In the final of our four part reveal of the results of the 2020 South African Mountain Biking Survey, presented by Garmin, we examine gear choices. A total of 3128 took our 50-question survey in December 2020. Our 2019 SA MTB Race Survey, also presented by Garmin, was more race-focussed and had a total of 1213 respondents. Here’s what a much larger sample size reveals about their helmet, shoe, eyewear, clothing and other gear selections, with some comparisons to the 2019 stats where relevant.
What brand of helmet do you currently ride with?
Helmet brand | % 2020 | % 2019 |
Specialized | 17.98% | 21.28% |
Bell | 13.30% | 13.70% |
Giro | 12.18% | 10.23% |
SCOTT | 10.81% | 12.88% |
Rudy Project | 8.78% | 9.95% |
Fox | 4.39% | 3.11% |
UVEX | 3.77% | 2.74% |
Bontrager | 3.57% | 3.38% |
First Ascent | 3.47% | 2.37% |
Leatt | 2.65% | 1.83% |
Catlike | 2.39% | 3.20% |
MET | 2.39% | 2.74% |
Kask | 2.33% | 2.28% |
Lazer | 1.93% | 2.01% |
POC | 1.70% | 2.47% |
Other | 8.36% | 5.83% |
A total of 3053 respondents listed 84 different helmet brands here. The 2019 figure is from just over 1000 respondents in the 2019 SA MTB Race Survey. The 2020 survey was across a broader spectrum, not only those that enter races.
What brand of eyewear do you currently ride with?
Eyewear brand | % 2020 | % 2019 |
Oakley | 37.05 | 45.97% |
Rudy Project | 15.13% | 22.56% |
D’Arcs | 8.65% | 5.93% |
Adidas | 6.03% | 8.90% |
Ocean | 5.90% | 3.81% |
UVEX | 4.91% | 3.60% |
100% | 2.88% | 2.44% |
Bondi Blu | 2.69% | 1.59% |
Other | 16.76% | 5.2% |
Always a tricky question in our surveys as not everyone wears eyewear and not everyone that does, wears sport-specific eyewear. The 2019 figure is from just over 1000 respondents in the 2019 SA MTB Race Survey. The 2020 survey was across a broader spectrum, not only those that enter races, so the ‘Other’ percentage is quite high and includes all kinds of answers, including ‘Prescription glasses’ (81 replies), ‘Safety glasses’ (11 answers), ‘Cheapest I can find’ (33 answers), ‘Don’t know what brand’ (76 answers) etc, etc. Of those that answered, we counted a total of 84 brands, including fashion brands like Ray Ban and Police!
Oakley remains dominant, but South African brand, D’Arcs, moves into the top 3.
Do you ride/race with an undergarment?
Response | % 2020 | % 2019 |
Only when it’s cold | 55.75% | 51.14% |
Yes, in all weather | 10.74% | 10.13% |
No | 33.51% | 38.73% |
What brand of jersey do you race with currently?
Jersey brand | % 2020 | % 2019 |
Ciovita | 22.29% | 24.94% |
Anatomic | 15.08% | 9.53% |
First Ascent | 14.39% | 10.31% |
Enjoy | 5.67% | 6.76% |
Specialized | 4.89% | 3.88% |
Fox | 4.48% | 2.77% |
Cape Storm | 4.24% | 2.44% |
F-Tech | 3.59% | 4.32% |
Assos | 2.56% | 3.77% |
Velotex | 2.05% | 1.55% |
Panda | 1.88% | 1.77% |
Castelli | 1.77% | 1.44% |
Maxed | 1.57% | 1.11% |
BioRacer | 1.40% | 1.66% |
Craft | 1.33% | 1.55% |
Lassen | 1.23% | 1.22% |
SCOTT | 0.75% | 1.11% |
Sportful | 0.75% | 1.11% |
Leatt | 0.71% | – |
VYE | 0.58% | 1.11% |
OTR | 0.58% | – |
Van H | 0.47% | – |
Cuore | 0.44% | 1.11% |
Rapid Sports | 0.44% | – |
Race Pace | 0.41% | – |
RH77 | 0.37% | – |
Other | 5.98% | 16.54% |
A total of 100 brands were acknowledged by 2924 respondents for this question. Last year, in our 2019 SA MTB Race Survey, there were 901 responses and 76 brands. Obviously, this survey was broader, but we left in last year’s numbers for some sort of reference. We included all brands in this table that received 10 or more nods. It’s impressive how dominant Ciotiva is here, considering was only launched five years ago.
Which style of shorts do you prefer?
Response | % 2020 | % 2019 |
Bib-shorts | 59.71% | 65.57% |
Regular cycling shorts | 16.84% | 17.13% |
Baggy shorts | 12.32% (23.46%) | 17.30% |
Baggy shorts over Lycra cycling shorts | 11.14% |
We split the baggy shorts answer into two types of wearer for 2020, based on the replies to this answer in 2019. Interesting that almost a quarter wear baggy shorts, with bib-shorts still the most popular.
What brand of shorts or bib-shorts do you ride with currently?
