To ride a bike you don’t need a lot of gear but there are a few basic things to get right…
Get the basics right and you will enjoy your time on the bike.
To ride a bike in NZ everyone must wear a helmet, lots of people choose to wear gloves, and padding under your bottom is really nice to have.
Your helmet and gloves needs to fit correctly to perform well . The padding you have should help you to sit comfortably on your seat for longer.
As you ride more you will begin to understand the importance of your basic gear and the impact these things can have on your bike riding enjoyment. Lets take a closer look at these three things…
Bike Helmets for New Riders
Bike helmets protect our skull & brain from injury when we ride a bike. They are the one thing that you must wear when riding. You should match your helmet to the places you tend to ride and the speed you ride at. The higher the risk level the better the helmet needs to be. So if you are going to ride in busy traffic or at high speeds on an E-Bike the risks when you fall are higher. Good impact protection, strong durable construction means it will absorb the shock of an impact rather than you and your head taking this energy.
Whatever helmet you decide on it must be adjusted and tightened onto your head every time you ride. This is easily done if the helmet has an adjustment system which is usually controlled by a dial or slider at the base of the back of the helmet.
Another thing to look for is extended rear head coverage so pay attention to the shape of the helmet, is it round like your head?
The Womens Multi Environment bike helmet is a popular choice for new riders.
Bike Gloves for New Riders
It is a very good idea to provide yourself with some padding and protection when you first start to ride or return to riding. Gloves will give you a sense of safety and for any awkward tips or falls they protect the surface of your hands.
The gloves will need to fit well and be a very similar shape and size to your hand. This means that they will not interfere with your ability to grip or feel in control of your bikes steering.
Gloves can be ‘fingerless’ or be what they call ‘full finger’. They have been designed like this to match the seasons with fingerless gloves being better for warm weather riding. Full finger gloves will keep your hands warmer, so will be better in cooler temperatures and cover, therefore protect, more of your hands. To begin with choose a pair that matches the riding you do most often.
Gloves with a slip on design & minimal padding are a good match to a good grip on your handlebars.
Padded Pants/Underwear for New Riders
You & your bike seat may not get on very well when you first start to ride a bike. Our boney structures that take weight when we sit need to get used to the experience and it can really help to add some padding.
Padding comes in the form of a chamois that is sewn into bike pants or underwear. When you are first starting to ride using padded bike underwear rather than tight black lycra pants means you can wear what makes you feel good on the bike. Just make sure what you choose to wear over bike underwear enables you to move freely and won’t get caught in any moving bike parts.
There are different levels or denseness of padding to match to how long you spend on the bike or how uncomfortable you feel. The experience of sitting on a bike seat is quite different for each person. So you need to choose the padding that matches best to your own needs.
Padded bike underwear allows you to wear whatever you feel comfortable & safe in while riding your bike.
Your bike riding success is different to others… use our stories and support, get the right solutions.
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Heavy Riders & Bike Seat Comfort
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