SKS Raceblade
Clip-on mudguards
£29.24 (pair) wiggle.co.uk
Mudguards will prevent you and your bike from getting covered in road spray when it rains. If your bike is not fitted with them as standard, try clip-on ones like these from SKS.
Topeak Road
Morph mini pump
£32.99 topeak.com
With a mini pressure gauge, fold-out foot stand, swivelling T-handle, and a flexible hose, this little pump has all the features of a bulky workshop ‘track’ pump but in miniature, so that it’s still small and light enough to be clipped to your bike frame.
Altura Orkney Bar Bag
£59.99 leisurelakes.co.uk
A good handlebar bag like Altura’s 7-litre Orkney puts all your essentials – camera, wallet, phone, GPS and waterproof jacket within easy reach. It’s water proof and easily detachable and portable with a shoulder strap, and has a detachable front wallet pocket, as well as a useful see-through waterproof map case on top for mid-ride navigation.
Altura Progel Liner undershorts
£26.99 evanscycles.com
If you wouldn’t be seen dead in Lycra, either get a pair of mountain biking shorts with a built-in padded lining, or wear padded undershorts like these from Altura, with mountain bike ‘baggies’ over the top.
Topeak Alien III multi-tool
£63.74 topeak.com
With 25 tools, the Alien is probably overkill but the essentials for a multi-tool are there – a good selection of Allen keys and screwdrivers that fit your bike (check!), a chain-splitter so you can remove broken links and reconnect the ends of a chain, and a tyre lever for removing stubborn tyres.
Dawes Ergo Grips
£23.99 dawescycles.com
As fitted to the Galaxy Cross on our Know Your Bike feature, these grips allow you to change the way you grip the handlebar to prevent numbness, as well as spreading the area of contact across a wider area of your hand. Fitting is easy with a one-bolt fixing keeping them secure.
Vaude Hyper 17L Backpack
£53.99 evanscycles.com
If you can’t fit a rack, or the terrain is too bouncy for one, a backpack is sometimes the only solution. Small enough not to get in the way, but big enough to fit the essentials, the Vaude Hyper has a built-in rain cover, is made with a tough Ripstop fabric and has a good padded waist strap that will stop it bouncing around when you are.
Vaude Karakorum
Panniers combo
£98.99 evanscycles.com
For a long tour where you need to carry everything with you, this classic three-bag pannier combo for a rear rack is a good choice.. With 68 litres carrying capacity, the Karakorum has built-in rain covers, and a top case which can be unzipped and used separately as a backpack.
LifeLine Alloy bottle cage
£5.83 wiggle.co.uk
Almost all bikes – road or off-road – have the mounting points for two bottle cages like this from LifeLine – which comes with a free Corsa drink bottle. Even if the place you’re touring means you don’t need much, fit two anyway and you can always fill one bottle with spares or flapjacks.
