With the hundreds of choices out there, choosing the right gear for your needs can get a little challenging.
So how do you choose the best MTB clothes? Let's dive in together.
For the top, you will need a jersey made of a technical fabric that has a great cut and allows for a full range of motion.
There is a vast array of technical fabrics out there, and here is a list of the most common ones you will find:
- Nylon: a synthetic fibre made out of petrochemicals. It is lightweight, durable and easy to care for.
- Polyester: a synthetic fibre made out of petrochemicals. It is lightweight, durable and quick drying.
- Lyocell: a semi-synthetic fibre made from wood. It is soft on the skin, breathable, and quick drying.
- Merino Wool: a natural fibre made from the wool of Merino sheep. It is soft, temperature regulating, quick drying and odour resistant.
- Cotton: a natural fibre harvested from the cotton plant. It is breathable and soft to wear.
Our preference goes to fabrics made of Merino Wool, Lyocell and Organic Cotton.
We use a Lyocell fibre called TENCEL™ Active from Lenzing for our Valcariz Epicea Short Sleeve MTB Jersey because it naturally manages moisture transportation, enhancing the fabric by keeping your skin feeling pleasantly comfortable. The most significant advantage of choosing TENCEL™ Lyocell fibres over others is that they are derived from sustainably managed forests. The wood and pulp used by the Lenzing Group are harvested from certified and controlled sources.
For our Valcariz Volta Long Sleeve MTB Jersey, we have chosen to use a blend of Merino Wool and Polyester. The polyester adds extra durability to the Merino Wool, enhancing its properties. Merino Wool is a natural marvel for performance gear. It regulates your body temperature in hot and cold weather, dries fast, doesn't smell (even when you do), and feels incredibly soft.
Both Lyocell fibres and Merino Wool are biodegradable and compostable.
Fit is a personal preference, but you should look for a top with an MTB-specific cut that allows for a full range of motion and is long enough so you don't ride with an exposed lower back.
We also like jerseys with added extras like a small pocket and seams that are moved out of the way, so they don't irritate your skin when you move around on your bike. Both are features we apply to our range of jerseys.
For the bottom part of your attire, you will be looking for shorts or pants. Wearing one or the other is also more of a personal preference than anything else since you can find very breathable and comfortable pants for hotter weather, and you can put layers under your favourite shorts when the weather gets cold.
Comfort and durability are key here. Your pants or shorts will see a lot of wear and tear, especially if you are a gravity rider and crash from time to time.
So it would be best if you chose pants depending on your riding style and climate.
Most bottoms are made of synthetic fabric or a blend of synthetic and natural fibre; again, we prefer a mix of both.
Here is a list of the most common fabrics used for MTB shorts and pants:
- Nylon: a synthetic fibre made out of petrochemicals. It is lightweight, durable and easy to care for.
- Polyester: a synthetic fibre made out of petrochemicals. It is lightweight, durable and quick drying.
- Merino Wool: a natural fibre made from the wool of Merino sheep. It is soft, temperature regulating, quick drying and odour resistant.
For our pants, we have chosen a combination of Merino Wool and reinforced Polyamide in the areas where comfort is key. The Merino Wool on the inside of our Valcariz Zirac pants helps with breathability and your body's temperature regulation.
We use a blend of Polyamide with UHMWPE (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene) for the areas of high wear. UHMWPE is a robust and light fibre. On a weight-for-weight basis, it is 15x stronger than steel and 30% lighter than polyester or nylon.
And, of course, both fabrics are blended with Elasthane to give you the freedom of movement you need.
The mix of a durable and comfortable fabric with an ultra-resistant fabric will give you a pair of pants that you will keep for years.
Look for helpful pocket placement as well. You should be able to carry your phone and smaller items safely. Look for zippered pockets and pockets that won't have your phone bouncing around your leg when you ride.
For example, on our Valcariz Zirac MTB Pants, you will find a large mobile phone pocket, two small zippered pockets and a large open-ended pocket on the back where you can temporarily store items like gloves.
Practicality is a must.
We talked more about pants here than shorts, but you will look at the same features in shorts anyway.
For your hands, if you like wearing gloves, then wear gloves. If you don't, then don't. It is as simple as that.
Fit is crucial for gloves. If your gloves are too small, you won't be able to place your hands correctly on your grips, and the reach of your fingers will be diminished. If your gloves are too big, you will have wrinkles on the palm of your hand that will hurt after a while and make your hands slip.
We like slip-on gloves best. Gloves with closure systems never age well in our findings.
Last but not least, your feet. A good pair of socks will make your ride much more enjoyable. You can go with a synthetic fibre, a natural one, or a blend of both.
We prefer Merino Wool and Cotton socks for their feel, but quick-drying synthetic socks are helpful if you are sure to get wet.
In conclusion, we generally prefer natural and semi-synthetic fibres for all our MTB apparel. They are more comfortable to wear and impact our beautiful home planet much less.
But above all, quality clothing will outlast cheaply made clothes every time and spending a little extra at purchase will ultimately be the cheaper option in the long run.
