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The Consummate Athlete Gear Guide
This page has links and descriptions of our favorite gear for endurance athletes. You will find equipment, tools, clothing and nutrition/fuel below!
Heart Rate Strap
- Polar H10 Heart Rate Monitor Strap this is bluetooth and ant+ and waterproof. It has the best accuracy, which is important if using for HRV or more precise measurement
- This inexpensive Coospo brand heart rate strap off of Amazon has tested very well for low cost over a year of use
- The Wahoo Tickr Heart Rate Strap is also commonly used
Power Meters + Smart Trainers
- SRAM Quarq is our recommended Power Meter due to the balance of quality and price (check with your local bike shop to figure out the model that will work with your bike!)
- The Garmin SPD Rally dual sided pedals are a flexible option that makes power more affordable with good accuracy
- For indoor training, we like the Wahoo Kickr Core—it’s a great value, long-lasting and easy to use with any indoor training platform (i.e Zwift) or their app.
- Single-sided power meters (e.g. Stages’ left side only) are not generally recommended but are OK if you have already own one.
- Shopping around? We recommend using DC Rainmaker for reviews and updates on power meters (especially if not one of the above units).
Cycling Computers/GPS Watches
- Garmin 540 Edge – We love the touch screen and ease of use of the Garmin Edge computers. They’re essentially the industry standard at this point, and very durable. And the setup and connection to your bike and HR strap is bizarrely fast.
- On a budget? The Lezyne Macro GPS cycling computer is a good mid-range options. (The Lezyne takes some getting used to with the accompanying app, but does work quite well once you get the hang of it!)
- Garmin Forerunner 955 – If you need mapping on your run watch for trails or road navigation, this watch is great. Long lasting battery, relatively easy to operate, and reliably solid GPS.
- Coros Pace 2 – Cheaper than the Garmin, the Pace 2 does everything other than map. Its battery life is unparalleled: It made it through Molly’s 100-miler and finished with 30 percent charge left after 24 hours in the woods!
- The Garmin Forerunner 55 – The cheapest of the run watches we’d recommend, the Forerunner 55 is a good budget watch with great battery life and decent GPS.
- On a really tight budget? Strava’s app is free and actually pretty reliable for recording runs and rides! You can also use your cycling computer to record runs if you tuck it into a pocket, or use the Garmin watches to record rides.
Nutrition and Fuel
- Whey Protein- Anything by Gnarly Nutrition is great both in terms of flavor/nutrition, especially their chocolate whey protein, but also because they have an NSF Certified for Sport rating
- Tailwind Nutrition – all-in-one endurance fuel – this is our favorite sugar powder because it seems well tolerated by a range of athletes and it’s easy to fit 800+ calories into a 1.5-liter bladder
- Stroopwaffles are a favorite with many grocery stores now offering stacks of ~6 waffles
- UnTapped Maple Syrup Athletic Fuel – this is a favorite for training to offset bars or other gels. We really like the slim ‘stick’ style.
- Maple syrup in a gel flask — On a budget? Buy syrup in bulk, add a splash of water and a sprinkle of salt and enjoy! (We recommend this soft gel flask.)
- GU Energy Labs – Favorite Gels – A big range of flavors including no-flavor and savory flavors (Peter loves the Hoppy Trails)
- Osprey Dyna Pack – This pack is what Molly prefers for running. Cyclists who like trail running may prefer this style compared to running vests that have bottles in the front, since this one is a standard hydration pack (so you can use your bladder for the bike and the run!)
- Camelbak Chase Vest – We love this vest for mountain biking. It fits great and holds a ton of stuff!
- For our favorite kitchen gadgets for making regular meals easy and healthy, check out this post.
Cycling Kit
- Velocio – For women’s basics (especially the Luxe bib shorts!), it’s hard to beat Velocio, and they have options in a wide range of prices now. The ultra-light long sleeve jerseys are Molly’s personal favorites to wear year-round, and the Luxe Bib Tights without lining are the best tights for riding in shoulder season. But if you buy one thing, make it the Luxe bib shorts (which make peeing mid-ride SO easy!).
- Bontrager – Their new shorts are superb (2023) and in general, they have a great range of well-made gear. (This is the bulk of what Peter wears in terms of jerseys and shorts).
- Pearl Izumi – We love pretty much any jacket or accessory (gloves, arm-warmers, leg-warmers and caps), and also their pants/shorts for MTB.
- GoreWear – For jackers and gloves, GOREwear is incredible. The Phantom Jacket is incredibly versatile, since it lets you zip the sleeves off.
- Jakroo – You can shop the CONSUMMATE ATHLETE collection on Jakroo here if you’re looking for some new kit!
Cycling Tools
- Tire Pressure Gauge – We like the Topeak Smart Gauge – it is simple and not so small you lose it or can’t read it!
- Floor Pump – AerGun x-1000 (Amazon) this is a cheapy pump but we have 4 of them and none have broken (we can’t say the same for high priced brand names)
- Multi-Tool with Chain Breaker – Crankbrothers M19 Multi-tool – this is a classic tool and gives you most functions you will need on the trail or while traveling
Running Gear
- RNNR hats: Obsessed with RNNR hats since they come in a million colors, including a black-on-black-on-black that actually has black high vis! Fantastic.
- Tracksmith Session Shorts: These shorts have been my go-to for a couple of years now. Great fit, really lightweight and breathable, and very comfortable.
- …But even the best shorts can lead to a bit of chafing, so anytime I wear shorts, I use Body Glide’s Anti-Chafe Stick. It’s a gamechanger when it comes to comfort.
- Lululemon Align Tights 7/8 length: Can’t beat these tights for comfort—if you want tights that will stay up but won’t be too compressive, these are for you.
- Arc’teryx Taema Crew Neck Long Sleeve: I love how lightweight this long sleeve is, since I try to wear longsleeve all year to avoid too much sun exposure.
- Avia Socks: Shockingly good quality for cheap socks ($20 for 10!), I basically buy a pack every couple years and have zero blister issues.
Our Books
Books By Molly + Peter:
Books By Molly:
Bikes
- Peter is racing a Trek Domane set up for gravel racing + riding, a Trek Top Fuel for training and a Trek Supercaliber SLR 9.8 XT Gen 2 for racing
- Molly is riding a Liv Embolden 27.5” dual suspension MTB and a Trek Crockett CX bike
Want More Recommendations?
Check out our Gear posts for our latest favorite tools for training, racing, and healthy eating.
