14 of the Best Trail-Ready Mountain Bike Shoes

best mountain bike shoes

Updated 10/11/21

When you first start mountain biking, an ordinary pair of running or hiking shoes will probably do you just fine. But once you’ve decided this is the sport for you, a more specific shoe can definitely help improve your performance.

What you go for will depend on the type of riding you do, the weather conditions you ride in, and your budget.

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Is Your Seat a Pain in the Butt? How to Choose the Best Road Bike Saddle

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Last updated 2/10/17

If you’ve never struggled to find a comfortable saddle, consider yourself lucky. For most new riders and even seasoned veterans, the struggle to park your butt on a comfortable perch is all too real and can put a serious damper on riding time. Even the best bike saddle can wear out and collapse over time, suddenly turning into a torture chamber.  

Finding the perfect saddle doesn’t have to be a pain in the butt. Just avoid these five common mistakes.

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8 Awesome Bike Helmets for Under $100

Whether you’re commuting to work, running errands, heading out for a long all-day ride with the crew, or just tooling around the park, you should wear a helmet.

There aren’t any laws in this country requiring cyclists to wear helmets (unless they are under a certain age) but statistics do show that the risk of serious head injury is reduced by 70% if the rider is wearing a helmet.

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Bont Vaypor and Vaypor Plus Review

Stiff and light. These two qualities comprise the holy grail of cycling. In a competitive cycling shoe market, Bont claims to rise above the rest for both attributes.

After a solid year of testing the Bont Vaypor road shoes, I’ll take a closer look at how these Bonts hold up to the (stiff) competition, what makes each product in Bont’s cycling line unique, and how to tell if it’s worth trading in your current kicks for a pair of Bonts.

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Freewheel vs Cassette: What’s the Difference?

Freewheel vs Cassette

How fast your bicycle can go depends on several factors including the rear hubs. Our Freewheel vs Cassette comparison will help you determine which type of hub is the right fit for your bicycle.

Despite having very little in common, these terms are often used interchangeably which further contributes to the confusion surrounding these two types of rear hubs.

The easiest way to differentiate between Cassette and Freewheel hubs is to check the year when the bicycle was manufactured since bikes produced before 1990 usually have Freewheel hubs.… Read more

Thousand Helmet Review: Is It Right for Your Needs?

Thousand Helmet Review

Reducing your ecological footprint or staying fit are some of the most obvious benefits of cycling to work, but it is paramount to stay safe while moving through the city on a bicycle. In this Thousand helmet review, we’re going to take a closer look at the brand’s models and their ability to safeguard cyclists.

Unlike mountain bike helmets that are designed to absorb strong impacts and prevent head injury, helmets for commuter bikers are often more aesthetic than functional.… Read more

Shimano 105 vs Tiagra: Should You Upgrade?

Road riders are very particular about the function and feel of their drivetrain, braking, and shifting. The collection of components that are designed to be used together is called a group, groupset, or “gruppo” if the movie Breaking Away did not sully your your love of Italian cycling affectations.

Shimano has a reputation for building superb groups with technology that trickles down from one elite generation of Dura Ace components, down through Ultegra, 105 [one oh five], Tiagra, Sora, and the humble Claris line. There is some room for mixing components from various groups, but many of the components only work within their tier.

Let’s focus on the middle of that lineup, 105 and TiagraChoosing one of these options over the other might best serve the discerning and budget-conscious cyclist. The Tiagra line is considered one step below 105 because 105 is a tad lighter has smoother operation. But 105 has its limitations, and not everyone is counting grams and fractions of a second.

Is it worth the upgrade to 105 or does Tiagra fit the bill? Let’s take a closer look. 

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Best Cycling Gloves: Protect Your Mitts!

Your cycling gloves may be the smallest item in your cycling wardrobe, but they have a vital role to play in helping you cycle in comfort for longer.

In winter, you’re unlikely to consider leaving the house for a ride without pulling on a pair of warm gloves. Your hands can quickly get cold and trying to shift gears and operate brake levers with numb fingers isn’t anyone’s idea of fun, whether it’s from hand fatigue or the elements.

But in summer, when temperatures are balmy or even hot, you may be tempted to leave your gloves at home. Rookie error… You see, gloves aren’t just designed to keep your hands warm. They wick away sweat and improve your grip on the bars, as well as cushioning your palms to help prevent chafing. And if you do take an unexpected tumble, they’ll protect your hands from grit rash.

Cycling gloves are a personal choice. What fits one person may not suit another. But with that in mind, we’ve rounded up ten of the best cycling gloves on the market.

Up Front Best Cycling Gloves

  1. Louis Garneau Vorttice Glove: Best Overall
  2. Pearly Izumi Pro Aero Gloves: Best for Road Cycling on a Hot Weather
  3. Pearl Izumi Select Gloves: Best for Hand Numbness
  4. INBIKE 5mm Gel Padded Cycling Gloves: Budget Pick
  5. Scott Endurance SF Glove: Best for Long Rides
  6. Sportful R&D Cima Gloves: Best Summer Cycling Gloves
  7. Leatt DBX 4.0 Lite: Best Mountain Biking Gloves
  8. Castelli Estremo Gloves: Best Winter Cycling Gloves
  9. Giro Women’s Tessa Glove: Best Women-Specific Cycling Gloves
  10. Louis Garneau Rafale 2 Glove: Best for Cool Weather riding

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13 Best Shred-Worthy Mountain Bike Gloves

best mountain bike gloves

Whether you’re a dirt-jumper or an 80km cross-country rider, your mountain bike gloves are likely to be dear to your heart. This humble piece of kit has to meet many needs: protecting your knuckles, letting your hands breathe, and helping avoid the dreaded numbness. Once you find your perfect pair, you’ll never want to let them go.

There are so many styles and makes of gloves out there that it can be hard to know where to start looking. And let’s face it – we’re all different. What works for me, may not be the best choice for you. So we’ve reviewed the most popular mountain bike gloves on the market to find the perfect glove to suit every rider and every budget.

Here are our personal picks for the best mountain bike gloves. Keep reading for our reviews and recommendations.

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How to Choose the Best Bike Trainer: Ultimate Buyer’s Guide

best bike trainer

If you want to turn cycling into a year-round activity, but don’t live in a warm locale, chances are you’ll need an indoor bike trainer. For years cyclists equated training indoors with a cycling death sentence, but then apps like TrainerRoad, The Sufferfest and Zwift transformed these mind numbing indoor miles into an opportunity to ride the world’s best courses and compete against our virtual and real-life cycling friends.

With so many apps and trainers flooding the market, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. What trainers are compatible with which apps and do you need a smart trainer to use Zwift? And what exactly is a smart trainer? From magnetic to direct drive, here’s everything you need to know to get started with an indoor bike trainer.

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