Hi everyone, I've been asking questions on this sub to work out what I need to buy as a beginner to save others having to ask the same questions or go back over stuff I've written it into an article. Please let me know a) Is this useful? And b) What have I missed? Thanks

Safety Gear

    There is a lot of questions on safety gear so hopefully this will pull together some of the advice  

Helmet

    Get the best you can afford; you can’t replace your head and a head injury can kill. Everyone has their favourite brand, model, MIPS, non MIPS etc and there is loads of information, reviews and advice around so I won't try a condense that here. Its definitely worth you doing your own research on this one.  

  Full face or open face helmet?    

It will always depend on your riding style but as you learn and push your comfort zone more protection is always going to be better. You are more likely to need full face at a bike park rather than a gentle country trail but also remember spending a bit extra on a full-face helmet is cheaper and less painful than getting a new set of teeth.    

Safety Glasses/Goggles    

Get some! As you ride you need to protect your eyes from trees, mud, bugs… the list is endless. You can buy purpose-built riding glasses or cheap industrial safety glasses from home depot. Like helmets everyone has their favourites so you’ll have to look at the reviews, (personally I have a handful of $5 home depot glasses and replace them when they get scratched). When you pick safety glasses think about impact protection, anti fog lenses and make sure they fit comfortably with your helmet. Safety Glasses, like shoes, can prevent a crash so you shouldn’t underestimate how important they are and don’t wait till you’ve had a bug in your eye, clipped a tree and damaged your pride and helmet before you buy a pair.  

  Now that your head is sorted you can look at you other options. I set up a poll with r/MTB users and the following kit was recommended in the following order:  

Gloves (54%)   Knee pads (33%)   Spine or neck guard (5%)   Shoes/other (4%)   Elbow pads (2%)   Shin guards (2%)     Edit: LINK

Gloves

    Gloves won the most votes with over half the people poll saying was the next most important item. If you come off the bike chances are that you going to land with you hands, so get gloves. Like safety glasses you can buy bike specific or just general home depot work safety gloves. Full fingers are best as you’re less likely to lose a fingernail. Some of the most mentioned brands/gloves were Giro DND, Mechanix impact and Fox Gloves.    

Knee pads  

  Knee pads won the second most votes with people stating that a knee injury can be very bad even from a very minor fall and can put you out of action for a long time. Knee pads are hot but you can always slip them to your ankles when climbing and bring them back up when you start the decent, lots of people won’t hit the trails without them. Its best to find a brand that works for you but some of the most discussed were: Kali, D30, POC, Fox and 661    

Spine or neck guards  

  In lots of falls you go over the handlebars with you head and neck taking a lot of the fall and a neck brace could save your life and mobility. There hasn't been much discussion on brands so it's best to check reviews.    

Elbow pads, Shoes and Shin Guards

    These all had lower votes but are still very important. Your elbows are sticking out just right for passing rocks/trees and if you come off they will hit the ground hard. Shins are just the right hight for rocks, stumps, etc and as a reminder to anyone who’s foot has slipped of a pedal before, the petal grips can be sharp. Decent shoes will help keep your feet on the pedals and will some toe protection from rocks and stumps.    

Not Safety Gear but still important:

  A mobile phone, if you have an accident while riding you might need to let somebody know where you are a mobile phone is key to alerting emergency services, you should also consider apps like “what3words” so that its easier for them to find you.    

Knowledge of your bike and a basic tool kit, you can check bolts and cables are still tight and check you bike over before you set off. You don’t want to find out your brake pads are worn away as you start a large downhill section.  

  I hope this has been useful. Its unlikely you’re going to go out and buy everything on the list (if you haven’t already) but work your way down the list, talk to others that ride the same trails and keep your eyes open to see what they wear. Take care of yourselves!          

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