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BUYER'S GUIDE
giftguide2019-gadgets2019 Christmas Gifts for Cyclists - try one of these proven hits
Christmas looms ever closer but there’s still plenty of time to get the ultimate gadget for your cyclist-obsessed partner, friend or, whisper it, for yourself.
Wahoo Kickr KOM bundle £1,349.98
We reckon this has to be one of the ultimate gifts for the gadget-loving cyclist and the ideal way to combat winter conditions. The Kickr KOM includes a Kickr smart trainer with the Kickr Climb to provide the most realistic cycling experience, without leaving the warmth of the house.
GoPro Hero 8 camera £329
Record silky smooth video of your bike rides with the very latest GoPro Hero 8. The latest HyperSmooth 2.0 video stabilisation ensures your recordings are velvety smooth no matter how rough the roads and the 4K video is crisp and sharp for reliving your best bike rides.
ETC Kochab 1000 Lumen Front Light £80
This is a very bright light with a solid clamp that is easy to use and does the job superbly, ideal for the cyclist determined not to let dark evenings prevent them from getting the miles in or commuting from the office to home.
Powerbeats Pro £189
Ignore the critics, sometimes it’s nice to listen to music when you’re cycling, it certainly helps the miles pass on a long solo ride. The Powerbeats Pro wireless earphones provide up to 9 hours of listening time, easy volume control and they’re sweat and water-resistant.
Fumpa miniFumpa £109
For the cyclist that has everything, they very likely won’t have one of these gems. The miniFumpa makes inflating tyres a breeze since it’s a tiny battery powered compressor that takes the effort out of pumping up tyres, small enough to fit in a jersey pocket and adequate charge for a handful of inflations.
Cycliq Fly6 CE Camera and Rear Light £169.99
Safety on the roads is a key issue these days. This novel light will not only ensure you're highly visible at night, but it also packs a camera to record any errant behaviour from other road users. It is pricey but it's easy to use and records great video quality and the run time is generous.
Rehook £12.99
Avoid getting dirty fingers when the chain drops off the chain ring with this nifty tool to get you back up and running in no time at all.
Rapha Travel Backpack £150
Something to put all your gadgets in when cycling to the office, this stylish bag from Rapha has loads of space divided into compartments and it’s waterproof with a big reflective stripe.
WingLights Mag Indicators £37.99
As seen on Dragons Den apparently, these small LED lights fit into the end of the handlebars and can be operated as indicators to hopefully alert other road users to your intentions.
Garmin Edge 530 £259.99
Give the gift of a Garmin this Christmas… The Edge 530 is the company’s very latest GPS computer and lets you do everything from planning a route, tracking all your important stats, compared recent efforts, sync structure workouts, and all with 20-hour battery life to keep you going on those long rides.
SKS Airchecker £21.99
Avoid running the incorrect tyre pressures, the SKS Airchecker is a well-made digital gauge that's quick to use.
Pro Bike Tool Mini Ratchet Tool Set £22.79
All cyclists like a good set of tools for tinkering on their bike, and this mini ratchet set is beautifully made with the ratchet makes working on bolts, especially those in tricky to get places, much easier.
Apple Watch £399
The Apple Watch can do many useful things when you’re riding, like telling you the time, monitoring your heart rate, pinging you messages and alerts to incoming calls that you might want to answer/ignore depending on who it is, and many more features thanks to apps like Strava, Endomondo, Cyclemeter and more.
Lezyne Femto USB Drive Pair £29
Lights are always a valuable gift for any cyclist and these compact lights are a useful set of backup safety lights. They’re easily chargeable via USB, are bright, long-running and affordable.
Muc-Off Pressure Washer £149.99
Cleaning bikes is a necessary chore at this time of year, but the Muc-Off Pressure Washer should make life much easier. Plug your hose pipe in, give it some power, and use the specially designed lance to clean your pride and joy without fear of damaging the bearings. This bundle includes a bag, snow foam lance, 1-litre wash and 1-litre concentrate cleaner.
Muc-Off X-3 Dirty Chain Machine £21.50
A little less expensive compared to the pressure washer, this is a useful way to get a chain back to its factory-new gleaming splendour.
Nespresso Coffee Machine £59.99
What cyclist starts a ride without a coffee? The Nespresso coffee machines might be frowned upon by coffee snobs, but when you’re in a rush to get out the front door and onto your bike, they are dead simple to use and super quick.
What cycling gadgets are you hoping to see under the Christmas tree?
