The holidays are a special time of year. Getting and giving gifts make the season challenging, especially when it comes to buying a gift for family and friends that ride. We all know those people, hard to buy for and super passionate about mountain biking. Well things just got a lot easier for you. Heres a gift guide especially made for those of you that may not necessarily share the same passion for riding. For those who prefer to ride more than keeping up with the latest new products or don’t have time to look through the latest magazines for all the cool shit; we here at Crankjoy have your back. We have scoured the globe and done some testing to get you some great ideas for any budget.
A mountain biker is a mountain biker – right? Wrong! How high are the sock lines this season? What are the cool colors? This guide will not appeal to every rider. Only the rider who wants to look good and ride hard. If you have ladies that ride to buy for – GOOD LUCK and check out the LadyShred Gift guide , they need an entire list to themselves!
Here is a list of the most popular goods that we love. It’s full of cool stuff that will allow you to immerse in nature, provide good function, quality and style and last as long as you want it to. As much as possible we tried to recommend “safe choices” here that don’t involve guessing the right sizing or things that they really don’t need.
Gifts Under $250
- Garmin Vivoactive GPS watch ($250) In my opinion, the on bike computers can be a pain in the ass with all the special mounts and switching in-between bikes. The Vivoactive is a powerful GPS that tracks distance, speed, HR, but uploads automatically, plus it tells time, is a smartwatch and looks cool, with free downloadable watch faces for any style. Check out the full review- here
- Baggy riding attire ($69-$169) Qloom is a great new company (to the US) that we’ve been into lately. They’ve got great fabrics and awesome Swiss style. Check out our review here. Other options for looking good are the Sombrio Realto jersey and Pinner shorts from Canada, enough said!
- Hydration Pack ($110) The Camelbak Charge is the one I’m into right now, since it has great easy access waist mounted storage without taking the pack off. This is great for the phone, nutrition or even a small camera or Gopro. It also does a good job of keeping the fluids low around the waist and is super comfortable.
- Bike Lights ($150-$160) This time a year days are short and time to get out even shorter. Bike lights open up a new world of riding and giving riders a little more time to enjoy their hobbies. My current favorite is from Niterider: Nightrider Lumina 800 Another alternative is the Lights & Motion Urban 800
Gifts Under $100
- Protection ($70) Knee and elbow pads from G-Form These pads are flexible, but super tough! Comfortable and safe, usually something you don’t hear in the same breath.
- Mini pump ($40) Blackburn Mammoth Flex to be carried while on the bike and fits easily into your pack for those big adventures.
- Gloves ($25) This is a great pair from Dakine -The Covert Glove is without the annoying velcro wrist closures that most have to snag on the rest of your clothes
Gifts Under $25
- Socks ($10-$20) These are excellent gifts that every mountain biker needs. What better than a pair of marino wool Crankjoy Socks?!! Swiftwick socks are also great.
- Lube ($6-$15) Prolink and DeMonde Tech are our favorites. You can never have enough lube.
- Grips ($12-$25) These new ergonomic Ergon GE1 and ESI Chunky are a couple of our current favs.
- Hats- cool beanies or caps, you can never have enough. Why not match them your bike like our favorite Ibis Shade Device. (While you’re at it go ahead and get them a cool Ibis bike to match their new lid!)
If these gift ideas are not enough to make your rider friends and family happy, get down to your local bike shop and see what they’ve got for ideas or see our “Weird Holiday Gift Guide“. The guys down at the shop might even know the person you are shopping for or some people they ride with, so be sure to drop some names so that they can make some recommendations for you. When in doubt, a gift certificate to the shop is a good, safe bet.
Happy Holidays!
