It’s that time of year again! We’ll be highlighting cool gift ideas for the fixed gear cyclist in your life (we’re usually pretty hard to shop for, so I’ll help you along the way).
Fixed Gear Bike (ready-made)
Note: Some riding and smiling REQUIRED!
Bianchi Pista
If you really want to make a fixed gear rider smile get them a whole bike and try stuffing it under the tree. My favorite ready-made (and one of my personal) fixed gear bikes is the Bianchi Pista, it’s rock solid, steel, and has excellent components. Show them you care with a front brake (it comes with one! It’s good to keep it on if they’re learning how to ride. Also useful if you’d like them to live a bit longer) so they can enjoy the ride and not worry about how to brake while they are learning to get used to riding a fixie.
Fixed Gear Holiday Gifts For Everyone
Garmin Edge 800 GPS-Enabled Cycling Computer
For whoever has an adventurous person in their life who loves to ride, but gets lost, this bike computer was meant for them. Besides all the usual data like speed, distance, etc… It has a built in GPS with an easy-to-use touch-screen. Show someone you love them this holiday (and help them get to their destination without getting lost).
Burley Travoy Bike Commuter Trailer
Here’s the perfect gift for the guy/gal who loves to ride all the time, but sometimes has to go shopping or run errands that requires hauling stuff (yep, that usually means trading two wheels for 4), well guess what….. now they don’t have to make the trade-off and can still RIDE and haul all that necessary (…sometimes) STUFF behind them with this awesome commuter trailer by Burley.
Fi’zi:k Antares K:IUM Limited Edition Team Saddle
This seat is amazing and considering how light it is, it has a nice amount of padding to make long rides much better. It’s a bit pricey, but considering how much of a difference a nice seat makes and how important the RIGHT saddle is, the cost becomes secondary and how your butt feels at the end of a long, hard day of riding start to become the deciding factor. BTW, it also looks kick-ass!
Brooks Heritage Saddles B17 Standard Saddle – Men’s
For the person in your life who likes a refined and classic-look for their fixed gear bike, this Brooks saddle is the ONLY way to go. (My favorite is the “Honey” colored seat. The “Black” is also a lovely choice and it’s a nice deal and a costs a bit less and you get the same craftsmanship, high-quality and sex appeal).
CycleOps Fluid 2 Indoor Bicycle Trainer
For when it’s too cold (or someone is too lazy) to go outside during winter a gift to help them stay in shape and “riding” is this CycleOps Indoor trainer (they’ll enjoy the high resistance so those legs & lungs stay nice and strong during the “off-season”).
Make sure to get a stackable riser block (or 2 blocks if you want lots of adjustment) for the front wheel so the angle feels right.
Stocking Stuffers
Planet Bike Blaze 1-Watt Headlight and Suplerflash Taillight Combination Bicycle Light Set
Ride safe and be seen with a bicycle headlight and taillight (this model’s headlight is SUPER bright). Make sure to use them! (It’s funny how often I see riders at night who have taillights with their rear lights not turned on).
Knog Beetle 2-LED Bicycle Light
These little lights are surprisingly strong, they make them as headlights and taillights. They are small and easily and quickly attach to your handlebar or seat post in seconds with the stretchy clip/strap. I take the headlight one off of my bike when I come home at night and shine it on my front door to get my key in the hole and avoid fumbling with the key (and cursing).
TheFiXFiXFiX 2011 Calendar
A must-have gift for every man is this 2011 calendar highlighting bikes and the women who love them (while wearing minimal clothing). It’s a great calendar and the blog publisher that made the calendar has similar pictures and posts year-round that are equally nice.
Crank Brothers Power Ultra Bicycle Pump (Black with Gold Accents)
Who doesn’t need a bike pump, especially one this light and pretty!
Crank Brothers Multi Bicycle Tool (19-Function)
This is the essential stocking-stuffer and all-in-one bicycle tool for quick roadside fixes and adjustments, get two!
For The Winter Riders!
We all love riding when it’s warm out, but not all of us enjoy riding when it’s cold. To remedy that I have a short list of gifts that will keep your special someone riding year-round and be warm!
As the old Scandinavian saying goes:
“There is no bad weather, just bad clothing”
Gore Oxygen Thermo Jersey
Keep warm with a Gore Oxygen Thermo Jersey (for the lovely lady in your life Gore Women’s Jersey). With this amazing jersey now there’s no reason to not go for a ride on Christmas morning or any other chilly winter day.
You can also check out Gore’s accessories like gloves, face warmers, and balaclava’s.
Pearl iZumi Thermals
And for the rest of that body that’s looking forward to riding YEAR-ROUND you can’t go wrong with Pearl’s line of thermals. They’ve got great arm warmers, knee warmers, leg warmers, and thermal tights. Now we’re getting HOT!
For The Rider Who Has Kids (or Pets)
InStep Sync Single Bicycle Trailer, Green/Gray
A great gift for the rider with kids, instead of leaving the little ones at home you can bring them along for the ride (and keep them locked down!) while introducing them to the joys of riding at a young age with this high-quality and inexpensive bicycle trailer.
InStep Sierra Double Bicycle Trailer
And for those fertility gods and goddesses with two kids (or pets), here’s a trailer for two kiddies!
For The Mechanic…
Park Tool Advanced Mechanic Tool Kit
If you’ve got to get someone who really likes to get dirty and work on their bike a gift this Park tool kit has just about EVERY tool you can imagine and it’s a better deal than buying the bicycle tools individually. Nothing says “I Love You” like tools!!
Park Tool PCS-10 Home Mechanic Repair Stand
For the gear head who like to work on their bike in a 5 star setting, this bike repair stand is a lifesaver (and a back-saver since no more bending down, constant readjustments and jerry-wrigging to comfortably and safely work on their bike(s)).
For The Fixed Gear “Rider-In-Training” (Kids!)
Diggin Active Skuut Wooden Balance Bike
A gift for the little ones that are getting ready to ride, but not quite there yet, a balance bike is the perfect gift since they teach kids the basics of how to balance and steer a bike, so when the time comes to take the jump to THE PEDALS it makes the transition much easier for them and saves their ego’s and confidence along with fewer bruises and cuts (although we all need those lovely “battle scars” to be considered REAL riders).
Smart Gear Smart Chopper Balance Bike
And here’s the badass balance bike, for the kid with a little “edge” that likes to ride (and balance) hard-core, chopper-style.
Happy Holidays!