The essentials for a bike ride

One of the undeniable advantages of cycling is that it allows you to get away farther and faster on the roads or in the mountains/forests. But it also means that you'll inevitably find yourself on your own more quickly if something goes wrong.

STANDARD EQUIPMENT FOR A BIKE TRIP

THE BICYCLE HELMET: THE ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR SAFETY

Wearing a helmet is recommended especially during extreme rides. For long and sporty rides, you can use a lightweight MIPS helmet that has a precise adjustment to avoid excessive pressure around the head. This can cause unpleasant pain.

The helmet is extremely important in enduro biking for several reasons. First of all, enduro biking often involves technical and fast descents over rough terrain, which can greatly increase the risk of falls and accidents. Wearing a helmet can help protect the head in case of a collision with an object, a fall or an impact. In addition, enduro bike rides can take place in variable weather conditions, with muddy and slippery terrain. In these conditions, the risk of falling can increase, and wearing a helmet can help minimize the risk of head injury.

For the practice of urban cycling a conventional helmet will suffice, but for better visibility by motorists. It is advisable to take a helmet that has a rear light. This light is higher than the light on the seatpost, so motorists will see you from further away and faster.

BICYCLE GLOVES TO PROTECT YOUR HANDS

The cycling gloves meet multiple needs depending on the discipline. Short gloves need to be light and provide a good grip. With long gloves, it's important to make sure they are tactile so you can easily use your smartphone if needed.

Gloves prevent pinching, chafing and blisters and the padded palm prevents pain and cushions shocks. To face the worst weather conditions or the cold you can equip yourself with Gore-tex gloves. These are waterproof, windproof gloves that wick away moisture despite their thermal interior. In other words, these gloves keep your hands warm and dry.

For enduro, it is advisable to wear gloves that have protected knuckles, to deal with branches and anything the trails will put in your way.

For urban cycling, for your safety you can wear brightly colored gloves or gloves with reflective details for better visibility by motorists.

A BREATHABLE CYCLING JERSEY

In hot weather, you can wear a short sleeve jersey to evacuate the heat emitted by your body during exercise.

Be careful, dark colors absorb the sun's rays which turn into heat. Therefore, choose light colors in summer and dark colors in winter.

If the weather conditions are unstable, don't hesitate to take with you sleeves if the temperature drops or a raincoat if it starts to rain. It is very compact, light and easy to carry.very compact, light and easy to fold. Slip it into your back pocket, it won't get in your way.

When mountain biking, even in hot weather, choose long sleeves to protect yourself in case of a fall but also from branches that can scratch you during your ride. During very intense enduro rides, it is advisable to wear at least a back protection to protect you in case of fall. In this case, it is necessary to wear a loose-fitting jersey and take a size above to not be cramped and keep a good freedom of movement. A water-repellent fabric is ideal for the outing in the forest. It will protect you from water projections and will keep you dry.

In winter, a classic winter jacket can be sufficient, but it is preferable for long and intense outings to equip yourself with a Gore-tex jacket, because it will be windproof, waterproof, thermal and will evacuate moisture. It will keep you warm and dry.

CYCLING SHORTS

On the road, in summer, short cycling shorts are ideal, but to avoid tanning marks you can wear different lengths of shorts and alternate. If the temperature drops, don't hesitate to take leggings with you.

In winter, a long, thermal, water-repellent bib short is ideal. It will keep you warm and protect you from a thin layer of rain. During heavy rain, your shorts will soak up water and may penalize your performance. In this case, choose the Gore-tex membrane.

The most important part of a cycling short is the chamois. Indeed, it is the main factor of your comfort. If your saddle is already padded, you can use a basic cycling shorts, but if this is not the case and you practice a long effort, it is advisable to take a thick chamois, with a high performance padding or even top of the range.

In enduro, you have the choice. You can get shorts, pants, which have a built-in chamois or you can get an underwear with a chamois that you can put under your bottom.

For urban cycling, waterproof pants will keep you dry, but it is important that they are not too wide to avoid discomfort and snagging at the bottom bracket.

CYCLING SHOES

For those who are not very comfortable with automatic pedals, simple sport sneakers can be sufficient. However, beware of laces that can get caught in the crankset and cause you to fall.

For long, high-performance mountain biking or road rides, a lightweight pair of shoes with cleats and a BOA clamping system is ideal. It helps to maintain your footing and improve your performance. A double tightening system (BOA or scratch on the front) improves the tightening of your foot.

For enduro rides, a pair of shoes with a boa system and a reinforced sole to absorb shocks will allow you to ride down any slope. Provided you have wide pedals that grip well.

In winter, equip yourself with shoe covers to keep your feet warm and dry!

SOCKS

For socks, it's up to you to decide if you feel better in high or low socks. High socks allow you to protect your legs from branches and projections in mountain biking and enduro. On the road, they give you good support and play a compression role.

Merino wool socks are the most versatile socks. In fact, they wick away moisture They wick away moisture much better than synthetic materials and keep your feet cool and dry in summer and warm in winter. Antibacterial, unlike polyester, these socks will not retain any unpleasant odor after repeated use.

BICYCLE GOGGLES/MASK

The cycling goggles not only protect you from the sun, but also from wind and debris, it is important to choose them according to your needs and discipline. For road cycling, choose a light frame with a lens that enhances colors and contrasts for better visibility and protection against the wind.

In mountain biking, the climate is darker, so it is interesting to take a suitable glass or a lens without tint and wide that covers the face well, because debris is more frequent. The same goes for enduro, but it seems especially important to choose a mask that fits your helmet.

NUTRITION TO GUARANTEE YOUR ENERGY DURING THE BIKE RIDE

In order to function, our body needs energy which it will draw from our food (carbohydrates and lipids). Our carbohydrate reserves allow for about 90 minutes of intense activity.

However, during a long and energy consuming physical activity, our energy expenditure triples. It is therefore important to always leave with cereal bars or energy gels.

You must therefore make sure you fill up on carbohydrates every hour to be able to produce an optimal effort.

HYDRATION

TOOLS IN CASE OF PROBLEMS DURING YOUR BIKE RIDES

Never leave home without a good multi-tool, as it solves most of the problems encountered on your bike. A puncture kit and a pump are not to be neglected, because depending on the rigidity of your tire, it can be removed and reassembled by hand. But this is not always the case.
Also, fixing your tire will allow you to finish your ride. The ideal tool is a flat tool that can easily fit in the back pockets of a jersey, in a backpack or in a saddlebag. To go faster, you can equip your bike with tubeless tires to avoid punctures or you can get a quick inflator with CO2 cartridges.

LIGHTING : ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR NIGHT RIDES

You know when you're leaving, but you don't always know when you're coming back! A lamp allows not only to be seen... but also to see! It is thus important to choose it well, according to its autonomy and its power. Some lamps have several lighting modes which can be interesting when you practice several disciplines.

SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES :

An attachment for your phone allows you to have a good visibility if you use a GPS or a performance calculation application. On the road, choose its location carefully so that it doesn't get in the way. When riding a mountain bike, you should choose a more solid mount because the vibrations are stronger. You can also equip your phone with a protective touch case to protect it from water splashes and dust.

The product expert's advice: