I write about 150 product reviews a year for the benefit of my fellow cyclists. However, this article is for the benefit of those folks who are lucky enough to have a cyclist as their spouse or significant other. If you are trying to find a great Christmas present for a cyclist I would like to make a few suggestions.
Sip, Clip and Go! Coffee is distinctly geared toward cyclists and I think it would make a great gift for any cyclist, or something they can have at work or at home that reinforces a biker’s message of “I Like My Bike!” Sip, