Cyclists can be a picky bunch, but we have some ideas to help you out this holiday season. Regardless of what they ride, they’ll appreciate these items for on and off the bike.
Accessories
Altor Lock 560G Lock – $179.99
For some items we have on the list, you need to know your rider’s sizes, but the Altor 560G lock, it is one size fits all, and comes in a box that showcases it’s elegence. It’s titanium construction keeps it lightweight, but also safe from the thieves that want to walk off with with your loved one’s expensive ride. At $179.99, it is the most expensive item on our list, but it’s cheaper than buying a new bike.
Knog Oi Bell – $19.95
Knog’s newest product, the Oi bell, is another great piece for a commuter or any other cyclist that needs to alert others to their presence. The circular bell fits around the bar to keep a sleek, stealthy look. It comes in two sizes and four colors to match any bike’s look.
Green Guru Gear Bi-Fold Wallet/Alchemy Goods Elliot Toiletries Bag – $30/$38
The majority of cyclists still use tubes in their tires, which means they inevitably will puncture them. Instead of throwing them in the trash and ending up in a landfill, brands like Green Guru Gear and Alchemy Goods take those tubes, and many other items, and upcycle them into new products. Bike World News has featured them before for some of their bags, and I’ve been using their wallet for years. It still looks brand new, and holds everything I need it to with six card slots, two hidden pockets behind the cards, and a divider in the bill section to keep money and receipts separate. Alchemy Goods offers their Elliot Toiletries Bag for carrying your necessities when traveling. Each bag has a unique look based on the truck tire inner tubes used to make them. The insides are fully lined, and the stitching and zippers add a pop of color to these highly water resistant bags.
Knog Mini Blinder – $29.95
Chances are, your rider will be riding in the dark at some point over the winter, but even during the day, riding with lights makes a cyclist more visible. Knog’s latest compact light, the Blinder Mini describes the light well. It’s small footprint doesn’t take up much room on your bars, and the 20 lumen output for the front is plenty bright to be seen. Available individually, you can also buy them in a pair and save a few bucks. Knog’s newest product, the Oi bell, is another great piece for a commuter or any other cyclist that needs to alert others to their presence. The circular bell fits around the bar to keep a sleek, stealthy look. It comes in two sizes and four colors to match any bike’s look.
Nixfrixshun Bartape – $20
Nixfrixshun released their bar tape recently. It’s a high quality tape with great grip and a comfortable feel. There is plenty of tape per roll to allow you to overlap more for a softer feel, or spread it out a more connected feel. The black tape goes with just about any bike, and it will help freshen your cyclists’ bike up at the beginning of the season.
Silca Premio Seat Roll –
Seat Roll Premio is the world’s first on-bike storage solution powered by the Boa® Closure System. The foundation of the Premio Seat Roll is a waxed canvas of SILCA’s own creation. Heavyweight cotton canvas is first hot-melt waxed for water-proofing, and then computer quilted with reflective thread for improved visibility. Seat Roll Premio attaches effortlessly to your seat rails using the beautiful Boa® Closure System allowing for a lighter weight, more durable, more powerful and more adjustable attachment to the seat rails than traditional designs.
Handsome Cycles Leather Grips – $40
Add some class to your cyclists’ commuter bike with these stylish grips from Handsome Cycles. They have locking rings so they won’t slip and they’ll just get better looking with age.
Bags
SpeedSleev One Way Pack and Phone Case – $50/$20
We reviewed SpeedSleev’s SeatSleev minimalist saddle packs previously, and the brand continues to innovate with additional packs that are not only functional, but also light and compact. The One Way Pack can be turned inside out and packed down to fit in a jersey pocket, yet is large enough to carry a change of cloths for the office or veggies from a trip to the market. With more electronics relying on a connection with your phone, their Phone Case keeps your phone protected from sweat and can carry some cash and your ID in one simple zipper case. It easily fits into a jersey pocket and comes in two size and color combinations.
Scicon Rain Race Bag
We recently reviewed the Scicon Rain Race Bag, and loved it so much, it made our holiday list. Perfect for any rider that races or needs a bag to take their cycling gear with them. When it comes to organization, there isn’t anything that comes close. The four pockets and main compartment are all labeled to keep their gear organized and easy to find. As an added bonus, if you purchase the bag directly from Scicon, you can have your cyclists name and a country/state flag added to the bag to give it a truly custom touch.
