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Christmas gift buying is always a stressful business, isn’t it? You scour the stores trying to find something for Uncle Grumpy or Great Auntie Mildew. Grumpy and Mildew never seem to do anything apart from watch TV and complain, so you haven’t even got a leisure activity to theme any gifts around. If it’s for Secret Santa, then you’ve often got a budget to work with as well, so you can’t even throw money at the problem. At least, if it’s Secret Santa, they’ll never know who it was from…
Thankfully, leaving Grumpy and Mildew aside, when you know what one of your gift recipient’s hobbies or leisure activities is (like cycling), then you’ve got a useful starting point.
Cycling is such a fantastic hobby to buy gifts for because there are so many bits of kit that bike riders need. They always have kit and equipment that has seen better days (“What’s wrong with the sunglasses I bought in 1928? Duct tape can fix anything you know!”)
Plus, they absolutely love new gadgets.
I did some research to track down the best cycling gifts out there that are perfect for Secret Santa, Amigo Secreto, Yankee Swap, Kris Kringle gift exchange…or whatever else your coworkers are calling it this year. So, pour yourself a fresh mug of mulled wine, settle into your comfiest armchair, and we’ll take a look.
Secret Santa for Cyclist
Okay, let’s take a look at some of the best stocking stuffer ideas for cyclists.
Front and Rear LED Bike Light Set
Cyclists can never have enough illumination, in my opinion. The more lights that a cyclist has attached to themselves and their bikes, the more chance that they have of avoiding a close encounter with a driver who wasn’t paying sufficient attention to the road. These little guys are incredibly useful – they’re designed to wrap onto your handlebars or seatstays – but frankly, I’ve not found a place yet that I couldn’t fit these: on my bike, on my backpack, on my helmet. The list goes on. This 4-pack is such great value, especially as they come with batteries included.
Duck Bike Horn
Looking to inject a little humor into your Secret Santa? Then you probably don’t need to look any further than these cute duckling bike bells.
Give the duck a gentle squeeze and they’ll quack at 45 decibels. Press them and they give off a lovely yellow glow. The hard part? That’s choosing which one of the different designs to give your lucky gift recipient (my personal fave is the ‘Shark’ design).
Insulated Bike Water Bottle
I can guarantee two things about your cycling gift recipient: (1) they’ve got quite a few water bottles, and (2) each and every one of those bottles is scraped, bashed, covered in impossible-to-clean-off mud, and has mold inside the spout.
Bleurgh! Cyclists like to think that they’re keeping themselves healthy by going out on their bikes. But looking at some of the water bottles that they drink out of, I’m not entirely sure.
Do them (and, more importantly, their health) a favor by getting them a sparkly new water bottle, like this one from Polar Bottle. At 24 oz, it’s a great size for cycling. Because it’s insulated it means that their electrolyte-infused carb-loaded sports drinks will be as chilled out at the end of their ride as they are.
Z-COLOR Bike Pizza Cutter
When they finish up after a long bike ride, cyclists will generally grab a shower, change into jeans and a bike t-shirt, and load up on carbs.
As we know one of the best and tastiest sources of carbohydrates is pizza and cyclists love it. Most cyclists will be forced to use a basic and very boring pizza cutter to slice up their oven-baked piece of heaven. But your gift recipient will be in luck if you buy them this awesome pizza cutter.
WOTOW Multi-Function 16 in 1 Bike Repair Tool Kit
As I’ve already mentioned, cyclists love gadgets and can never get enough of them.
Also worth noting that it’s a rare cyclist who actually goes out on a bike ride prepared for problems to happen. It’s a funny quirk of cycling that bike problems, like punctures or dodgy gears, never occur when cyclist and bike are at home (next to their full set of bike tools).
No, they actually happen when your gift recipient is about 20 miles (also known as “a very long walk”) away from home. Buy them this awesome tool kit and they will be forever grateful.
Bike Coffee Mug
Looking for another conversation-starter for your gift recipient? Well, this is a must buy. Fantastic minimalist design that tells the world how much that lucky coffee drinker loves cycling.
Get ready for, “Slurp. Aah! Did I tell you about the time when…
Fun Cycling Socks For Men
I did a survey recently of my socks.
Whilst I appreciate that this is quite sad and an indication of the tragic state of my life… it was very insightful.
It turns out that I have lots of socks. These are mostly singles that have lost their other half, a couple of pairs of decent socks, and an awful lot of pairs of socks that have got holes in the toes or the heels. Sigh…
I strongly suspect that your cyclist’s sock drawer is in a similar need of refreshment as mine is. For that reason, I would recommend a smart new pair of these cycling socks. If you have other people to buy for as well, then take a look at the other sock designs on this listing. There are a whopping 45 different designs to choose from. My personal favorite would have to be the “Warning Biohazard”.
One More Horizon: The Inspiring Story of One Man’s Solo Journey Around the World on a Mountain Bike
Looking to give your gift recipient some inspiration?
Then how about a cycling memoir?
This is a great read and gives them something to occupy themselves with when they’re not out riding. Plus? Well, it does make a great conversation-starter.
Christmas Gifts For Bicycle Riders
Buying gifts for folk that you don’t know that well can be a tricky and stressful business. If it’s for a Secret Santa gift exchange, then you’ve probably also got a budget to work with, so you can’t even throw more money at the problem. But if you know what one of your gift recipient’s leisure activities is, such as cycling, then it can make it much easier.
Bicycling is such a great hobby to get gifts for as there are so many bits of gear that cyclists need and they’re certain to have plenty that has seen better days. And, of course, they love new gadgets.
I hope this list of some of the best cycling gifts is useful and have a very merry and relaxing Christmas!
