Clothing advice needed for road to mtb switch??

luketorroni

Hi Everyone...

I'm new to the MTB side of Bike Radar as I've always been a road cyclist myself. I'm looking to start some off road cycling, mainly trials including the usual stuff... through trees, muddy/wet terrain and the rocky stuff.

I'm ok with equipment but my main concern is clothing for off-road??

Most of my kit is designed for the road and is mainly 'Assos' which I have painfully saved for and purchased over the years. I'm worried that this isn't going to stand up to the toughness of trial riding and if I need something more durable (and less painful on my wallet if I fall and damage anything)? Brambles?

Obviously it's going to get very muddy so that will mean more washing and durability issues. Any advice you can offer for a road to mtb transition would be a really helpful??

Anonymous

anything at all, as long as you're comfortable in it.
A great many mountain bikers just wear normal shorts and T-shirts.
Outside of trail centres, it's quite rare for me to see mountain bikers wearing any kind of lycra, to be honest.
The wind resistance is much less of an issue as the speeds are lower (lower gearing, smaller weels, rougher terrain), so the super-streamlined lycra doesn't offer much of an advatage.
Also, I'd wager a bet that the vast majority of MTBers ride more for fun, than trying to beat their best times, etc.

ewok

I would suggest a old pair of trainers or skate shoes to start with as the trails are strting to get a bit messy. Otherwise just wear something comfortable and you dont care to much if it gets plastered with mud.

tlw1

decent pair of shorts to start with & build the rest of the kit up over time

diy

baggy long shorts over your lycra and as its almost winter a set of windproof cycle gloves

llamafarmer

My club race jersey is actually a road jersey I think and it's great for trail riding, but they don't like brambles, gorse and holly all that much. Your lycra tights/shorts (I'm guessing you have them!) will be great under some baggy shorts now the weather's getting colder.

Basically though, breathable, fast drying stuff is your friend!

And some good socks - your feet will get wet.

mac_man

+1 for baggies over you lycra. That way you can wear any pair of shorts you feel comfy in.

And another +1 for skate shoes - TK Max is good for them.

But, being a roadie, you may already be comfortable in clipless pdals

You may want to consider some knee pads as well... there's more falling off than you'll be used to on the road . And you WILL fall off at some point. I just got some 661 kyle strait pads from my local bike shop. Really comfortable to wear all day... hardly noticed I was wearing them after a few minutes. And they give you that little bit of extra confidence to know you wont be crocked should the worst happen.

A small backpack is useful as you may want to carry a few more tools and spares than you would onroad. Punctures are more common and components can have a tendency to shake loose.

Do roadies wear gloves? Definitely another must... something nice and grippy, and stops chafing and blisters.

Anonymous

Good call. Gloves are a must. Every single time I've fallen off, my hands have taken a beating. Gloves stop you tearing the skin off.

.blitz

luketorroni wrote:

Most of my kit is designed for the road and is mainly 'Assos' which I have painfully saved for and purchased over the years.

Assos make some fantastic riding gear and I have a couple of items (gloves & bib tights) that have stood up exceptionally well to several years of MTBing.

Providing you're not a serial crasher, clothing takes more of a hammering from repeated use and washing, and in this respect Assos is pretty much unbeatable.

daniellesheridan

Hiya

Once you're looking the part, you might want to consider some MTB skills coaching so you can get the most of your riding.

I'm one of the coaches at Astounding Adventures - http://www.astoundingadventures.co.uk/

We are an adventures activities company providing MTB courses in The Surrey Hills, North Wales (Gwydyr Forest) and North Yorkshire (Dalby Forest).

We have a range of skills courses including:

Core Skills Singletrack Skills Advanced Skills Coaching Clinics Bike Set-up and Trailside Repairs Adventure Race Skills Mountain Bike Navigation Night Riding Apprenticeship

All of our coaches are fully qualified and highly experienced.

We also offer guided rides in The Surrey Hills, North and South Wales, The Lake District, The Peak District and The Yorkshire Moors. If you can tear yourself away from your bike, try our range of hillwalking and rock climbing courses too.

Check us out!

Danielle