| re:515.0 addendum to .1(I agree with all listed so far,but
especially the helmet.)
>o Water bottle and cage
(add extra water bottle and cage if you are going out on
long excursions. There are usually very few gas
stations for tanking up "out there" :-)
>o Shoes - I use lightweight hiking boots
(Its a relief to see that I'm not the only person that
mountain bikes with hiking boots. Boots vs shoes
are especially handy if you combine hiking with
biking or if you treasure your ankles when
dismounting on rough ground.)
>o Toe clips and straps
(I would like to point out that a major reason for
these on a Mountain Bike is to keep your feet from
bouncing/slipping off the pedals on rough stuff.
You might consider starting with just the clips
while getting used to the bike.)
In addition you might consider the following. I don't
have all the following gizmos and still have a lot of
fun. Also different types of rides require different
equipment.
� "fiber" dust mask (really makes a difference when
overtaken by "heavy" traffic on a dusty summer road.)
� A floor pump with gage for home use.
� Compass and USGS type maps(People seem to forget
there are no street signs or marked offramps
out in the wilds:-) Consider all the times you
will be giving directions to hikers and motorized
vehicles as "PR" work for the image of the sport;-)
� Camera(If you can protect it from being shaken
apart.)
� Eye protection("shades" are no longer a "luxury"
with knobbies and dirt roads.)
� Fat tires(The 1.5" tires that are stock on most
bikes are designed for the 70% that never get
to experience the fun off the pavement. You
can do all right with the stock tires in dirt
but some (approximate) 2" "Ground Controls"
or "Farmer Johns" will add extra control and
comfort in rough stuff.)
� chain stay fin(A new gimmick to keep the chain
from jamming between tire and stay, if you get
the fatter tires.)
� Spring thing for quick and accurate changing of seat
height from standard height to low off road position
("hite-rite"?) (Seems overkill for a casual
rider, but some people swear by them.)
� fenders or rack(I am trying out fenders here
in the soggy Northwest with satisfactory results.
The only problem is that they grab a few more
bushes and sticks when squeezing through some
overgrown and semi-abandoned single track I
have recently been exploring.)
� Small Cable and lock(As small a set up as you
can find just to keep the honest people honest while
you explore a trail or check out a waterfall
on foot. Not many people carry bolt cutters
out in the wilds- yet.)
� Standard hiking and survival stuff(When I ride
into remote areas, where it is literally just
me and the coyotes, I carry a lot more gear.)
Hopefully some of the more experienced mountain
bikers will add (or subtract) from the list of
accessories given in these replies based on their
experiences and different styles of riding.
The best accessory is having the right attitude.
So, enjoy and have fun!!!!
Thom
|
| * spare tube, bike pump...you wont need irons as a mountain bike
tube will come off by "fingering"
*first aid kit
*one small ajustable wrench, one small pair of pliers, one multi
allen wrench(with 3,4,5,6 mm)
*waterbottle and cage, maybe two of each
*2" tires
*a comfortable saddle
*possible rack
*gloves
*helmet
*glasses/goggles when very sunny or dusty
*chewing gum...keeps the throat from drying out
|