About road.cc Buyer's Guides
The aim of road.cc buyer's guides is to give you the most, authoritative, objective and up-to-date buying advice. We continuously update and republish our guides, checking prices, availability and looking for the best deals.
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road.cc buyer's guides are maintained by the road.cc tech team. Email us with comments, corrections or queries.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
Latest Comments
- chrisonabike 6 hours 33 min ago
I have a visual memory from childhood of one of this species of bricks popping loose from a bracket on a downhill section and flying away to smash ...
- wtjs 7 hours 22 min ago
There is an increasing 'disconnect' between comments in this topic and reality. Cords are either all cotton or mostly cotton and are going to last...
- ktache 7 hours 53 min ago
There are people out there who will make you the belt out of your old tyre.
- chrisonabike 7 hours 54 min ago
Furry dice and an air freshener for your helmet.
- AidanR 8 hours 7 min ago
Looking at the pictures in the linked article, the bikes aren't actually inconsiderately parked. The only issue is that they're on private property...
- Simon E 8 hours 43 min ago
Ah yes, those are hopefully not the 'master craftsmen' that has constructed a wide range of shoddy Italian cars and motorbikes over the years with...
- Simon E 9 hours 5 min ago
A SuperSix is definitely not an all-rounder....
- chrisonabike 9 hours 57 min ago
Just get them to walk a treadmill - or better, ride exercise bikes to power path lighting.
- AidanR 10 hours 33 min ago
So his advisers were trying to move funds around to cover losses, but in a way that needlessly created additional liabilities? It would have been...
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29 comments
> grind the beans when you need them.
You have to be fairly dedicated to take a grinder on a bike tour with you though:
https://road.cc/content/news/103472-pedal-powered-coffee-grinder-ultimat...
(Or, more seriously, something like https://www.homegrounds.co/porlex-mini-hand-grinder-review/)
(Though in that case you probably won't be tempted to take a freezer either.)
I do have a similar item, though I need bigger muscles to use it !
One of the things you learn as a laboratory based research technician is the when powders are stored in the fridge or freezer, you have to allow them to come up to room temperature before opening them up to use them/weight them out. Moist air will form condensation on the cold hygroscopic powder and the inside of the container and make it soggy, it can even become a paste if done too many times.
It's all about preperation and patience.
Some of the chemicals can be shockingly expensive.
Some lab users do not have the patience to do things properly. I'm thinking PhD students, but may a postdoc will cowboy too.
Some chemicals are deliquescent.
I very much like the word deliquescent.
Have any of you coffee enthusiasts got a good solution for storing ground coffee? I find the packets of ground coffee go stale quite quickly, even in a tin etc.
Don't grind it until you're ready to use it is my advice. Beans will also go stale, but not as quickly as ground coffee.
You don't, you grind the beans when you need them.
Some people suggest freezing and others say that is the worst thing to do to them.
Totally agree. Ground coffee goes stale very, very quickly. If you're 'into' your coffee you're far better off buying a burr grinder and whole beans.
Once packet is open, store in a fridge., ideally reseal as best you can. I keep mine in an old instant glass jar with glass lid.
+1 for coffee
And one of the best cycling gadgetty things I have ever purchased, the Elite Deboyo insulated stainless steel bottle
https://www.elite-it.com/en/products/water-bottles/thermal/deboyo
which I am currently drinking from, good tea that I made at 10 this morning which is still relatively hot.
Using the non cycle bottle lid, keeps things warmer, and the thin rim of the flask makes the tea taste wonderful.
I have never used the spout, too much chances of scalding and much less insulation, and just wrong for hot drinks. Yes I have to stop, fair enough, life is too short not to stop and have some good, hot tea on a ride.
It kept me going for 2 years commuing train and ride. Once returned a day later by a fellow commuter. And was my use at work mug too, proper tea made in a pot, and then there for the next few hours if needed.
I REALLY love it.
I did manage to get the Coca Cola branded one, of which the logo is almost noticable after bottle cage and filth rubbing everything off. Not available now.
That's cool - or hot!
Something for the Xmas list!
I hate Nespresso for so many reasons, so instead get someone an Aeropress or even the new (not released yet?) Aeropress Go which is a slightly smaller version for travelling. They're around £25, last for ages (especially if you replace the rubber bung that starts to wear down/go sticky after a few years) and will use any ground coffee.
AeropressGo.jpeg
Or a mug
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zyliss-Hot-Mug-Cafetiere-Red/dp/B00DB4JY72
£8 !
