Popular Mechanics; Courtesy; Timber
When you’re shredding down a mountainside, you want to know your mountain bike is performing at its best and you want to be prepared for anything—jumps, roots, rocks, mistakenly basing into a tree. Thankfully there are all sorts of accessories out there to make sure your bike—and you—can make it through to the end of the ride as unscathed as possible. These include tools, parts, personal safety gear and more and are the must-have mountain bike accessories that will make sure you have an awesome ride no matter what the circumstances are.
The Best Mountain Bike Accessories
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1
Best Venting Mips Helmet
Bushwhacker II MIPS Helmet Sweet Protection Read More
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2
Most Comprehensive Multitool
M20 Multi-Tool crankbrothers Read More
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3
Best Frame Protection
eMTB Frame Protection Kit RideWrap Read More
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4
Best Flat Pedals
Composite Pedal oneup-components Read More
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5
Best Mountain Bike Light
Seca 2000 Race Headlight light-motion Read More
What to Consider
Practicality versus fun. We could write this piece up a hundred different ways: “Fun mountain bike gear for any ride,” or “The best safety gear for mountain biking,” or “Cool mountain bike gear for after your ride.” However, in this instance, we’re focusing on the essentials—the pieces of gear you should always have with you or use before or after a ride. So, while a lot of the gear is fun, we’re focussed on practicality here.
As such, we looked at the best protective gear both for the bike and the rider. We also considered the best tools for riding and fixing a bike as well as the best gear for making sure your bike is trail-ready.
Of course not all riders will need all the gear for every ride, so we considered the best use for each type of rider. For instance, a cross country rider won’t need the same gear that a serious downhill rider does. Similarly, someone who only rides in the day won’t need a light for riding on the trail at night—but for those that do, it’s essential gear!
How We Selected
We selected based on a number of factors. We used our own experience with many of these products, having used and tested mountain bike gear for years. We also considered roundups of other mountain bike accessories from Bicycling Magazine, Outside, and other trusted reviewers, such as Treeline Review and Outdoor Gear Lab.
