Let's talk clothing! What's your gear?

[ikaramboo]

Hi there from Germany,

I just bought my first ebike (Cube Action Team 160) and now i am thinking about what gear to buy next.

Really interested in what gear / clothing you guys wear. What is essential and can be recommended to others and what's not?
What's your next purchase for this Fall/Winter?

Let's go head till toe:

Helmet

- Currently a 6 year old "SixSixOne Recon Stealth"
- plannig to get a new one. Maybe POC? Not sure yet

Goggles / glasses
- rudy Project rydon
- i dont know, they work

Jacket (rain)
- not yet, considering one of these:
Endura MT500 II Jacket or Cube AM Storm-
- maybe i'll stick to my old Arcteryx Beta SL

Gloves
- currently Cube Performance Action Team (warmer temperatures) and Fox Dirtpaw Gloves (colder)
- are raingloves really needed? Maybe the Fox Water Attack Gloves
- no idea what gloves for winter

Shorts
- currently some old Fox pants
- now looking for: Endura MT500 Spray II Baggy Shorts or Cube Blackline Rain Shorts

Pants (rain)
- not yet
- Choice: Cube Blackline Pants or Endura MT500 II Spray Pants

Shoes
- adidas Terrex Trail Cross
- they seem to work great for past ride. nice grip on the pedals. not too heavy and looking good. no experience so far in the rain.

Backpack
- currently a Osprey Escapist which works well.
- no idea if i need something else

 

[Gary]

probably nothing.
Due to already having 7 helmets (3 Fullface, 3 XC and a pisspot), 2 pairs of goggles, 6 pairs of glasses, 4 hats, 1 balaclava, 1 skull cap, 3 buffs, 4 neck warmers, 10+ base layers, 3 compression tops, 20+ SS tops, 8 3/4 tops, a few mid layers, 10+ l/s mtb tops, 6 l/s road tops, 3 gillets, 3 pairs of armwarmers, 9 jackets, 10+ pairs of gloves (even though I rarely ever wear gloves), 10+ pairs of bib shorts, 6 3/4 bibs, 4 bib longs, 4 pairs of baggy shorts, 6 pairs of 3/4 baggies, 1 pair of waterproof 3/4 baggy shorts, 8 pairs of riding trousers, 6 pairs of DH pants, 2 pairs of waterproof over trousers, 3 pairs of kneewarmers, 6 pairs of sealskins, 1 pair of goretex socks, 2 pairs of overshoes, 7 pairs of flat pedal shoes, 6 pairs of SPD shoes.

Oh.. and armour (which I almost never wear anymore) 1 full dainese pressure suit, 1 dainese upper body suit, 2 back protectors, 1 pair of dainese freeride knee/shin pads, 1 pair of raceface D30 knee pads 2 ankle braces

But then again if something new takes my fancy I might as well buy it.

funniest thing about reading back through the above is the realisation i ride in jeans and a T-shirt without a helmet way more than I wear any of the above biking stuff

 

[Geoff]

My riding gear varies depending on terrain and weather conditions.

Helmets:

• Specialized Ambush - my "go to" helmet
• Bell Super - for temps < 5 degrees C because it doesn't have as much airflow as an Ambush.
• Specialized S3 - Night Riding (Fits exposure lights mounting hardware nicely)
• Specialized Dissident Carbon Full Face - Black (Good in all but the warmest weather).
• Troy Lee D3 Composite - White (Good for hot Sunny days)
• Fox Proframe - for the times when a real Full Face is not required and an open face helmet just isn't the smart choice.

Goggles/Glasses:

• Oakley RadarLock Path Frames with Photochromic "Clear Black" and "G40" Lenses - Excellent optical clarity and comfort.
• Oakley AirBrake Goggles - Jade Iridium Prism Lens - Highly recommended. Lenses are easily swapped out to enable use of different tints to match conditions.
• Oakley Proven Goggles - Clear Lens - Good but not as in the same class as the AirBrake
• Scott Goggles - Clear Lens - Tend to fog up easily and not as comfortable as the similary priced Oakley Proven goggles.

