Cross Country Mountain Biking Essentials | What Do You Need For XC?

Cross country mountain biking can be great fun! The satisfaction of speeding up a lung busting climb, conquering a tech descent on a twitchy, featherweight bike, and covering lots of distance quickly all make it one of Rich's favourite types of riding. Here are his top five essentials that will make your XC riding easier and more enjoyable.

Do you have a cross country bike?

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[WarMatt]

I told my wife that a Full SRAM AXS XX1 is an essentials for sunday familiy Please confirm :)

[arnoldmonk]

Energy gels, please do the decent thing, take the sachet home, don’t leave it on the trail, leave only tyre tracks.

[CollierCraig]

Best thing you need is to have fun and not let the bike snobs put you down because we can't all afford the top gear.

[andresfelipeladinoespitia]

Rich is killing it with these videos. I have to admit it tho. At first, I thought he wasn’t gonna cut it for GMBN. Now, he’s one of my favorite presenters. Keep it up!

[kojack]

My fist xc race for over a year tomorrow because of covid! I’m 40 watts down, and 8 kilos up! My cross country essential needs to be a magic wand 😂😂😂

[unionandfifthmtb]

Sunny day in whales hey now that’s a once in a lifetime experience

[jeskli]

I'd never go out on my bike - excluding commuting trough the town - without lycra. Never used a dropper post either. XC hardtails all the way!

[newttella]

Clipless pedals are fragile?? My 20 year old Shimano SPD pedals beg to differ.

[prncemarsangca]

Another essential that is overlooked: Proper and enough time of sleep and rest.

[MTBfixHQ]

I used to be a big weight weenie, now so much anymore. Dropper post adds 1 lb to the bike, on a 20km xc lap you might lose 5 seconds from that weight, but probably gain it back depending on the descents so I love my spark rc 900 with dropper post :)

[brandont]

I disagree with the not needing a dropper on a hardtail..I recently put one on my new build and its been a game changer..I can get that saddle out of the way for descents and back up for seated climbs. I feel way more confident and faster when going downhill getting that seat out of the way

[turboelephant]

The most essential items are a fat bike, a big smile and a friendly wave. 👍

[geemail]

TRUE *XC essentials?!:*
- a wise selection of spare parts and a multitool, since you ain't doing small runs/laps near a chairlift,
- proper amount of nutrition and hydration,
- functional (breathable) clothing + layers (no lycra needed!),
- chafe preventing measures (go ride and you'll see if/where you need it 😉),
- small first aid kit,
- phone (gps+map).

[bguiles]

Hell yes to the dropper post. Before I put one on my XC bike, I had the saddle a little lower and farther back to get a workable position for both climbing and descending. With the dropper post, I can now put the saddle farther forward and higher so that when the saddle is up I'm in my dedicated "climbing position." I'm going faster uphill with better biomechanics despite nearly an extra pound of weight, and obviously faster downhill. No regrets.

[Crustyfur]

Just upgraded my factory wheels to Hope Pro 4’s and DT rims. I actually can’t believe how much better the bike feels. It’s quicker, more agile and seems to just roll nicer. Moved to XC tyres and tubeless. 1.2kg of weight gone!

[carlsberg-gsrl]

I've started making my own oatmeal bars and mixing my own Gatorade. I got one of those big Gatorade powder mix thingies and I mix my own whenever I ride. I've saved so much money doing this as store bought granola, gels and drinks can get really expensive.

[ianpurcell]

One thing you need for xc is deep deep pockets to keep pace with ever changing parts.Xc tyres alone last one month if your lucky.Chains and sprockets have a short life.Front and rear shocks need specialized servicing regularly.It is as cheap to run some cars as it is to run a top end xc bike for one year.Then there is winter and summer clothing.LED front light are a must but some are as expensive as car headlights.Still all in all its still great fun.

[marcg]

Nice tire combo! Vittoria Agarro and barzo.. just got in a Agarro/Mezcal for my Ibis Ripley to make it more 🚀🚀🚀

[sumitkid]

XC Have a good cardiovascular endurance. Can't ride if your lungs can't handle the miles. I use to be a good long distance runner. Translation went great.

[dave_xc]

I bought a cross country bike because I love going fast and the trails are 20 km distant from my house