New Collab- Epoch Eyewear

My current personal favorite- the Victors

Epoch Eyewear

Good morning my loyal MotoReaders! I've got a new collaboration to share with you and in all honesty, I'm pretty stoked about this one!

When I first started this blog, I never imagined it would have almost a half a million visitors in such a relatively short amount of time, especially considering that I don't advertise and I rarely ever post it on the socials. I never expected it to reach, and have regular visitors from, around the world and I certainly never imagined that anyone would ever want to "collaborate" with me because of it. After the first couple of companies reached out to me, though... it got me thinking- if I can share the products and companies that I like with all of you, and at the same time, help these places keep the doors open and the lights on another day or two, and get all of my loyal MotoReaders a few discounts here and there, why not do it? It doesn't cost me anything extra to help them out, and, to show their appreciation, most of them will even give me a small percentage from the sales when you use my code. While the little bit that I earn certainly doesn't pay my light bill, it does help to keep the website up and running, so at least my little corner of the interweb isn't costing me anything extra to run anymore.

Now, I told you all of that, so that I could tell you about how this new collab came about. They are a small company, based out of Colorado, and I've been wearing their glasses for YEARS. They are Epoch Eyewear and they truly are, and have been, my favorite brand of sunglasses. 

Epoch

Epoch, as defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary is as follows:

epoch

noun

ep·​och ˈe-pək ˈe-ˌpäk US also and British usually ˈē-ˌpäk

a: meaning, an event or a time marked by an event that begins a new period or development

b: a memorable event or date

According to their website, this company was built around "living an epoch lifestyle" (not to be confused with "epic", which means a long story or a grand, heroic action). The folks at Epoch Eyewear believe in making memories over money and they strive to be a great service to their community. They are veteran owned and they make a point to give back to those among us that sacrifice daily, to make our world a better place- the hard working men and women in our communities, our military, our veterans and our first responders. Those are core beliefs that I personally appreciate, and I'm sure that we can all stand behind. 

Rebecca Milner, Founder and CEO

The company started in 2014 after the founder and CEO, Rebecca Milner, decided that she wanted to build a high quality brand of sunglasses, that were actually affordable. With major brands, that I won't name, charging hundreds of dollars for a pair of sunglasses, there was definitely a need for Rebecca's "vision." See what I did there? So, Rebecca started this company from her dining room table while she was pregnant with her first child. The whole operation began with, as they say, "only 30 cases of sunglasses, a riff-raff group of misfits, and a dream." 

Hell yeah. 

Six years later, in 2020, at a time when businesses were failing because of the covid pandemic, Epoch's business took off. Why, you might ask? Because quality doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg. 

Price and Quality

Now, you've heard me say, more than once, that "cheap gear isn't good and good gear isn't cheap", but let me make this point of clarification, if you will- there is a huge difference between affordable and cheap. Affordable gear is good quality stuff that doesn't require any justification to buy. Epoch Eyewear sunglasses are affordable, not cheap.

In my former career, I was hard on glasses; hell, even now, in my retirement, I am still hard on them. I drop them, toss them into a saddlebag, pull them from the arms and I rarely ever keep them in a hard case. I also tend to get headaches and the wrong pair of glasses will cause enough eye strain that my head will be throbbing in less time than it takes to get to the next rest stop. Because of this, I've tried glasses of every shape, size, darkness, and lens material over the years, except glass- for obvious reasons. I've tried everything from major name brands to dollar store and gas station shades, but the one problem was consistency. Every major brand gave me eye strain headaches, all of the "cheap" brands gave me eye strain headaches, broke quickly or there was no consistency from one pair to the next. I refused to pay over $200 for a pair of sunglasses that I would, inevitably, drop and break, so I just suffered in my search... until I came across Epoch's website. I figured, for less than $30, I'd give them a shot. After getting that first pair of shades and wearing them everyday with no eye strain, no headaches and no breakage- I was sold. I've been a loyal Epoch Eyewear customer ever since. 

I've literally bought several pairs, and several styles, over the years. Some of you might read that and say, "well, ya know... you probably spent as much, or more, on those as you would have on one pair of the expensive ones." To that, I'll say... yeah, maybe... however, the problem is that if I had spent all that money on one pair of sunglasses, I would have broken them immediately, then had to spend even more money on repairing or replacing them. Instead, I'm able to sustain good, high quality pairs of glasses over the years for the same, or less, money. Whenever I do pull, drop or drag them a little too hard, I just get online, order a new pair, and in a few days, I've got a new pair for about what I pay for a decent lunch somewhere.

