Well, you’re in luck. What’s the one thing that’s easier than buying a gift for a bicycle rider? It’s buying a gift for a cycling enthusiast!

Shopping for gifts for someone who “kinda likes cycling a little bit…now and again…when the weather is just right…and there’s nothing good to watch on TV…” now that’s a tricky challenge. Are they really into this new pastime? Is it just a passing fad and they’ll be onto the next new thing by tomorrow?

But, when you’ve got someone who’s fanatical and enthusiastic about cycling to buy a gift for then it’s so much easier. Suddenly there’s a whole raft of specialist bike gear that opens itself as great gift options for your giftee. Kit that wouldn’t necessarily be right for the here-today-not-interested-by-tomorrow cyclist.

And, there’s another good reason why cycling enthusiasts are easy to buy gifts for and it’s all down to good old wear-and-tear. Simply put, the more a cyclist goes out cycling the more their existing gear will wear out, get mucky and tired-looking, and generally begin to fall apart. That means that replacement kit is another great source of gift ideas for them as well.

I’ve got a shortlist of handpicked gear that is perfect for cyclists who are passionate about their sport. I’ve also got some pointers on the kinds of gear that make great gifts for enthusiastic bike riders. There’s not a moment to lose (you’ve probably got a bunch of other much-harder people to buy gifts for!) so let’s dive in and take a look.

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What types of gifts do enthusiastic cyclists love?

In a nutshell they love everything to do with cycling (even if it’s only vaguely linked). So, it might be a new bike multitool (for on-the-spot bike repairs and opening post-ride beer bottles) but it can also be bike-themed gifts (such as bike coffee mugs) as they give the cyclist an opportunity to talk about their pastime with anyone who might listen.

Because cyclists cycle lots, they are constantly needing new kit to replace old, worn and damaged stuff. They also have a craving (possibly to the point of being slightly obsessive) for new bike tech. More on this in a moment. Let’s take a look in more detail about the kinds of new cycling gifts that keen cyclists love to receive.

Bike-related stuff

Now, you probably rolled your eyes slightly when I mentioned bike-shaped pizza cutters a moment ago. But, they’re a thing. And, not only that, but cyclists love anything like this. That’s why you’ll see them sporting cycling Tshirts when they’re nowhere near a bike. Or wearing socks with bikes on them when they’re in a suit in their office cubicle.

I call these things “Cycling Conversation Starters”. The idea being that cyclists love to talk about their hobby but it can be difficult to steer the conversation around to cycling when they’re nowhere near their bike. A Cycling Conversation Starter (CCS) makes this easy though and you can add fuel to this fire by providing them with a new CCS.

There are plenty of options to choose from in this category. I’ve mentioned pizza cutters and socks already. You can also get bottle openers, coffee mugs, and more.

A word of warning. Avoid buying clothing for cyclists unless you’re absolutely sure of their size. It’s tricky to get this right (particularly when it comes to tight-fitting bike jerseys and padded cycling shorts) and you’ll saddle your cyclist with the hassle of returning gifts. There’s plenty of other better and easier options to choose from though, so leave the apparel buying to them.

Things that make them or their bikes perform better

Cyclists love to cycle fast on their bikes. And anything that can help them to cycle even faster will be welcomed with open arms.

This is a VERY wide category of gear with plenty to choose the perfect gift from and at a broad range of prices to suit every budget.

Gear that makes cyclists perform better can include things like useful first aid kits, comfortable suspension seatposts (they’re amazing!), and new water bottles (I particularly like the new insulated ones). Whilst you might think that a water bottle would last forever, they actually don’t last long at all in practice. They get scuffed and battered pretty quickly and, where the cyclist heads out in wet and muddy conditions, they can get fairly disgusting looking fast. Talking of disgusting, a problem with old water bottles is the mold and grime that they pick up around the spout. It can never really be cleaned so cyclists just end up drinking through it. That means a new CLEAN water bottle is definitely something that will make a cyclist perform better!

Other great options include bike multitools (which are a handy repair kit in a pocket-sized tool), workshop tool kits, bike pumps (including the new and very fancy, but not pricey, CO2 tire inflators), and bike light sets (because no cyclist can ever be too well illuminated on the roads and trails).

Cycling tech

Keen cyclists get excited about bike-themed gifts, and they get a little shaky when they open a gift containing a new cycling tool, but what really makes them giddy is new bike tech.

There’s a saying in many sports along the lines of, “If you’ve got no proof, then it didn’t happen”. This is critical for cycling as there are so many stats that it’s possible for our cyclist to collect and impress their cycling buddies with. Speed, Heart Rate, V02 Max, Cadence… the list goes on…and on.

The way that cyclists collect these stats (and display them to their friends) is with bike tech and in recent years this has snowballed.

…and, not only have the options snowballed but, from our perspective, the prices have tumbled. Win win.

Some of my favorites in this space include cycling SatNav devices that fix to the handlebars of a bike and provide turn-by-turn navigation (amongst much else). There are also very exciting GPS watches that give the cyclist a huge amount of data on their performance.

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Conclusion

You thought it was going to be difficult, didn’t you? This whole buying gifts thing.

Granted, buying gifts for other people can be somewhat tricky. But, buying gifts for passionate cyclists? Now that’s an easy task.

There’s lots of options to choose from and you know that cyclists love these things and constantly wear them out. Whether you pick a bike-themed Cycling Conversation Starter, or some gear that makes them go faster, or a piece of bike tech that tells them just how fast they’ve gone…you know you’re on to a winner.

Happy gifting!