Holiday Gift Guide
It’s a winter wonderland already in Ottawa-Gatineau, which has put me into the Christmas spirit far earlier than any other year in recent memory. As I chip away at figuring out what to gift my family members, I find myself falling back to my preferred approach, which I’ve had some success with in the past. I aspire to be a great gift giver, but have lots of room to improve. The approach is this: gift things that will matter to your loved ones, by making their lives more comfortable, joyous, expansive, and/or fulfilling. No mean feat…. I try to find things that folks will love, but wouldn’t buy for themselves, for any number or reasons, from extravagant cost (in relative terms, a $10 bar of soap might be a great gift, but not a purchase you or I would make for ourselves) to sheer hassle of procurement. When we gift we are in a position to jump through hoops to create something special, and it’s from this perspective that I’ve created this gift guide.
In what follows you’ll find products and services that have made an important impact in my life, both on the bike and off. These are all things that can be acquired without too much explicit probing. I’ve used and come to love each item below, and I hope this guide helps you either hone in on something you’ve been thinking about for yourself, or better yet, someone special in your life. Read more about the Elemento and other Castelli kit here.
Handske Wind Gloves - $49.99 USD
There’s nothing like being able to feel your hands while riding bikes! Handske’s Wind Gloves feature unique designs created by artists within the cycling community, produced in small batches. These gloves use wind-proof material on the back of the hand and just the right amount of insulation underneath and against the palms to deliver comfortable digits in temps ranging from -10C to 10C at moderate to high intensity. Terry cloth covers their thumbs for nose management. I’ve yet to meet a more effective or stylish option for fall riding and cyclocross, and have logged many miles in these gloves through spring as well. Sizing is pretty ‘typical’; I can fit a thin liner within my LARGE units as required. These ought to double as great XC ski/misery stick gloves too, BTW.
DEAL: Buy one of their windproof gloves and get a pair of regular gloves from the Preview, Kickstarer, or Spring ’19 collection free!
Castelli Elemento Lite Jacket - $295 CAN
No other piece of cycling apparel has had such a transformative impact on my cycling experience in over 20 years of riding in all conditions. The Elemento redefines the art of the possible when it comes to riding in the cold, because it is so incredibly adept at managing moisture. In simple terms, it helps riders stay warm and dry like nothing else on the market, and this opens up possibilities previously inconceivable, such as winter cafe rides (because there’s no longer fear of freezing after stopping and chilling one’s sweat).
The Elemento would make a wonderful gift for a cyclist spending time on any style of bike in temperatures ranging from 10C to -20C. Built with a wind-skirt to tune warmth and three roomy back pockets, Castelli has equipped the jacket with everything needed to support comfortable cold-weather riding. Given the Elemento is not stretchy, I encourage targeting a fit closer to the somewhat-roomy end of the spectrum versus ‘skin-tight’, which will ensure the best blood flow and room for layering underneath. For reference, at 6’1” and 175 lbs the LARGE Elemento fits me with room for multiple layers underneath, while the MEDIUM is somewhat constricting in the elbows with more than two thin layers. Read more detail about the Elemento here.
Horst Spikes - $31 to $165 CAN
For the cyclocrossers and/or gnarly fat bikers, there’s nothing like pointy metal spikes to dig into frozen dirt and ice! While many mountain bike shoes are sold with blunt toe spikes, Horst spikes, made with love in the US, are much more penetrating, and in some cases, the only way to dig into frozen ground. For the CX buff, a kit would be sweet, but if you have to choose, go pointy! If you’re in Canada, you can order through CX Fever, and help support our Canadian CX Crusher, Maghalie Rochette! Read more about Horst Spikes here.
The Secret Lives of Colour - $31 CAN
There are people who are simply into colour, and those who aren’t. This book will delight those in the former category. Kassia St Clair presents easily digestible stories, digging into the cultural histories of 75 colours across the spectrum, ranging from Umber to Dragon’s Blood, Woad and Mountbatten Pink, to name but a few favourites. I honestly can’t think of a more wonderful non-fiction book. This volume is so good, in fact, I’m still savouring it, rather than plowing through cover to cover. A perfect companion while travelling or enjoying quiet time at home or in a cafe, the Secret Lives will open the reader’s eyes to colours typically left unnoticed, begging the question: what’s the story behind that? Talk about a gift that keeps on giving! If you’re in Ottawa, Octopus Books would be happy to order a copy for you; it’s great to support folks like them as much as we can!
