In the final of our four part reveal of the results of the 2021 South African Mountain Biking Survey, presented by Garmin, we examine gear choices. A total of 3093 took our 53-question survey in December 2021. Here’s a look at the preferences South African mountain bikers have for helmets, shoes, eyewear, clothing and other gear selections, with comparisons to previous years where relevant.
What brand of helmet do you currently ride with?
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Specialized | 19.44% | 17.98% | 21.28% |
| SCOTT | 11.89% | 10.81% | 12.88% |
| Giro | 11.36% | 12.18% | 10.23% |
| Bell | 10.80% | 13.30% | 13.70% |
| Rudy Project | 7.67% | 8.78% | 9.95% |
| Leatt | 4.58% | 2.65% | 1.83% |
| Bontrager | 4.45% | 3.57% | 3.38% |
| Fox | 4.22% | 4.39% | 3.11% |
| First Ascent | 3.22% | 3.47% | 2.37% |
| UVEX | 3.09% | 3.77% | 2.74% |
| POC | 2.79% | 1.70% | 2.47% |
| Kask | 2.39% | 2.33% | 2.28% |
| Lazer | 2.16% | 1.93% | 2.01% |
| Catlike | 1.56% | 2.39% | 3.20% |
| MET | 1.46% | 2.39% | 2.74% |
| Abus | 1.26% | – | – |
| Giant | 0.80% | – | – |
| IXS | 0.70% | – | – |
| Oakley | 0.66% | – | – |
| Titan Racing | 0.60% | – | – |
| Other | 4.9% | 8.36% | 5.83% |
Specialized maintains its strong top spot with an increase of about 1.5% from the previous year. SCOTT increased its market share slightly to move from fourth in 2020 to second, with Bell dropping from second to fourth. Giro holds onto third place, but lost some market share. Local brand, Leatt, made an impressive move from 10th to sixth, while Bontrager also moved up from 11th to seventh. Abus, Giant, IXS, Oakley and Titan Racing all showed progress from ‘Other’ to the main list in 2021.
What brand of eyewear do you currently ride with?
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Oakley | 39.97% | 37.05% | 45.97% |
| Rudy Project | 14.02% | 15.13% | 22.56% |
| D’Arcs | 8.34% | 8.65% | 5.93% |
| Adidas | 4.98% | 6.03% | 8.90% |
| Ocean | 4.65% | 5.90% | 3.81% |
| 100% | 3.85% | 2.88% | 2.44% |
| UVEX | 3.19% | 4.91% | 3.60% |
| 30 South | 3.10% | – | – |
| Bondi Blu | 2.39% | 2.69% | 1.59% |
| Rockbros | 1.54% | – | – |
| Power Race | 1.00% | – | – |
| Other | 12.97% | 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 ‘Other’ percentage is quite high and includes all kinds of answers, including ‘Prescription glasses’, ‘Safety glasses’, ‘Cheapest I can find’, ‘Don’t know what brand’ etc, etc. Of those that answered, we counted a total of 86 brands, including fashion brands…
Oakley remains dominant and most brands held the same position as the previous year, although 100% moved up a bit and 30 South, Rockbros and Power Race showed a notable presence. We recognised 30 South only because it keeps popping up as an advert on our Instagram feed.
Do you ride/race with an undergarment?
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Only when it’s cold | 57.84% | 55.75% | 51.14% |
| Yes, in all weather | 11.93% | 10.74% | 10.13% |
| No | 30.23% | 33.51% | 38.73% |
Definitely more choosing to ride with an undergarment now…
What brand of jersey do you race with currently?
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Ciovita | 29.87% | 22.29% | 24.94% |
| First Ascent | 11.59% | 14.39% | 10.31% |
| Anatomic | 10.56% | 15.08% | 9.53% |
| Enjoy | 3.69% | 5.67% | 6.76% |
| Fox | 3.59% | 4.48% | 2.77% |
| Specialized | 3.46% | 4.89% | 3.88% |
| Cape Storm | 2.69% | 4.24% | 2.44% |
| Leatt | 2.09% | 0.71% | – |
| F-Tech | 2.03% | 3.59% | 4.32% |
| Assos | 1.96% | 2.56% | 3.77% |
| Panda | 1.83% | 1.88% | 1.77% |
| Castelli | 1.76% | 1.77% | 1.44% |
| Velotex | 1.63% | 2.05% | 1.55% |
| Maxed | 1.36% | 1.57% | 1.11% |
| Van H | 1.23% | 0.47% | – |
| SCOTT | 1.10% | 0.75% | 1.11% |
| Race Pace | 1.10% | 0.41% | – |
| Craft | 1.03% | 1.33% | 1.55% |
| Lassen | 1.03% | 1.23% | 1.22% |
| BioRacer | 0.93% | 1.40% | 1.66% |
| VYE | 0.86% | 0.58% | 1.11% |
| Rapid Sports | 0.76% | 0.44% | – |
| OTR | 0.63% | 0.58% | – |
| RH77 | 0.60% | 0.37% | – |
| Cuore | 0.47% | 0.44% | 1.11% |
| Sportful | 0.40% | 0.75% | 1.11% |
| Other | 11.76% | 5.98% | 16.54% |
Cycling jersey brands are plentiful – over 100 brands were mentioned by respondents to this question! It’s impressive how dominant Ciotiva is here, considering was it only launched six years ago. Ciovita gained more than 7% market share in 12 months as most other brands lost. South African brand Leatt moved up from 19th to eighth, while a few other brands experienced small market-share gains.
