Ride all summer, ride in the morning.

Whether it is before work or early on a weekend day, your summer riding will be a whole lot more sustainable if you get out before the sun gets too high in the sky and the temperature skyrockets. You will lose less water and your recovery times will be a lot quicker if you ride in the cooler time of day.

Riding in the morning is also a great time to pedal as your concentration is higher and your body is rested and ready for a great ride.  

Clean them grips

Whether you ride bare knuckled or with gloves, grease, sweat and dirt can get into your grips and accelerate the deterioration of the rubber. Give your grips some love once in a while to ensure you get a long lifetime out of them. 

Wipe the sweat off your frame

I dont know about you but I'm a big sweater and unfortunately, my Top tube is in the direct firing line of sweating dripping off my chin. This may seem innocuous but many ex-mechanics and long-time riders in our team have seen the awful affects sweat can have on a bike frame. No need to wash your whole bike though, just wipe it down the area with some bike cleaner and she'll be right.

Scrape the grime off those jockey wheels

Jockey wheels are pretty exposed to dust back there and it builds up due to the lube left behind by the chain. Scrape the grime off any way you can and your drive train will thank you for this simple act.

Give your chainring some special attention

Drivetrains can get pretty grumbly when the chainring is full of dust mixed with chain lube. Clear off the bulk of the grime with a rag then go around the grooves on the face and backside of the chainring and scrape out the muck deposited where the chain links want to sit. This will free up space for the chain and reduce the grumble. Here are come cleaning tools perfect for getting your bike looking and running nicely. 

Fuel in = Fun out

Give yourself the best chance of getting the most out of your time riding by not letting your body down. It's easy to forget food and water when you're running out the door juggling a helmet, pads and shoes but it's equally important. An extra 5 mins at home filling up your vessels of choice and finding a mid-ride snack will result in a longer ride with more concentration and fun.

Riding bikes is super distracting and when you're on a scorching hot climb trail and your buddy is chewing your ear off about office politics, your mind tends to wander away from that thing you're supposed to be doing on the ups, drinking water. If you are feeling under gunned in this department, below are a few of our customer favourites from the hydration packs categories. 

Eye Protection

Sure your helmet has a visor and yes, you can squint when you ride through a swarm of flies but deep down you know how much it sucks getting stuff in your eye. It's painful, irritating, ruins your flow and you have those awkward moments when all your mates are circled around you while you rush to fish something (that is probably a lot smaller than it feels) out of your extremely sensitive eye socket.

The consensus with the MTBD staff is to start with clear lens sunnies or goggles so when you're in shaded areas or riding at night you can see everything and your eyes are still protected.

Perforated Gloves

Your hands and feet are crucial parts of the body for regulating body temperature, and seeing as your feet are covered with sock and shoes that only leaves your hands to do most the work. Just like there are winter riding gloves, there are also summer riding gloves. These are made using a perforated synthetic suede on the palm and lightweight breathable fabric on the back of the hand.

To stay as cool as possible I tend to only wear my gloves for the downs while letting my hands breathe on the way up. It may seem insignificant but all these little things often add up to have a noticable affect. Below are a few great summer glove options.