[dc]T[/dc]he holiday gift giving season is nearly upon us, and many of us are creating our own "wish lists" for loved ones to peruse. Others may be on the hunt for the perfect gift for "that crazy bike guy" in their life. In the spirit of the season, I'm listing some of my favorite gifts for beginners, some gifts for the hardcore racing crowd, and a few items that will suit anyone who appreciates the two wheel lifestyle. Without further ado, let's look at some gifts for:
For The Beginner Cyclist
Chamois Butt'r
Beginners to the sport are often somewhat squeamish about the idea of wearing lycra shorts with a chamois in them in the first place. Introducing them to the process of smearing chamois lube (in this case Chamois Butt'r) on their rear end may sound like a huge step, but once they get a couple of lubed up rides in, they'll wonder how they ever did without. Not only does Chamois Butt'r help to prevent chafing during long days in the saddle (and thusly prevent saddle sores) the proprietary non-greasy blend is gentle on sensitive skin and easily washes off both skin and clothing. And if the recipient does tend to suffer from saddle sores, try the Eurostyle which adds a cooling element to cut down on the soreness of long days and weeks in the saddle. Forget the awkwardness of giving your cycling obsessed loved one some bit Butt'r, and dump a tube of lube in their stocking.
$16/8 oz. tube or $20/8 oz. Eurostyle tube.
Garmin Edge 500
When most of us first started pedaling, we had nothing but a water bottle to keep us company. At the very most, we had one of those really cheap "odometers" on the bars, wire wrapped around the brake cable housing, sensor stuck on the front wheel. If you're even remotely interested in fitness or charting your improvements once you really become obsessed with cycling, look no further than the venerable Garmin Edge 500. Offering a myriad of fitness metrics, the ability to record every centimeter of your journey using GPS satellite tracking, a rudimentary course/mapping system and ANT+ compatibility, the Edge 500 is the only cycling computer you'll ever need. Even if you start with just the Edge 500 unit, you can expand later on with optional cadence/rear wheel speed and heart rate sensors. If you spiral into the realm of competitive cycling, you can pair any ANT+ power meter to the Edge and record all your power data alongside all your other metrics. Join Strava…join RideWithGPS…join Garmin Connect. Ride, analyze, share, connect. That's what the Edge is all about.
$250 Garmin Edge Unit only. $350 bundled with Speed/Cadence and Heart Rate.
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/into-sports/cycling/edge-500/prod36728.html
Lezyne Port-A-Shop Tool Kit
If you're a beginner cyclist, chances are you don't have a lot of tools in your garage. You may even be using the multi tool out of your emergency road kit to do most of the work on your bike. Why fight with a tool that's designed to be an emergency alternative when you could have a durable, stylish, purpose built tool kit for your garage? If that's your aim, the Lezyne Port-A-Shop kit is your target. Featuring everything an aspiring home mechanic might need in order to handle basic repairs, the Port-A-Shop kit is the perfect start to a full on mechanic's tool kit. You'll be able to handle all the bolts on your bike, change tires and tubes and install and repair chain links with ease. Made of machined steel, Lezyne tools will probably be with you longer than your current bike will be.
$140
http://www.lezyne.com/en/port-a-shop-tool-kit
For Everyone Who Rides A Bike
Amy Dombroski Apparel
Amy was the 26 year old American Telenet-Fidea cyclocross racer who was tragically struck and killed by a truck during a training session in Belgium earlier this year. A native of Vermont and residing in Boulder, she had multiple U23 World Cyclocross Championship wins to her name, a number of road wins, world cup wins, XC mountain bike wins and countless top placings both at home and abroad. Handlebar Moustache has teamed up with the Amy D foundation to offer these socks, hoodies and t-shirts adorned with the "broken heart" logo that has represented the hole in cycling that her passing has left. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these items goes to the Amy D Foundation, which supports junior cycling throughout the country.
