Hi guys,

Hoping to get some feedback to help me put together a shopping list of required gear/tools that I can work on obtaining over the next few weeks. The goal at the moment is just easy MTB trail riding around Christchurch. I don't want absolute rubbish that I will need to replace quickly, so looking for good options on value for money items that won't empty the bank account (holy grail right?)

I have no idea about brands/reputation/reliability, so I guess that's where I'm hoping to get help. There's so many options and I don't know what's good value. I'm happy to buy local or online.

On the list so far, I have:

Clothing:

Helmet (open face)
Gloves
Shorts
Shoes (probably flats for now?)
New sunshades

For socks/tops etc I will just use some technical running gear which I already have for now.

Accessories/tools:

Water bottle/holder (or backpack)
Portable Tyre pump
Puncture kits/tyre levers
Multitool/spanner
Seat bag
Mini First aid/survival kit
Spare tube

Recommended options for those items would be fantastic, as well as anything else I've missed

Thanks!

Helmet: Choose whatever is comfortable and has a lot of vents. Try on a bunch of them. Favour ones that wrap around the back and sides of your head more.

Gloves: Fox Rangers are the best I've tried lately. Well made, comfy, breathe well, not too much going on on the palm, have sweat wiping fabric on the thumb (for your forehead), and a great strap that keeps them tight:http://www.torpedo7.co.nz/products/FXGLFN3RG/title/fox-ranger-gloves
Don't get Giro ones, I'm onto my third warranty set... never would I have thought that I'd use a warranty on bike gloves. They fall apart, the strap doesn't even stay strapped, the fingers twist around so you're gripping on seams... awful.

Shorts: Get some baggies with a liner. I have a pair of endura ones and the liner is awful, would not recommend. It's the wrong shape, uncomfortable and it doesn't ever stay secure around the berries. it's like they didn't know what the liner was for when designing it. I've been impressed with my ZOIC shorts. great liner, really lightweight but still quite rip and scuff resistant.

Shoes: Five Ten have the grippiest rubber but their quality has gone to shit and they fall apart. Avoid their shoes with "Mi6" rubber like the plague - I wore through my soles in about 6 weeks. The Danny Macaskill freerider shoes are probably the best ones they've ever made but they're discontinued and hard to find now. Very durable, harder rubber sole than others (lasts longer and is just as grippy), more shock protection, nice wide flat sole. But they're kinda big and puffy. Some aren't into that.

Tools:
Topeak. The Hexus 2 is the best multi tool ever made, don't trust anyone that claims differently:
http://www.topeak.com/products/Mini-Tools/hexus2
Yes it has some little bits that you can lose, but just be careful with it. Short wide tools are horrible because you can't fit the tool in anywhere tricky to access bolts. The chain tool is the best on any multitool. It has pretty much everything you need. my only complaint is that the torx is only on there via an adapter, but whatever. Still the best.
For a pump I lug around the Topeak mountain morph: http://www.topeak.com/products/pumps/mountainmorph
It's a tiny foldable floor pump that is acceptably light and small enough to fit in a pack or clip to your bike. I will never use an overly-small minipump ever again. It's easy to get tires up to high pressures, quickly. Heck I've seated a tubeless tire with mine.

shorts from Ground Effect. www.groundeffect.co.nz. Check out their riding tops and other shit too.

add to your tool list: zip ties. Duct tape (not a whole roll but a few metres folds up small - you can use it for all sorts of shit like patching tyre sidewalls and wound dressing too). A few chain links and a chainbreaker. the wee Park Tool one is great and useful for workshop duty too. a $5 mylar emergency blanket weighs nothing and takes up no space - bung that in there too. I have a teeny tiny pair of vice grips (4 inches long) because I am a geek about shit like that. Make sure there is a decent, and decently sharp knife blade on your multitool. If in doubt chuck in a decent pocketknife though they tend to be quite heavy.

All of the above. I also carry a couple of quick-links for the chain.

Awesome, thanks guys, exactly what I'm after

Clothing:

Helmet (open face) - personal pref, try a bunch on and see what you like.
Gloves - troy lee xc are the best, anyone who says otherwise eats the poo poo
Shorts - I've had a bunch of diff brands and they are all much of a muchness, I like them sans liner and use nzo undershorts thingies to save my gooch from a pounding
Shoes (probably flats for now?) - five tens, I'm using impact twos, the newer ones seem to be a bit zizzy
New sunshades - nfi

Accessories/tools:

Water bottle/holder (or backpack) - trek/bontranger batcage is nice, can stuff any old bottle in there. I like the dakine bags and they have suitable comparments and whatnot. I think I have a nomad, nice capacity but not hugely bulky

Portable Tyre pump - I have a little park one, used it err once maybe.

Puncture kits/tyre levers - puncture repairs can gtfo. I like the blue park levers, but heaps and dont worry when you lose one/more than one

Multitool/spanner - park double sided one, barely used all around I dont like multitools in general. Any decent length ride and the whole bike gets a check over first with properly sized tools.
Seat bag - nfi
Mini First aid/survival kit - nfi
Spare tube - torpedo 7 bulk special, just check the valve cores first

buy a spare mech hanger for your bike and a power link or two

I also carry (in addition to a pump not as a substitute) a couple of CO2 carts and an inflator thing because I am fucking lazy and repairing tyres trailside sucks balls.

just make sure whatever gave you the flat is not still in your tyre so you immediately hole your new tube when you inflate it :facepalm: DAMHIK

Pretty much what everyone else has said

Clothing is personal, I like Endura but others dont.

