Downhill Mountain Bike Gear and Accessories

Almost as much fun as going on a downhill mountain bike ride is buying all the necessary gear to make that ride fun and safe! Downhill mountain biking is a gear-heavy sport, requiring athletes to purchase everything from the necessary helmet to the uneccesarry $200 sunglasses (who says a $10 drugstore pair isn't good enough?) Downhill mountain biking gear, while it may look cool, is designed to protect the rider from scrapes, cuts, and other abrasions that may happen while despending a mountain. While downhill mountain bike gear does not protect against larger injuries - namely, broken bones and damaged internal organs - it does provide an initial protective layer between the mountain biker and the rough rock or stick-strewn ground they are walking on. It is foolish to take a motorcycle out without wearing proper protective gear, and downright stupid to not wear a seatbelt while driving a car - why, then, would a downhill mountain biker venture forth without doning the essential protective gear?