Brooks Mott Bag
Brooks’ medium sized Mott Weekender features the same shape as its larger siblings, and is also made from their organic water-resistant cotton textile. The Mott features riveted vulcanised carrying handles and an adjustable shoulder strap which may be stowed away when not in use. Finally an external pocket with a zipper closure, and a yellow quilted lining provides easy visibility of the bag’s contents.
Clothing
Handlebar Mustache Socks – $15
Every rider needs socks. Some also need a little more help in the style department. That’s where Handlebar Mustache Apparel comes in. The brand has been creating stylish designs for a number of years now, inspired from a sneaker head youth. Beyond colors and patterns, their tall socks have been known to add 50 watts to a cyclist’s legs, and looking good while doing it. While on their site, check out their t-shirts too. If your cyclist needs some help with their socks, they could probably use a few t-shirts too.
Lululemon ABC Pants – $128
A few years back, I was introduced to Lululemon. It started with some shorts, and one of their Metalvent shirts, and now they have taken over a significant part of my wardrobe. One piece in particular that I couldn’t live without is the ABC Pant. ABC stands for Anti-Ball Crushing, part of what makes them so comfortable. In the office, on the town, or commuting on the bike, they fit and look the part. The breathable, sweat wicking stretch material provides freedom of movement, and subtle touches like a zippered pocket inside of the right back pocket and reflective piping revealed when you roll up the right leg provide functionality on the bike.
swrve Keiu Anorak – $300
Technical proficiency meets everyday outerwear. That’s the thinking behind swrve’s new three-layer seam-sealed fall collection. Heathered grays, water-resistant zippers, tailored silhouettes, and all in a handful of styles that can transfer easily from the bike to the trail to the bar.
Toad & Co Seward Canvas Pants – $80
By mixing the best elements of chinos, jeans and work pants, Toad & Co. created their Seward Canvas Pant as the ultimate all–arounder. It’s made of organic cotton and 2% spandex in a surprisingly soft, pliable, and stretchy canvas weave. You can wear it casual with tees and sneaks, button it up for work or dinner, and stay comfortable always.
Under Armour UA Waffle – $30
We all know that hoodies make great layering pieces, and a hoody with a lightweight waffle knit is even better. Under Armor’s UA Waffle gets a fuller cut for complete comfort, while its Moisture Transport System wicks sweat & dries fast.
3T Track Jacket – $130
Italian component maker 3T collaborated with Castelli to produce this stylish mid-weight casual jacket, perfect for trackside or espresso bar! Full-length zipper, snug mid-height collar, elasticated, rib-knit cuffs. Appliqué Castelli scorpion logo to front and back.
Tools
Topeak Nano Torque Bar DX – $99.99
If your cyclist lusts over carbon bits, do them a favor an get them a torque wrench. Carbon parts are made to withstand a certain amount of pressure, and when you over tighten them, you risk damaging them, along with snapping bolts. With the Topeka Nano Torque Bar DX, they no longer have an excuse to not use a torque wrench, especially when they are out on the bike. The Nano Torque Bar works with a torque insert to to tighten bolts down to specific tightness. The DX includes a 4nm, 5nm, and 6nm insert, along with a few different hex and torx bits. While on the road, you can fit two bits and a torque insert inside of the Nano Torque Bar, or you can also carry around the small case to house all of the bits and inserts. For a cheaper option, it is also available with only one torque insert, and additional torque inserts can be purchased later on.
Nixfrixshun Ultimate Chain Lube/Biodegradable NFS+ Lube – $15
Unless your cyclist is riding a belt driven bike, their bike has a chain, and the chain needs lube. There are tons of chain lubes on the market, but there is one that works in all conditions, and you hardly need to use any at all, the Nixfrixshun Ultimate Chain Lube. Application is about as simple as it can be; 12 drops spread over a clean chain, pedal it backwards for 12 seconds, and then wipe it off for another 12 seconds. That’s it. When you are done with your ride, give the chain a wipe (you should be doing this anyways), and forget about the chain. Each application lasts 200 miles or more, and only reapply when the chain starts to make a little noise. Each bottle, as small as it is, should last you about 10,000 miles. The new NFS+ biodegradable chain lube offers almost all the benefits of Ultimate Chain Lube, but in a more environmentally friendly form.
