Today is Dec 7. You may be thinking, “Yeah… I’m going to get my shopping done early this year.” I often find that what makes me procrastinate when it comes to holiday gift giving is simply that I don’t know what to get people. Well, I’m going to help you. Here is a list of ideas for the cyclist in your life. I’ve used most of the products (and like them) that I’m listing here, so you can trust in me! I have also included some products from a poll I ran on my facebook page asking my followers to tell me what they want for Christmas.
1. Road ID
This is great for any person who loves to play outside. You hope it never needs to be used, but it offers another level of safety. I like the slim. You get to select the text to be engraved on the plate as well a 7 colors to choose from for the wrist band.
2. Ergon Grips
Give your cyclist lover the gift of comfort, performance, and support. There are many different models to choose from, but if you want to go stylish, how about the GP1 Biokork? Farmed from a sustainable cork farm in Portugal and made with vegetable oils instead of mineral oils along with a grass fiber core, who wouldn’t want this earth friendly product?
3. Base Layers
It gets cold in the winter, and a base layer is a perfect way to stay warmer and wick away sweat. I personally wear the Craft baselayers. My favorite is the “Zero” available in both men and women’s styles. I also like the “ProCool Tee” for spring and fall weather. If you don’t want to go with Craft, friends of mine like Pearl Izumi and SmartWool for baselayers, but I won’t recommend a certain model since I do not have experience with it.
This GPS cycling computer will go on my “best products” list of 2011. I never had a computer before this year, and now I can’t live without. It’s also incredibly easy to set up. You basically just take it out of the box and turn it on! “Edge 500 tracks your distance, speed, location and elevation with high sensitivity GPS. Add an ANT+™ compatible heart rate monitor, speed/cadence sensor or compatible power meter for a finely-tuned analysis of your ride.” What more could you want? Well… the 800 ;)
I tell any new cyclist that gets a mountain bike to upgrade to a tubeless conversion system. Converting the wheels to tubeless is very easy with the NoTubes kits and having a tubeless set up means almost no flats and when mountain biking – running a much lower tire pressure. Why run a lower tire pressure? It’ll make you feel like a technical riding wizard. NoTubes also makes kits for road and cyclocross.
A great accessory to add to your backcountry pack. I have two of them… great for ALL outdoor sports and a lifesaver!
7. Foam Roller
If you want to get fancy, get The Grid from Trigger Point. It lasts longer and it hurts soooo good. What does a foam roller do? It helps break up adhesions in the muscles… read more here.
8. Massage Gift Certificate
Sooth those achy muscles and joints with the healing of human touch. Enough said!
9. Coaching Plans
Fascat Coaching and LW Coaching offer some great options!
10. BIKE FIT!
Local bike shops do fits. My favorite in Denver is at Wheatridge Cyclery. They do a stellar job and did all my fits this year. Other options for popular fits are Retul and BCSM.
11. Coffee
Most cyclists I know love coffee. My favorite roasters are Ozo, Intelligentsia, and Copper Door.
12. Warm or waterproof booties
I love the Craft Winter Booties. No, I’m not sponsored by Craft, I just like their stuff!! I did a google search for “best winter cycling booties” and did not find any beta. Maybe I need to do a comparison of different ones so next year I can have more variety for you.
13. Buff Headwear
If you’ve never heard of a Buff, it can be folded into many configurations as headwear, scarf, balaclava… you name it. For winter, I just got a wool one, but I also love the Original which is a little lighter and is great for keeping the head warm while wicking sweat. There are about a million patterns too!
With a very affordable 50 dollar price tag and multiple colors, who wouldn’t want one?
The Ink’d are my favorite, but there are a lot of great options. I have been using Skull Candy for years and they have great base for phat beats and are pretty durable. I am great at breaking headphones and I can get a couple years out of one pair!
16. Waterproof Jacket: Montbell Outpace Parka
My very favorite… lightweight, packable, fits well, and it works. I throw it in my backpack for all high altitude adventures, wear it in town during our “monsoon season” and carry it in my pocket on rides with angry clouds. Available in Men’s and Women’s. It has a hood and weighs about 9.4 oz.
17. Sock Guy Socks
You can find a pair of socks that ANYONE would like with all the designs. My favorite are the wool socks.
18. Compressions Socks
I like CEP and 2XU. Great for recovery from hard rides and travel. They are also available in calf sleeves so you can wear them with flip flops
For those winter months where it’s cold and gets dark earlier. Help your cyclist stay motivated! This is the one I use and it’s very quiet and easy to use. I know the Cyclops ones are pretty good too!
Great protection for a phone, especially from sweat, water, and road spray during winter months. It can also be mounted to the stem or handlebar which is good if you use programs like Strava, GPS, or MapMyRide.
21. Strava Premium Subscription
Strava is a fun online program that helps the athlete analyze data and compare to other athletes who have done the same route. A basic subscription is free, but the premium is a nice upgrade with no ads, unlimited storage of rides, and responsive customer support.