Donation to Wide Angle Podium Podcast Network - $Donation
‘Tis the era of subscription fatigue. Odds are you or a cyclist in your life listens to at least one of the shows under the Wide Angle Podium Network umbrella, a slew of pods that includes Mitch Docker’s Life in the Peloton (which is my personal fave, he’s hilarious!), Cyclocross Radio, The Slow Ride Podcast, Bike Shop CX, The Consummate Athlete, Kids Don’t Follow, The Gravel Lot, and The Parts Bin. How about throwing some support their way as a gift to someone special, who probably feels guilty about not donating, helping ensure the WAP folks keep pumping out quality content and maintaining the ability to afford a fancy coffee every once in a while. Everybody wins.
Rene Herse Tires - $68 USD and Up
For some, high quality tires feel like an extravagance; this makes them a great gift! Tires equate to the bicycle’s trifecta of speed, comfort, and stability, so anyone with even a modest penchant for letting their hair fly will enjoy the benefits of Rene Herse’s supple tires, especially the voluminous ones. A few millimeters of additional width, combined with supple casing construction, can literally transform the feel of a bike, taking it from tooth-rattling to something akin to ‘smooth.’ Rene Herse produce tires in a variety of casings for all manner of dropbar bikes (info here), from the 26mm Cayuse Pass for bikes with limited tire clearance to the phenomenal 650b x 48mm Juniper Ridge knobby and colossal 26 x 2.3” Rat Trap Pass! If you are looking to purchase tires as a gift, and need help making a selection, don’t be shy to ask for help. BTW, Rene Herse Tires were formerly known as Compass Tires.
Mad Alchemy Chamois Cream, Unbrocation, and Socks - $8 USD and Up
This trio always accompanies on my cycling adventures, but each item has broad applicability.
There’s nothing like handmade, high quality chamois cream to protect sensitive skin against the ravages of cycling, across every season. Even riding inside is hard on the ol’ underparts, it’s sweaty business! Mad Alchemy’s Pete Smith has been hand-crafting outstanding chamois cream and a myriad of other skin products for more than a decade, and his concoctions have never let me down. I’m currently rocking his Pure Chamois Cream, and I LOVE it. But hey, the sky’s the limit, Pete makes no less than five other chamois cream varieties, some of which are ‘cooling’ for those hot days; nice!
And let’s not leave Mad Alchemy’s embrocations unmentioned. Check out the range of salves, which range from non-heating to very-much-heating, for those days riders need a little something special to start the ride. Of all blends, I have to recommend the Russian Tea flavour as the most delightfully aromatic. Not only handy for embro removal, MA’s Unbrocation Rinse is always in my bag, because it’s phenomenally versatile. It can be used as underarm deodorant, undercarriage post-ride cleanser, hand cleanser, and room mister!
And most riders need socks, so don’t neglect to check out Mad Alchemy’s awesome range, made by the best socketeers in the land, DeFeet. If you’ve ever seen me wearing cool socks, odds are they were from Mad Alchemy; #sockdoping! I’ve tried just about every product Pete sells, so if you have questions, let em fly!
DEAL: Use promo code ‘handcrafted’ for 25% off Embro and Chamois cream.
Yo-Fiit Bars - $3 CAN and Up
What’s this, pre-made bars you can fit in a stocking or pocket that are ‘real food’? Inconceivable! Actually, no, this is a thing, from Concord, Ontario’s Yo-Fiit. Plant-based, probiotic, soy, nut, gluten-free; just think of the glee when your loved ones discover these beauties! Ok, maybe you might want to exercise some judgement here….
