Helmet — non-negotiable
The single most important piece of kit. Three categories matter:
Half-shell (open face)
The standard MTB helmet. Covers the back of the head better than a road helmet (extended occipital coverage), has a visor, has more ventilation than a full-face. What you wear for XC, trail and most enduro climbing.
Full-face
Mandatory at most bike parks on black/red runs, at any DH race and any time you're hitting drops or jumps over about a metre. Covers the chin, which a half-shell does not. Modern enduro full-faces (Bell Super DH, Fox Proframe, Met Parachute MCR) convert between full-face and half-shell with a removable chin bar.
MIPS, WaveCel, SPIN — rotational protection
The acronym depends on the brand. All do the same thing: a slip layer between the head and the helmet shell that lets the helmet rotate independently in an angled crash, reducing the rotational force on the brain. Worth the €30–€50 premium. Always.
How long a helmet lasts
Replace any helmet that takes a hard hit, even if it looks fine. Replace any helmet older than 5 years (EPS foam degrades). Replace a helmet that has been in a hot car for a season. Cheap insurance.
Gloves
Full-finger gloves, always — kids and adults, summer and winter. They protect from brambles, save knuckles when you slide a hand on a rock garden, and improve grip in the wet. Two pairs is the sweet spot: a thin summer pair (Fox Ranger, Endura Singletrack Lite, 100% Ridecamp) and a thicker autumn/winter pair (with windproof back, sometimes thermal).
Knee pads
If you are riding anything red or above, wear knee pads. Knees take impacts directly when you bail and they take a long time to recover. Two styles:
- Slip-on D3O / Poron pads (Fox Launch Pro, Endura SingleTrack, 7iDP Sam Hill) — soft, breathable, comfortable to pedal in, decent impact.
- Hard-shell pads (TLD KGP, Fox Launch Enduro D3O) — bigger, less pedal-friendly, more park-oriented.
For everyday trail riding, soft D3O pads win. For bike park, hard-shell.
Eyewear
Riding glasses or goggles. Branches at eye level are a real problem on overgrown Irish trails. Clear-lens cycling glasses are fine for woods; tinted for open ground; goggles for full-face / bike park.
Pack or hip-pack
For rides over an hour you need somewhere to put a tube, pump, multi-tool and water.
- Hip-pack: Camelbak Repack, Evoc Hip Pack Race, Dakine Hot Laps. 1–3 L, sits on the lower back, lighter and cooler than a backpack. Great for shorter rides.
- Backpack: Camelbak M.U.L.E., Evoc Stage 6, Osprey Raptor. 6–18 L, better for full-day or self-supported rides.
- Bottle on frame + tool-strap behind the seat: lightest setup, fine for <90 minute rides on home trails.
Shoes — flat or clipless?
This is the religious war of MTB. Both work. Here's the honest cut:
Flat pedals
Five Ten Freerider (with Stealth rubber), Specialized 2FO Roost, Crank Brothers Stamp. Pedals: Burgtec MK5, Crank Brothers Stamp, DMR Vault. Sticky-rubber sole grips pins. You can put a foot down instantly. Best for learning, for jumps, for bike park. The pro freeride and DH world rides flats.
Clipless (SPD)
You are attached to the pedal via a cleat on the shoe. Shimano XC, Crank Brothers Mallet, Time ATAC. Adv: better pedalling efficiency, foot can't bounce off in rough terrain. Disad: you can't bail as quickly, learning to unclip in a panic takes time. Best for XC, endurance, marathon.
For a first MTB, learn on flats. Move to clipless later if and only if you want to.
Multi-tool
Park Tool MTB-3.2, Crank Brothers M19, Topeak Mini PT30, Lezyne RAP II. Must have: 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 mm hex; Torx T25 and T30; chain breaker; spoke key. Some include a tubeless plug tool — useful.
Pump and CO2
A small frame-pump (Lezyne Pocket Drive HV, Topeak Mountain DA) or a CO2 inflator with two 16 g cartridges. CO2 is faster; a pump never runs out. Pros carry both.
Spare tube and tyre plugs
Even if you run tubeless, carry a tube — for the day a sidewall tears beyond what plugs can fix. Match the tube to your wheel size (29" or 27.5"). Tyre plug kit: Dynaplug Racer, Stan's Dart, Lezyne Tubeless Pro. A plug fixes 90% of trail-side punctures in 30 seconds without breaking the tyre bead.
Chain quick-link
One spare 11- or 12-speed quick-link in a Ziploc taped under the saddle. The number-one ride-ending failure on a chain is solved in 2 minutes if you have a quick-link, multi-tool chain breaker, and have practiced once at home.
First-aid basics
Doesn't need to be elaborate. In a Ziploc in your pack:
- 2 large gauze pads
- 1 small roll of micropore tape
- 4 alcohol wipes
- 2 plasters / 1 large adhesive dressing
- Painkiller of choice
- A whistle (3 blasts = distress signal, internationally recognised)
- Phone, charged. Tell someone where you're riding and when you'll be back. If you're somewhere with no signal — Wicklow, parts of Munster — share location with someone before you start.
Kids — what's different
- Helmets in kids' sizes are not just smaller adult helmets — the shape is different. Buy a kid-specific helmet (Bell Sidetrack, Specialized Mio, Met Eldar).
- MIPS matters more for kids, not less. The forces in a kid's crash relative to body mass are higher.
- Gloves with reinforced palms — kids land with hands more than adults do.
- Knee pads from day one — soft, slip-on, comfortable. Kids who wear pads from the start don't see them as "extra" later.
- Skip clipless until 14–15 at the earliest. Flats only.
- Hip-pack > backpack — easier to wear, less awkward on a smaller frame.
Adult winter additions (IE/UK)
Waterproof jacket (Endura MT500, Gore C5 Trail), waterproof shorts or knee-warmers, wool base layer, neoprene overshoes for shoes that get soaked. Mud-specific tyres for November–March (Maxxis Shorty, Continental Argotal Soft).