And with that, Christmas is over. As you stuff the last morsel of cold festive meat into your protesting mouth (seriously, no amount of mayonnaise is going to help that sucker go down) you can take some small solace through your refrigerated vegetable flashbacks (congealed carrot) that you might (parsnip) be able to snag some sweet (SPROUTS! NOOOOO) bargains from the January sales.
It might not be in the newest colours, or the very latest technology, but clearance of old stock offers many a rider the chance to buy some swish new gear at some very reasonable prices. With so many discounts on so many products, it can be difficult to decide. Is that jacket really a bargain, or is a design flaw going to have water dribbling down your neck? Are those shoes a steal or will they have you sliding on a hike a bike section?
Here at Team Singletrack, we work tirelessly to test products all year long, expressly help YOU decide which products are RIGHT. When we find something that stands out from the rest, we give it the Singletrack Recommended award. And if it was good a year ago, it’ll still be good now. There might now be something newer and better out there, but the savings you could make in choosing some older kit could go towards a skills day that will probably do more for your riding than the latest colour of jacket.
We’ve looked back over products we’ve reviewed and picked a selection we think it’ll be worth keeping an eye out for in the sales:
Troy Lee’s A1 Helmet saw them venture back into the all mountain open-faced helmet market. With new colours now available, expect to see discounts on the older designs. Fashions change, but the old colours will still protect your head.
We reckon in the rush to 1x set ups, there’ll be bargains to be had. Look out for Singletrack Recommended Shimano SLX 2x chainsets. It’ll still make your wheels turn, and replacing your chainset is going to be a whole lot cheaper than a whole new 1x set up.
There’s still plenty of winter to come, so if you can pick up a good deal on some of the extremity warming kit we’ve recommended previously, you’ll have toasty toes and hands for a few winters to come. Look out for Northwave Artic Commuter GTX Boots, Giro Alpineduro Boots and Specialized Sub Zero Winter Gloves.
The likelihood is that you’re going to need a jacket during the year ahead. If you don’t, you’re either one of our overseas readers, or such a fair-weather rider you should probably consider buying a road bike. Many of the packable jackets we reviewed in issue 93 look to still be available to buy so keep your eye out for deals on Montane Minimus, Mavic Stratos Convertible, Altura Pocket Rocket, Sweet Protection Air and Endura Women’s Xtract jackets.
To see all the products we’ve recommended, click here or select the ‘Recommended’ tag in our Reviews Section.
