New gear grab bag: special socks, perfect purple, and bacon strips

Just on time to make your kit is looking sharp and shiny for summer, here’s three new gear options to make sure you and your ride are ready for long sunny days in the saddle. Sneaky Socks starts off with a limited edition set of socks to help support their racer ambassador, Mackenzie Myatt, while Paul Component’s throws back to the 90’s with a limited run of purple anodized parts. Finally, OneUp components has a more functional fix to keep you rolling through middle-of-nowhere mechanical’s. Maybe it is the warmer weather, maybe it’s the shiny purple, and maybe it’s just me, but this sampling of snappy parts seems especially musical.

Sneaky Socks / Mackenzie Myatt – Limited edition Nova Scotia socks

Come Sail Away? Float On? Sail? I’m On A Boat? No matter what nautical tune leaps to mind, you’ll be dancing along the trails in these limited & custom socks from Sneaky Socks. Designed with Nova Scotia’s Mackenzie Myatt, and with sales helping the promising young cross country racer sail across the pond for the next round of World Cup competition, these socks don’t just look good, they make everyone involved feel good. And fast. Fast vibes, good vibes, and stylish to boot. All from just a pair of socks. Head over to Sneaky Socks to order your pair and read more about Myatt’s racing, then order another pair for Father’s Day.

Paul Components – Limited edition purple parts

Purple’s the preferred hue of royalty and now, for a third, limited window of time, you can bring a little refinement to your ride with Paul Component’s latest run of limited edition purple anodized parts. Commemorate Prince or Prince Harry’s wedding, but the Made in America parts are being sold as “Juicy Electric Purple,” which seems more Minnesota than Buckingham. Either way, you should probably move fast. Like the the 90’s, and like the sultry late-singer, this colour option will leave us far too soon. Remember those Prince tickets you didn’t buy in high school? Don’t make the same mistake twice and get stuck with a plain old silver set of hubs waiting for your next chance to pick up purple anodized parts from the boutique Chico, Cali. company. If purple doesn’t please you, or if you want truly Royal’s themed accents for your ride, mix and match with Paul’s other limited edition colour right now: gold.

OneUp Components – EDC plug and pliers kit

If you’re the type of rider that likes to get further from home than you’d like to walk back, or just don’t like walking your bike in general, Squamish’s OneUp Components have added another tool option to their Everyday Carry (EDC) storage system. The new EDC plug and pliers kit features a tiny set of masterlink pliers, and a tire plug fork/”bacon strips” insert combo to get you through sidewall slashes and drivetrain mechanicals without having to hoof it home. The plug and pliers kit replaces the usual concealed compartment that carries .. whatever you want to bring on your ride that you might need to conceal, or OneUp’s CO2 EDC attachment.

Plugs and pliers are rarely something you need on a ride, but really helpful when you do, so storing them on the bike is a good way to make sure you never leave home unprepared. Plus, to keep with the theme, the pliers are anodized green to match the EDC kit. What about the musical theme? Well, it’ll take less than six steps out your front door without having to think about whether you brought your tools or not before you start to feel footloose and fancy free.