What To Wear Gravel Riding – keep it simpElle

Gravel riding has become a super popular and exciting way to explore the great outdoors recently, which seems to also come with its own style when it comes to what to wear. Well, to me anyway!

When it comes to what to wear gravel riding, the road cyclists will tell you to wear your road kit and the mountain bikers will tell you to wear your mountain biking kit. So what’s the happy medium when it comes to looking good on the trails?!

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or new to the trails though, the most important thing is to have the right gear to ensure you’re comfortable to focus on enjoying your ride.

In this post, I’m sharing some of the key clothing and footwear considerations for gravel riding, in my opinion, including tips on layering, fit, and protection. I’ve also shared some of my favourite tried and tested items available, so you can hit the gravel (on wheels, lol) with confidence and style.

Ideas For What To Wear Gravel Riding

Helmet, Cap & Sunglasses

I personally use the same helmet and cycling cap I do for road cycling. A cycling cap provides protection from the sun and also protects my hair (natural hair, IYKYK).

As for sunglasses, sometimes I use the regular ‘cycling shaped’ sunglasses, and sometimes I go for something more casual as pictured above. The most important thing is that the lenses suit the conditions. Just recently, I took very dark sunglasses out on a very rainy day so was unable to wear them for my ride.

Cycling Gloves

I always choose to ride with gloves as they provide extra grip on the handlebars especially in hot weather. I use fingerless gloves in milder weather and thicker gloves as the weather starts to change.

Storage & Water

For gravel rides, I’ve either used on-bike bags for storage and water or a waist pack for shorter rides. When I used my cyclocross bike, I didn’t have bottle cages so the waist pack was useful to hold a small water bottle.

On bike storage bags could include full frame / half frame bags, handlebar bags, top bar bags, saddle bags or more. If you’re thinking about adventuring further with some bike-packing, check out my kit recommendations.

On my gravel specific bike, I now have one water bottle cage, a handlebar bag and a small saddle pack with some tools in. A cycling jersey can add more storage space as they typically have pockets on the back.

Bib Shorts For Your Gravel Ride

Since gravel riding has become more popular, more brands have brought out their own versions of ‘cargo bib shorts’ which feature pockets for added places to stash things for your ride. Some bib shorts come with an almost built in base layer and an extra pocket on the lower back, suitable for wearing a tee (see below).

I recently added the Le Col ARC Cargo Bib Shorts to my gravel collection which were super comfortable on my first ride wearing them. The bibs are part of a wider collection from Le Col –  the ARC Collection which has been designed for rides unbound by time or terrain.

T-shirt \ Jersey & Jacket

I typically choose what to wear on the top half of my body depending on how casual the ride or event is. I love the more laid back look of an oversized cotton t-shirt over a base layer (for the sweat wicking properties).

For more formal events, I’ll go all out with a jersey though. I’ve added a couple of new jerseys to my collection recently including a merino wool jersey from the Le Col ARC collection.

Merino wool is a great fabric for cycling especially in varying weather conditions. It’s a natural fabric that can keep you cool when it’s hot and keep you warm when it’s cold, making it super versatile and comfortable. I’ve also got a merino wool t-shirt from the same collection which works even better than a cotton t-shirt.

Now, I’m not one for cycling in wet or rainy conditions but sometimes it can’t be helped especially with the particularly changeable British weather. I do think this makes me a good judge when it comes to rain jackets as if a jacket is good enough to get me riding in the rain, it’s virtually a miracle.

So, the stand out piece in the Le Col collection for me is the ARC Lightweight Rain Jacket which saw me through two very wet days riding in the Bristol rain. The hood fits beautifully over your helmet, which was a game-changer as it kept my hair and upper body dry.

A light, waterproof jacket that folds up to fit in a pocket or handlebar bag is a bonus too and useful to have with you on your gravel rides.

Gravel Riding Footwear & Socks

In my mind, gravel riding is cycling, what trail running is to running – a more casual, laid back affair – and while adidas make great womens trail running shoes, they also make my favourite cycling shoes for gravel riding.

My adidas Velosamba cycling shoes are my goto in the height of Summer – when it’s hot and dry – because having them in white means I try not to get them irreversibly dirty.

In wetter or muddier conditions, I use the same cycling shoes as I do for cyclocross racing so I don’t have to worry about getting them dirty.

Socks are simple; match my outfit!

Any Bike Can Be A Gravel Bike?

Until recently, I used my Liv Brava cyclocross bike for all my gravel adventures, because any bike can be a gravel bike. My Brava has even flown out to Finland for FNLD GRVL with me back in July 2023.

I feel like you can even use a road bike if you have enough clearance for slightly wider \ knobblier tyres. The handling will be a bit more challenging but it could be a great way to start gravel cycling and see if it’s something you might carry on doing before investing in a gravel specific bike.

I now ride a Liv Devote Advanced 0 (2024) which is an epic womens gravel cycling bike.

What To Pack: Essential Items For A Successful Gravel Ride

Whether you plan on flying off for a gravel event, going on a multi-way bike-packing trip on gravel, or just out for a social ride, here is more content to help you decide what to take with you:

Incase I haven’t mentioned it in any of the above posts, just make sure you pack plenty of snacks so you can enjoy your gravel ride and take the time to look up!

What do you choose to wear when gravel cycling?

Elle