Gear

Helmets, pads, goggles, gloves and what to wear on the trail.

• Full-face helmet

  A helmet with a chin bar that protects the face and jaw as well as the head. Standard for downhill, bike parks and big jumps, and more and more common in enduro.

• Gloves

  Full-finger gloves give grip on the bars when your hands sweat or it rains, and save your palms and knuckles when you fall. Thin enough to feel the brakes, tough enough to slide.

• Goggles

  Sealed eyewear worn with a full-face helmet that keeps dust, mud, roost and branches out of your eyes at speed. The foam seal is what glasses do not have.

• Knee pads

  Pads that take the hit when you fall on a knee — the most common crash injury on a mountain bike. Modern pads are soft enough to pedal in all day and harden only on impact.

• Mountain bike helmet

  An open-face helmet made for trails: deeper at the back and sides than a road helmet, with a visor and plenty of vents. The one piece of gear no ride goes without.