The Aeropress produces a coffee that is almost an espresso, rather than the filter coffee style produced by a cafetière and is a better match to the Nespresso machine
I've used cafetieres and mokka pots for years now, but am making the switch to a coffee dripper (the process was recommended to me by a very good coffee shop in Bristol) this Christmas:
https://www.bodum.com/gb/en/11592-109-pour-over
Inexpensive, simple method, and this example uses a s/s gauze so there's no need to buy wasteful paper filters.
Yeah, I use a metal filter with my Aeropress as well.
I've never really used pour-over coffee - I've heard that it takes a certain knack to get an even extraction from it.
I also enjoy using a siphon brewer from time to time though that's a bit more involved (got myself a metal filter for that as well).
external-content.duckduckgo.com_.jpeg
I have an older version of the Bodum pour over with a metal gauze, but have found, like cafetieres and mokkas, that some finer coffee grounds make their way through into the mug, which I can't stand, so have reluctantly reverted to using filter papers which seem to prevent this. I assume the Aeropress s/s gauze is the same?
On a related note, my other half bought me a Nespresso machine a couple of years ago. I hate the capsule waste and am not impressed by the flavour (to be fair, she thought that would be the case and only really wanted to get me the milk frother, but such is the nature of the Nespresso business model that it was actually cheaper to buy the frother bundled with a coffee machine), so it's now lying unused. I have recently seen refillable s/s 'capsules' which you can fill with coffee of your choice, which makes it more appealing. Anyone used them? Worthwhile, or just throwing good money (c£30) after bad?
[EDIT] - I have just discovered that the man who invented AeroPress also invented Aerobie. He gets my money.
The Aeropress comes with very fine filter papers do the job nicely, though the paper does absorb some of the oils which changes the taste slightly (some prefer it with paper and some without). The metal filters are available from lots of different manufacturers and have different size holes, so it's a case of finding the optimum filter and grind that you like (or sticking with the paper filters). By the way, you can re-use the paper filters a surprising number of times, though they get weaker with re-use until you end up pressing down and shooting a load of hot coffee slurry around your kitchen when the paper suddenly tears.
I don't recommend storing coffee in a fridge or freezer as you can get moisture affecting the beans. As air cools, it can't hold as much moisture, so a fridge/freezer will tend to condense water out of the air around the beans and onto the beans. I'd prefer to keep beans somewhere dry and dark - you want to control how the water and beans meet.
I thought that was Reebok.
The best coffee that is not a proper espresso can be made with the SwissGold one cup filter, with a gold mesh.
https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2015/06/pure-gold-for-pure-coffee/
One of the problems with paper filters is that they remove the oil, which is where much of the flavour is. Gold filters don't do this, and they can also have insanely small holes in the mesh so that bits of ground coffee can't get through.
(Quiff is right about aeropress's inventor by the way).
I still use an Aeropress metal filter that I made from a SwissGold filter (a basket type for traditional drip machines - I don't think they sell it anymore). I used scissors to cut the appropriate sized disc from it and it works really well. It allows a fast flow of coffee so it's better suited to the upside down brewing method which also allows a nice bit of crema/foam through to the cup.
I will attempt to get the chain back on by shifting gears, that usually works, if not, then a gloved (nitrile) hand.
My new bicycle, which I built as a very rugged commuter, and now seems to be my do anything bike, (proper mtbing duties) has a Rohloff, which as long as I keep fairly well tensioned, shouldn't throw the chain much.
Oh, and as I cannot quite justify getting them for myself quite yet, as suggestions for others mind,
The Wolf ToothMaster Link Combo Pliers
https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/products/pack-pliers
Or anything by Dynaplug
http://www.dynaplug.com/bike.html
I used to have surgical gloves in a barbag pocket, but whenever (rarely) I needed them, they tended to disintegrate due to age.
Latex dies, nitrile seems to last a lot longer.
Are there any cheap ones ?
That watch looks very angry!
So Peloton didn't make the list, then?
The miniFumpa appears useful only when cycling in a group unless you average way more punctures per year than me (probably 2, but always in relatively quick sucession).
I wouldnt rely on a battery powered USB device that I'm only going to use twice a year to actually be charged when I need it.
Now as a shared tool for club rides it makes lot more sense.
A big NO! to rehook, and definitely NO! to the WingLights Mag indicators.
The Fumpa miniFumpa would be very nice, but unnecessary.
My wonderful better half has started to buy me the occasional bit of Rapha, I gladly recieved the Brevit merino wind jacket for my last Birthaday and a couple of Christmases back I very happily was gifted a merino baselayer.
It's only 12.99. What do you use then ?
confused