Treat your favourite cyclist to something nice, with our pick of the best gifts for cyclists
(Image credit: Tour de Pizza)
Whether it’s a birthday, Christmas, or just an excuse to show someone you care, there are plenty of gift ideas out there that your cycling fanatic friend, relative or better half would love. Here’s a complete list of our favourite gifts for cyclists, from novelty stocking fillers to the absolute creme de la creme of premium products (if you’re feeling especially generous).
A great stocking-filler that they can have fun with
Perfect for that big kid cyclist in your life, Richard Mitchelson has put together this big book of Grand-Tour-related fun.
They'll no doubt know 'Rich Mitch' the illustrator, thanks to his cartoon portraits of various pro riders, past and present, who have found themselves immortalised on mugs and wallpaper, among other merchandise, and readers will find lots to keep them occupied in this wonderfully irreverent book full of activities, from drawing your own Tour de France route, to dot-to-dots, to designing jerseys.
Lots of companies and individuals are finding ways to reuse worn bike parts in an effort to reduce waste. Get your cycling loved one a practical gift that helps save the planet, as well as acts as a nice subtle hint at their love for all things two wheels when they use it. This card wallet is the perfect choice: it’s super useful and is made from recycled inner tubes.
If you know a cyclist who loves to decorate themselves with two-wheel paraphernalia, why not treat them to this lovely bracelet? It’s a subtle design that can be worn casually on and off the bike.
It’s a running joke in most cyclist circles that everyone has to receive the notorious pizza cutter at least once in their life. That said, it is a fun gift to give, and it can also be used, so it won’t just collect dust on a shelf. We do recommend that you check they haven’t already got one, but if you’re in luck and they haven’t, why not be that person that gives it to them?
A very stylish bottle for any heritage-loving cyclist
If you’re buying for a heritage-oriented cyclist with a love of all things steel and titanium, then they might just fall in love with this incredibly stylish Eroica bottle from Elite Cycling. It looks and feels amazing, and while it functions as a water bottle it is also a work of art in its own right. The bottle is hand-made from aluminum with a satin finish, and includes a cork stopper held on with string for a very classic look and feel.
A nice subtle way to add some cycling bling to a suit
If they love cycling enough that they want to bring it with them to special occasions, help them out by treating them to some bike-related cufflinks. They’re subtle but add a bit of flair to an ordinary suit. They also come in a nice presentation box.
If you know someone who likes to do all their mechanic stuff at home, why not treat them to this heavy duty mechanic’s apron from Park Tool? It has all the pockets they need to have the most essential tools to hand while carrying out a tricky fix, and is super durable to stand the test of time.
If you’re buying for a commuter cyclist or someone who generally gets their bike dirty a lot, help them keep it running for longer, by encouraging them to clean it regularly with an 8-in-1 cleaning kit. It offers all the brushes needed to get into the hard-to-reach places, as well as a chain-cleaner to keep their drivetrain shiny and happy for longer.
It’s hard to explain exactly why every bike mechanic should have one of these screwdrivers, but the moment they first insert it into a JIS (Japanese Industry Standard) screw, they will understand. It’s just an incredibly engineered precision tool that does one job, but does it extremely well, and feels amazing to use. A geeky mechanic will really appreciate this as a gift.
Who doesn’t love a bike ride and a picnic with wine?
Another option for a gift made from recycled or repurposed materials, this wine carrier makes use of old denim in its construction. This is also a bit of a novelty item but if the cyclist in your life is a fan of slow bike rides that involve picnics, then help them level up with a great way to transport a fine bottle of wine to said picnic.
This would be especially useful if you’re buying for a cyclocross racer. Many of them favour tubeless tires for their practicality. This tubeless inflator from Airshot is a simple and effective tool that also does its bit for the environment. Instead of working their way through a pack of single use metal canisters, they can refill the airshot with a track pump, and use it to quickly inflate their tires when needed.
If they’re a long-distance cyclist or someone who needs to carry a lot of energy gels with them on a ride, then why not treat them to a box of tasty gels to keep them going for a while? These energy gels from GU come in a variety of flavors and are sure to be a big hit.
It may be a shock at first that it could be possible to produce a bottle cage at this price point, but there’s a good reason for it. Silca is known for its premium quality products, and its timeless and elegant titanium bottle cage is no exception.
Tubular titanium of aerospace quality is hand-crafted into this elegant bottle cage, right here in the US. It’s truly a cage that will last a lifetime, and a very decadent treat for a beloved bike. Finally, with its titanium construction it should come at no surprise that this Silca bottle cage weighs barely over an ounce, making it the ultimate accessory for weight weenies.
If you’re buying for someone who loves to sleep out under the stars, help them to ditch gas in favour of renewable energy, with this twig-powered camping stove. It fits easily into a bag, as it’s small and lightweight, and they’ll no longer need to carry gas canisters because their fuel is right there on the ground.
Bike tools are such a great gift for any cyclist who works on their own bike. Why not inject a little color into their toolkit with these rainbow-colored hex wrenches? They’re not colorful for just fun either, as the different colors help them to identify the size they need much more quickly than looking for a number.
While tires might not seem exciting, they’re arguably the single most affordable way to give a bike a real performance upgrade, and any roadie will delight in a new set. The Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL is a great do-it-all tire and is available in a range of sizes as well as a tubeless option. Be sure to check the spec of their bike before ordering.
It’s said that Tullio Campagnolo hurt his hand in 1966 while opening a bottle of wine. His anger in that moment spurred him to design a corkscrew of his very own, and thus the Campagnolo corkscrew was born. It’s claimed that it will never perforate the lower part of the cork, so it will never contaminate the wine, while the levers are engineered to prevent the risk of breaking the glass or shaking the bottle.
The branding isn’t the only thing that makes it a truly ‘Campag’ product either, as the screws feature chainring-style bolts, hinting at the brand’s heritage.
If you’re feeling super generous and you know a budding home mechanic, you could set them up with an entire tool kit for their home workshop. This tool kit from Park Tool contains everything they could possibly need to work on their own bikes at home, as well as their friends’ (and most importantly, yours!).
Stylish in-ear wireless earphones with all the bells and whistles
These svelte black earphones are just about as good as you can get when it comes to in-ear wireless earphones for indoor cycling. Sennheiser is an expert in the audio game, and it shows with these buds. They offer active noise cancelling, and touch controls for playing and pausing audio, skipping back and forth, and can be compatible with voice assistance like Siri and Google Assistant.
If they want to make films out of their rides then give them the best. Packed with features, the GoPro Hero8 Black is at the forefront of what is possible from an action camera whether capturing action sports or vlogging. Video quality has been upped thanks to Hypersmooth 2.0 and TimeWarp 2.0 as well as higher bitrates and 1080p live streaming.
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Mildred joined as Reviews Writer for Cyclingnews and BikePerfect in December 2020. She loves all forms of cycling from long-distance audax to daily errand-running by bike, and does almost everything on two wheels, including moving house, and started out her cycling career working in a bike shop. For the past five years she's volunteered at The Bristol Bike Project as a mechanic and session coordinator, and now sits on its board of directors.
Since then she's gone on to write for a multitude of cycling publications, including Bikeradar, Cycling Plus, Singletrack, Red Bull, Cycling UK and Total Women's Cycling. She's dedicated to providing more coverage of women's specific cycling tech, elevating under-represented voices in the sport, and making cycling more accessible overall.