Jacket (Rain):

• Endura Stealth Waterproof Jacket - Expensive but fantastic bit of kit, Breathable and Waterproof
• Specialized Lightweight Rain Jacket

Gloves:

• Specialized Enduro Gloves - I've had many versions of these over the past 5 years.
• TLD Sprint Gloves
• Specialized Element Gloves - Wet and Cold conditions.

Shorts:

• Troy Lee Sprint Shorts
• Specialized Enduro Pro Short
• Dharco Gravity Shorts - Great all round general riding shorts
• Endura Humvee Shorts

Shirts:

• Troy Lee Sprint and Moto long sleeve tops.
• Dharco Short, 3/4 and Long sleeve tops
• Specialized Short, 3/4, and Long sleeve tops
• Various thermal tops - Perl Izumi and Castelli.

Shoes:

• Specialized 2FO Clip Lite - Good all round clip-less shoe favoured for use in wet conditions
• Specialized 2FO Flats - Fast drying shoe for wet conditions.
• Five Ten Sam Hill 3 Impact Flats - Good all round flat shoe.
• Five Ten Impact Low Flats - Excellent for flat pedal DH and gravity riding in dry conditions (get heavy and take a while to dry when they get wet).
• Five Ten Impact VXi Clip-less - for clipped-in DH and Gravity riding. Probably a bit heavy for trail riding.
• Sidi Dragon Carbon - Excellent clip-less shoe for XC style riding - not good for walking in.
• Specialized Trail Clip-less Shoe - Great all purpose trail oriented shoe but carbon soles make them uncomfortable for walking.

Socks:

• Defeet Woolie Boolie - Super hard wearing and keep your feet at the right temperature in all conditions wet or dry.
• Troy Lee Camber Wool Blend - Great sock but they wear out pretty quickly.

Backpack:

• Camelback Octane - Small running Pack but good for when you want to travel light and carry 2l of water. Not great so for gravity riding as it moves around too much due to not having a waist strap.
• USWE F6 with 3l water capacity - excellent pack for trail, gravity and backcountry riding.
• USWE F3 Pro 3l water capacity - smaller version of the F6 good for trail and gravity riding. A bit too small for backcountry rides.

Body Protection:

• POC Hip Armour - There's rarely a MTB ride where I don't wear this.
• POC VPD Knee Armour - preferred for real DH as the side protection is better than the VPD 2.0
• POC VPD 2.0 Knee Armour - for Gravity and Trail
• POC VPD Elbows - Gravity, Trail and some XC.
• Leatt 5.5 Body Armour suit - for real DH
• Leatt 5.5 Neck Brace - for real downhill and some high risk gravity riding (worn in conjunction with compatible TLD or Specialized DH certified Full Face Helmet).
• G-Form Protective shirt - For lighter gravity riding and some trail riding.

The only thing I might get for this summer would be a some Leatt 3DF AirFit Soft Shell Vest to wear whilst getting the hang of jumping on the Kenevo.

 

[R120]

I am scared to list out how much kit i have, and how much of it has been worn only once!

 

[MartinW148]

Just an old pair of shorts and trainers and a specialized helmet. Did you need any more?

 

[Kernow]

So much kit I sometimes find stuff I forgot I have , certainly couldn’t list it without spending an hour or so listing it all .
You get to know brands that suit you , lots of my favourite stuff is endura , thier knee shin guards are the best for me , and thier bib shorts especially for long road rides . Will probably buy a new mt500 jacket for the winter .although I prefer the hoods on jackets intended for mountaineering for over helmet fit .
Endura gloves I like. And thier Jerseys
Shimano spd shoes seem to generally be the best and last the longest although I’ve also got north wave goretex boots which are doing well . Dry feet are something I don’t think can ever be achieved . The closest I’ve got is wearing walking gaiters on the wettest winter days .

Out of a cupboard full of helmets of different makes my favourite is an ixs trail helmet
Camel back are my favourite backpacks , with a selection of models in different sizes hawg mule etc
Base layers I still like the good old smelly helly Hansen lifa in the winter , and the light rab base layers that are like silk
One item I just can’t seem to equal is a very old montane pretexts featherlight velo jacket . It rolls up the size of an orange keeps a shower off breathes very well . It’s paper thin faded and looking tired , I’ve bought newer versions but nothing else seems to be as good .

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Now that winter is basically here in the U.K. I need some new kit. I want to ride as much as possible, not too fussed about warmth, more protection from mud and crap, something I can take off as I get home and chuck in the wash.

Trousers (pants?). Full length and waterproof (or as good as, just enough to stop you getting soaked).

Jacket. As above.

Anything else that’s recommended?

Thanks
Rob.

 

[CryptoBiker]

Hate to to be "that" guy but, autumn literally began today. Winter is 3 months away..

I'd add that make sure you've got a mudguard if you take it off during the warmer months, can get mud into unruly places if you ride without one sometimes...

Maybe if you've spent a bit on your shoes, an overshoe, or a diy version... old sock etc might be a good idea.

Be nice if they had tearaway strips like racing drivers for glasses... as they are a nightmare when its wet..

 

[Paul Mac]

For me the only difference for winter riding is the gloves i wear and a jacket.
Can't go wrong with Endura kit.
I wear water resistant soft shell jacket for cold days.
The gold standard of water proof jackets is the MT 500, but it is expensive.
If you ride clipped in the Shimano gortex boots, if flat pedals, 510,s with seal skin socks.

 

[highpeakrider]

Merino wool base layer
Shell top
Waterproof jacket

Endura single track trousers or altura waterproof trousers if it’s raining.

 

[R80]

Altura mayhem 2 jacket is ?

 

[R120]

I wear long bib shorts under me shorts in the winter if its proper cold, but am tempted by a decent pair of "pants".

I have this Altura jacket which has been really good in some proper downpours, and is good value. Pockets are in bit of a weird position for easy access, but thats my only complaint.

Mayhem 2 Waterproof Jacket | Altura

Best bit of winter kit i have is this Lazer Dissent helmet, its a snowboard helmet but certified for cycling uses too. Keeps the head warm, has adjustable vents, goggle strap so good if you wear those:

Lazer Dissent Helmet Review

 

[jonathan horticulturist]

Be nice if they had tearaway strips like racing drivers for glasses... as they are a nightmare when its wet..

They do them for goggles.

Rob, Aldi have merino wool base layers:

Merino - ALDI UK

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Hate to to be "that" guy but, autumn literally began today. Winter is 3 months away..

I'd add that make sure you've got a mudguard if you take it off during the warmer months, can get mud into unruly places if you ride without one sometimes...

Maybe if you've spent a bit on your shoes, an overshoe, or a diy version... old sock etc might be a good idea.

Be nice if they had tearaway strips like racing drivers for glasses... as they are a nightmare when its wet..

Thanks! But it was 8 degrees yesterday during my ride. That’s pretty cold for September ?

 

[Norange]

Gore soft shell 3/4 are amazing. Really comfy, breathable and dry unless it’s pissing down. My normal go to in winter, paired with merino base layer and gore phantom jacket. Have one o them fancy shakedry jackets, but too fat to report back on performance as yet ???

 

[Witte300]

Dirtsuite
Absolutly great and looks good

 

[Gary]

Thanks! But it was 8 degrees yesterday during my ride. That’s pretty cold for September ?

It's probably all the shandy you guys drink Rob. 8deg is T-shirt weather here..

 

[drjarvis2003]

Last year I ended up using berghaus goretex walking boots and they were ok, not quite as good as the five ten free ride boots, but I got used to them pretty quick. Spotted some other riders on e bikes doing the same thing.

