Cycling requires specific gear, and some items are mandatory to join CPOMG. The type, quality, and fit of this equipment have a major impact on safety and overall experience. Poor design, materials, or fit can make riding uncomfortable and limit both performance and safety.
High‑quality, well‑fitting gear doesn’t have to be expensive. The Minnesota Cycling Association partners with local retailers to offer significant discounts on the equipment needed for training and racing, helping ensure all kids can participate regardless of financial circumstances. If cost is a barrier, please speak with the head coach—we are committed to removing obstacles and helping every interested athlete get on a bike.
CPOMG has partnered with Trailhead Cycling in Champlin. Registered CPOMG student‑athletes can identify themselves to access Minnesota Cycling Association discounts on eligible products, and the experienced staff will help ensure you get the right gear. Because discount programs vary by company, CPOMG coaches will assist families in navigating these benefits. Registration with the club is required to receive discounts.
Required Equipment:
Bike
Helmet
Trail Kit
Eye Wear
Gloves
Hydration
Here are a few options to carry water on the bike:
Recommended Equipment:
Cycling Specific Shoes
Bike Computer/Activity tracking app for phone
The bike computer or app like Strava allows you to track training progress. A useful bike computer/app will provide trip distance, total distance, speed, average speed, and elapsed time. Nicer bike computers will also have the ability to track heart rate, which is a useful feature for all cyclists, but certainly not necessary. Finally please know that bike computers can get very sophisticated, and very expensive, with GPS tracking and power output measurements. Do not feel that these computers are necessary! They provide great information, but the need for them should be appropriate to one's abilities and level of involvement.
High‑quality, well‑fitting gear doesn’t have to be expensive. The Minnesota Cycling Association partners with local retailers to offer significant discounts on the equipment needed for training and racing, helping ensure all kids can participate regardless of financial circumstances. If cost is a barrier, please speak with the head coach—we are committed to removing obstacles and helping every interested athlete get on a bike.
CPOMG has partnered with Trailhead Cycling in Champlin. Registered CPOMG student‑athletes can identify themselves to access Minnesota Cycling Association discounts on eligible products, and the experienced staff will help ensure you get the right gear. Because discount programs vary by company, CPOMG coaches will assist families in navigating these benefits. Registration with the club is required to receive discounts.
Required Equipment:
Bike
- Suspension: For new riders, we recommend front-suspension only (with air fork), known as a hardtail. This will keep the cost down. Full-suspension bikes are a bit heavier, cost more and can introduce complexity. Now, if you are a parent/coach: we would totally recommend getting a full-suspension bike because we are old and full-suspension makes riding the trails a LOT easier on us parents.
- Gears/derailleur: We STRONGLY recommend a single chain ring in the front and as many gears as possible in the back (generally 11 to 12 gears). This is known as 1-by or 1x drive train. Having just a single shifter (for the rear gears only) is easier to learn, less to maintain, and less to go wrong with the bike.
- Wheel and Frame Size: Choosing the right combination of wheel and frame size is key to giving young riders a bike that fits well now while still allowing room to grow. Although youth performance bikes often come with 27.5" or 29" wheels, many developing riders benefit from moving to a 29er sooner than expected. Larger wheels offer better stability, smoother rollover on rough terrain, and improved overall performance as skills progress. Similarly, selecting the proper frame size ensures the rider can handle the bike confidently without feeling cramped or overstretched. Most kids who are borderline between sizes—or who comfortably fit a 27.5" setup—can transition to a 29" wheel on an appropriately sized frame with the right adjustments. Starting with a slightly larger platform often reduces the need for frequent upgrades as they grow. In the end, choosing the correct wheel and frame size gives young riders more confidence, better control, and a bike that supports their progression. A trusted local bike shop can help determine the ideal fit.
- Brakes: Disc brakes are a requirement in our opinion. If the rider has an older bike it may still have caliper brakes. Those don't offer the braking power or responsiveness that disk brakes do. Most riders that started on an older bike with caliper brakes has bought a new bike within 1-2 weeks of joining the team and brakes or shocks is the main reason.
- Bike accessories: Items like bar-ends, racks, streamers, things that make noise on the spokes, etc. are not allowed for practice or racing. Additionally, and contrary to normal thought, racing requires removing reflectors off the front and back of the bike as if they happen to be in a crash, they can become a projectile to injure other riders.
- Pedals: For beginners, high quality flat pedals, with grip pegs are strongly recommended. These work well with biking specific flat (non-clip) shoes, see below.
Helmet
- A helmet from a local bike store is required. There are helmets from big-box stores... these are not acceptable for riding with CPOMG. If you have a helmet and aren't sure of its effectiveness, please talk to your local bike shop, or one of the CPOMG coaches.
Trail Kit
- Multi-Tool with tools for your bike and within your skill set. There are lots of options for these, focus on the tools you need for your bike that you know how to use.
- Spare Tube: Even if your bike is configured for tubeless operation, having a spare tube and air pump is key to fixing a stubborn flat and preventing a long-walk. With the spare tube, you will need a pair of tire-levers.
- Air Source: A hand pump works well and is reliable, a CO2 system is much lighter, but has a limited capacity. If you are not comfortable with CO2, there are several varieties of light-weight hand pumps.
Eye Wear
- Clear / Yellow lens glasses are popular. Sun glasses tend to be too dark for portions of trail riding and will make things difficult and unsafe for the riders. Eye Protection is not required, but very strong recommended due to branches, bugs and other objects that fly around while riding. Eyes are very difficult to heal; hands, knees, elbows, collar-bones all bounce back pretty well, not eye balls.
Gloves
- You're going to run into a tree. Not if, but when. Gloves will help keep your fingers from getting scratched up from either a fall or from brush on the sides of the trails.
Hydration
Here are a few options to carry water on the bike:
- Water bottles: 1-2 water bottles depending on weather conditions. Even in cold conditions, hydration is very important to sustaining your body while riding.
- Water Pack: A water pack (ex. Camelbak) is often easier to manage vs. a water-bottle as it doesn't/can't fall of your bike.
Recommended Equipment:
Cycling Specific Shoes
- Non-clip bike specific shoes are available. These shoes have a stronger, rigid and durable sole. Regular sneakers/athletic shoes will wear out quickly in the punishing environment of mountain biking. Popular brands are Five Ten (an Adidas brand), Giro, and Shimano. There are many others.
- Clip Pedals are for more experienced riders and should be considered after the rider has some experience and looking to improve their performance on the trail. Riders that convert to Clips should get several dozen miles in with them before racing as the mechanics of getting in/out of clips should be second-nature by the time they are attending a race.
Bike Computer/Activity tracking app for phone
The bike computer or app like Strava allows you to track training progress. A useful bike computer/app will provide trip distance, total distance, speed, average speed, and elapsed time. Nicer bike computers will also have the ability to track heart rate, which is a useful feature for all cyclists, but certainly not necessary. Finally please know that bike computers can get very sophisticated, and very expensive, with GPS tracking and power output measurements. Do not feel that these computers are necessary! They provide great information, but the need for them should be appropriate to one's abilities and level of involvement.
