Dirt Shredders Go To Items

We often get asked, what products do we use.
So today, I am creating a page of some of our favorites

Bike Cleaning & Lube

Our go-to cleaning products, lubes, and other maintenance items

Molecule Wash+Shine

We use Molecule Wash+Shine for our everyday bike cleaning. It cleans better than any other product we have used, and it actually keeps our bikes cleaner, longer.

(Don't forget, we have a discount code for friends and family, use it to save 15% off your orders)

Molecule Cleaner

We use Molecule Cleaner as our degreaser and tough mess cleaner-upper. A little of this stuff goes a long way. Two sprays on the cassette and some light brushing will get your cassette looking like new. A dash of the cleaner straight into your chain cleaning tool will flush out all the gunk and old chain lube leaving it ready for a fresh coat of lube.

(Don't forget, we have a discount code for friends and family, use it to save 15% off your orders) 

Muc-Off Ceramic Lubes

We have tried a lot of different chain lubes lately. It seems like we always go back to the Ceramic lubes from Muc-Off. They seem to perform the best without leaving a heap of residue to clean off your cassette and pulleys. We use the Dry for 80% of our riding, if there are a lot of river crossings or a bunch of rain in the forecast, we will opt for the Wet version. 

Molecule Wash

We use Molecule Wash for EVERYTHING athletic and even toss it in the washer with regular clothes and towels. This stuff gets all the gunk out of tough-to-wash fabrics like lycra, chamois pads, even Nomex race suits. It was designed to get in places ordinary cleaners couldn't dream of, and it leaves behind anti-microbial's to keep the smell away longer

(Don't forget, we have a discount code for friends and family, use it to save 15% off your orders)

Molecule Refresh

We use Molecule Refresh on the items that don't fit in a washing machine, or shouldn't even go in one. Helmets, Gearbags, Shoes, just to name a few. Additionally, we use it in-between washes for our gloves and other riding gear that can get nasty if you don't take care of them.

(Don't forget, we have a discount code for friends and family, use it to save 15% off your orders) 

Slick Honey

Slick Honey is primarily used during fork/shock/dropper service, but it is also great to use to keep the stanchions clean and sliding smoothly through the dust wipers. 

Bike Tools & Service

Some go to tools for basic service and maintence

Tire Pressure Gauge

This little gauge is our favorite. It's the Topeak SmartGauge D2, it's been around for years, but it is one of the most accurate and easy-to-use gauges on the market. You may wonder why do I need this when my pump has a gauge. The gauge on your pump can vary by as much as 20% against someone else's. If you have done your homework and dialed in your pressure, then 20% could be a massive change. Novice riders can feel 5 psi in modern tires, most riders can feel 2~3 psi, and those who ride a lot can feel 0.5~1 psi.

We recommend checking your tire pressure before every ride.
We say every ride, because if we said once a week, it's 100% more likely you'll forget if you did it recently or not. When sealant is fresh, it will stay inflated, but as it ages, it will leak down between rides.

Chain Checker

This $11 tool will save your $600 cassette and chainring. How? Easy, check your chain stretch and check it often. Chains stretch as they wear. A good cleaning and quality lube helps keep them from wearing out too fast, but all chains wear as you ride. The problem is, you can't see this wear with your eyes, so use this tool to check and see if you are ready for a new chain. 11 and 12-speed bikes, if the 0.5 drops in, replace your chain. If you wait, you are going to put excess wear on your cassette and chainring and end up needing to replace them as well. 9 and 10 spd riders, you get a little longer, 0.75 on the gauge, and it's time to replace. 

Stans Dart

Bacon strips are for breakfast, the STANS Dart has been our go-to for trailside repairs of large tire punctures. The Dart can be pushed into the tire, then pulled out leaving a fabric "flower" that reacts with the sealant to permanently seal the puncture.

Oh... PS. There is a valve core remover tool built into the bottom of the handle. Took me a year to realize that.  

Chain Cleaner

This little guy is actually really good at getting the chain clean. The biggest reason we love it is that it has a magnet at the bottom. Red Clay and Dirt found in Georgia and Alabama, where we ride most often, tend to have a lot of metal in it. So the magnet helps pull that metal out and keep our chains lasting that little bit longer. 

Multi-Tool

This little guy has most every tool you might need on the trail. It packs up small, and even has a bottle opener if you want a post ride refreshment. We love ours, just remember to clean them as dirt, mud, and pocket lint can make it hard to get the tools out if you don't. 

Other Must Haves

Things we love, use often, and think you need to know about.

Orange Seal Tire Sealant

Orange Seal Tire Sealant. It honestly took us a while to settle on which sealant we liked best. All of them "did the job", some better than others. Orange Seal was one of those better than others, but what really sold us was how dedicated John is to supporting both his athletes and the community. His mission of keeping racing fun for his team riders aligns perfectly with ours, and so we have fallen in love with his products. Fun Fact. We actually run the Regular Sealant when mounting new tires, and we top off with Endurant for longer-lasting sealant refreshes. 

Spare Master Link

Crazy Cheap Insurance. Eventually, you are going to snap a chain on a ride. It happens to everyone. Why not carry a $2 insurance plan on your bike at all times? I keep an old bread tie or race plate tie and loop a set of these on my brake cables. Then if you have a good multi tool that has a chain breaker, you can push out the bad section, throw this in it's place, and keep riding.