Accessories/tools:

Water bottle/holder (or backpack) - if you're going to want to carry stuff make sure you buy a bag with that in mind, I have a small one that fits a tube, pump, multitool and levers but nothing else.
Portable Tyre pump - leynze alloy drive, small enough to go in pocket if I cant be arsed with a bag.
Puncture kits/tyre levers - Pedro's tyre levers - had others but they snap easily especially with tight tubeless tyres. Also park (or whatever) glue patches and a spare tube.
Multitool/spanner - multitools are pretty hit and miss in my view. something with a chain breaker.
Seat bag - rattles and then vibrates them self open.
Mini First aid/survival kit - depends on how far you're riding from help
Spare tube

Helmet (open face): as above. Try lots. It will depend on the shape of your head. I wear exclusively Bell. Him-with-whom-I-live wears exclusively Giro.
Gloves: Dakine are rubbish in my experience. I've had good life out of 661 and Fly. Currently running Specialized and not particularly impressed - I'm losing the the grip on the thumb and forefinger which is a bit interesting seeing as I'm only wearing them on a track bike at the moment
Shorts: Get a good pair of chamois and a separate pair of baggies. Support local and go for NZo or Groundeffect
New sunshades: Do you not have a pair that will suit already? Sure you could spend some pingers on some with interchangeable lenses if you're going to be night riding but for now, run what you've already got.

Water bottle/holder (or backpack): BBB make a side entry bottle holder that I rate. I've got a Camelbak and an Osprey backpack. Try a bunch on.
Portable Tyre pump: I have a Park Half Pint that works well enough to get enough pressure in a mtb tyre
Puncture kits/tyre levers: Leave repairing punctures until you're home (if at all). The flicky lever bit on your handpump can act as a tyre lever (unless you've got horrid tyres to get on and off, then get a pair of decent ones)
Multitool/spanner: I've been carrying a Topeak Alien for more than a decade now. Even use it to rebuild bikes after air-travel. Has tyre levers too.
Seat bag: Don't need it if you're going to carry a backpack. And if you're going sans backpack, just shove a spare tube, pump and multitool in your back pocket
Mini First aid/survival kit: Carrying this is dependent on so many things. Where are you intending to ride? Are you carrying it for your use or someone elses? Given the nature of mtb accidents, are you really going to be able to do much with your mini FA? In my experience, the most useful thing I can think of out of a mini FA kit would probably be a sling (I would have liked to have had one when I busted my wrist). Of course, it's a little different if you're out in the wilds.....an emergency blanket would be useful.
Spare tube: I carry a couple of Maxxis Ultra lights as get out of jail cards.

It's also worth carrying a $20 note - works as a temporary patch if you slash your sidewall and good to have if you need to buy food or drink mid-ride

As someone mentioned if you're going to get a hydration pack and want to carry stuff consider the available space (once bladder is full) when picking one. We have camelbak and dakine packs that have all lasted well.
I've got a pair of LG gloves that have been going for years and are only just getting holey. Comfy and warm but not too thick for summer.
Tifosi sunnies seem to last well and aren't ridiculously expensive (I have casual and technical ones). I've never gone very well wearing normal sunnies on a bike as they don't do as well in shade imho.
Man you guys take a lot of macgyver shit with you on rides. To be fair when I do bigger rides I'm usually with hubby who takes a lot of that stuff but if you're only doing shorter (1.5 hour ish) rides then you probably only need enough stuff to get back to the car (you can actually walk your bike out of trails). Emergency blanket is a good idea since it takes up little space. If you're riding tubeless and going to be a long way from civilisation I'd go for co2 as also mentioned above.

AgrAde wrote:All of the above. I also carry a couple of quick-links for the chain.

one quick link is usual enough, only useful if you have a chain beaker (on your multi tool)

this is my favorite pump at the moment http://www.topeak.com/products/Pumps/racerocket_hpx_sl I like the fact that it screws on to the valve, which is where other pumps fail for me, but that could be my muppetry. and the tube means you are not bending the valve as you pump. it also fits inside the seat tube of my commuter, so i have a stealth pump for anti theft:)

spare tubes is good, I also carry a small (3x5 cm) piece of old tyer, just in-case you manage to slash your tyer (not common) to line the inside tyer with to get you home.

philstar wrote:

AgrAde wrote:All of the above. I also carry a couple of quick-links for the chain.

one quick link is usual enough, only useful if you have a chain beaker (on your multi tool)

Well he's going to buy the chain-tool-equipped Topeak Hexus, because I told him it was the best and I am right.

I try to carry more than less when things weigh as little as a quick link - never know if I've used one or given one to someone so two is good. Also worth taking with you is a shifter cable. Same reason, doesn't weigh anything and doesn't take up space. Why not? Especially in the age of clutch derailers.

Topeak is being mentioned a lot in this thread, and it makes me happy. Always had good experiences with their stuff.

Everyone else has covered the bases but as far as sunglasses go, Tifosi rules for value for money and a decent set of lenses with most of their glasses. I have a pair that's going on 5 years old that I paid about $110 for, 3 sets of lenses (dark/amber/clear) and they are still almost scratch free (and the scratches that are there aren't noticeable once you're wearing them) and they get dropped/crashed on/thrown around

Second the Troy Lee gloves.

I really like the new Mavic shorts and jerseys but pretty pricey.

Birzman pumps rule, the infinity series ones are excellent, as are their multitools

avoid anything made by crank brothers

Wobbler wrote:avoid anything made by crank brothers

I was wondering about these, all the NZ places seem to stock a lot of them!