In the final of our four-part reveal of the results of the 2022 South African Mountain Biking Survey, presented by Garmin, we examine gear choices. A total of 3000 took our 61-question survey in December 2022. 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?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Specialized | 18.84% | 19.44% | 17.98% |
| SCOTT | 12.00% | 11.89% | 10.81% |
| Giro | 11.53% | 11.36% | 12.18% |
| Bell | 9.03% | 10.80% | 13.30% |
| Leatt | 6.19% | 4.58% | 2.65% |
| Rudy Project | 5.85% | 7.67% | 8.78% |
| Bontrager | 4.55% | 4.45% | 3.57% |
| Fox | 4.38% | 4.22% | 4.39% |
| UVEX | 3.15% | 3.09% | 3.77% |
| First Ascent | 2.77% | 3.22% | 3.47% |
| POC | 2.67% | 2.79% | 1.70% |
| Kask | 2.56% | 2.39% | 2.33% |
| Abus | 1.95% | 1.26% | – |
| MET | 1.74% | 1.46% | 2.39% |
| Lazer | 1.68% | 2.16% | 1.93% |
| Catlike | 1.20% | 1.56% | 2.39% |
| Oakley | 1.03% | 0.66% | – |
| Titan Racing | 1.03% | 0.60% | – |
| Giant | 0.96% | 0.80% | – |
| IXS | 0.85% | 0.70% | – |
| Other | 6.05% | 4.90% | 8.36% |
Although slightly down on the previous year, Specialized holds the top spot with SCOTT and Giro unchanged in a close contest for second. South African brand, Leatt continues its growth in popularity.
What brand of eyewear do you currently ride with?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Oakley | 42.95% | 39.97% | 37.05% |
| Rudy Project | 11.49% | 14.02% | 15.13% |
| D’Arcs | 8.52% | 8.34% | 8.65% |
| Ocean | 4.00% | 4.65% | 5.90% |
| Adidas | 3.80% | 4.98% | 6.03% |
| Rockbros | 3.73% | 1.54% | – |
| 100% | 3.66% | 3.85% | 2.88% |
| UVEX | 3.11% | 3.19% | 4.91% |
| 30 South | 2.50% | 3.10% | – |
| Bondi Blu | 1.88% | 2.39% | 2.69% |
| Other | 14.36% | 12.97% | 16.76% |
Not everyone wears eyewear and some that do, don’t wear sport-specific eyewear. Although there were some new brands mentioned under ‘Other’, there weren’t enough mentions to move into this top-10 list. As usual 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. A total of 90 brands were mentioned, including some fashion brands. Oakley increased its dominance over the previous year, while Rudy Project continued to lose market share, with D’Arcs maintaining its sold third spot.
Do you ride/race with an undergarment?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Only when it’s cold | 54.14% | 57.84% | 55.75% |
| Yes, in all weather | 14.57% | 11.93% | 10.74% |
| No | 31.23% | 30.23% | 33.51% |
Definitely more choosing to ride with an undergarment in all weather.
What brand of jersey do you race with currently?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Ciovita | 35.98% | 29.87% | 22.29% |
| First Ascent | 10.70% | 11.59% | 14.39% |
| Anatomic | 8.04% | 10.56% | 15.08% |
| Fox | 4.34% | 3.59% | 4.48% |
| Enjoy | 3.86% | 3.69% | 5.67% |
| Specialized | 3.08%s | 3.46% | 4.89% |
| Leatt | 2.74% | 2.09% | 0.71% |
| Van H | 2.02% | 1.23% | 0.47% |
| Assos | 1.92% | 1.96% | 2.56% |
| Panda | 1.87% | 1.83% | 1.88% |
| Cape Storm | 1.81% | 2.69% | 4.24% |
| F-Tech | 1.56% | 2.03% | 3.59% |
| Castelli | 1.40% | 1.76% | 1.77% |
| Race Pace | 1.27% | 1.10% | 0.41% |
| Velotex | 1.23% | 1.63% | 2.05% |
| OTR | 1.20% | 0.63% | 0.58% |
| Lassen | 0.99% | 1.03% | 1.23% |
| Maxed | 0.96% | 1.36% | 1.57% |
| VYE | 0.85% | 0.86% | 0.58% |
| Kalas | 0.79% | – | – |
| SCOTT | 0.75% | 1.10% | 0.75% |
| Rapid Sports | 0.65% | 0.76% | 0.44% |
| Other | 12.49% | 11.76% | 5.98% |
This is a very competitive segment as more than 100 jersey brands were mentioned in the responses! Ciovita continues its remarkable dominance, impressive for a brand launched just seven years ago. First Ascent and Anatomic maintained their second and third spots, but both lost market share over the previous year.
