Mountain biking is an incredibly fun and exciting activity that is enjoyed by a great number of people. The main two things that separate it from any other kind of biking are the adrenaline kick you feel as you go down a steep path, and the amount of gear you will need to use in order to stay as safe as possible while you are out there. While mountain biking is arguably more fun because of the more dangerous elements, there is a difference between excitement and endangerment, and if you are not properly equipped, you are closer to the latter rather than the former.
The first item that people think of when it comes to safety gear for any type of biking is the helmet, and for good reason. There are many different designs and sizes that you can get that can be as simple or decorated as you want them to be as long as they are made for durability, but the best choice are probably the helmets with the darkened visor. They can not only keep your head safe from harm and your eyes covered from the wind, but they can also keep the sun from blinding you, which is especially beneficial if you are riding around closer to noon.
Next, you might want to invest in some cycling body armor as well. The cycling body armor is of course designed to offer you some protection for your upper body, and can be a real life saver. Hopefully, as with the rest of these items, you will never need to test out exactly how durable it is, but accidents do inevitably happen, and if they do, then you will be very happy you didn’t skip this piece of equipment as one of your standard safety gear items. Additionally, and this may not be a very important feature, but the cycling body armor looks just as cool as its name makes it sound.
Finally, you will want some protection for your hands and legs as well, and this is where the knee pads and the gloves come into play. Usually the knee pads are paired with elbow pads, but the armour already covers and protects your elbows, so instead get some gloves since you will instinctively put out your hands and skid on them if you ever find yourself falling off of your bike. The gloves will also give you a better grip on the handles even if your hands are sweating. The function of the knee pads is an obvious, but still an incredibly useful one and that is why they, along with the other items mentioned above are considered the most useful safety pieces of mountain biking safety equipment.
