Accessory Gifts For The Mountain Biker In Your Life.

You have a friend / relative / husband / wife / sibling that has taken up the exciting and challenging sport of mountain biking.

And you think this might be the ideal interest to focus on when purchasing that gift for your "person who has everything".

Unlike casual biking, your acquaintance will need much more than just a helmet to ensure that they are safe to ride and hit the trails.

There is now a vast range of accessories (read gifts) for both men and women as mountain biking is such a popular sport these days. You need to make sure you do a bit of research on each item you might want to purchase. You need to get something that is the best quality for the amount of money you want to spend; so make sure you get advice at a few local specialist bike shops, or read the reviews if you are looking on-line.

Below are some of the "basic" accessories of a well equipped mountain biker. They probably have some of these items but I'm here to tell you; more than one of these items can't go wrong. Leave one in the car and one in the house so we NEVER forget the compulsory stuff .... get the picture ?

Bike helmet

Listing the bike helmet as an 'accessory' is a bit weird I know ..... because it really isn't. It is a necessary piece of equipment. When a biker takes a header over the handlebars, having a secure helmet on their head could well save their life. When it comes to mountain biking, the question is not "if you're going to fall", it is more likely a question of when.  Purchase a good quality new helmet rather than a "cool and popular" second hand one. You just don't know how its been treated and what hard knocks it has had; and often you can't tell. The bike helmet is something that you want to buy brand-new, and make sure that it fits the head properly. At a bike shop, when you explain it will be a gift, they can help by ascertaining the most likely size based on height and stature. (And most have considerable size adjustment). If you are looking on the internet they usually have some sort of table to help you ... and everything can be exchanged (although that can be an inconvenience for the purchaser and the receiver). The rule of thumb when it comes to helmets is ...... "one accident per helmet", - that's the rule!!  If your acquaintance does have an accident in which damage occurs to their helmet, the wisdom is that they would purchase another one. And guess who purchased a spare for them as a gift ??

Eye protection

When a cyclist is riding on the road and is passed by a car it can happen that it that sends up a spurt of gravel at them. If any of that gets into the cyclists eyes, they would have to stop immediately to clear their vision. If a mountain biker is on a trail heading downhill at a breakneck pace, and they run through a swarm of small insects, some of them hitting them in the eye, the following seconds could end up being very uncomfortable. Similarly when that prickly shrub jumps out in front of them a sweeps across their face; (or they go a little off track?) Glasses or sunglasses are one solution, but the best method is to wear purpose designed mountain biker glasses or goggles. Whatever you get, make sure that the lenses are non-breakable.

Hydration system

It's common sense that your acquaintance would have a water bottle with them when they go out on a trail ride. (No coffee shops or soft drink dispensers out here!) It's very easy to get dehydrated when riding hard and this brings your energy right down, as well as being dangerous to your health. However, in order for a cyclist or mountain biker to drink from a water bottle they have to take their hand off one of the handles, and they really don't want to do that on a rough terrain trail. Hydration backpacks are THE best option when it comes to mountain biking. The hydration backpack doubles as a backpack that can carry all kinds of other necessary / optional items inside it as well, and when there is a need to drink the rider just reaches over with their mouth to the bite valve and take a sip. There a literally hundreds on the market now, but don't go cheap. You wouldn't like to drink plastic flavored water would you? And make sure the "bladder" that holds the water is large enough to get inside for a thorough clean-out. (Fungi water ..... YUK).

Mountain bike shorts

These days bike saddles are a lot more comfortable than they used to be. There are saddles made especially for women as well as men, and you can purchase gel-filled saddles that make the hours they spend on their bike a bit more comfortable. But any cyclist or mountain biker will always want padded bike underwear and padded bike shorts, just for extra comfort. If your acquaintance is a keen rider and rides multiple times a week then a clean (non-smelly) extra set of shorts will always be handy.

Mountain bike gloves

If the fall off the bike happens, (or remember I made the point ..... when), the hands will probably be the first thing to hit the ground. Paved roads, a gravel roads, dirt with sharp rocks, mud, bushes ... all sorts of hazards that are common antagonists for cyclists can rip up the hands unless they're properly protected. But even if a fall is not a regular part of the riding experience gloves serve an ongoing purpose as well. Sweaty hands mean slippery handle bar grips, (and there is another gift idea!) Heading down a fast trail with sweaty hands could cause all sorts of problems when the focus is on keeping the hands on the bike grips rather than looking for those sharp rocks that are just lying in waiting ready to jump out in front of the bikes tire. Wearing gloves really is essential and eliminates a number os negative "possibles". And like a spare pair of shorts, a spare pair of gloves is always handy.

Mountain biking shoes

These days there's a shoe made for every sport under the sun, including that of mountain biking. The main difference in mountain bike shoes is the type of sole - designed for the different types of pedals out there: you can get clip or clip-less pedals and the shoes are purposed for whatever type of pedal the rider prefers. The clip-less type of pedal requires that your shoes be fitted with special cleats, and every brand and even every model is different. (A real "pain" when it comes to looking for a gift). The clip-less shoes are much easier to chose and riders who go "rough", (in other words prefer rougher trails), usually prefer these. Main things to remember are that the shoes need to be durable and comfortable and (if you go this way) ... the pedals need to match the cleats.

Trail repair kit

It makes sense to carry a bicycle repair kit with you regardless of what type of biking you do, except maybe if you just ride city streets. A phone call can bring someone to your aid very quickly.
Not so easy when a biker is out on the trails somewhere in the wild and their cell phone doesn't work. It always pays to have a a multi-tool designed for bike repair, tire levers, and a patch kit for fixing flat tires, and spares of each of these helpful little items will never go wrong.

In summary I have suggested some accessories that will be THE best gifts you could purchase for a mountain biker, even though they are really all essentials rather than accessories.