Do you love trail riding? If so, you might be looking for ways to kit out your bike for your next journey. Whether you’re looking for safety gear, navigational equipment, hydration, or fitness tracking, there’s sure to be an accessory out there that will complete your next great ride. Read on to learn about our picks for the top ten best mountain bike accessories of 2019.
Best Mountain Bike Accessories FAQ
1. What Are Mountain Bike Accessories?
Mountain bike accessories range from the necessary, like helmets, to bike maintenance tools to hydration backpacks and beyond. If you can use it to improve your mountain biking experience, it counts as a mountain bike accessory.
2. What Qualifies as a Best Mountain Bike Accessory?
The best mountain bike accessories will be useful for mountain bikers, of course, but also go above and beyond their direct competition in some way. Not all bike helmets are created equal, for example; the best are comfortable, easy to adjust, durable, and reasonably priced. For this article, we sought out the products that sit head and shoulders above their competitors.
3. Do I Need These Accessories for Mountain Biking?
If you’re new to mountain biking and trail riding, you might wonder how many of these products you need to get started. The answer to that is up to you. Each of these products is designed to help improve the ease of your journey so you can focus on the pure joy of the trail, but whether you need a water filtration system or a GPS device is up to you. On the other hand, some products like maintenance tools and headlights are great for any and all bikers to have on hand.
How We Reviewed
Overall Price Range
These products range in price from as little as $10 for things like bike phone mounts all the way up to north of $200-$300 for electronics or high-end biking sunglasses.
What We Reviewed
-
Blitzu Gator 320 POWERFUL Rechargeable Bike Headlight
- Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System
- Bike Multitool 8 in 1 by Pro Bike Tool
- TaoTronics Bike Phone Mount
- Garmin Edge 25 Cycling GPS
- A2S Paracord Bracelet K2-Peak Series – Survival Gear Kit
- Fox Racing Reflex Gel Mountain Bike Gloves
- S & P 35L Sport Water Resistant Lightweight Packable Backpack
- POC Crave Sunglasses
- Crank Brothers Klic Hand Pump
Blitzu Gator 320 POWERFUL Rechargeable Bike Headlight
Features
The Blitzu Gator 320 is a premium headlight with four settings: low, medium, high, and flashing. The “320” in the name refers to the 320-lumen output of this light, which means it’s bright enough to facilitate nighttime riding. It also comes with a red taillight which is great for night riding in town or on the trail. The main light itself comes with a mount, and it’s easy to slide the light on and off of the mount for charging purposes.
Speaking of charging, this light charges via USB and can reach a full charge in two hours. That charge will get it two hours at full brightness, four at medium, six at low, and five on the flashing setting. That’s enough for a nice, long ride. The mount itself can fit on any bike with handlebars up to 40mm in diameter which is enough to fit just about any mountain bike. Blitzu is so confident that you’ll consider this one of the best mountain bike accessories that they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. Whether you love riding at night on the trails or in the city, this product will light the way and help keep you safe.
Price $$
https://www.amazon.ca/Super-Bright-Rechargeable-Bike-Light/dp/B014QEWX2I
Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System
Features
Sick of carrying a heavy water bottle or hydration backpack on long rides? The ultra-compact Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System might be the solution you’ve been looking for. It removes 99.99% of all contaminants from water and comes with a handy water pouch it fits over. You can then drink from this pouch or even use the filter to drink directly from a water source. In addition to being great for long-distance rides, it’s an excellent addition to any camping or emergency-preparedness kit.
This filtration system can filter up to 100,000 gallons of water and comes with the pouch, a drinking straw, and a plunger for cleaning. It costs a bit more than LifeStraw, its closest competitor, but the extras it comes with more than make up for the difference.
Price $$
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00FA2RLX2
Bike Multitool 8 in 1 by Pro Bike Tool
Features
Pro Bike Tool’s 8 in 1 Multitool has a lot going for it: it’s reasonably-priced, lightweight yet durable, and has a slim profile. Combined, those features make it an easy tool to carry with you when you ride. The tools on it allow users to tighten just about any bolt you’d find on a bike; it features five sizes of Allen wrench tools as well as a Phillips head and more.
Carry this with you, and you’ll be able to perform basic maintenance anywhere on the trail. As far as necessities go, this is one all riders should have, as well as one of the best mountain bike accessories overall.
Price $
https://www.amazon.ca/Bike-Multitool-8-in-1/dp/B00XLGKTSS
TaoTronics Bike Phone Mount
Features
TaoTronics is known for low-priced, high-quality gear and accessories, and their phone bike mount is no exception. Its universal cradle will fit just about any handlebar, and its ultra-grippy phone mount, which features a silicon pad,and a grooved clip with silicone grips, can hold any phone from 2.1 to 3.5 inches wide. A single-button release will easily free your phone from the mount, but the mount itself is sturdy and will keep your phone safe.
If you love trail riding and have been looking for a great way to keep your phone’s GPS navigation handy while you ride, TaoTronics’ bike phone mount will get the job done well at a great price.