Feedback Sports Team Edition Tool Kit – $250
Feedback Sports is making a move into the premium tools market in a big way with their Pro Team Tool Kit. There are too many tools to name here, but your cyclist will find most everything they need to work on their bike nestled in the kits’ TPU nylon case. And, look at it this way – if working on your own bike saves you a trip to the shop, the kit will eventually pay for itself!
Gifts
Greg Lemond – Yellow Jersey Racer – $45
Let’s face it. We all know who the only American winner of the Tour de France is. Before Lance came along and revived and then destroyed the sport of cycling, there was Greg Lemond. Lemond raised cycling from its provincial roots into a professional sport with global reach, introducing new training methods, bicycles, technology and even new levels of pay for professional cyclists. This book does not delve into the drama of last year’s Slaying the Badger, but instead follows Lemond through all of his years as a professional, telling his story not only through his own words, but those of his friends and rivals.
Veloink Stickers – $9.95
Following along with the custom theme, VeloInk offers stickers for frames, helmets, wheels, and anything else you can think of. You can add up to 16 characters, along with flags on either side from cities, states, countries, and groups. Background, text colors, and fonts are also customizable. A sheet of four starts at $9.95, and if they have a lot of gear, sheets of 40 are also available.
Polar Bottle Thermaluxe Vacuum Insulated Bottle – $31.99
If your cyclist happens to be a cyclocross rider, you appreciate standing out in the cold as they are racing by. Nothing is better after a frozen cross race than a nice hot beverage. Yes, even better than beer. Polar Bottle has you covered with their Thermaluxe vacuum insulated stainless steel bottles. The vacuum insulated bottle helps keep warm drinks hot for 12 hours, and chilled drinks cold for 24 hours. When they are ready to take a sip after their race, just line up the water drops on the cap and bottle and the Half Twist cap is ready to drink from. When done, twist the cap tight a half turn, and you are spill free. Nine colors are on offer, so there are plenty of options to choose from.
1562 Roastery and Passenger Coffee – Varies
Coffee isn’t necessarily a cycling specific drink, but cyclists do tend to love a caffeinated boost during their ride. Sure, you can go to a gas station for coffee that was brewed a few hours ago, or pay way too much at Starbucks, but you can also support small businesses and the farmers themselves through brands like 1562 Roastery and Passenger Coffee.
1562 Roastery was started by one cyclist’s love obsession with coffee. It started with the desire to make himself the perfect cup and evolved into sourcing beans directly from the farmers, or importers who compensate farmers fairly. Each roast is done in small batches, making sure you get the freshest coffee you can.
Passenger Coffee is another specialty coffee brand that believes top quality coffee, from every pour in their coffee house to the beans you use to brew at home. They believe in sustaining the specialty coffee and tea movement by supporting farmers and producers of quality beans and leaves. Passenger also offers products like grinders, brewers, and tea pots to help you make the best coffee and tea at home.
Training
RockTape – $20
Injuries happen, or sometime your rider might need a little extra support. RockTape helps to provide the support your cyclist need to perform their best. It’s not the tape you remember from your high school trainer, think stretchy. RockTape is a kinesiology tape that stretches up to 180%, allowing an athlete to move as they need to while providing the relief and support they need. It’s best when a physical therapist applies the tape, but there are videos available to guide you through just about any taping you’ll need. RockTape is available in many different colors and patterns, a few widths, and their H20 versions which adds even more adhesive to their already water resistant regular tape. While you are there, pick up some Rock Sauce to help relieve those aches and pains after a hard workout.
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
~Veggie Powered Athlete~
Location – Lancaster, PA
Current Testing Rigs – 2024 Van Dessel Arch65, 2019 Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie, 2018 Van Dessel Motivus Maximus LTD, 2016 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, 2015 Bianchi Sempre Pro, 1978 Trek TX900
Dream Bike – I’ll tell you when they make it
Discipline – Cyclocross, gravel, road and duathlons (ride/run)
Favorite Rides – Quiet country roads of Amish Country, some of the best roads around.
Food of Choice – Sweet potato roll
Beer of Choice – Unibroue Grand Reserve 17, aged four years
Bourbon of Choice – Widow Jane 10 Year