2018 Holiday Gift Guide… with Discounts!!
It’s that time of year… time for everyone to put out their holiday gift guide, since everyone and their brother are trying to come up with ideas for that tough-to-shop-for relative that you only talk to once a year. With that said, we’re going to take it up a notch: not only will we recommend our favorite things below, but we’ll also hook you up with a few discounts to make those “favorite things” cheaper. And no, these aren’t affiliate links: we don’t make a dime if you buy anything from this list!
Northwest Tech Mountain Bike Shorts
If you’ve been on a Chasing Epic trip in the last year, you likely saw one of the trip leaders wearing these shorts. And with good reason: these shorts are BY FAR our favorites. They’re durable, comfortable, well-fitting, and pretty damn nice looking. Northwest Tech makes each pair custom to your design, which you put together using their slick web interface. Pro tip: unless you’re looking to cover up downhill pads, don’t bother with the longer short option. We have the “standard” length and it’s perfect: just past the knees, but not too long.
Chasing Epic Special Discount: $50 off any pair using code Chasing-Epic50
Compel Wear Trail Jersey
Compel is a tiny company located just down the road in Denver, and ever since we started working with them, we’ve been impressed with their MTB trail jerseys. They’re well made, durable, and pretty sweet looking too! We’ve designed several custom jerseys for our private trips, and everyone is super stoked on them! The shot above is their “Colorado Flag” jersey, and it’s probably our favorite. If you want to support a smaller company and score an affordable, sweet jersey, take a look at their site for all available options.
Chasing Epic Special Discount: Use code “CE20” to score 20% off your entire online order. (we’re not sure if this applies to closeout deals!)
PNW Components Bachelor Dropper Post
Here’s all you need to know about what we think of PNW’s dropper posts… each year when we get our Ibis demo bikes, we immediately box up and sell the Fox and KS droppers that come stock. And we replace those with brand new PNW Bachelor droppers. We ran 10 on our bikes this past season, and know how many we had to send back for warranty? None. I wish we could say the same about Fox and KS in past years (you don’t want to know how many we’ve had to deal with). The Bachelor now comes in a 175mm option, so for anyone who has an enduro bike that can fit the length, go for it. Pro tip: Pay extra for the Loam Lever- it’s the best dropper lever we’ve ever used.
Chasing Epic Special Discount: Use code “CHASINGEPIC” for 20% off your full online order. That’s a hell of a deal for an already low-priced dropper post!
Industry Nine Matchstix
It’s pretty cool to see all of the bike companies innovate with tool storage, and making on-the-bike components more efficient. I-9 is continuously pushing the envelope with what’s possible, and the Matchstix multi-tool is something to take a look at. We personally use them on our trip leaders’ bikes so we have quick access to tools, and it’s never failed us. Take a look at what’s included:
Bits: Seven stainless steel bits included 6mm, 5mm, 4mm, 3mm, 2.5mm, 2mm and T25. You can carry 4 in the bit tube and the 5mm is integrated into the handle.
Chain Break: Integrated into the handle
Spoke Tool: Standard 2.32mm
Chain Link: Will carry all 9-10-11 speed (but not Eagle 12-spd)
Valve Core Remover included
Chasing Epic Special Discount: Unfortunately nothing. I-9 stuff is never on sale, and we’re not happy about it. But, we totally think it’s worth the price tag to have peace of mind during a long ride!
Voile Ski Straps
Yeah, a ski strap… how exciting. That said, these small (and cheap) straps are invaluable on the trail; you’ll see in the video above from a recent Crested Butte trip that we needed one to fix a broker dropper lever 30 seconds into a ride. Sure, we also carry zip ties- but these ski straps are more flexible, grippy, and adjustable. I personally don’t think “the fix” would have held with a zip tie, either. And hell, they’re only $5 each so maybe Santa will put a few in your stocking this Christmas.