Yo-Fiit focuses on a tight line of bars that became an immediate favourite after trying them a couple years ago. I’ve taken them across the ocean to Europe to support my riding adventures two years in a row (see photo), and they’ve never let me down. The ‘standard’ bars are low-sugar, keeping the insulin spikes down, and a selection of keto bars are also available. And guess what? They’re damned tasty! My personal faves are the Goji - choco ‘mid-day energy bars’ and on the keto side, the strawberry-vanilla. Perhaps less stocking-stuffer friendly, Yo-Fiit also sells a pretty unique plant-based milk, produced from chickpeas, which has 10X more protein than almond milk and is free of gum and fillers. It’s good stuff! Read more here.
Ultimate Ears MegaBoom 3 - $249.99 CAN
After swiping my daughter’s portable speaker for a couple years while travelling, I finally lined up a unit from Ultimate Ears to test. My main intended use was to be at the cyclocross races, where I like to bring the party vibes without having to resort to a large, amp-sized unit, which takes up valuable space in vehicles.
The MegaBoom 3 is about the size of a 1.5L bottle, and, get this: it’s totally waterproof! As in, you can swim with it! Or, if you’re less adventurous, you can safely put it on the edge of the shower and keep your music or podcasts flowing while you do your thing.
BlueTooth connection to the MegaBoom 3 is simpler than many BT systems I’ve used, and sound quality is pretty much exactly what you’d expect for a speaker this size: good. The speaker’s max volume is more than enough to fill our 20’ x 10’ tent space at the races, which I’m going to call ‘loud enough.’ For home use, if you want to amp your bass jams, just place the speaker into a cupboard: instant sub-box! Realistically, there’s enough bass as it is, and the speaker’s EQ can be tuned with their free app. Battery life is pretty fantastic, up to 20 hours of continuous play; I’ve run it for at least 16 without issue. This means it’s practical to use the speaker in the car while travelling too, when connecting to the car’s system is either a hassle or impossible.
Ultimate Ears also offers a separate charging dock, the Power Up, which makes for a bit of a ‘cleaner’ charging format, as the speaker simply sits on the dock. I see no reason to look further than the MegaBoom 3 for a portable, durable indoor/outdoor speaker, we’re using it at home for everything from movie night to karaoke. And it’s possible to run more than one Ultimate Ears speaker off a device at once, creating stereo sound; sweet. My only wish is that the MB3 would fit into my Road Runner Burrito Supreme handlebar bag!
NixFrixShun (NFS) Chain Lube - $15 USD
This stuff falls into the ‘I want it, but it’s a hassle to get’ category for Canadians. Shipping $15 products over the border when we can grab something else locally is often a step too far. This is where the heroic gift-giver comes in! NFS lube - which has been sold under Silca branding as well - is simply the best I’ve ever used. While $15 USD for a bottle might feel steep, the amazing reality here is that we’re talking about something like a year’s-worth (or 10k miles) of use for a typical rider, because only 12 drops of lube are required on the chain each time it’s applied! It’s the NFS ‘12-12-12’ application protocol that’s the key here. The chain goes into the 12t cog, 12 drops are applied to the chain, wherever, and the pedals are rotated 12 times. Wipe off excess, ride. The result is clean, quiet performance through quite a range of conditions. No gnarly residues to deal with, no filthy chain to work on. This is the stuff of legend.
Road Runner Burrito Supreme - $94.99 CAN
This one will be a crowd favourite for sure! Based and handmade out of Los Angeles, Road Runner Bags produce a variety of bike-centred solutions for carrying things around on wheels. A bunch of us bought their Burrito Supreme handlebar bag last winter, and man, do they rule! I’d never owned a bar bag before, but wanted to jump in for a while.
The Burrito Supreme is simple, affordable, fits pretty much any bike, and comes in lots of styles, ranging from fun-and-fresh to understated. My stealth-black bag has seen everything from winter rides to epic spring grinds, European epics, errands, and a human-powered jaunt to a cyclocross race and back.
The Burrito Supreme is Road Runner’s largest bar bag, and it fits way more stuff than you might think! Extra gloves, coffee, lights, a jacket...or, breakfast! Yep, I’ve carried all these things in mine, and the bag has opened up some fantastic riding opportunities, like the ‘picnic-ride’ format! Throw a bunch of toppings into jars, smash em into the bag, and ride to a bakery somewhere cool. Buy baked goods, and picnic party! The Burrito Supreme is a gateway into bikepacking, so if you’d like to get a loved one out of the house more, gifting one of these could be a great tactic!
