Amanda shares with us the kit that gets her through ride after ride, day after day, through all the seasons.
I’m a big fan of layering and I like to travel light when mountain biking. In an ideal world I would have one set of kit for all seasons and just layer myself up like a lasagne as the days get colder… Thanks to the weather being so inconsistent and unpredictable in recent months, I seem to have nailed a kit list for all occasions.
Isobaa Merino 150 Short Sleeve Crew/180 Long Sleeve
- Price: £60.00 150 SS, £75.00 180 LS
- From: isobaa.com
Merino is really great at moisture wicking without losing its insulating properties, so I always choose these over a jersey. At risk of repelling all readers I have a confession – I wore the 150 short sleeve throughout my recent bikepacking trip across Spain and didn’t consider washing it at any point. A quick pit sniff each morning to confirm that I could get away with it would continue to surprise me, as it simply refused to smell. Given that I like to layer up it is really important to get the base layer right, and these two merino tops work as both a base and can pass as a top as I peel outer layers off throughout the day. I could/would never pay full price for these, but they’re always* available on sportpursuit.com.
*until you all rush to buy them.
Nukeproof Blackline Women’s Trail Pants
- Price: £90.00
- From: nukeproof.com
I have tried many different mountain bike trousers and these are the only ones I seem to get along with. They fit over bibshorts and knee pads without feeling restrictive, they have an easily adjustable waist band to tighten them up on the go, and they don’t move around once they’re on, even when weighed down with rain. The reason I love these pants so much is that they work for any season. In winter I wear merino leggings or bib tights under them, depending on whether it’s just cold, or cold and wet. They are not waterproof, but I haven’t had any positive experiences with trousers that claim to be anyway. In warmer weather they are plenty breathable to not overheat, so they add a layer of protection against the brambles and pollen infested trails that often see me in a rash.
Specialized Trail Rain Jacket
- Price: £125.00
- From: specialized.com
I love bright clothing – it’s a safety feature with the added bonus of looking great in photoshoots, so this ‘Harvest Gold’ Specialized jacket is always my go-to. The waterproofing is excellent, it has proven to be impenetrable even on the rainiest days, and the fit offers great coverage while not feeling cumbersome. Two features that make this jacket great are the hook-and-loop sleeve fasteners and the two-way zip. Baggy sleeves can let in a lot of cold air and water so the option to tighten them in one swift movement is ideal. Two-way zips are something I wish were standard on all outer layers as they’re so useful for temperature regulation.
Rapha Women’s Trail Lightweight Jacket
- Price: £145.00
- From: rapha.cc
This jacket packs down small with the option to strap it to your frame, and is a brilliant barrier to the wind. Given all that I’ve put it through I’d say it is incredibly durable – if it’s not tied to my bars or stuffed in a hip pack full of Jammy Dodger crumbs and tools, it’s scratching through overgrown brambles and grazing trees. Miraculously it hasn’t torn. It is a comfortable fit without being flappy, there’s a hood that I never use and a cinch at the waist which is very useful on the windier days when I don’t have a hip pack on.
Giro Women’s Chrono Expert Wind Vest
- Price: £79.99
- From: giro.co.uk
I got this gilet for road riding, but it has made its way into my standard mountain biking kit because it’s so good at keeping my core warm without giving me a sweaty back. Being a close fit it suits my multi-layer system perfectly and – most importantly – it adds a collar which does more for keeping the chill out than most of my other outer layers. The back is perforated for ventilation; the front is windproof with a DWR coating, and the cuff and hem are elasticated to keep it in place.
High Above The Lookout Hip Pack
- Price: $150.00, Cobra buckle +$40
- From: highabove.net
Hannah gave me this hip pack after picking it up at a trade show in June 2018, and I have used it several times weekly ever since. It is comfortable. It doesn’t move while riding without needing to be tightened up too much; it is spacious, and it has just the right amount of pockets. Two! I do not see the need for little zip pockets on every panel to store one tool, one snack bar, a packet of tissues… I just want all my things in one place so I can find them. There are some internal pockets, but they are open and accessed from the top so they don’t hide anything from me. The material is incredibly durable and waterproof, the waist strap is super easy to adjust, and the zip pulls are very grabbable. There are many personalisation options when ordering this hip pack, from the colour of the zip pulls to the style of buckle. You can choose to have a ‘quick-draw’ Fidlock bottle attachment, too.
Fabric 8 in 1 Compact Multitool
- Price: £17.99
- From: fabric.cc
I like this tool because it fits in my pocket without feeling like a heavy lump. It is very basic and the tools are rather short, but for a quick headset tighten or to put your brake levers back in position after an OTB it’s great. This is another item that I’ve been carrying for years and it still seems as good as new. It’s aluminium so there’s no rust and hasn’t yet corroded.
Gerber Dime Multi Tool
- Price: £29.99
- From: gerber-store.co.uk
You won’t often need pliers or an incredibly sharp blade on a bike ride, but when you do you do. This tool replaced a Leatherman Squirt that broke trailside in a remote part of Spain, and I must admit I was happy I finally had the excuse to replace it with a Gerber Dime. It’s got a smooth hinge that is easy to open yet clunks into place in a reassuring, solid way. The knife is super sharp and there’s a set of tweezers for when you get caught without tick tweezers or have something stuck in your flesh that shouldn’t be there.
