Gear, gadgets and more for every cyclist on your list
Looking for gifts to give cyclists this season? Of course you are. The annual Canadiancycling
Magazine gift guide is here to help. There’s stuff for on-bike and off. There’s “oh you shouldn’t have” items, as well as thoughtful and practical gear. No matter the rider, we have you covered.
The new Apple Watch Series 6 ($ 529, apple.com) can measure your blood oxygen level. It connects with cycling apps, such as Strava, too. Most important, you can take emergency calls on your rides easily: “No, I won’t be home for another hour. Yes, you and you sister can have the rest of the cake that’s in the fridge.” Tissot has been supporting cycling for years, from the track to the Tour de France. The Tissot T-race Cycling Tour De France 2020 Special Edition watch ($ 675, tissotwatches.com) brings that link back to the Swiss company. It features the yellow of the GC leader at the Tour as well as brake-lever-inspired buttons.
Keep a toddler’s melon protected with the Lazer Lil’gekko helmet ($ 60, lazersport.
ca). Its Autofit system makes it easy to put it on the little rider’s head properly. The Lik’gekko comes in three designs. Who doesn’t love the one that gets you singing “Baby Shark”? (Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo.)
The Abus Airbreaker helmet ($ 360, hlc.bike) is a versatile lid. It has 14 vents for cooling: 11 for intake and three for exhaust. It’s aerodynamics also help manage air around a rider’s head. The Airport feature keeps things aero by allowing glasses to be stowed at the back.
The 24" wheel size is pretty significant. It means the young rider is probably old enough for more big-kid cycling adventures. The Trek Precaliber 24 bike ($ 430, trekbikes.com) with its 8-speed cassette will take the rider up and down hills. There’s a kickstand for when it’s time to lean and chat with friends.
A Specialized Riprock 20 bike ($ 599, specialized.com/ca) can foster a love of riding trails in a young ripper. The bike has a Custom SR Suntour xct fork with 60 mm of travel. The 20 x 2.8 Big Roller tires boost control and traction. The frame is aluminum making the bike durable and not too heavy on the uphills.
Casquettes never go out of style. The Brooklyn cap by Apis ($ 17, logicasport.com) should be worn during any viewing of A Sundayinhell. The De Rosa Santini team cap is a more contemporary twist on a classic piece of kit.
The Reggie Nice People Ride Bikes flat-brim hat ($ 36, reggie.bike) is five panels of cycling positivity. Who could disagree with this hat?
The Specialized New Era 9Fifty snapback hat ($ 45, specialized.com/ca) looks really good as it covers up postride helmet head.
The Amour Leather Circle Bike bag ($ 150, pedalpeople. ca) looks good on a rider’s shoulder or attached to a handlebar. It’s made by a company in Ethiopia that works to provide employment opportunities for women. It comes to Canada via Peterborough, Ont.’s Pedal People. The shoulder strap can be removed easily so the bag can buckle neatly to the front of a bike.
Ali’srockyride ($ 11 [ebook only], shred-girls.com) is the second instalment of the Shred Girls series, perfect for readers 10 years old and older. It focuses on Ali and her friends, and their mountain bike training trip. For even younger mountain bikers, there’s Shredtilbed:themtbanimalalphabet ($ 43, kidsrideshotgun.com). Toddlers can learn their letters while grownups can enjoy the bikes drawn with accuracy. The hardcover Soigneurglobal Cyclingguidebook ($ 50, shop. soigneur.nl ) will keep a rider’s passion for two-wheel-based travel burning while at home for the long haul. It has inspiring stories and photos from around the world. Joe Friel, the training guru, has his guide to indoor cycling with Rideinside ($ 34, velopress.com). It covers workouts, e-racing and even getting back outside on the bike.
For the commuter who rides in any conditions, the Axiom Monsoon Oceanweave P23+ Urban pannier ($ 190, axiomgear.com) has features to keep clothes and electronics dry. It comes with a removable, padded laptop sleeve and a tablet sleeve, too. The outer Oceanweave material is made from reclaimed fishnet polyester. Inside is a waterproof liner. Compression straps keep the pannier from flopping if it’s not fully loaded. The 23-l bag pairs well with the Monsoon Oceanweave P16+ Urban pannier ($ 100), which is 7 l smaller, but is built with the same waterproof materials.
Don’t just give any tires as a gift. (Yes, bike tires do make good gifts.) The Schwalbe Special Edition G-one Ultrabite tires ($ 110 per tire, schwalbetires.com) are indeed special. The 700c x 38c treads are versatile, good for mud, trail and gravel. The chain-link-shaped lugs offer great grip. And the sidewalls: olive green. So cool.
The Campagnolo vintage aluminum bottle ($ 70, campagnolo.com) is L’eroica-ready. Its look speaks to the Italian bike-component marker’s more than 85 years of history. A cork top holds fluids in the alloy container.
The Felt Team jersey ($ 133 for men’s or women’s, can-en.feltbicycles.com) is made in Italy for the California-based bike maker. The jerey’s light fabric wicks away sweat well. Three back pockets hold ride essentials, such as bars and gels. The fit is a bit loose, so size down for a garment that’s a bit tighter.
How does a Canadian road cycling fan watch all the big races? On the Flobikes streaming service ($ 200/year, flobikes.com). It has the Tour de France, the Giro d’italia and the Vuelta a España, no matter what time of year they run.
The gift of security. The Kryptonite Kryptolok 610 folding lock ($165, kryptonite lock.com) has six 5-mm-thick hardened-steel links and a total length of 100 cm. The company says the Kryptolok provides moderate security. We’ve seen this lock in action on a year-round daily commuter bike in Toronto. The owner of the bike, and lock, always finds them right where he left them. The Abus 440A Alarm lock ($ 130, hlc.bike) will hit 100 decibels if a would-be thief tampers with it. Really, why would the crook even think of messing with the 12-mm-thick hardened-steel round shackle?
