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Christmas gifts for cyclists

By Jessica Lamb

Got a cyclist on your Christmas list? Then scroll through our inspirational list of top Christmas gifts for cyclists, ranging from the humble bell for the thriftier gifters, through to life-changing experiences for the big spenders. It’s the time of gifting.

Bike Belle Bicycle Bell

Every commuter needs a bicycle bell, but not every commuter has a Bike Belle Bicycle Bell.

With designs ranging from a simple I Heart My Bike, to a globe, to classic brass, to the Bike Bake range of three-dimensional cakes, there’s a Bike Belle for everyone.

They start at €4.90, around £3.45, and go up to €20 – about £14

From £3.45 Bikebelle.com

Snap Dragon Personalized Aluminium Water Bottle

Hydration is a key to life, so I guess gifting a cool water bottle is akin to giving the gift of life? Too much? Okay, sorry. But these totally customizable cycling water bottles from Snap Dragon are guaranteed to make a cyclist smile.

They come with two different tops and in a generous 600ml size, with whatever message you like written under an image of a bike.

£14 Notonthehighstreet.com

Bellroy Elements Sleeve (and Phone Pocket)

Made to withstand water, sand and snow without compromising the aesthetics, this is Bellroy’s slimmest outdoor wallet – and its dimensions are perfect for a the cycling jersey back pocket.

Coming in black, slate or cognac leather, the Bellroy Elements Sleeve fits a key, several bank notes and up to six cards. It’s for essentials, but if you’re feeling very generous when considering a Christmas gift, they also have an Elements Phone Pocket. 

From €65 (Approx. £45) Bellroy.com

Coffee & Cols Cup Sets

For lovers of bikes and the bean, these handmade porcelain cups ooze class.

With subtle cycling designs, like the Grand Tour jerseys and silhouetted riding scenes, they are the perfect Christmas gifts for cyclists who are equally as passionate about coffee.

Coming in espresso, cappuccino or latte size, they can be bought individually, but we like them as a set of four. Choose any combination you like.

CHRISTMAS UPGRADE: Why not wrap it up for Christmas with a selection of your cyclist’s favorite hot beverage.

From £45 for four Coffeeandcols.com

Overade Folding Helmet

Where style and functionality collide, causing a ground-breaking stir that might become the norm.

Meet the folding helmet: designed by French crowd Overade, it’s a cycling helmet that folds down to a third of it’s in-use volume, meaning it’ll fit inside just about any bag.

£52 Overade.com – http://www.overade.com/shop/en/

MIRA Stylish Bicycle Pannier

The pannier that doubles as a gorgeous handbag or men’s messenger bag.

Crowdfunded to production and made in Poland, the MIRA range of stylish bicycle panniers is three strong, the Au Lait, Swing and Elston providing something for everyone – male and female.

Laptop pockets, iPhone holders, luxury lining, an easy peasy clip-on system and the option of carrying on the shoulder or in the hand. This is an urban cyclist’s dream accessory.

€79 (Approx. £55) BikeBelle.com

Café Du Cycliste Madeleine Gilet

Technically brilliant. Style-conscious. This is going to become your cyclists favourite cycling layer. Seriously.

Coming in men’s and women’s specific cuts, it’s windproof and showerproof, ultra-lightweight and easily squashed into a pocket.

It has a mesh inserted for ventilation and a very handy, hidden, elasticated opening in the back to make accessing pockets smooth.

For that alone, it’s a must-buy, but this is the complete package and it’s design means it will go with any kit for a Christmas gift that’s definitely not just for Christmas.

£75 Victorandliberty.com

Henty Tube Backpack

Henty says this is the ‘ultimate sports bag for the active urbanite’ and we agree. Wrapping everything up into a neat tube, this bag can be a hand-held or a backpack.

It has a waterproof main compartment, second area for wet things, a weatherproof pocket for your tablet or laptop and a phone pouch on the shoulder pad.

It also has a bottle pocket on the underside of the full-length access flap that could accommodate any bottle or even a yoga mat, your flip flops, overcoat or bike lock. It comes in three sizes starting at 15 litres.

From £80 Henty.cc

See.Sense ICON Intelligent Lights

Back in 2013, Northern Irish outfit See.Sense developed the first intelligent bike light, a light that used movement sensors to read the road and shine brighter or flash faster when needed.

This year it evolved into the ICON; a light with it’s own Bluetooth-enabled app that can text loved ones if a cyclist crashes, or text a bike owner if their bike is tampered with.

These features are just the beginning for the ICON app so consider purchasing a front and rear pair a wise investment – and a Christmas gift that says, ‘I care’, to your gadget-hungry cyclist.

£119.99 per pair at Seesense.cc

Rapha Cycling Club Membership 

It’s the most iconic brand in cycling, and now it has it’s own cycling club, crafted with the same panache as absolutely everything else Rapha. Who wouldn’t want in?

Weekly rides, monthly social gatherings, biannual summits, priority reservations to Rapha’s always-sold-out events, exclusive luxury riding adventures and kit, road bike hire, half price bike hire on Rapha Travel trips, and complimentary hot beverages at Rapha Cycle Club bases.

Yep, this gift has everything. Sign your loved cyclist up to their local chapter or the International chapter – if there isn’t a Rapha Cycle Club nearby – and watch the magic happen all year long.

CHRISTMAS UPGRADE: Want something physical to wrap up? How about a Rapha accessory to wear at their first Rapha CC ride.

£160 annually Rapha.cc

The Bicycle Academy Classic Frame Building Course

Design, build, and finish a bicycle frame, keeping the skills and sending the product of those skills to someone who really needs it.

This unique five-day event will see the student make a bicycle frame from scratch, learning design, metal work, and finishing, among other exciting skills.

The frame is then painted and fitted with hardy components to be sent to Africa to help someone living in extreme poverty gain a better quality of life.

A bicycle for them means quicker travel, so this could mean as little as work finishing sooner or as big as a doctor arriving in time.

CHRISTMAS UPGRADE: Don’t live within reach of the venue? Consider including four nights of accommodation from somewhere cool like SecretEscapes.com or Airbnb.co.uk in your Christmas gift.

£1000 The Bicycle Academy