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Just like fishing, skateboarding, and surfing, cycling is a sport that can quickly become a lifestyle, consuming the minds of those who do it all the time and even influencing their fashion, travel, and friendship choices. This means that if you have a cyclist in your life, it’s safe to assume that a surefire way to delight them would be with a gift that relates to their favorite activity.
But given the plethora of cycling gear available these days, picking the right products can easily become overwhelming. As someone who has been riding bikes all their life, from commuter bikes to fixed-gear bikes to gravel bikes and mountain bikes, I’m here to help you wade through the duds and the fluff. I spoke to avid bike riders and combed our archives — from our stories on the best bike lights, helmets, and gear for cold-weather biking— to find the types of things that would make for excellent gifts for cyclists of any skill level, whether they’re training for a race, climbing the hill around the corner, or prepping for a bike commute to work. To browse all of our other gift guides, head to our holiday gift-guide hub.
Update on November 22, 2024: Added socks from Grin27, a MIPS helmet from POC, and the Garmin Varia taillight to replace products that are now out of stock; updated prices and checked stock for all products.
Gifts under $25
I’ve been using these Block lights as my main front and rear lights for four years. They come in eight different colors, have small elastic bands that attach to any handlebar or seat post, and don’t budge, even while riding over the gnarliest road bumps.
Jhonatan Moloon, the owner of City Bicycles NYC, says year after year, he’s constantly restocking these “extremely long-lasting” condiment-inspired water bottles made for any bike holster, because so many of his customers can’t resist grabbing them as they check out.
If the cyclist in your life is a Citi Bike enthusiast, they’ll proudly wear this pin.
This reflective pizza flag hangs from the seat, so approaching vehicles and other cyclists can see you. Burnt slices and extra toppings are also on the menu.
Bike mechanic Ben Sawyer of CycleMania says that cyclists “go through socks a lot,” but that cycling-specific socks like these Swiftwicks will last a little longer and perform better because they have support in the essential places. Cyclist Sebastian Modak calls these cycling socks a year-round essential: “When I’m wearing them, I never even notice if my feet are overheating or cold.”
Grin27 makes some of our favorite new cycling apparel, and these Tencel socks add a nice pop to monochrome kits.
If anyone asks me for wool-sock recommendations, I tell them to buy a pair of these DeFeet cycling socks and to not look back. They keep my feet dry even when I’m ten miles into a ride (or when I’m wearing them in suffocating leather shoes, in which other socks make my feet feel clammy).
CRCA athlete Chris Ick agrees that socks make an excellent gift for any cyclist. He likes these “high-end” socks from Ostroy, which he received as a gift and are now his “lucky race socks.”
Cycling coach Robert Evans promises that these socks “stay tight to the foot despite the mileage you put on them and help give you the look of the defined cycling calf.”
I always keep these handy packs of anti-chafe cream on me in case I get a hot spot under my bib during a ride. It’s a small gift that can be a lifesaver on longer treks.
Gifts under $50
Ick says that a high-quality set of Allen keys is a nice, useful tool for any cyclist to have in their kit. He recommends this color-coded set from Wera, which makes it easy to pick the right size for each hex screw.
New York City–based adventure cyclist Todd Nisbet (a.k.a. Concrete Trails) likes this lightweight titanium mug for bikepacking because he can use it for both drinking coffee and eating meals from. Hooray, less dishwashing!
A cycling cap will shield their eyes from harsh sun and rain while preventing their helmet lining from getting soaked with sweat. This one from Rapha comes in a variety of bold colors.
A Buff can add a boost of warmth on colder rides, while also wicking sweat and keeping you dry. Plus, it comes in a bunch of colors and adds flair to any cycling kit.
Ick of the CRCA says more of his teammates are carrying a ride wallet, which allows them to store a few important items (credit card, ID, keys, etc.) while they ride — and also keeps them dry.
I use this magnetic setup instead of a water-bottle cage on my gravel bike. The bottle snaps off and onto the frame with an easy flick — which I find easy to do mid-ride.
These knit gloves are waterproof and have grippy rubber spots on the palm and fingers, so your hands won’t slip mid-downpour. NYC bike messenger Paul Solis says his pair has “already survived a couple of winters.”
Artist Timothy Uriah Steele bikes to his Sunset Park studio every day, and slathers this balm on religiously to combat the muscle tightness that comes with extensive cycling. “It’s the best rub I’ve found for finding and releasing strange tensions,” he says.
Gifts under $100
I’ve long been a fan of Bookman’s block bike lights, but I recently started using these bigger, brighter snap-on lights on my commuter bike. The rear light has a cool lava-lamp-like blinking pattern option.
City Bicycles NYC’s Moloon says a lot of his customers keep these “iconic” Flandriens hand-painted cycling figurines on their desks. The sets ship from Europe (the price shown includes a $27 shipping fee), and if you’re feeling extra generous, Moloon says the Dutch company can make custom sets featuring your recipient’s favorite jersey upon request.
[Editor’s note: Flandriens lists its prices in euros, so the price shown is an approximate conversion to U.S. dollars.]
