, it’s a common problem that the tires are pumpless. If you want the easy solution to this problem by not leaving the road a mini bike pump is the solution.

14. Tire Levers:

Mountain bike tire levers are a handy tool that helps in installing and removing stubborn bike tires. It’s the most essential equipment for any biker or cyclist. If you need to get off the tires of a wheel you will need tire levers. Using other tools can damage the tire, tube, or rim. So carrying these is a  must in a bike ride. 

15. Spare tubes:

If you don’t want to spend time trying to patch up the inner tube and miss the fun of riding, then carry one spare tube to swap on the road. Keep the damaged tube with you and try to patch up after reaching home. When you are on a ride it’s better not wasting time on patching up and just swapping the inner tube. 

16. Bike Repair Bag MultiTool Kit:

The Mountain Bike has stopped in the middle of the road? Don’t know what to do, where can you find a technician on a forest trail? The first thing is when you are a rider you need to know how to repair little bike problems. Not everywhere you can find someone to help and some little bike problems you have to face regularly. Acquire some knowledge about finding the problem and carry a Mountain Bike Emergency Tool Kit /multi tool kit to repair minor problems yourself. A multi-tools kit will help you in getting rid of every problem you can face with a mountain bike. So a mountain bike multi-tool kit is a must for a mountain bike rider.

17. Tube Patch Kits:

Some don’t like the option to swap the tubes. Patching up the tubes and continuing the ride has another level of fun. If you aren’t interested in swapping the inner tubes then you can carry tube patch kits to the path up the tube on the trail.

18. Chain Connector link:

After a long ride chain starts wearing out. Not the chain but the connector of the chains wear out. You can use a chain connector to connect the chain again or replace them with a new chain. No matter what you do you will need the chain connector link that will link the chain. So it’s also an essential accessory you should carry for a long ride.

19. Chain lubricants: 

In the long run chain lubricant is needed to slow the wear of the chain joints pins and bushing. It is needed to flush out the wear debris and the foreign materials to help in smooth chain engagement.

20. Whistles:

Some may find whistles aren’t important, but it’s not true. This little whistle can save you from a dangerous accident. When you are doing races and riding at a high speed, you may face an accident and not be in a state of shouting. At that time if you have a whistle, you can use that to let the nearby rider or passerby know your location. Did you just see, how important is it?  A little whistle can save your life.

Necessary Things

Here we have listed down some necessary things that a rider usually needs on a ride. If you want you can take them with you or avoid them. But if you want to go on a long ride then you must take some necessary things like dry food, padded shorts, a backpack, etc.

21. Dry Food:

When you are on a short ride, you have enough calories to ride but when you are on a ride for more than 60 minutes your battery will start ticking. As you are riding yourself and losing calories, you have to constantly eat something to keep up your energy. To quench your thirst you have to carry a water bottle with 2-3 liter water. Sometimes only water won’t fill up the need so it’s better to carry some food that will make your body hydrated and will replenish the lost calories. Choose something that is easy to carry, because you have to carry it in your backpack. Snacks like Dry fruits, nuts mix, protein bar, a protein shake will be best. 

22. Phone Mount:

When you are on a ride it’s better you should carry a phone mount with you. If the phone is in your pocket you won’t know when it slipped off and broken or you lost it. Or if you keep the phone in the backpack, who knows if you miss any emergency call or notification. So keep the phone in front of eyes or in easily noticeable places is needed. Take a bike phone mount, keep your phone on it and avoid missing important calls or losing the phone.

23. Bike Backpack: 

A mountain bike ride without a backpack is similar to impossible. Before you leave for a ride you need to carry some essential gear and accessories, food, water, etc. To carry all the essential things you need a good backpack. Always try to choose a lighter backpack so you can carry it easily. If the bag is already weighty how will you manage when you will put some more things on it? So choose wisely.

24. Bike Shoes:

Shoes are the most important part of your mountain bike riding kit. Legs are one of the three contact points, your legs will control the pedal and your performance. Many say what problems are there in general shoes? There is no problem with normal shoes. The fact is mountain biking shoes are designed more exceptionally. These are hard-wearing, strong to upgrade power transfer, and sturdy. When you have a good pair of mountain biking shoes, pedaling and controlling becomes easy and better.

25. Raincoat/Rainwear:

During the rainy season it’s important to stay dry and warm. So having a high-quality, breathable, and waterproof jacket is a must. A mountain bike raincoat is specially designed, it’s fully seamed taped, lightweight and comes with three-layer fabric that protects you from the rain. 

26. Smart Trackers:

Tracking your fitness, health, and riding date is simple with a smart tracker. It will provide you with all the data you will need. When you accessorize your new bike with a smart tracker it will let you know about the safe route, weather update, theft alert, etc. 

27. Padded Shorts:

After a long ride it’s a normal feeling of insensitivity or itching on your scrotums and genitals. This problem can ruin the fun of biking and give you a painful experience. This problem is avoidable if you wear mountain bike padded shorts. Most of us know we should wear clothes as we need. When we ride for a long time we should avoid wearing fancy clothes and wear comfortable padded shorts. It will not only make the ride enjoyable but the pads will give you a softer feeling that will keep your private parts safe from any injuries. Remember this and wear clothes that are needed for mountain biking.

28. Bike jerseys:

When you are on a ride you shouldn’t wear your regular clothes. You should wear something breathable. Varieties of jerseys are available in the market, mountain bike jersey is one of them. A mountain bike jersey is designed to climate suited, you can get one that fits your current season. Mountain bike jerseys are longer in length than the regular size. The seams are not the same, it won’t be under your shoulder, ( where the pack rubs the raw). Usually, mountain bike jerseys are made with wicking fabrics.

Conclusion

We have shared the most important gear list of Mountain Biking Gear For Beginners that you should have in your ride. But if you can’t we have recommended some must-have gears, take them along.

After long research and based on our own experience we have made this Mountain bike essential checklist. If you take these 30 gears with you, we hope you will be able to enjoy your ride without facing any difficulty