Which style of shorts do you prefer?
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Bib-shorts | 60.90% | 59.71% | 65.57% |
| Regular cycling shorts | 15.51% | 16.84% | 17.13% |
| Baggy shorts | 11.66% | 12.32% | 17.30% |
| Baggy shorts over Lycra cycling shorts | 11.93% | 11.14% |
Bib-shorts remain the most popular style, although it’s worth noting that combined, the two baggy shorts preferences tally 23.59%.
What brand of shorts or bib-shorts do you ride with currently?
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Ciovita | 20.20% | 13.97% | 11.19% |
| Assos | 15.25% | 14.53% | 21.09% |
| First Ascent | 14.88% | 16.31% | 14.06% |
| Indola | 5.08% | 5.41% | 2.59% |
| Specialized | 4.55% | 5.51% | 4.81% |
| Anatomic | 4.09% | 6.87% | 4.44% |
| Fox | 3.79% | 4.16% | 4.16% |
| Castelli | 3.32% | 2.74% | 2.68% |
| Cape Storm | 2.72% | 4.79% | 3.79% |
| Enjoy | 1.59% | 1.94% | 2.04% |
| Leatt | 1.59% | 0.69% | – |
| Panda | 1.40% | 0.79% | – |
| Velotex | 1.33% | 1.51% | 0.93% |
| Maxed | 1.30% | 1.85% | 1.39% |
| Craft | 1.23% | 1.78% | 1.76% |
| Endura | 1.16% | 1.65% | 1.30% |
| Pearl Izumi | 1.13% | 1.32% | 2.04% |
| F-Tech | 1.06% | 1.98% | 1.57% |
| Van H | 0.88% | – | – |
| Lassen | 0.76% | 0.56% | – |
| Sportful | 0.73% | 1.25% | 1.57% |
| BioRacer | 0.63% | 1.02% | 1.02% |
| RH77 | 0.63% | 0.59% | – |
| SCOTT | 0.60% | 0.66% | 1.57% |
| Vye | 0.60% | 0.42% | – |
| Giordana | 0.56% | 0.79% | 1.39% |
| Rapid Sport | 0.37% | 0.36% | – |
| Cuore | 0.37% | 0.33% | – |
| OTR | 0.37% | – | – |
| Sisu | 0.37% | – | – |
| Other | 9.07% | 6.11% | 16.18% |
A total of 3010 answered this question naming a total of 111 brands! Admittedly, some were corporate branded bibshorts. It’s a busy segment and ,as with jerseys, South African brand, Ciovita experienced a huge year to move from third in 2020 to a dominant first in 2021. Assos, Leatt, Castelli and Panda all gained a bit of market share, while a few brands moved from the ‘Other’ segment onto our named list.
What brand of socks do you ride with currently?
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Versus | 32.39% | 30.89% | 30.68% |
| Falke | 26.28% | 32.59% | 31.48% |
| Sox | 13.36% | 7.76% | 5.68% |
| Grumpy Monkey | 5.51% | 4.52% | 2.61% |
| Specialized | 2.96% | 2.98% | 3.86% |
| I Love Boobies | 2.52% | 1.77% | 1.25% |
| Cycle Lab | 1.46% | 1.80% | 1.48% |
| CAM | 1.03% | 1.54% | 2.05% |
| Fox | 0.96% | 1.34% | 1.25% |
| Shimano | 0.93% | 1.47% | 1.59% |
| First Ascent | 0.90% | 0.98% | 0.91% |
| Wattz | 0.80% | 1.70% | 1.14% |
| Krank’d | 0.63% | 0.62% | 0.91% |
| Assos | 0.60% | 0.75% | 2.27% |
| Finch | 0.56% | 0.79% | 0.68% |
| DeFeet | 0.53% | 0.49% | 0.91% |
| Other | 8.04% | 7.83% | 8.64% |
Well, after two years in a close second, Versus moved into a fairly solid lead in 2021, pushing Falke down to second. Sox made the biggest improvement, almost doubling its market share from 2020, while Grumpy Monkey and I Love Boobies also moved up a little.