I Reached Out To Them, For You

Sporting the Midways in Florida

I always like to put my little "disclosure notices" out there any time I do a review or a new collaboration announcement, and this one is no different. While I've had some companies reach out to me, I've done most of the reaching out since I realized that I can actually save my MotoReaders some money by asking these companies to collaborate with me. Like I said, I've been wearing Epoch Eyewear sunglasses for years and it never occurred to me to reach out to them until recently. I figured that, since I love their products, why not see if they would want to work with me, so I reached out to them and asked. To my surprise, Rebecca (the CEO, herself), replied to give me the good news! To say I'm stoked about this collaboration is an understatement. In part, because I love their products, but also because it's a brand that I've been pushing on my friends and family ever since I discovered them all those years ago. Now, with this new collab, I'm not only able to support this awesome company by hopefully increasing their sales by a few extra pairs a month, but I'm able to get you, my loyal MotoReaders, a 15% discount on them! They are already a great price, but you get an extra 15% off by smashing the link on the upper right side of my page or using the discount code "RIDE_WRITE_REPEAT"! 

I think this code might be a one-time use only, though, so just in case it is, make sure to buy a few pair so that you can save the most amount of your hard-earned dollars. 

You can click any of the links in this post to get the discount, click on the "Epoch Eyewear" banner on the upper right side of the page, click here, or just put in the code RIDE_WRITE_REPEAT at checkout.

Until next time, MotoReaders...

Ride safe, Look Good, and Save Money!

https://epocheyewear.com/RIDE_WRITE_REPEAT

Here are just a few of my personal favorites...

The Victor- my favorite to wear on or off the bike, for classic, casual style.

The Foam (great for riding)... I've got them in shades and clears, and I keep them on the bike at all times.

The Brodie- Also great for riding, no foam, but the lack of a lower frame makes it easy to see the tank mounted speedometer without moving my head down.

Riding Gear and Why You Need It

Riding Gear

In the coming weeks, I'm going to be doing some reviews on some of my recently acquired off-road gear. It occurred to me while writing one of those reviews this morning, though, that I haven't really even spoken about the importance of riding gear or explained my recommendations on what you need, or why you even need to wear riding gear in the first place. So let's explore the reasoning for my "gearing up" the way I have.

Back In The Day

When I first started riding dirt bikes as a young MotoWriter, I was the kid that only wore jeans, a t-shirt and my sneakers when I ripped around the neighborhood. I grew up in the 1980's and we didn't have extra money for "fancy" gear like riding jerseys and pants, boots or helmets... no, my generation had to figure out how to ride without killing, or crippling, ourselves... and for the most part- we did. Once I started riding the streets, I just wore jeans, t-shirt, whatever shoes I had on at the time and usually a half shell helmet. Over time, I slowly added gloves, boots, a decent leather jacket and better helmets to my street riding gear. Now that I'm older, I realize just how much I have to lose, so before something silly happened on the dirt bike, I decided to gear up right from the start, this time around.

What You Need And Why

There's a LOT of gear options out there, so you may be wondering what you need, and more importantly, why. After all, riding gear can get expensive and you may want, or need, to make some compromises. Here's my simple breakdown, in order of importance to me:

• Helmet- a good helmet specifically designed for the type of riding you're going to be doing. For my on-road helmets, I want a minimum of DOT certifications, and for off-road, I'm looking for MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System). Don't cheap out on your helmet- get a good helmet from a reputable manufacturer that has done proper safety testing. I refuse to wear a cheap, non DOT (minimum) certified helmet anymore. My head holds all my writing ideas, so I gotta protect it as best I can. 

• Eye protection- safety rated glasses for on-road (or a good shield on a full face or modular helmet) and goggles for off-road are a MUST HAVE. I nearly lost my left eye last summer while mowing the yard- I'm protecting my eyes from now on. For off-road riding, MX style goggles are significantly better than glasses, because they have a seal around your eyes to keep water, bugs and other things out of your peepers. You can get a good pair for a decent price, but you do want to make sure you get some that have good breathability so they don't fog up on you.

• Boots- broken ankles and loss of mobility sucks. Having a good pair of riding boots will protect your feet and will keep everything lined up and protected if, or when, you take a spill. For on road riding, I personally like lace-up, waterproof boots that are also comfortable to walk in. For riding off-road, waterproof is a must, so is a good sole with some lugs for grip on slippery, rocky surfaces.

