Woah can you believe that it’s December 6th already! This morning all the children here in Belgium were treated with gifts and cookies left in their shoes by Sinterklaas,and with Christmas fast approaching we thought it would be fun to share a little gift guide of some great suggestions for your favourite cyclist on your list.
1. Our big ticket item is the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine. We have used many different indoor trainers over the years, and this is hands down our favourite! What is so special about the Road Machine you ask? Let us count the ways, they are extremely quiet, fast to set up, use no resistance cable – it’s all automatic with the Road Machine, plus the colour is just awesome. These trainers are SOLID they are the absolute best option for lugging around to weekly cyclocross races, and best of all their unconditional life time warranty means that the recipient won’t be purchasing a new indoor trainer several years down the line! Plus these guys have shown us some love by sponsoring The ChainStay with these exact trainers, so it would be great if you checked them out and showed them some love too!
2. For the cyclist that has absolutely everything that they could possibly want or need, how about some art for their home or office? We found these neat cast iron sculptures on Etsy, that are available in several different colours. We thought that a set of two would make some really cool bookends!
3. Everyone needs a good rain/wind vest. We love the simple and classic look of the Flemish Lion on the Renner Gilet, plus the black and white scheme will go with nearly everything that your loved one already owns.
4. Our friends Jered and Ashley Gruber have just released a 2013 Calendar with some of their best photos from the past year. These guys have photographed cyclists on some of the most picturesque training roads around, and know how to capture a bike race like no other photographer can, so it’s no surprise that all the photos in this calendar are stunning! Best of all, once the year is through the recipient (or yourself…we won’t judge) has got themselves some killer prints to frame… bamm the gift that keeps on giving!
5. We are big believers of real food, especially when out on the bike. The ingredient list of ride fuel shouldn’t sound like a high school chemistry experiment, which is why we love the Feed Zone Cookbook. There are so many simple recipes with simple ingredients, it’s hard not to love this book. This would be a great gift for a young cyclist who is at the age of moving out of the house or who will be spending a lot of time away from home and isn’t the most competent in the kitchen. And even if your giftee is competent in the kitchen it’s packed full of great recipes for high performance, so we can’t really think of a good reason not to gift this book.
6. Knowledge truly is power (pun intended) when it comes to an individuals training, and Training and Racing with a Power Meter is the perfect gift for that power geek in your cycling family.
7. A set of Planet Bike LED Lights would make a great stocking stuffer, because let’s face it you can never be too visible on the bike.
8. Arundel Bottle Cages have a great reputation! We love that they are built to last, won’t break over cobbles, and best of all will hang on to your bottles over rough roads. We really like the simple and affordable plastic version, but the indulgent carbon fiber version is pretty sleek looking too. They also have a great side loader for the petite cyclist with a smaller bike frame.
9. Stan’s Tire Sealant would be a great addition to the stocking. It is perfect for keeping small flats from ruining a ride (and best of all no fumbling with CO2 cartridges or spare tubes), it is also great for saving newer tubulars after an unfortunate puncture.
So there you have it, our first Holiday Gift Guide. I have to be honest, it was a lot of fun to put together, but before you ask no one held a gun to our heads to say nice things about their products. We just love the products, and thought we’d pass along some great gift ideas for those of you who are stuck on what to gift to the cycling enthusiast in your life. If you have any other great gift ideas we’d love to hear it.
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