Which Clothing, tools etc

bleasy

Hi guys got myself a Ragley Blue Pig was just wondering if anyone could recommend any good clothing etc to me need Helmet, Multitool, Shorts, Shoes, tops etc

waby1234

Have a quick search of the forum - loads of advice on here from previous threads.

rapid_donkey

It all depends on your budget really.

I highly rate all of my kit, which consists of Endura Singletrack gloves, Met Xilo helmet, Endura hummvee Lite shorts, Endura MT500 long sleeve jersey for the colder evenings, Karrimor t shirts from Sports Direct and I just wear some Hi-tec outdoor walking type sturdy shoes which grip my flats fine.

In winter I also have some muddy fox padded under trousers which are great, I wear them under the Hummvee outer shorts. These also came from sports direct.

If you buy 'what mountain bike' magazine, in the back they have a section with all the highest rated kit (in their opinion) of everything, bikes, tyres clothing etc.

paul.skibum

Helmets are best tried on - usual candidates are Giro, Met, Bell, Fox etc - I have a Met something or rather which fits me great, has good adjustment and is nicely padded without being too much of a mushroom top. Plenty of trail oriented designs these days with low backs to provide better base of skull coverage. But as I say make and model is no good if it doesnt fit your head. Try some on any decent bike shop should have a range of models and at a range of prices.

Clothes - I have Fox Sergeant shorts which are hard wearing and comfortable, I have had race face in the past and other fox - all pretty good - shirt wise you can wear any sort of wicking style top or more designer trail gear like TLD, Raceface, Helly etc. Shoes - depends what you ride if you ar eon flats get 5:10s or Teva Links or ride in skate shoes as budget and needs dictate.

Tools - any multitool will work - park tools or lezyne or whatever all have a range of tools and work well for trail side repairs - grab soem tyre levers, patch kit and a pump (I just bought a Lezyne pump - I wouldnt recommend it, my Top Peak old one was way better).

passout

You need to visit a decent shop where you can try stuff on - especially helmet, shoes but also clothing. A good bike shop will also offer a lot of advice - buying on line can be cheaper but it is easy to buy the wrong thing unless you know exactly what you want. It's also more time consuming. I'd get some decent padded shorts - you can wear under baggies if you like. Also invest in good quality outer shell jacket (eg Gore). Don't forget optics (shades). Camel backs are generally pricy. Take a lot of cash or choose a store that does finance on these things.

Tools are easier - look at chain reaction cycles or ribble cycles. I always thought Pedros tools were good value. Oh and get a track pump - you'll never regret that. Buy inner tubes in bulk - much cheaper.

Overall we are talking hundreds of pound here, even for more mid range stuff.

BigE88

I particularly like Intrepid Apparel for clothing. Bit pricey but some many clever features and designed by riders for riders.

http://www.intrepidapparel.co.uk/shop

waby1234

passout wrote:

Overall we are talking hundreds of pound here, even for more mid range stuff.

You don't need to spend a fortune if you don't want to - there is some extremely good value kit around.

E.g.

- Pump - £15
- Helmet - £20
- Multitool - £15
- Tyre levers, patch kit - £5
- Padded shorts - £15
- Shoes - £20
- Clothing - t shirt and shorts - £20

welsh_14

Have to say I wear an intrepid apparels long sleeve riding top, best top I have worn for riding! Vey comfy etc.. But expensive, i got mine through the Daily Deals from this site so a bit cheaper. Underneath I just wear my rugby teams warm up top works fine even though isnt bike specific. Anything that wicks sweat is fine.
Also use a Helly Henson base layer in the winter but gets smelly quickly (maybe cos I sweat and stink?! :oops: ) so will probably go for a merino one next time.
Would highly recommend some seal skin socks. keep your feet warm and dry!! I never leave the house without them now.

As said you can spend as much or as little as you want. I've heard a lot of people saying the Lidl/Aldi stuff is good and cheap.

passout

waby1234 wrote:

passout wrote:

Overall we are talking hundreds of pound here, even for more mid range stuff.

You don't need to spend a fortune if you don't want to - there is some extremely good value kit around.

E.g.

- Pump - £15
- Helmet - £20
- Multitool - £15
- Tyre levers, patch kit - £5
- Padded shorts - £15
- Shoes - £20
- Clothing - t shirt and shorts - £20

Well, yes & no...it all adds up. By your own reckoning you are already on on £110 & that's without a jacket (look outside), inner tubes, gloves, optics and camelback or some other way to carry your kit & fluid around. Also £20 for tops and bottoms won't get you much - especially for winter use. Also I'm assuming you are not riding at night & needing lights. I think it will be an absolute minimum of £200 total.

passout

welsh_14 wrote:

Have to say I wear an intrepid apparels long sleeve riding top, best top I have worn for riding! Vey comfy etc.. But expensive, i got mine through the Daily Deals from this site so a bit cheaper. Underneath I just wear my rugby teams warm up top works fine even though isnt bike specific. Anything that wicks sweat is fine.
Also use a Helly Henson base layer in the winter but gets smelly quickly (maybe cos I sweat and stink?! :oops: ) so will probably go for a merino one next time.
Would highly recommend some seal skin socks. keep your feet warm and dry!! I never leave the house without them now.

As said you can spend as much or as little as you want. I've heard a lot of people saying the Lidl/Aldi stuff is good and cheap.

Yes, Lidl is worth a look - it can go fast though.

waby1234

passout wrote:

waby1234 wrote:

passout wrote:

Overall we are talking hundreds of pound here, even for more mid range stuff.

You don't need to spend a fortune if you don't want to - there is some extremely good value kit around.

E.g.

- Pump - £15
- Helmet - £20
- Multitool - £15
- Tyre levers, patch kit - £5
- Padded shorts - £15
- Shoes - £20
- Clothing - t shirt and shorts - £20

Well, yes & no...it all adds up. By your own reckoning you are already on on £110 & that's without a jacket (look outside), inner tubes, gloves, optics and camelback or some other way to carry your kit & fluid around. Also £20 for tops and bottoms won't get you much - especially for winter use. Also I'm assuming you are not riding at night & needing lights. I think it will be an absolute minimum of £200 total.

All I'm saying is you don't need to spend a fortune to get out there are ride....

JB69

I've just started again after a 20 year gap and am dragging my nephews old Raleigh Bandicoot (ahem) around the Midlands whilst I build some fitness and lose some weight and save for my new bike. As I'm saving i've got the cheapest gear (within reason) I could get - searching through Amazon is a good way. I got a Draper tool kit (inc pump, tyre leavers, multi tool, repair kit) that fixes straight to the frame £10.95, glasses £8.95 (safety glasses really but do the job and never mist up), pair of padded Muddy Fox shorts from Sports Direct £10 on sale, pair of gloves (ditto Sports Direct) £7, bike rack £1 from ebay (got lucky and someone round the corner was selling). Got all my old spanners already. I wear existing cargo shorts over my padded shorts and I have been wearing a long sleeve t-shirt under another t-shirt/football top that i've already got. Wearing an old pair of trainers and i've got to say i've had some of the most fun ever getting back into it. Can't wait to get to get a new bike to which ill add a helmet (need to set an example for my boy but must admit never worn one before - didnt exist when i was a kid) and a jacket. I expect to add to my collection over time and get better quality gear but havn't spent much to get going - important thing for me was to lose weight (stone down already) and get fit (can comfortably crack off 25 miles along the canal - could barely get down to the shops 2 months ago!!!)