What brand of shoe do you wear currently?
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Specialized | 24.98% | 23.25% | 26.41% |
| Shimano | 13.32% | 13.06% | 15.88% |
| SCOTT | 10.00% | 8.74% | 7.80% |
| Giro | 7.57% | 8.47% | 9.07% |
| SIDI | 5.55% | 5.12% | 7.80% |
| Bontrager | 4.95% | 4.99% | 3.81% |
| Louis Garneau | 4.29% | 6.06% | 7.44% |
| First Ascent | 3.79% | 4.72% | 2.90% |
| Fizik | 2.43% | 2.34% | 1.18% |
| Ryder | 2.33% | 2.81% | 2.27% |
| Olympic | 2.23% | 3.88% | 2.90% |
| 5Ten | 2.03% | 2.54% | 1.72% |
| Leatt | 1.93% | 0.73% | – |
| Cape Storm | 1.59% | 2.07% | 1.45% |
| Lake | 1.40% | 1.45% | 1.45% |
| Maxed | 1.16% | 1.37% | 0.91% |
| Adidas | 1.00% | 1.70% | 0.36% |
| Gaerne | 1.00% | 0.43% | – |
| Ride Concept | 0.96% | 0.46% | – |
| FLR | 0.73% | 0.63% | 0.45% |
| Mavic | 0.37% | 0.94% | 1.09% |
| Catlike | 0.37% | 0.60% | 0.82% |
| KTM | 0.30% | 0.50% | – |
| Diadora | 0.27% | 0.50% | 0.45% |
| DMT | 0.27% | 0.33% | – |
| Other | 5.22% | 2.54% | 3.84% |
A total of 3010 responded to this question, listing 49 shoe brands! We included all brands that were named by at least 10 respondents. Specialized remains a dominant brand at the top, growing its market share slightly over the past year, with Shimano holding firm at second. SCOTT retained third place, but increased its market share to 10%. As it has done in other categories, Leatt enjoyed a significant move from 18th to 13th.
Do you ride with gloves?
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Yes | 87.24% | 88.18% | 93.33% |
| Mostly | 8.67% | 7.96% | 3.97% |
| No | 4.09% | 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. Interesting to see a slight drop in the ‘Yes’ box.
What brand of gloves do you wear currently?
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Specialized | 18.04% | 18.07% | 20.51% |
| Fox | 13.19% | 13.82% | 14.30% |
| Giro | 12.89% | 14.06% | 10.65% |
| First Ascent | 6.91% | 8.51% | 5.33% |
| Louis Garneau | 6.84% | 8.20% | 6.61% |
| Leatt | 5.22% | 3.09% | 2.86% |
| SCOTT | 4.39% | 5.89% | 7.30% |
| Giant | 3.19% | 4.73% | 3.45% |
| Ryder | 3.09% | 3.67% | 1.68% |
| Lizzard | 2.56% | 2.43% | 1.48% |
| Bontrager | 2.39% | 2.65% | 2.47% |
| 100% | 2.16% | 1.02% | 1.08% |
| Cyclo-Gel | 1.93% | 0.44% | – |
| Maxed | 1.50% | 0.47% | – |
| Cape Storm | 1.26% | 3.09% | 0.99% |
| KTM | 1.06% | 1.63% | 2.56% |
| Titan Racing | 1.00% | 0.64% | – |
| Ciovita | 0.66% | – | – |
| Pearl Izumi | 0.60% | 0.37% | – |
| Grippa | 0.56% | 0.88% | 0.89% |
| Northwave | 0.56% | 0.47% | – |
| Troy Lee Designs | 0.33% | 0.37% | – |
| Other | 9.67% | 5.48% | 9.16% |
Not everyone wears gloves, but 3010 responded to this question, naming a total of 90 glove brands! Specialized retains a firm lead, with notable increases from Leatt and 100% and Ciovita arriving after having entered this segment in the past 12 months. We have listed all brands that got at least 10 mentions.
Did you miss the first three parts of the reveals to the 2021 South African Mountain Biking Survey, presented by Garmin? Well, here are the links:
Part 1: 2021 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
