At its heart, cycling is a simple sport. All you need is a set of wheels and that incredible feeling of freedom and exhilaration is all yours. That said, there are some fantastic bike accessories out there that can help enhance your ride – and satisfy your inner gadget freak.
Whether you love cycling on roads or trails, check out our bike team’s round-up of their favourite riding accessories.
Cycling is thirsty work, so make sure you hit British Cycling’s recommended three gulps every 15 minutes by keeping a handy hydration reservoir in your backpack. No need to stop and pull out a drinks bottle, you can sip steadily as you go from a drinking tube with bite valve.
The Osprey Hydraulics LT 2.5L Reservoir and Camelbak Crux 3L Reservoir are both great options. Boost your performance further by adding effervescent electrolyte tablets to your water to help replace essential minerals lost through sweating. Or for longer rides, choose tablets that deliver both electrolytes and carbohydrates to keep your energy high. Sorted.
Winter cycling is a must for many riders who want to keep their fitness levels up or perhaps simply rely on their bike for the commute. And keeping your feet dry can make a huge difference to your state of mind when deciding to brave the inclement British winter weather.
Commuters will love the SealSkinz Neoprene Halo Overshoes, which come complete with a bright LED light in the heel to improve night riding visibility. They’re adjustable, meaning they’re comfy, and the neoprene material will keep your toes toasty and dry.
You can also buy waterproof socks for cycling, which are popular with road cyclists and MTBers alike. The Endura Hummvee or On-One Handle Baas waterproof socks make for seriously happy feet.
We recommend wearing cycling gloves all year round. They’ll help you keep a safe grip on your handlebars, cushion your hands and give you some protection in the event of a fall. After all, your hands are often the first thing to hit the ground.
When the cold weather hits, a good pair of winter cycling gloves is an absolute must. Decathlon do an affordable range that boast a foam padding lining for warmth and a helpful touch screen index finger that allows you to look at your smartphone without exposing your hands to the elements. Their B’Twin 900 cycling gloves will see your hands happily through even sub-zero temperatures.
Keep your belongings from getting soggy on rainy rides with a drybag. There are various sizes to fit over your rucksack, saddlebag or panniers, depending on which you use.
You can also buy drybags that attach to your handlebars and keep your phone protected from the rain: the ideal thing if you rely on Google Maps on your rides. We like the Topeak Smartphone Drybag.
Capture the scenery, the ride banter and all your best tricks with an action camera. You can usually choose to mount your camera onto your helmet or your handlebars for a first-person view of the fun.
At the top of the action camera pile, there’s the GoPro Hero7 Black, which has a whole heap of insane range of high-tech features from voice command to hypersmooth video stabilisation. If your budget won’t quite stretch to that, the Kaiser BAAS X4 comes in well under £100, has awesome image stabilisation and shoots high-quality 4k video.
Fitness trackers can be super useful when you’re training seriously. You can keep track of data like speed, elevation and pace, or monitor your heartrate and blood pressure to keep you in the ideal workout zone. They’re also a brilliant way of seeing how much progress you’re making.
You’ll find loads of different fitness trackers out there, but we recommend opting for one with ANT+ technology that allows you to sync your tracker with your smartphone or bike computer. Wearables include smart helmets, watches and leg or chest bands.
We know all too well the obsession with checking our ride stats on apps like Strava. In fact, the Neilson cycle team have a Strava group for each of our beachclub locations. We love the community spirit – and the competitive drive – it can create, helping you push yourself to your limits.
If, like us, you love tracking your rides, a bike computer can be a worthwhile investment. Track everything from distance covered and time in the saddle to your heart rate and calorie burn.
Garmin’s Edge 820 is our top-of-the-range pick, giving you GPS navigation and a huge range of tracking options. You can pair your device with ANT+ wearable that monitor fitness metrics, as well as with other riders in your group if getting separated is a worry – or you just want to keep an eye on their stats for competitive purposes!
Glasses are a year-round must for most riders, helping to protect your eyes from sun, rain, mud, wind and even insects. Choose a pair with interchangeable lenses and you’ll be able to match their filter to the weather conditions that day.
If you fancy going all futuristic, take a look at the Oakley Radar Pace glasses. They’re by no means the most affordable pair out there, but they offer impressive built-in technology including audio coaching, performance and tracking sensors, earphones and even a microphone so you can ask questions.
Don’t forget to bring your favourite cycling accessories along to your beachclub holiday so you can enjoy inclusive mountain and road rides amongst glorious sun-drenched scenery. Leave those waterproof socks at home though, rain is banned at our beachclubs!