Our Favorite Mountain Bike Things! Parts, Accessories & Essentials [Video]

We all have our favorite things when it comes to mountain biking - Jared and Jeff are no different. From Fox forks to Crankbrothers shoes, Garmin watches and everything in between, tune in for our favorite things we're riding with.

Jared's Favorite Products

Fox 36 160mm Grip X

The new Grip X damper from Fox is changing the game when it comes to all mountain versatility. Now you don't have to decide whether you want the best downhill performance or the ability to crush miles with a lockout knob - the Grip X does both and takes care of that decision for you. This damper is found in the new 34 and 36 forks and features both high speed and low speed compression and rebound adjustments, plus with the ability to crank that compression knob closed so you can firm up the fork for longer periods of smooth road pedaling or fire road climbs. 

Crankbrothers Mallet BOA shoes

Crankbrothers burst onto the shoe scene a few years ago with their Mallet shoes that pair perfectly with their line of pedals and offer all day comfort. More recently they just released their Mallet Trail shoes that pair very well with their Mallet Trail pedals, however the regular old Mallet BOA shoes have been my favorite all around mountain biking shoes I've ever used. While the new Mallet Trail shoes check a lot of boxes in a riding shoe for me and I do prefer using them with my Mallet Trail pedals, the regular Mallet shoes have a bit more flex to the sole and have a bit more pedal feel which I do enjoy.

Magura MT7 Brakes

I've been using SRAM brakes for the last 5 years or so, so when I kept hearing tons of good things about Magura brakes and how great they were, I had to see what all the fuss was about. I slapped these MT7s on my Production Privee and then my Yeti SB140 with some SRAM HS2 rotors and I've been extremely pleased with their performance. The lever has a very light pull and once the pads grab onto the rotors there is a ton of power on tap. They have a very predictable feel and have been super easy to live with on the bike. My only complaint is that I've had a hard time keeping the pads from rubbing on the rotor, but being that the rotors I'm using are, well, used, and the rest of the impressive things about this brake make up for that lack of perfection, at least for now.

Topeak SmartGauge D2 Presta/Schrader

Everybody has that floor pump where the gauge is either 5 psi too high or 5psi too low. It's almost a right of passage in the cycling community. That's why a few years back I got one of these digital Topeak Smartgauges and I've had my tire pressure dialed since. No matter what floor pump I'm using, I double check my pressures with this digital gauge so I can be certain of my setup. Not only that, it's super easy to switch between Presta and Schrader valves so I can use this gauge on my car tires as well as my bike tires. 

KETL Mtn Canyon Bib

Many riders may think bibs are solely for roadies and other lycra clad spandex warriors, but that's where they are wrong. I stumbled onto the bib scene shortly after I started working at Worldwide with my first foray being a Yeti cycles Enduro bib. This was basically the first day of the rest of my life. How did I exist with those saggy chamois shorts for all those years? Eventually I gave the KETL Mtn Canyon bib a go and the rest was history. All day comfort, useful pockets in the rear and extremely durable, what more could you want out of a bib? 

KETL Mtn Socks

Socks come in many shapes, sizes and materials. Your grandpa's old cotton tube socks (while incredibly stylish) have got nothing on these insanely comfortable, quick drying merino wool blend foot coverings from KETL Mtn. With three options to choose from (warmweather, coolweather and fairweather) there's a KETL sock for any adventure and occasion. I personally love to wear them for rides and hikes and for all sorts of things. I may have even worn them to a wedding or two...

Maurten Nutrition

Everyone has a different take when it comes to nutrition in the outdoors and during athletic pursuits. You'll find people who either stick to consuming whole foods and make their own power bars to people who just buy the next best thing off the shelf and those who don't care at all as long as they aren't starving. Maurten nutrition has a unique approach in that they want to fuel you with only the most essential ingredients and they leave out all the unnecessary things that just make you feel like garbage and ruin your stomach. I've been utilizing their bars and gels during longer rides and adventures and have nothing but good things to report. It's nice to be able to rely on some quick nutrition and not have to worry about the aftereffects. 

