A Guide To Cycling Equipment

This is a steel mountain bike, but again, there are similar variations on these. You can have a carbon frame, an aluminum frame, you can have better brakes, better gears, better pedals, better stem, better saddle, whatever. You can always improve you know.

This is a mountain bike, but a road bike is exactly the same. Three main materials: steel, aluminum, carbon for the frame. Typically these days, most frames will come in with carbon materials.

You've got your minor equipment, camping equipment, tram equipment, all used by all sorts of people, top pros, whatever. You can go to nine-speed, ten-speed, eleven-speed, electronic shifting - the world's your oyster. From there, you go into your clothing, your shoes, for example.

You've got carbon-soled shoes, you've got leather shoes, you've got Velcro straps, you've got tie-up straps, you've got studs in your shoes – there's all sorts of pedals that go with the shoes. The main types are either Look-type pedals that most road riders use or you've got these types of pedals which are on this bike, which you've got a recessed cleat in the soles so that you can walk around very easily. Shorts, shirts, undervests, arm-warmers, mitts, helmets - a good helmet could cost you easily a hundred pounds, but you're spending good money on a helmet, as they protect your skull.

There's some really good British makes of clothing, which you can see being ridden around. It's hard-wearing, durable, you can wash it time and time again; it doesn't wear out, it doesn't discolor. Sunglasses, whatever, you can spend anything from forty pounds to well over a hundred pounds for a good set of sunglasses.

Cycling equipment can cost a fortune but the more expensive it is, the lighter it is, doesn't necessarily mean it's going to survive a crash any better than gear costing a fraction of the cost, so just bear that in mind and have a mind for what you want it for. And that's a guide to cycling equipment! .