Garmin Varia - $269.99 CAN
Right off the bat, let me assure you: this thing isn’t about throwing money into a well and making a wish. Garmin’s Varia is a special product, because it’s one that riders quickly want to use almost every time they ride. Why? Because, as advertised, it improves rider safety.
The Varia is a high-powered, rechargeable tail-light that uses radar to sense cars approaching from behind. The light’s powerful beam changes its light pattern as cars approach, alerting them to the rider’s presence better than a light that doesn’t ‘interact’. In addition, when paired with a Garmin (and now, Hammerhead Karoo) cycling computer, the rider is alerted by their computer screen and auditory cue (Garmin only) that a car/s are approaching. The computer also shows the proximity and relative speed of the car.
Believe it or not, the Varia’s radar works while riding with other cyclists in a group - when riders are between light and car. I started using the light in the winter of 2018/19 and wound up mounting it for virtually every road ride I did thereafter. It’s not an inexpensive purchase whatsoever, but every rider I know who’s tried it has not looked back, we all love it. Extra bonus is the fact that the Varia helps alert riders to cars when road noise from gravel under the tires is too loud to hear them, and when roads are wet, lets riders use the dry spots for the durations no cars are behind. Other riders in the group also learn what it means when the Varia makes Garmin computers beep!
DEAL: Save up to 33% and free ground shipping on orders over $25, 2-day shipping on orders over $499.
Jaybird Vista Bluetooth Earphones - $239 CAN
For the lover-of-listening-to-things, cyclist or otherwise, Jaybird’s Vista BlueTooth (wireless) earphones might not solve the ‘W(here)TF are my earphones’ problem, but they will serve up countless hours of audible sensations. Psyche, actually, you know what, they do have a ‘where my headphones at?’ jam!
I was on the hunt for a pair of wireless earphones for everyday use, including riding outside and inside, the gym, and of course, long beach walks. The Apple AirPods totally freaked me out when they were released; how could they possibly make sense for folks doing gnarly stuff, like taking a scarf off? Wouldn’t they just fall into a sewer or something? I don’t know, because I wasn’t willing to spring for a pair to find out. But Jaybird sent me a pair of the Vistas to try, and they’ve proven themselves over a couple months of daily use.
The Vista’s storage case doubles as a portable charger, extending their battery life on the fly, as a ‘quick charge’ provides an hour of play time; handy! The earphones are waterproof to the industry standard IPX7 level, which is suitable for all but full-on immersion. So, yeah, you could shower with them, but that’s not really what they’re made for. Rain? Yes, send it. Riding inside on a trainer and sweating buckets? Yep! SuperSoaker fights? Absolutely.
The Vistas fit securely in the ears, and come with three sizes of silicone ‘buds’ to tune comfort and retention. 6 hours of run time, and 10 more stored in the case translates to lots of use, especially in the context of riding outside, where I almost always only use one earphone, which yields 12 hours run-time. This lets me hear ambient noise well, which is important for road safety and even hearing what the bike is doing while off-road. Sound quality is excellent, including while on phone calls, and their sound even auto-tunes for single or double earphone use; sweet!
I’ve really enjoyed using the Vistas for cyclocross rides with music, road rides with podcasts, trainer rides while watching movies and races, and lots and lots of walking. I feel the Vistas are definitely secure enough to not worry about losing while doing any sort of riding and running, and probably lots of other adventury things.
Race Face Agent Winter Pants - $134.99 CAN
Finally, a pair of waterproof pants cut for aggressive, dynamic riding, rather than overpants for commuting! `If you or someone close to you dread going out in the rain to ride, and/or hides in the car or under a tent instead of getting onto the course for practice at the cyclocross races, read on!
