‘Tis the season for gift giving and if you’re buying for a cyclist, you already know they’re particular about their cycling gear. Here are our top picks this holiday season.
Bike Lights
It seems you can never have too many. If you don’t have enough for all your bikes, you inevitably ride off without them only to regret it later, or your friend needs to borrow one for their ride home and you don’t have an extra. Not to mention they get lost or stolen over time. Seriously, they’re like socks in the dryer. Where do all my bike lights go?
For a relatively inexpensive option to have on hand, I like the Blackburn 2’Fer Lights. Each light has both red and white modes so either one can act as a front or rear. They’re lightweight, their mount can wrap around almost anything, and they’re USB rechargeable. If you need to fully illuminate the path ahead, you’ll need something a bit more powerful. Check out the Blackburn Central 650 front. It’s also available in a set with the Central 50 rear.
Brooks Saddle
Brooks is an iconic maker of leather saddles from England. They’ve been making leather goods since 1866 and they’re known by cyclists the world over for their quality, comfort, and durability. Go for the classic leather B17, or for a more modern lighter weight option, try the Cambium series made from vulcanized natural rubber and an organic cotton top.
Action Camera
This is a great gift for those cyclists who like to document their rides. Take them from editing phone pics for Instagram to editing 4K video. It’s especially great for mountain bikers as they can easily capture the most intense action with mounting options for the helmet, chest, or handlebars. GoPro essentially invented this category and they’re still the leader, especially with the release of their new Hero 6 which offers 4K video at 60 fps. However, there are other less expensive options that are quickly catching up, like Garmin VIRB or TomTom Bandit.
Smart Helmet
We’ve recommended helmets as gifts for cyclists int he past, but this year consider a smart helmet. These are helmets that incorporate new smart technology, often pairing with a phone to deliver an integrated, feature rich, and hopefully safer riding experience. Some features include built-in microphones, speakers, lights, turn signals, and crash detection. This is a completely new segment in the bike industry so expect to see many more options in the near future. For now, take a look at the Coros Linx, the Livall Bling, and the Lumos.
Split Finger or “Lobster” Gloves (for the all-season rider)
If your cyclist rides in cold weather, there’s nothing that keeps fingers warmer than lobster claw gloves. Even the thickest 5 finger gloves can fall short in very cold weather and mittens make it nearly impossible to manipulate brake levers and shifters. Enter the lobster claw. With two fingers in each compartment, they share heat and stay nice and toasty. Our 4 recommendations are Louis Garneau , Gore Apparel , Pearl Izumi and Craft.
RackStand – 4 in 1 Bike Rack
RackStand is a traditional rear cargo rack, fender, kickstand, and work stand all in one. The rack with integrated mud guard mounts on a standard quick release rear wheel and has the ability to rotate under the rear wheel to act as a kick stand. Drivetrain and brake adjustments are made easy with the rear wheel off the ground in the lowered position.
Ortlieb Panniers
Panniers are the perfect complement to RackStand. We like Ortlieb because they’re super high quality, durable, waterproof if you choose, and can be removed easily and quickly with their attachment systems. Having the weight of your cargo on the bike rather than your back makes a world of difference. Take one commute without that messenger bag or backpack and you won’t go back.
Montague Navigator
Montague makes full-size folding bikes that deliver performance superior to their small wheel competitors. Their 700c, 26″, and 27.5″ wheel bikes deliver the ride you expect from a true road or mountain bike while still folding in seconds for the car trunk, train, or closet.
The Navigator is an extremely versatile 700c model made for everything from commuting and leisure to adventure touring on gravel and dirt roads. It comes equipped with 35mm tires and disc brakes for mixed terrain, 27-speeds, RackStand with fenders, and Montague’s tool-free adjustable handlebar system to allow for a comfortable position no matter what.
Stocking Stuffers
Repair Necessities
For cyclists who do their own repairs, there are a few things they will always need more of (at least eventually). These are the ‘consumable’ necessities like patch kits, tubes, and lubricant. They’re small and inexpensive, but will be appreciated. Perfect for a stocking stuffer!
Happy Holidays!
Hello,
I have a Paratrooper Pro and I will appreciate if you can answer me if the rackstand is sold separately and I can order it from Santiago de Chile. A short time ago, you have answered that only independent distributors sell it and not directly.
Regards,
René
Hello,
I’m looking for the 18″ camaflouge frame cover for the Paratrooper you ran out of.
Any idea when you will get more??
Thanks,
We’ve never sold any frame covers for our bikes. Any that you see out there on the web are made by third parties. Sorry for the confusion!
I have a navigator it does have a rack stand but I would like to put a kickstand on, which would be best thanks
Hi Peter. A standard kickstand that mounts under the chainstays just behind the bottom bracket shell should function fine, but the tail of the rear fender will rest against it when you fold the bike. That shouldn’t really cause any issues, but you might want to adjust the length of the fender tail (it slides if you loosen the bolts holding it in place), in order for the bike to sit perfectly flat in that case.
You could also try a kickstand that mounts to the chainstay on only one side like this: https://www.amazon.com/BV-Alloy-Adjustable-Height-Kickstand/dp/B01787OJ4A
The only style that likely will not work, is one that mounts toward the rear of the chainstay, near the axle. A kickstand like that would likely be in the way of the RackStand rotation.