As with other sports, cycling is in a constant change that offers athletes and casual cyclists alike, better performance, better protection and higher comfort. A huge role in this perfectionist struggle is held by cycling equipment companies that continuously strive to increase their products’ above-mentioned qualities. Cycling helmets, shoes, jerseys, shorts, footwear, sunglasses, gloves, protective pads have reached a point where there’s room for little improvement and this happened, for the most part, with the help of brands like Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Sidi, Pearl Izumi, Gita, Giro, Bell, Oakley, Amber, Diadora and the list could go on and on.
One piece of cycling equipment that no biker should miss, whether he or she is a track cyclist, a mountain biker, a casual or a professional, is the cycling helmet. Without a doubt the helmet is the most important protection you’ll get in case you fall of your bike. Of course, protective pads also offer a high degree of protection for different body parts, however none is as crucial as the helmet. Besides increasing your safety in the unfortunate even that you have an accident, most cycling helmets are waterproof and offer great ventilation so that rain or excessive sweat don’t hinder your actual riding.
As I stated in the above paragraph, another way to increase your safety while riding a bike through cycling equipment is by wearing protective pads. These pads can cover many bodily areas, the most common being knee, elbow and hip protection pads. It’s usually these areas that you’ll hit first in case you fall off your bike, so they need extra protection. Some cycling jerseys also have “built-in” shoulder pads, but some cyclists consider them rather uncomfortable to wear.
Of course, you don’t need to fall off your bike to get injured, you can suffer muscle injuries in mid-track, if you’re not warmed-up correctly. There’s little help that cycling equipment can offer here, since it’s way more important to warm up correctly beforehand. Still, a pair of quality cycling shorts helps you keep your muscles warm and tight but make sure that when you buy a pair, they’re elastic enough as to not cause any discomfort while pedaling. It’s also important that you are comfortable with the pad protecting your rear and inner thighs, which is useful in avoiding “saddle pain” after long hours of cycling.
Another piece of cycling equipment that you need to focus on, (although not as important when it comes to protection or performance as other items) is cycling gloves. They have 3 main points you should be focusing on when buying them. First off, they need to offer good ventilation so that you can wear them without any problems even in the hottest of days. Remember that any kind of discomfort whatsoever, no matter how small it is, won’t allow you to perform at maximum potential on the track and whereas for casual bikers this is not crucial, for professional athletes, it is. Next, check if the gloves offer any kind of shock resistance. This will help avoid hand soreness on bumpy tracks and this feature is especially important for mountain bikers. Last but not least, make sure the gloves offer a solid grip. Although you won’t be moving your hands around the handle too much, think about the fact that there might be some factors that will reduce your grip, such as sweat or rain. Again, this is more important for mountain biking, since your hands will be put to more effort there.
Another minor but very helpful cycling equipment item, sunglasses, help out in many different situations such as on windy, rainy or extremely sunny tracks. Besides these obvious, weather-dependent uses, sunglasses help reduce the chance of eye soreness caused by wind draft. And to be totally honest, besides its practical use, a pair of cycling sunglasses also have an important fashion role 
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