Which style of shorts do you prefer?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Bib-shorts | 62.79% | 60.90% | 59.71% |
| Regular cycling shorts | 14.88% | 15.51% | 16.84% |
| Baggy shorts with own padded liner | 11.35% | 11.66% | 12.32% |
| Baggy shorts over Lycra cycling shorts | 10.98% | 11.93% | 11.14% |
Bib-shorts remain the most popular style, although it’s worth noting that combined, the two baggy shorts preferences total 22.33%
What brand of shorts or bib-shorts do you ride with currently?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Ciovita | 27.39% | 20.20% | 13.97% |
| Assos | 14.16% | 15.25% | 14.53% |
| First Ascent | 12.76% | 14.88% | 16.31% |
| Indola | 4.27% | 5.08% | 5.41% |
| Fox | 4.14% | 3.79% | 4.16% |
| Specialized | 3.90% | 4.55% | 5.51% |
| Castelli | 3.18% | 3.32% | 2.74% |
| Anatomic | 2.98% | 4.09% | 6.87% |
| Cape Storm | 1.95% | 2.72% | 4.79% |
| Maxed | 1.78% | 1.30% | 1.85% |
| Leatt | 1.64% | 1.59% | 0.69% |
| Enjoy | 1.61% | 1.59% | 1.94% |
| Panda | 1.16% | 1.40% | 0.79% |
| Velotex | 1.09% | 1.33% | 1.51% |
| Van H | 1.09% | 0.88% | – |
| F-Tech | 0.96% | 1.06% | 1.98% |
| Giordana | 0.96% | 0.56% | 0.79% |
| Endura | 0.89% | 1.16% | 1.65% |
| Pearl Izumi | 0.85% | 1.13% | 1.32% |
| Lassen | 0.72% | 0.76% | 0.56% |
| Craft | 0.65% | 1.23% | 1.78% |
| Kalas | 0.58% | – | – |
| Vye | 0.58% | 0.60% | 0.42% |
| OTR | 0.51% | 0.37% | – |
| Other | 10.2% | 9.07% | 6.11% |
As with jerseys, shorts is a very crowded category – a total of 113 brands were mentioned by respondents. An amazing increase in popularity by Ciovita, which has basically doubled its market share in 24 months. Assos holds its second spot with First Ascent still in third, but losing some of its market share compared to the previous two years.
What brand of socks do you ride with currently?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Versus | 33.96% | 32.39% | 30.89% |
| Falke | 20.21% | 26.28% | 32.59% |
| Sox Footwear | 19.15% | 13.36% | 7.76% |
| Grumpy Monkey | 3.90% | 5.51% | 4.52% |
| I Love Boobies | 2.77% | 2.52% | 1.77% |
| Specialized | 2.26% | 2.96% | 2.98% |
| Cycle Lab | 1.95% | 1.46% | 1.80% |
| First Ascent | 1.37% | 0.90% | 0.98% |
| Ciovita | 1.33% | – | – |
| Fox | 0.92% | 0.96% | 1.34% |
| Shimano | 0.92% | 0.93% | 1.47% |
| Wattz | 0.75% | 0.80% | 1.70% |
| Krank’d | 0.72% | 0.63% | 0.62% |
| CAM | 0.68% | 1.03% | 1.54% |
| Finch | 0.51% | 0.56% | 0.79% |
| DeFeet | 0.44% | 0.53% | 0.49% |
| Other | 8.16% | 8.04% | 7.83% |
Versus took a firmer grasp on the top spot with a slight increase in market share over the previous year. Falke held onto its second place, but dropped six percent, while Sox Footwear maintained its third spot, but increased its market share by almost six percent.