 

[Gary]

if you're riding proper mud pants can be i nightmare as all the mud/wet sticks to the lowers and just bogs you down especially when it's bad enough that the mud accumulation pulls the waist band lower.
3/4s and good waterproof socks is the one for sticky mud. full length for splashy rear foot enema performing puddly mud.
I never wear a jacket on my mtb. (despite owning loads) They're just too hot for me. might be different this winter with the assisted bike. I now get cold if I ever ride it with a non-Eeb rider whereas before I never would.

 

[ikaramboo]

I started a similiar Topic which is more general on Bike clothing.
Maybe you could combine them and rename (if you feel like)?

-> Let's talk clothing

For my Winter gear i just got myself a Endura MT500 Spray Pants II. Haven't tried them yet on the trail because it's too warm but they seem to be great pants for cold and wet days.

Still undecided if i will rock pants or something like Vaude All Year Moab ZO Pants. Nice combination of shorts and tights.

Some basic base layer from my snowboard gear like my Odlo longsleeve shirt.

On top of that i wear my new Vaude All Year Moab Jacket. Looks nice and feels really comfortable and is probably pretts warm for 1 digit dry temperatures.

As a Jacket i would wear my Arcteryx Beta SL which i bought 6 years ago. Nice quality Jacket with pit zips. Not really a bike specific Jacket but it works well because of its longer back.
Planning to get Endura MT500 Waterproof Jacket.

No idea what gloves to buy. Currently have some old Fox and some Cube gloves which are only for warmer dry weather. Maybe you have something in mind?

 

[Krisj]

My downhill pants come out for the first time yesterday they tend to keep you dry and all your pads fit snug underneath , seal skin socks are a must for me too
Top I’m a hoody type of guy in all weathers I get too hot , I do carry a light water proof jacket in my bag for extreme weather but has to be extreme for this to come out.
Great Levo review video too rob. ??

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

@ikaramboo done

 

[Dax]

I'm very fussy over helmet and glasses (fox proframe and Oakley transitions) the rest of my gear is just tech tops that I picked up on sale and cycling shorts that I picked up on sale, usually at a bike Park when I forgot to pack them.

I wear a super expensive e-vent jacket for most UK winter riding, which I got in the rei sale for $100, forget the brand but e-vent is awesome and it packs to nothing. For dh I wear a fox downpour jacket because it's a lot tougher, it's slightly stretchy and I bought a size up to fix my armour.

Probably my next gear purchase will be a pair of winter shoes, sick of splashing through a puddle and getting wet feet

 

[Krisj]

@Dax seal skin socks are good for dry feet even if shoes are wet , I’ve got the normal length but the mrs has knee length ones for added dry legs too

 

[jonathan horticulturist]

For something warmer Rob, try to get something with primaloft.

 

[MartinW148]

Just ordered a pair of Humvee II trousers for the colder weather, can layer up underneath if these are a bit thin..

Any experience of these?

 

[Witte300]

Seems nobody out of Germany knows dirtsuite.
Strange, concept is awesome.
I love the sfd edition.
Perfect dry with the airvents.
No mud reaching the lower back area.
Bit expensive, that’s true.

 

[R120]

Dirtsuit has been quite heavily featured in Uk magazines, just never seen anyone in one

 

[UKPHOTO]

Five Ten Freeride ELC, not bad to keep weather out and laces manageable. Sealskinz knee socks. Water specific shorts, Fox Attack or Endura, and good undershorts. Under Armour base layer compression and top if not too cold, Arcteryx Fortez if colder, Arcteryx Zeta ar if lashing down (but tend to dislike rain jackets, even the best get hot n sweaty and performance layers can dry and/or insulate ok when wet these days).

 

[jonathan horticulturist]

Being warm enough and not sweaty is all well and good, but the amount of water you carry when caught in a downpour means being soaked without waterproofs. It can make you want to end the ride in the middle of nowhere then and there. I call it, “Wanting to get home” syndrome.