Unique Gifts for Cyclists
Unique Gifts for Cyclists
One of the great things about cycling is that because it’s so popular, there is a huge range of products, making it surprisingly easy to find unique gifts of the cyclists in your life. Most cyclists, will, of course, have the basics. So, forget about looking at new lights or helmets, there are many more interesting and exciting things that you can give.
Clothing
Clothes make great gifts, not just for cyclists. However, cyclists will have a whole wardrobe for their passion. And clothing has the benefit that it eventually wears out or people just fancy a change. So, why not use that to your advantage?
From jerseys to padded shorts, there are plenty of options for a great-looking gift for a cyclist. And with a bit of research, you can even find personalized options, ensuring that your gift is totally unique.
But don’t just limit the gift options to those on the bike. Why not buy something that shows their passion to the world? You might find something suitable just on the rack in a local retailer, but sites like Etsy have plenty of gift options, like a t-shirt that announces the universal truth ‘if it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen’.
Indulging their passion
Of course, clothing isn’t the only way to display a passion. Etsy also contains plenty of other gift ideas for the cyclist. From cycling themed prints or bookends, or even personalized bike chain key-rings, there are unique gifts for cyclists that want to be surrounded by cycling!
But some of these can be practical too. A visit to a local bookshop, or a specialist retailer, will reveal that it’s possible to fill a whole library, and certainly a cyclist’s home library, with books about biking. Finding out the specific interests of the recipient will narrow down the search, but only a little! And, if you are overwhelmed by choice, then here are a few starting points.
If you are looking for a coffee-table book, then Magnum Cycling is a collection of some of the best cycling photography taken by the Magnum agency. From famous riders to famous events, it’s a book that any cyclist will keep returning too.
For those that like history, The Official History of the Tour de France offers an insight into the ups and downs (both literal and metaphoric) of the world’s most famous and grueling cycling race.
And if it’s a gift for a cyclist who is looking for improvement, then they will probably find everything they need to know in The Cyclist’s Training Bible.
Useful accessories
If you want to get something a little more practical, then there are still plenty of options. Even if you think a cyclist has everything they could need, there’s always more!
Work stands are often a great gift. Most cyclists will tend to make do without one, leaning their bike up or turning it upside when they work on it. But give them a work stand, and they will never look back. Look for one that offers a stable base, and they will soon be using for almost everything except riding!
And, if you really wanted to be practical, buying spares, especially inner tubes, will never be wrong. Just check that you are getting the right size for their bike and, sooner or later, they will be thanking you when they need a replacement.
Gadgets
When it comes to finding the unique gift for a cyclist, not much can beat a gadget.
Cycling might seem like a simple pursuit. And it is: pedals drive a chain, that turns the wheels, that pushes you forward. But even the simplest things can be enhanced by gadgets and data. Ask any cyclist, a long bike ride can be fun, but a long bike ride, with live updates on speed and cadence, information on elevation and feedback on effort, is cycling nirvana!
Fortunately, there are plenty of gadgets for almost everything.
Bike computers and GPS devices are one of the most obvious ones. If you are looking for a high-end gift, then you will not go far wrong looking at computers by companies like Wahoo or Garmin. But even the cheapest computers can add to cycling. Decathlon, for example, have several low-cost computers that might not be feature-rich, but will still provide enough information to spur on a cyclist to better times and faster speed.
However, there are plenty of other places that tech can hang off a bike. While almost every cyclist will already have lights, it’s always possible to get an upgrade. The most expensive will do things like links to GPS, measure ambient conditions and assess cycling behavior to automatically offer the optimum lighting settings, but even cheap lights can offer an upgrade.
For the urban cyclist, why not buy something that gives them a portable bike lane? There are many lights that do this, like the Laser Bike Lane, a simple and cheap device that projects a bike lane on either side of the bike. They enhance visibility and creating a psychological barrier that prompts drivers to keep their distance.
And if the cyclist already has lots of gadgets, what about helping them keep everything charged? A PedalCell will take the energy from the bike, using an efficient dynamo, and routes it through capacitors. The result is an onboard USB hub that can charge anything that takes a USB cable. Whether it’s the bike’s lights, GPS, phone, or even something totally irrelevant to cycling, like an e-reader, the PedalCell’s efficient design means even a short ride can top up batteries with minimal drag.
Get shopping
With so many options, the real difficulty is not finding a unique gift for a cyclist, but choosing a unique gift from the vast range of ideas there are. And the range also means there’s something for any budget. One of the beauties of cycling is that, even if they have an expensive carbon fiber frame, even a few dollars, thoughtfully spent, can buy a gift that has a value beyond price.