Price $
https://www.amazon.ca/TaoTronics-Universal-Smartphones-Motorcycle-Compatible/dp/B07FCPSL3J
Garmin Edge 25 Cycling GPS
Features
Garmin is known for its GPS systems and fitness trackers, and the Edge 25 Cycling GPS combines these two products into one handy device for cyclists. It not only maps your route for you, but also measures speed, distance traveled, and even calories burned. Even better, it allows you to share your route in real-time so others can see where you are. If you use the Garmin Connect app, you can even view post-ride health data, check out your record times, and more.
This GPS product is a little on the pricey side, but for dedicated riders who want to track each ride in detail, not to mention those who like the idea of someone knowing where they are while they’re out on the trail, this is sure to be one of the best mountain bike accessories of 2019.
Price $$$
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B010DI6C3M
A2S Paracord Bracelet K2-Peak Series – Survival Gear Kit
Features
Paracord itself is a useful survival tool, and this bracelet adds five essential survival functions on top of it. A compass, a flint fire starter, and a fire scrapper that doubles as an emergency knife are all packed onto this bracelet, as well as a survival whistle that can emit sounds of up to 100dbl. With this bracelet, the compass can help keep you from getting lost and, in the event you do get lost, you have everything you need to signal for help and keep warm.
At such a low price, there’s no reason not to opt for this level of safety and security on your next long-distance trail ride. The A2S Paracord Bracelet comes in multiple sizes and colors, so everyone can find one that suits them.
Price $
https://www.amazon.ca/A2S-Protection-Paracord-Bracelet-K2-Peak/dp/B06XK9MF1F
Fox Racing Reflex Gel Mountain Bike Gloves
Features
On long rides, your hands will get a pretty decent workout along with your legs. From braking to steering to changing gears, there’s a lot of pressure on your hands, and that pressure can cause blisters and other forms of discomfort. That’s where these Gel Mountain Bike Gloves come in: they’re cushioned for comfort and have great grip. After a long ride, you’ll also be glad these gloves are 100% machine washable.
There are a few downsides to these gloves: they’re built for comfort and grip first, and as such aren’t suitable for cold weather rides. In addition, if you use a phone mount for navigation you’ll have to remove the gloves to use the touchscreen, as the fingertips aren’t touchscreen compatible. Finally, users report that they tend to run small, so take that into consideration when ordering. These few caveats, however, aren’t enough to keep these gloves from being among the best mountain bike accessories.
Price $$
https://www.amazon.ca/Fox-Racing-Reflex-Mountain-Gloves/dp/B00LNCMBTC
S & P 35L Sport Water Resistant Lightweight Packable Backpack
Features
If you’re looking for a lightweight backpack to take with you that can hold a lot of stuff and keep it safe from the elements, look no further. This reasonably priced backpack can hold everything you need for a long day on the trail, from snacks to water bottles to your first-aid kit. It even has a built-in safety whistle, so should you need to grab someone’s attention you won’t have to digging for a whistle deep in your pack.
The entire thing is water resistant, and the shoulder straps are mesh for maximum breathability. S & P is so confident that you’ll love this backpack that they offer a money-back guarantee, no questions asked.
Price $$
https://www.amazon.ca/waterproof-Lightweight-Packable-Trekking-Ultralight/dp/B077CKFVBB
POC Crave Sunglasses
Features
It’s just as important to protect your eyes from the sun as it is your skin during a long trail ride, and POC’s Crave Sunglasses are our favorite way of doing it. They’re one size fits all, and will easily and comfortably fit most men and women. The lenses are treated with Ripel, which means they’re made to repel dirt and fog and stay clean and clear. The frames are lightweight and can even attach to Tectal Race Helmets, if you have one, to give them added stability.
The only downsides to these glasses are the price and the fact that in very cold weather the lenses can sometimes fog up. As long as you don’t plan on doing any winter trails though, it’s hard to do better than these POC Crave Sunglasses when it comes to cycling eyewear.
Price $$$
https://www.amazon.ca/POC-Crave-Sunglasses-Grey-Size/dp/B016PWB3M0
Crank Brothers Klic Hand Pump
Features
The Crank Brothers’ Klic Hand Pump is a simple, lightweight, compact air pump that will fit neatly in any backpack. If you need to fill up your tires on the trail, this will get the job done with ease. It features a magnetic head with a twisting collar that keeps dirt out of the pump, and a hidden magnetic hose pops out and attaches to it to make filling your tires quick and simple. It can do both high volume and high pressure tires, making it great for both mountain and road bikes, and it features a gauge so you can keep an eye on your tire pressure.
This reasonably priced compact hand pump will help you get the smoothest possible ride out on the trails, and its light, small form factor and ease of use put it among the best mountain bike accessories.
Price $$
https://www.amazon.ca/Crank-Brothers-Klic-Gauge-Lightweight/dp/B01MPY3BFJ
The Verdict
Each of these products stands above its competitors, and each is useful for just about any rider. Some are great for long trips, like Garmin’s GPS or Sawyer Products’ Mini Water Filtration System. Others are the kind of thing any biker should carry with them, like Pro Bike Tools’ 8-in-1 multitool or the Crank Brothers Klic Hand Pump. Whether you’re a veteran looking for a new bit of kit or a newbie mountain biker wondering what they should pack for their first big journey, each of these products will help make your experience better. For that reason, we’re naming them the best mountain bike accessories of 2019.