Must-haves for mountain bikers: 9 ultimate items under 20 euros that every biker should have
Stefan Frey
· 04.12.2025
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Bikes that easily break the ten thousand euro barrier, gear groups for a month's salary or tyres that feel like they cost one euro per stud. Mountain biking is an expensive pleasure. Especially when you start out in the sport and have to finance all of your equipment.
So it's all the more pleasing that there are plenty of inexpensive gadgets that make everyday bike life easier and are available for just a few euros. We have put together 9 items that every biker really should have and that cost just between one and 20 euros. Here are our absolute must-haves:
1. reusable cable ties
These things have saved me on many a tour. You can use them to replace torn laces or to fix rattling outer covers. Use them to attach mudfenders, make an improvised centring stand or tie up your spare inner tube. Reusable cable ties are the environmentally friendly alternative to absolute workshop classics. They are available in all possible lengths, widths and thicknesses - depending on your requirements. Price: approx. 6,99 Euro (100 pieces) >> available here
2. tension sleeves
Frayed gear cable ends not only look rubbish, they also send a clear message: you're not looking after your bike properly! And in the end, the sharp metal wires will also prick your fingers when you screw them on. So put a cable end cap on it and tighten it with a pair of flat-nose pliers - and your bike will look much tidier. For stylers, the small caps are also available in a matching colour, e.g. from Jagwire. A little tip on the side: frayed cables can easily be twisted back together with a cable tie. Price: 1.20 euros (10 pieces)
3. presta valve core - valve core
This little item belongs in every rucksack, hip bag, trouser pocket - or whatever. It's not uncommon for the small screw caps to kink when inflating and you can no longer get the air into the tube. Or the tubeless milk clogs the valve inserts - the result is the same. Many minitools have a valve core spanner that allows you to easily unscrew and replace the inserts on tour. Price: 1,00 Euro
4. chain gauge
The chain and sprocket set are among the most important wearing parts on a bike. However, it is difficult to recognise with the naked eye when the drive parts have done their job. Worn or not? The chain gauge provides information. If both pins fall between the chain links, a replacement is needed. It could hardly be simpler or more effective. This inexpensive tool definitely belongs on every tool wall.
Park Tool CC-3.2 Chain Checker - Price: 13,99 Euro >> available here
5. chain lock
Who can remember the days when you were on the verge of a nervous breakdown if your chain broke on the trail? If you didn't have a spare rivet pin with you, you had to open the chain with the precision of a watchmaker and make sure you didn't lose the pin in the terrain - otherwise you'd have to walk home. And if you didn't press the rivet pin back in ultra-precisely, the chain would break again on the next climb. Fortunately, those days are over. Today, you simply remove the defective chain link and lock the chain with a chain lock - which you always have with you in your tool set, of course! Attention: You need the right lock for your chain! Price: approx. 2 to 5 euros (depending on manufacturer) >> available here.
6. mud guard
Do you feel the same way? It's hard to imagine a bike without the mini mudguards these days. And certainly not the dirt-speckled bikers who always looked like they had a face full of mud freckles. Mud guards weigh very little, cost just a few euros and look cool too. They are available for direct mounting on the fork or for attachment with cable ties (reusable, of course), in long, short, front or rear versions. And if you're lucky, you can even get them for free with the packaging of your bike tyres or mudguards! Price: 9,99 Euro >> available here.
7. foam sleeves for internally routed cables
As stylish as mountain bikes with internally routed cables look: If the manufacturers save on proper cable ducts or well thought-out cable routing, you'll be rumbling through the terrain with the purest rattletrap. This not only annoys your bike buddies, but definitely also yourself. What can help are foam hoses that you thread over the outer sleeves of the shift and brake cables. Simple, inexpensive and effective - you can finally ensure peace and quiet on the descent.
Capgo OL "Noise Protection" for circuit - Price: 8,99 Euro >> available here
8. hook and pick set
Your dentist uses such hooks and picks to pick the parsley out of the spaces between your teeth. But these little tools can also be used for all sorts of useful things on a bike. Pluck dirt out of hard-to-reach corners, fish cables out of the frame or remove seals and O-rings. We can think of countless other jobs, but you are welcome to get creative and come up with your own uses for your hook and pick set.
Katana HPS-1 Hook & Pick Set 5-piece - Price: 17,99 Euro
9. first aid kit
We bikers like to carry all sorts of things with us on the trails, but most of us probably forget about them: A first aid kit. Small and, unfortunately, larger scratches are the order of the day when biking. With a first aid kit, you have everything you need to treat wounds on the spot and, in the worst case scenario, to prevent inflammation or blood poisoning. So, clean wounds immediately, remove visible dirt and cover with plasters or bandages. Please note: Most kits do not include tick tweezers. You should definitely add these for little money.
Decathlon first aid kit 500 UL 47-piece - Price: 19,99 Euro >> available here
Stefan Frey
Editor