A long hunt led me to Race Face’s Agent Winter pants for riding in cold, wet conditions where fenders don’t make sense. Namely, this is off-road riding, in my case, specifically cyclocross. In order to practice cyclocross during those fleeting windows of opportunity through fall, one needs the right kit. Piecing together bits and bites of skills and drills over an hour or two in the rain works best when we’re able to stay warm and dry; gotta keep the stoke up! The Agent Winter pants have fit the bill perfectly for me through fall 2019, taking a beating during after-work CX training sessions in the wet (yes, with falls) and at the races. I wanted pants to wear over my race kit in the morning for course inspection, and these have been perfect. Dry and warm, I’ve even kept the pants on through my trainer warm-ups, then pulled them off as I change into my race shoes, and away I go. Naturally, great tights also perform this function, but when they use built-in pads, don’t work over race kit, and have to be laundered after each use. Not so with the Agent Winter pants. You can just hose them down and/or brush dirt off once they’re dry and rock them again the next day.
It’s unlikely the Agent Winters will be 100% waterproof in all situations, but that’s not really realistic or important, in my view. They’re light enough to dry quickly when damp, and their cut is really nicely done for dynamic riding, including the odd-ball dismounts and mounts of cyclocross. Running in them feels natural too. I can see these pants serving well through fall, winter and spring, across the whole spectrum of bikes, from road (in a pinch, tights are preferable) to fatbike and commuter. With a 33” waist I’m between sizes, so I went with a Large and cinch up the stretchy velcro waist straps to get the fit I want. There’s ample room in the knees for pads, a great idea for MTB and fatbiking.
Silca Nastro Fiore bar tape $58.00 CAN and T-Ratchet & Ti-Torq Wrench $131 CAN
Good handlebar tape always feels somehow more expensive than it needs to be, which drives many riders to avoid branching out and trying new options; who wants to be let down? Silca offers two new innovative handlebar tape options at competitive prices, and I’ve never been as impressed with tape from any other brand. The Nastro Fiore is the thicker option of the two, probably ideal for most riders, barring those who either have small hands or prefer to keep their tape minimal. Grippy, shock absorbing, and durable (with quality alloy plugs included, along with Silca’s novel hood patch), the Nastro Fiore has quickly become my favourite tape, and one I confidently recommend. If you’re thinking this might be a nice option for a gift, you can never go wrong with black.
Also handy (pun intended) for anyone who works on bikes, Silca’s T-Ratchet tool, is available with their Ti-Torq fitting for ensuring bolts are torqued to correct tightness and prevent damage to expensive components. This is one of the few tools I take with me whenever travelling, and use heavily at home. Nearly all the fastener fittings required by a home mechanic are included, wrapped up in a functional case.
Nomad Manual Espresso Machine - $265 USD
This machine is a revelation. In a world of deep connection between cycling and coffee, complicated, expensive espresso machines have come to grace many a kitchen counter, supporting early morning departures and becoming focal points at the end of rides; great espresso drinks bring people together.
My protracted hunt for a means of producing beautiful, crema-topped espresso at home on a tight budget has ended with the Nomad. A delightfully simple and elegant machine, the Nomad requires no electricity to operate, and compared to other machines (manual or electric), is less sensitive to grind coarseness and roast freshness with regard to crema production. It’s unique ‘True Crema Valve’ ensures home baristas have the best chance of producing beautiful crema through a simple lever-pumping action, which drives boiled water through the system. All you need is fresh coffee, boiled water, and presto: incredible espresso!
The Nomax is indeed small enough to take travelling or keep at the office, but don’t let its portability lead you to think of it as merely a travel machine. This beauty holds its own against the best electric machines in the world in terms of quality output; it’s simply not designed for pulling back to back shots at a cafe. However, with its water tank capacity at 300ml, you can pump out a full cup of coffee (60ml is a double espresso size) in one go if you wish, a fantastic feature for allongé lovers like me, and something not possible with any of the other manual machines I’ve encountered. My first pull, with far-from-fresh decaf, yielded better crema than I had at a cafe the same day(!), and my second, with fresher-but-not-very-fresh pre-ground beans produced more crema, and excellent flavour and consistency. The quality of my extraction was close to the best espressos I get from cafes, with old, pre-ground beans, so the future is bright with the Nomad!
If you wish to pull multiple shots in a row, you can complement the Nomad with additional coffee drawers; bing, bang, boom!