http://www.hbstache.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=120
HandleBar Moustache Apparel
We all remember a few years back when there was a t-shirt company born of Andy Schleck's commentary about his stomach and it being "full of anger." I still wear my "Shut Up Legs" t-shirt on a regular basis. Now, three years on, that company is on "hiatus" and HBstache.com has stepped into the gap, carrying on the tradition of Jensie admirably. In addition to Shut Up Legs, HBstache has such awesome offerings as "WTF is Zone 2?" and "Don't Ride Like a Douche", along with a couple of really slick jersey/bib kits. If you've got someone on your list that lets their cycling love show in their daily dress, the 'stache has something to make them smile.
http://www.hbstache.com/default.asp
RoadID Personal Identification
What would happen if you crashed on the open road while training alone? Would first responders know your name? Address? Emergency contact? What if you're allergic to something that they may use to treat you? RoadID puts it best when they say "In the event of an accident, if you can't speak for yourself, your Road ID will. It's not just a piece of gear – it's peace of mind." With a myriad of options, including multiple kinds of wrist IDs, shoe IDs, dog-tag style IDs and more, there are plenty of options for everyone. Personally, I've had my RoadID for more than 4 years, and RoadID customer service has been fantastic throughout its lifespan. No matter if you're shopping for a cyclist, a triathlete, a runner or any other physically active friend or family member, giving the gift of peace of mind is always a good choice.
IDs starting at $20
Coffeebeandirect.com Coffee
Nothing complements the sport of cycling like coffee. As I've written before, coffee shops are one of the central hubs in the cycling community and the search for a perfect cup of java is much like the search for the perfect saddle. You'll try many, but settle on one or two which tickle your fancy properly. Coffee Bean Direct has an incredible selection of regular, decaf and flavored coffees, from single bean roasts to finely crafted blends. Sure, the presentation isn't sparkly or flashy, coming in a simple resealable foil pouch, but the quality is extremely high. Pick a dark, bold blend or a light roasted single bean gourmet roast to compliment the personality of your favorite cyclist.
Available in whole bean or ground to specification (for drip, french press or espresso machines). Bulk pricing available.
http://www.coffeebeandirect.com/
For The Hardcore Racer
Kreitler Rollers
Every experienced cyclist knows how mind-numbingly dull it is to ride indoors on a stationary trainer. Unfortunately for most of us, training indoors is a necessary evil when the snow flies and the temperatures dip into the single digits. The biggest downside of a stationary trainer is the fact that your rear wheel is locked into the trainer and there's absolutely nothing challenging your balance or pedaling smoothness. How many times have you gotten out on the road after a winter on the trainer and felt strong but twitchy? Rollers solve that problem by forcing you to stay smooth and balance on your own two wheels. Kreitler has been making high quality rollers for many years and are considered the benchmark in quality for rollers. Not only will your pedal stroke and balance be sharper, but you'll be smoother and more efficiency after a winter's worth of roller training.
$369 and up.
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/kreitler-trainers-rollers
Power Meters
As I detailed in 10 Reasons To Use A Power Meter, power measurement is the future of training for cyclists. For the competitive cyclist who wants to make that next step, a power meter offers you the ability to see exactly and precisely the effort that you're putting out. It also allows you to see energy expenditure down to the kilojule and allows you to track your fitness and recovery through the use of training stress score, chronic training load and acute training load. In terms of options, you can go from the cheaper end of the spectrum with the Stages Cycling left crank arm unit and the Cycleops Powertap (recent price drops make this one very attractive as a first power meter.) Shooting right to the top of the heap is the gold standard SRM crank based unit. In between you have offerings from Quarq/SRAM, Garmin, Power2Max and Look/Polar. Depending on the budget, you may also need to consider a head unit to display the data provided by the power meter, so keep that in mind.
Coaching and Training Plans
For the competitive cyclist who has it all and wants that extra edge, nothing beats a professional eye to review training data (especially with that new power meter that you have also asked for.) What could be a better gift than giving someone a coach to help your dedicated (some may say obsessed) cyclist set realistic goals, give them training plans that allow them to attack their weaknesses and reach those goals. And for someone who may not be the most disciplined, consider the gift of coaching a wonderful way to keep them on track in the coming months and help keep them focused on their goals.
