If you are an aspiring cyclist, you will find yourself over time increasing the frequency and length of your rides. As this happens, it becomes more and more likely you will need to upgrade your cycling apparel and accessories this will be for comfort, performance and safety reasons. I have written this post (Cycling Apparel & Accessories for Seniors) to help give you basic knowledge of what is both available and the reasoning as to why you might want to consider an upgrade to your cycling equipment.
Cycling Helmets
Given that I am a survivor of a traumatic brain injury (from an ice-skating fall, not cycling), I am a big proponent of bicycle helmets. I can count at least two times I was very happy I was wearing a helmet after I fell and banged my head sharply on the trail.
Cycling Apparel
For the everyday leisure ride, casual clothes (shorts and a t-shirt) may work just fine. However, as you start to add miles to your trip (say over 5 miles), I highly recommend that you at least consider investing in a pair of good bicycling shorts. If you are a serious road biker, the skin-tight Lycra shorts reduce air resistance and allow a full range of motion on the bike as well as provide the right amount of breathability and wind block. However, for me, the most important features of bike shorts are a lack of seams in the crotch and extra padding to reduce chafing and discomfort while riding.
You can find all kinds of biking shorts, but in my mind they fall into primarily two categories, road shorts and mountain biking shorts. The road shorts tend to be of a tight-fitting, synthetic material with padding in the crotch. Mountain biking shorts will tend to be loosely akin to hiking shorts, but with padding and minimal seams. Frankly, I sometimes find it difficult to find mountain bike shorts to my liking. I therefore take an alternative path; I wear a lighter road bike short under a pair of casual, athletic or hiking shorts. This serves me very nicely, especially if there is a social component to the ride (e.g. a ride to a brewery or restaurant to meet friends or if there is a similar social activity after the ride).
Cycling Apparel for Men
Shorts
As your riding distances increase, I recommend buying cycling shorts. This will prevent chaffing caused by street clothing as well as provide some comfort while sitting on the seat for extended periods. I offer two links below to pages of shorts. If you would like my recommendations, go on to Mike’s Favorites:
Mike’s Favorites
- Men’s Padded Bike Underwear Shorts (I like to wear these under hiking shorts or un-padded bike shorts)
- Road Cycling Shorts (I like the side pockets)
- Mountain Biking Shorts (note that there is no padding… I would wear bike underwear under these)
- Padded Mountain Biking Shorts
Cold Weather Gear
- Long cycling pants
- Road Cycling Outerwear
- Mountain and Leisure Cycling Outerwear (typical hiking or light winter outerwear works as well)
Mike’s Favorites
- Winter Cycling Pant (un-padded; I wear the padded cycling underwear or other padded Lycra short underneath)
- Winter Cycling Jacket (You can choose to wear normal outwear. The nice thing about cycling jackets is they have a longer tail for coverage while bending over the handlebars)
Cycling Apparel for Women
Shorts
Cold Weather Gear
Cycling Shoes
You can ride a bike in just about any kind of shoes. However, once you begin to ride regularly, you can benefit from graduating to cycling shoes. Compared with typical athletic shoes, bike shoes are designed with stiffer soles for more efficient energy transfer as you pedal. The type of riding you plan to do will strongly influence your choice of shoes, whether road cycling, mountain biking, or commuting and running errands around town.
Here is a great article from REI on “How to Choose Bike Shoes”. This article provides a link to shop for cycling shoes at REI. If you choose to shop there, I highly recommend you compare pricing to what you can find on my Amazon links below. That said, especially with shoes, there is nothing like going to a “brick and mortar” store and trying them on for yourself.
Cycling Shoes for Men
- Road Cycling (Note: your shoe will need to match your bicycle pedal)
- Mountain and Leisure Cycling (Note: depending on pedal type, your shoe may need to match your pedal)
- Mike’s Favorite Mountain Bike Shoes
Cycling Shoes for Women
Cycling Gloves
As with cycling shorts, a short leisurely ride probably does not require you to wear cycling gloves. However, if you see yourself beginning to make longer rides OR if you are riding off pavement (mountain biking or on gravel roads), I strongly suggest you purchase yourself some cycling gloves. Gloves provide two benefits:
- Most cycling gloves are padded in the area of the palm. This reduces stress on the hand when biking for longer distances
- More importantly, cycling gloves protect your hands if you were to “go down”. For this reason, I prefer gloves with leather palms, and frankly have several pairs that show the battle scars of (especially) mountain and gravel road biking.
Cycling Gloves for Men
Cycling Gloves for Women
Bicycle Repair Kits
If you plan to ride any significant distance, say 5 miles or more, it is advisable you carry a bicycle repair kit with you at all times (they can attach to the bike). I also recommend that before you venture on these longer rides, you learn how to patch or at least change your bicycle tube and tire. For ultimate convenience, you may want to pack an extra bike tube to save you having to patch a hole in the field.
Don’t forget to check out my post titled “Cycling Resources for Seniors”. And…Don’t Forget Your Sunscreen!
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