After the ride, after twisting Boa dials, or pulling hook-and-loop fasteners or even untying laces, the Blundstone 150 - Limited Edition Classic Auburn boots ($ 250, blundstone.ca) just slip on. The boot commemorates the 150 anniversary of the Australian company. The ethylene-vinyl acetate (eva) footbeds keep feet comfortable for any postride walking they might have to do.
Oh, this is a bright idea. Really bright. The Exposure Lights Six Pack Mk11 light ($ 775, exposurelights.com) can cast a whopping 3,600 lumens on the trail. But it doesn’t do so indiscriminately. It has sensors, so it ups the lumens when you are descending quickly, and lowers the output when you are slogging up a hill. The Exposure Lights Zenith Mk1 ($ 475) attaches to a helmet. All that a rider needs to do to cycle through its settings is to tap it. The Zenith can put out 2,000 lumens ahead of the bike.
The Bontrager Ion Comp R/flare R City bike light set ($ 150, trekbikes. com) covers the road ahead and behind. The Ion Comp R will run for 19 hours on its daytime flash and one and a half hours at its full 700 lumens. The Flare R can flash red for 16 nighttime hours.
Quarter length or tall? Yes. To both. The Stance Embrun cycling socks ($ 30, stance.ca) stop just above the ankle. They have a light, minimal cushioning and a construction that won’t rip. But let’s say they do rip. Stance will replace them. The Specialized Soft Air Road tall socks ($ 25, specialized.com/ca) have a 7" cuff height for a size medium pair. The cuffs are snug, which will keep everything comfortable on long rides.
The Garmin 1030 Plus head unit ($ 870, garmin.com) is the company’s flagship bike computer. It has all the features: training monitoring, mountain bike dynamics, an integrated Trailforks app and other navigation features. The battery life is excellent: more than 24 hours depending on usage. The head unit can work in conjunction with the company’s Inreach satellite communicator for rides in remote areas or the Garmin Varia RTL515 radar tail light ($ 300) in more highly trafficked ones. Even though all the route-finding abilities of the head unit should put its user at the front of a group, the radar says go to the back – not to enjoy the draft, but for everyone’s added safety.
The Shimano S-phyre RC902 shoes ($ 600, bike.shimano.com) are the Japanbased company’s premier road shoes. Their ultra-stuff outsoles optimize power transfer to the pedals. The Boa dials with their multiple lacing patterns make for an excellent fit. The new heel cup has improved the hold at the back.
The internal dimensions of the Yeti Roadie 24 hard cooler ($ 280, yeti.com) are 31.8 cm × 33.7 cm × 27.6 cm. But what do those figures really mean? Well, Yeti says that’s enough space for 18 cans of beer using a 2:1 ice-to-can ratio by volume. How precise! This cooler will keep post-ride essentials cool at the trailhead.
Just as a good-quality bike makes a ride more enjoyable, well-made tools make maintenance work go a little more easily. The Abbey Tools Decade chain tool ($ 240, orangesportsupply.com) twists smoothly. It can install a variety of Shimano and Campagnolo chains by virtue of its interchangeable plate. A new type of chain just came out? No problem. With a new plate, the Decade will continue to work well into the future. The Abbey Tools Stu Stick rotor truing tool ($ 30) will get disc brakes spinning right. Its opener will get caps spinning off bottles.
The Wolf Tooth Encase System Bar Kit One set of tools ($ 165, wolftoothcomponents.com) stashes in a mountain or even road bike’s bar ends. The wrench multi-tool can adjust 12 fastener types as well as spokes and valve cores. With the chain and tire-plug multi-tool, trailside repairs involving links or treads are a snap.
The new Giant H2pro handlebar bag ($ 130 for 9-l bag, $145 for 12.5-l bag; giant-bicycles.com/ca) has a harness that straps to the bars so the waterproof dry bag can clip on and off easily. The bag rolls up from each end and has an airbleed valve in the centre. The system also has a headlight attachment.
The Bontrager MIK Utility trunk bag ($ 172, trekbikes.com) adds 13 l of carrying capacity to a back rack. An integrated rain bag slides out of the rear pocket when the weather turns. A light clips easily to a loop at the back.
Mariposa, which makes custom steel bikes in Toronto, connected with the design firm Fig40 in 2019. The pair came up with the elegant F40/M50 stool ($ 1,650 in blue with Mariposa
stripes, mariposabicycles.ca). Just like a Mariposa bike, the stool is built from tubes and lugs. The seat is made from a material you won’t find on a bike: oak.
While the Giordana FR-C Pro Lyte bib short ($ 325, unoimports.com) is designed for the heat of summer, it’s also a great piece for a hot, winter pain cave. The garment’s perforated fabric is lightweight and breathable. It’s aero, too, but that’s less important when the wind is coming from a box fan.
The updated Fox Transfer dropper post ($ 459 Factory series, ridefox.com) has a redesigned seat clamp that allows the saddle to sit closer to the black lower section of the post. In effect, the saddle can go down lower than with the previous version of the post. Also, each size of the Transfer (100 mm, 125 mm, 150 mm and 175 mm) has a shorter overall length. That change means a 150-mm post might fit on a frame that could only handle the previous generation’s 125-mm. The Transfer is a prime upgrade for a mountain bike.
Give the gift of going tubeless. The Pro Compressor Team Tubeless ($ 105, pro-bikegear.com) will help to convert a tubeless-tentative roadie into a home mechanic who can seat tires with ease. A blast of air from this compressor will have tire beads popping into place.