• Gloves- wearing good quality gloves will improve your rides significantly. For on-road riding, a high quality pair of leather or other abrasion resistant materials like Cordura is a must. God forbid you do take a spill, you don't want to shred the skin off your hands. Accidentally touching a hot part on your bike, or having a beetle whack you in the knuckles at 70 mph can ruin your day, so a good pair of gloves should be standard in your riding gear locker. For off-road riding, there is a lot of throttle movement, clutch and brake lever manipulation going on, not to mention  limbs, branches, thorn covered vines and other annoyances that you'll encounter on the trails. Keep your mitts safe and free from scrapes and cuts with a good pair of gloves.

• Pants- On the road- I still just wear good quality jeans- maybe not the best pants to wear, but they're comfortable and for me, that comfort is worth the risk. For off-road riding, however, the jeans don't cut it, as I move around a lot more on the dirt bike- standing, sitting, leaning, etc., so a good pair of specialized riding pants that are flexible and gusseted, made of ripstop material with specially designed materials and components for when you come off the bike are a must. 

• Jersey- for off-road riding. On the street, I'll admit, I still usually just wear a t-shirt in the summer, but these "new" hot weather long sleeve shirts are great- they keep the sun's rays in check without having to slather yourself in carcinogen-filled sunscreens. In addition to the t-shirt, I do now wear a good leather vest to keep from getting any more scars like the one I got when I crashed a few years ago. For off-road riding, a long sleeve riding jersey is a must. While most of the designs are racing team inspired, you don't have to be a racer to wear a jersey. A good jersey will protect your arms from scrapes and thorns while you're out on the trails and it will also keep the sun from burning your arms and ruining your day. 

• Chest/Roost Protector- for off-road riding. These range in price from under $100 to several hundred and you can get overwhelmed quickly while shopping for them. My advice- keep it simple. You primarily need protection from punctures and impacts when you come off the bike. Figure out your budget, then shop within that- start off with an affordable, comfortable protector so that you'll actually get into the habit of wearing it, then upgrade later, as needed.

• Knee/Shin Guards- for off-road riding... and on-road riding, if you're so inclined. While I don't personally ride with knee protection on the street, I always wear it on the dirty bike. When you're riding off-road, especially on single-track trails, you regularly encounter a variety of obstacles and things that can abruptly and unexpectedly change the direction of your bike, causing you to fall or worse- get thrown, off the bike... especially when you're a novice rider. I'm getting better, and I fall a lot less now than I did a few months ago when I first got back on the old XR, but I still fall. Good, articulated, knee/shin guards keep your knees bending the right way and keep the bruises to a minimum. Like the chest/roost protector- you can get lost in the prices... I got mine for under $100, but I've seen others priced well over $1,000 so my advice is the same- buy within your budget and upgrade as your needs change.

• Hydration- If you're going to be riding for any length of time, especially in the summer (but even in the cooler months), staying hydrated is critical. When you get dehydrated all kinds of bad things start happening- I could write a whole blog post on just dehydration and its affects on the body. We all know how important it is, so when you're riding the streets, throw an insulated jug of water in your saddlebag- preferably with an electrolyte packet mixed in, or get a hydration backpack if you don't have any luggage on your bike. For off-road riding- I highly recommend the latter. I, and most of the guys I ride with, wear hydration backpacks when we're out on the trails. Enduro riding is fun, but it's also physically demanding. Getting dehydrated on the trails is not an option, so get a good durable pack with a bladder that is BPA, BPS and PVC free (you don't what those chemicals leaching into your water). Keep it clean! Wash it between uses and don't allow any water to sit in it when it's stored. 

Conclusion

Riding motorcycles isn't like driving a car. Motorcyclists have to make certain adjustments and accommodations to get the most out of our rides. It really doesn't matter what you ride, or where you ride, having the right gear is invaluable. Driving around in your car requires little more than putting on a seatbelt to get the job done... but we ride motorcycles to do more than just "get the job done." We ride motorcycles to experience the world around us. It doesn't matter if you ride street, dirt or both. Motorcycles are inherently dangerous machines, so mitigate the risks by wearing the right gear so you can keep riding, and experiencing life in an incredible way, for many more years to come.

Look for those upcoming MotoReviews of my gear, coming soon. Until next time MotoReaders...

Ride Safe and Gear Up!