What brand of shoe do you wear currently?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Specialized | 24.08% | 24.98% | 23.25% |
| Shimano | 12.48% | 13.32% | 13.06% |
| SCOTT | 11.63% | 10.00% | 8.74% |
| Giro | 6.40% | 7.57% | 8.47% |
| Bontrager | 5.78% | 4.95% | 4.99% |
| SIDI | 4.51% | 5.55% | 5.12% |
| First Ascent | 4.45% | 3.79% | 4.72% |
| Louis Garneau | 3.45% | 4.29% | 6.06% |
| Leatt | 3.37% | 1.93% | 0.73% |
| Fizik | 2.80% | 2.43% | 2.34% |
| Ryder | 2.15% | 2.33% | 2.81% |
| Olympic | 2.09% | 2.23% | 3.88% |
| 5Ten | 1.68% | 2.03% | 2.54% |
| Lake | 1.50% | 1.40% | 1.45% |
| Gaerne | 1.27% | 1.00% | 0.43% |
| Ride Concept | 1.16% | 0.96% | 0.46% |
| Maxed | 0.96% | 1.16% | 1.37% |
| Cape Storm | 0.92% | 1.59% | 2.07% |
| FLR | 0.65% | 0.73% | 0.63% |
| Adidas | 0.58% | 1.00% | 1.70% |
| Mavic | 0.51% | 0.37% | 0.94% |
| DMT | 0.44% | 0.27% | 0.33% |
| KTM | 0.38% | 0.30% | 0.50% |
| Catlike | 0.24% | 0.37% | 0.60% |
| Diadora | 0.21% | 0.27% | 0.50% |
| Other | 5.95% | 5.22% | 2.54% |
Who knew there were so many cycling shoe brands? We counted 53 that were mentioned by respondents. Specialized remains the most popular shoe brand, losing a tiny bit over the previous 12 months. Shimano held onto second spot, while SCOTT continued its rise and is now a very close third. Bontrager, First Ascent and Leatt enjoyed notable increases over the previous 12 months.
Do you ride with gloves?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Yes | 85.26% | 87.24% | 88.18% |
| Mostly | 9.47% | 8.67% | 7.96% |
| No | 5.27% | 4.09% | 3.87% |
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 further drop in the ‘Yes’ box.
What brand of gloves do you wear currently?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Specialized | 17.99% | 18.04% | 18.07% |
| Fox | 13.99% | 13.19% | 13.82% |
| Giro | 11.01% | 12.89% | 14.06% |
| First Ascent | 7.42% | 6.91% | 8.51% |
| Louis Garneau | 6.67% | 6.84% | 8.20% |
| Leatt | 6.29% | 5.22% | 3.09% |
| SCOTT | 4.82% | 4.39% | 5.89% |
| Ryder | 3.35% | 3.09% | 3.67% |
| 100% | 3.32% | 2.16% | 1.02% |
| Ciovita | 3.25% | 0.66% | – |
| Giant | 2.60% | 3.19% | 4.73% |
| Bontrager | 2.22% | 2.39% | 2.65% |
| Cyclo-Gel | 2.19% | 1.93% | 0.44% |
| Lizzard | 2.05% | 2.56% | 2.43% |
| Cape Storm | 1.20% | 1.26% | 3.09% |
| Maxed | 1.20% | 1.50% | 0.47% |
| Other | 10.43% | 9.67% | 5.48% |
Specialized retains a firm grip on the glove brand popularity, while Fox maintains its second spot with a slight increase. Giro slips a bit in terms of percentage but retains its strong third place.
Did you miss the first three parts of the reveals to the 2022 South African Mountain Biking Survey, presented by Garmin? Well, here are the links:
Part 1: 2022 SA MOUNTAIN BIKING SURVEY: THE RESULTS!
Part 2: SOUTH AFRICA’S TOP MTB, GRAVEL AND EBIKE BRANDS
Part 3: PERFORMANCE DEVICES FAVOURED BY SA MOUNTAIN BIKERS