Shorts brand | % 2020 | % 2019 |
First Ascent | 16.31% | 14.06% |
Assos | 14.53% | 21.09% |
Ciovita | 13.97% | 11.19% |
Anatomic | 6.87% | 4.44% |
Specialized | 5.51% | 4.81% |
Indola | 5.41% | 2.59% |
Cape Storm | 4.79% | 3.79% |
Fox | 4.16% | 4.16% |
Castelli | 2.74% | 2.68% |
Enjoy | 1.94% | 2.04% |
F-Tech | 1.98% | 1.57% |
Maxed | 1.85% | 1.39% |
Craft | 1.78% | 1.76% |
Endura | 1.65% | 1.30% |
Velotex | 1.51% | 0.93% |
Pearl Izumi | 1.32% | 2.04% |
Sportful | 1.25% | 1.57% |
BioRacer | 1.02% | 1.02% |
Giordana | 0.79% | 1.39% |
Panda | 0.79% | – |
Leatt | 0.69% | – |
SCOTT | 0.66% | 1.57% |
RH77 | 0.59% | – |
Lassen | 0.56% | – |
Vye | 0.42% | – |
Rapid Sport | 0.36% | – |
Cuore | 0.33% | – |
Other | 6.11% | 16.18% |
Our corresponding survey a year ago was focussed on mountain bikers that did races. This year’s was a much broader sample group which sees widely available, budget-conscious First Ascent move to the top. The top three brands hold almost 45% of the market. A total of 3053 answered this question naming a total of 109 brands!
What brand of socks do you ride with currently?
Sock brand | % 2020 | % 2019 |
Falke | 32.59% | 31.48% |
Versus | 30.89% | 30.68% |
Sox | 7.76% | 5.68% |
Grumpy Monkey | 4.52% | 2.61% |
Specialized | 2.98% | 3.86% |
Cycle Lab | 1.80% | 1.48% |
I Love Boobies | 1.77% | 1.25% |
Wattz | 1.70% | 1.14% |
CAM | 1.54% | 2.05% |
Shimano | 1.47% | 1.59% |
Fox | 1.34% | 1.25% |
First Ascent | 0.98% | 0.91% |
Finch | 0.79% | 0.68% |
Assos | 0.75% | 2.27% |
Krank’d | 0.62% | 0.91% |
DeFeet | 0.49% | 0.91% |
Bontrager | 0.16% | 0.68% |
Other | 7.83% | 8.64% |
Falke maintains its top spot across a bigger base (3053 answered this question), but it’s interesting that Falke and Versus occupy 63.48% of the market! Sox and Grumpy Monkey both showed growth over the previous year. After removing answers that said things like ‘whichever I pick up first’, or ‘don’t know, don’t care’ or ‘not sure’ we counted a total of 98 sock brands!
What brand of shoe do you wear currently?
Shoe brand | % 2020 | % 2019 |
Specialized | 23.25% | 26.41% |
Shimano | 13.06% | 15.88% |
SCOTT | 8.74% | 7.80% |
Giro | 8.47% | 9.07% |
Louis Garneau | 6.06% | 7.44% |
SIDI | 5.12% | 7.80% |
Bontrager | 4.99% | 3.81% |
First Ascent | 4.72% | 2.90% |
Olympic | 3.88% | 2.90% |
Ryder | 2.81% | 2.27% |
5Ten | 2.54% | 1.72% |
Fizik | 2.34% | 1.18% |
Cape Storm | 2.07% | 1.45% |
Adidas | 1.70% | 0.36% |
Lake | 1.45% | 1.45% |
Maxed | 1.37% | 0.91% |
Mavic | 0.94% | 1.09% |
Leatt | 0.73% | – |
FLR | 0.63% | 0.45% |
Catlike | 0.60% | 0.82% |
Diadora | 0.50% | 0.45% |
KTM | 0.50% | – |
Ride Concept | 0.46% | – |
Gaerne | 0.43% | – |
DMT | 0.33% | – |
Other | 2.54% | 3.84% |
Last year, the 1102 respondents to this question listed a total of 40 shoe brands. This year the 2984 respondents to this question listed 51 shoe brands! We included all brands that were named by at least 10 respondents. Specialized remains a dominant brand at the top.
Do you ride with gloves?
Response | % 2020 | % 2019 |
Yes | 88.18% | 93.33% |
Mostly | 7.96% | 3.97% |
No | 3.87% | 2.70% |
We included ‘mostly’ as an option because there are those that prefer the ‘feel’ of the trail and the connection to their bike without gloves. But in deep winter this may not be an option due to the cold; and in the hot summer, sweaty hands can be a bit risky on a technical trail…
What brand of gloves do you wear currently?
Glove brand | % 2020 | % 2019 |
Specialized | 18.07% | 20.51% |
Giro | 14.06% | 10.65% |
Fox | 13.82% | 14.30% |
First Ascent | 8.51% | 5.33% |
Louis Garneau | 8.20% | 6.61% |
SCOTT | 5.89% | 7.30% |
Giant | 4.73% | 3.45% |
Ryder | 3.67% | 1.68% |
Cape Storm | 3.09% | 0.99% |
Leatt | 3.09% | 2.86% |
Bontrager | 2.65% | 2.47% |
Lizzard | 2.43% | 1.48% |
KTM | 1.63% | 2.56% |
100% | 1.02% | 1.08% |
Grippa | 0.88% | 0.89% |
Titan Racing | 0.64% | – |
Maxed | 0.47% | – |
Northwave | 0.47% | – |
Cyclo-Gel | 0.44% | – |
Pearl Izumi | 0.37% | – |
Troy Lee Designs | 0.37% | – |
Other | 5.48% | 9.16% |
Not everyone wears gloves, but 2937 responded to this question, naming a total of 87 glove brands! Specialized retains a firm lead, but Giro, First Ascent and Louis Garneau all moved up strongly compared to 2019. We have listed all brands that got at least 10 mentions.
Did you miss the first three parts of the reveals to the 2020 South African Mountain Biking Survey, presented by Garmin? Well, here are the links:
Part 1: 2020 SA MOUNTAIN BIKING SURVEY: THE RESULTS!
Part 2: THESE ARE SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST POPULAR MOUNTAIN BIKE BRANDS
Part 3: THE GPS BRANDS THAT SOUTH AFRICAN MOUNTAIN BIKERS FAVOUR