Cycling equipment can be categorized into body-worn gear, bike components, and maintenance tools. Helmets, gloves, and cycling shoes are popular body-worn gear, while bike upgrades often involve carbon fiber components and tire replacements. Specialty tools are required for larger maintenance jobs.
Cycling equipment can be divided into three general categories: cycling equipment worn on the body, equipment used to build the bike, and tools used to maintain the bike. Cycling equipment may include bicycle components such as wheels, brakes, suspension forks, handlebars, shifters, derailleurs, chainrings, cassettes, seats, and seatposts. Body-worn equipment includes helmets, goggles, gloves, jerseys, shorts, arm warmers, knee warmers, cycling shoes, and cycling socks. Tools may include work stand wrenches, cone wrenches, Allen wrenches, tire levers, and specialty tools such as a cassette tool, bottom bracket puller, etc.
Most people purchase a bicycle and focus on supplementing their cycling experience with body-worn cycling gear. Helmets must be worn at all times when riding a bike, which is why the helmet is perhaps the most commonly purchased cycling piece. Cycling shoes are specifically designed to be extremely stiff; This prevents pedaling power from being lost in the flex of the shoe and promotes power transfer from the legs to the bike’s drivetrain. Gloves protect hands from friction while driving, helping to prevent hot spots, blisters, and calluses. They can also be helpful in preventing injuries in the event of a fall.
Upgrading the bike is another common pastime for cyclists, and such upgrades require the purchase of cycling equipment that can help the bike owner install the new components. The components themselves vary in price and function depending on the needs of the rider; People upgrade components very often to save weight, so carbon fiber components are very common. Carbon fiber handlebars, stems, seatposts, and even water bottle cages are available to help a rider lighten up their bike. Tires are perhaps the most commonly replaced or upgraded components on the bike because they are easy to replace and countless tire models are available.
To run some of these updates, some special tools will be required. Most cyclists carry a multi-tool in a backpack or jersey pocket while riding. This is an indispensable piece of cycling gear, as it could mean the difference between going home and walking. Specialty tools for larger jobs may include a derailleur hanger alignment gauge, chain whip and cassette tool for removing the rear group of gears, crank pullers for removing crank arms, bottom bracket pullers to remove the bottom bracket bearings and a straightening stand to straighten the wheels.
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