Jeff's Favorite Products

Wolf Tooth ReMote Pro Dropper Lever

Wolf Tooth was already killing it with their original dropper lever and their Light Action dropper lever, but they decided to go and make a whole new and improved setup with this ReMote Pro. The biggest improvement in my opinion with this new lever is arguably the cam actuator, combined with the amount of adjustability it provides. This allows the remote to have a larger mechanical advantage and increased leverage all while keeping the size of the remote relatively similar to what it was at. The original was one of our favorites among riders here at the shop, and now this newer, "pro" version is claiming the hearts of riders everywhere as well.

Five Ten Trailcross Shoes

Five Ten has been making their Trailcross shoes for years now, and more recently they decided to introduce a clipless version of this shoe to their lineup that you see here. This shoe blurs the lines between a capable hiking and approach shoe and a mountain biking shoe. Many riders will choose these for bikepacking adventures and other rides that include a healthy dose of hike a bike. The original flat pedal version certainly works better for those longer stretches of hiking due to the flexier sole, yet the clipless version tickles that fancy for those of us that prefer clipless pedals in general. Jeff loves these for his adventure races and wild rides where he has no idea where he will end up.

Garmin Epix Pro Gen 2 Sapphire 47mm

You may or may not know this, but Jeff is somewhat of a Garmin watch connoisseur. It seems as though he's got a new Garmin watch every couple of weeks, and to be honest, that might be somewhat accurate. Speaking of accurate, this latest watch of his is the Epix Pro Gen 2 in the Sapphire, 47mm version. It's got incredible GPS accuracy which tracks Jeff even on his most questionable pursuits, and it's equipped with the latest software that tracks all sorts of health metrics plus a plethora of indoor and outdoor activities. 

DaySaver Multi Tool

Multi-tools have been having a renaissance moment lately where seemingly tons of companies are racing to create their own version of the most compact, usable and utilitarian multi-tool out there. Enter Daysaver. This is the lightest and most minimalist multi-tool we've laid our eyes on, and wouldn't you know it's Jeff's favorite. With most of your riding essentials covered with this one little tool, it really makes you wonder what will they think of next? 

Trail One Hell's Gate Grips

The Hell's Gate grips have become extremely popular since we released them a few years ago, and riders who've purchased them have helped to contribute thousands of dollars to the Hell's Gate trail network in Kenya. We wanted to combine some of our favorite grip features into one grip to create the the holy grail of MTB grips, and we believe we've succeeded in that mission. Riders everywhere have been extremely stoked on these grips and that stokes us out even more than you could possibly imagine. Some riders requested a slightly thinner grip, so we listened and recently dropped the Farlow Gap grips. So check those out if you are a fan of thinner grips in particular.  

USWE Outlander 9

USWE packs are a favorite among riders here at the shop for a ton of reasons. The main one being the super clever and functional closure system that resembles a parachute harness which allows the pack to be extremely secure on your back while riding, no matter the trail. This one in particular is the Outlander 9 which is Jeff's prefered mountain biking pack. When he isn't raw dogging it around the neighborhood, he does actually bring some essentials in this pack along with some hydration. I personally also love the USWE packs for trail running and hiking in addition to mountain biking because of how great the packs stay on your back and don't bounce around. 

USWE Hajker Ultra 30L Fastpacking Pack

Jeff's ultra endurance escapades are super demanding on his gear, and this adventure racing pack is no exception. When you are out there racing for multiple days at a time, you need a pack that can not only hold everything that you need, but it needs to be secure on your body when you are running and riding your bike for hours on end. The USWE closure system works incredibly well on a pack like this because it allows you to focus on the task ahead of you instead of trying to manage a bouncy pack that's constantly distracting you. 

BeFree Water Filter

If you are a seasoned camper or backpacker, you are likely familiar with this sort of water filter. These BeFree filters work great because when not in use, the bottle takes up virtually no space in your back because of how collabsible it is and yet it's there when you really need it. We've used them countless times while out on the trail in the backcountry and there's nothing like some freshly filtered water out of a rocky mountain stream, let me tell ya. 

Extract Purist Bottle Filter