This Spurcycle bell has been on Moloon’s bike for seven years, and he says it’s the favored bell of many other cyclists too. He calls it “very loud and very clear,” adding that it’s small enough not to look dorky and that it can be “mounted pretty much anywhere: sideways, upright, upside down — whichever works best for your bike.”
If your recipient is more of a mountain-and-trail biker than an urban one, consider gifting this pair of shorts that Adventure journalist and cyclist Morgan Tilton swears by for her more-adventurous rides. She likes these shorts specifically because they’re at a “lower price compared to the brand’s premium designs” but are still made with high-quality materials.
Thousand’s helmet protects your noggin but hides its features — like air vents and a pop-out hole for your bike lock — in a discreet design, unlike other flashier helmets.
Jeff Selzer, the general manager at Palo Alto Bicycles, recommends this colorful and “surprisingly durable” combo bike lock as a cheery gift for any cyclist because “you don’t need to worry about losing the key.”
Ick says these lobster-style gloves keep his hands toasty on frigid rides while allowing him to brake and shift. “They’re an absolute boon to commuting,” he says. “Super-warm and wind resistant, and a much more ergonomic solution than pogies.”
Tokyo-based illustrator Tetsuro Ohno created the character Uncle Rinne, who lives many different cycling lives. Rinne is a road cyclist, a track cyclist, a bikepacker, and a Tour de France winner.
These retro polarized shades come in a bunch of colorful lens and frame designs, and they’re super-customizable: There are two widths to choose from, with the option to add on prescription lenses.
If the cyclist in your life likes to pedal alongside friends, they’ll appreciate how easily this Bluetooth speaker can clip on to various parts of their bike to play a soundtrack for warm-weather group rides.
Tilton also told us that after recently starting to use these kneepads, she “wondered how I’d allowed my shins and patellas to endure the wounds they have over the past two decades.” According to Tilton, they’re a year-round essential.
These cycling gloves have Gore-Tex’s water- and windproof technology and get the stamp of approval from bike store NYC Velo. “It’s the cycling glove of choice for our staff,” says founder and owner Andrew Crooks.
For riders who like to track their heart rate, Palo Alto Bicycles’ Selzer recommends giving this Wahoo armband, which he says “won’t move or bounce around like a chest band.”
Solis told us that this saddlebag can store so much stuff that he can often ditch his bag on shorter rides.
Although it’s designed to be worn while hiking or walking with dogs who would rather get a lift than use their feet, this backpack works just as well for cyclists who want to give their pup a ride, according to Candy Godoy, who uses it to bike with her influencer pug, Boogie, on her back.
After testing a range of cycling shirts, Tilton says this one is superior thanks to its “butter-soft material and extended sleeves, which help prevent sunburn and chafing when I wear a backpack.”
Gifts under $200
These have been my main gloves for the past two years, and I’ve used them for riding in all types of conditions — from long, hot summer rides to blustery, wet park laps — and they haven’t shown any signs of wear.
You can stuff a helmet, shoes, or lunch into the cargo net on the back of this commuter pack, which Steele calls “durable, properly structured, waterproof, and weight distributing.”
Cycling expert Melvin Onyia says that after trying a few helmet brands looking for the winner, he was thrilled to discover this one, which has a strap that he describes as “much more comfortable than other helmets’, with really nice padding.”
These ingeniously designed wireless cycling headphones allow you to safely ride while enjoying music using bone-conduction technology, which delivers sound through vibrations against your skull. They work just as well for listening to real-time directions from Google Maps.
Cyclist Alexa Lampasona loves this jacket for shoulder-season riding, when “weather can change in a second.” The ultrathin outer layer has a ton of features that cyclists look for, from a water-repellent exterior and removable sleeves to a cord-lock waist that helps get a tight fit in colder weather.
For the cyclist who wants even more on-bike storage, cycling coach Evans says this frame bag would make for a very functional gift because its design allows it to neatly slot into the awkwardly shaped empty space in the center of a bike frame. “If you don’t use or don’t have water-bottle mounts, this holds water, tools, and food and is perfect for long days in the saddle,” he assures.
Gifts over $200
Any cyclist would be delighted to receive this luxe taillight, not only because of its bright bulb that can be seen up to a mile away, but because of its radar capabilities. It will sense approaching vehicles from behind, and then ping your bike computer or smartphone with the alert.
The Wildcat is the gold standard of cycling sunglasses (although they’re also great for other outdoor sports). They don’t fog up, no matter how sweaty your ride gets.
Four of the cyclists we spoke to say a bike computer from Wahoo would make for a highly useful gift. The wireless gadget, which can be programmed with whatever route a rider wants to take and can track your speed, distance, elevation gain, and air temperature, attaches to a bike so that its screen serves as a live map for them to follow, much like the GPS systems found in many cars.
Andrew Crooks from NYC Velo says he’d gift this larger backpack to anyone who takes multi-day bike trips. He describes it as a “re-creation of a classic French mountaineering bag, but in modern materials,” meaning it looks a bit more stylish but can still hold a lot and, as he notes, is “especially durable.”
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
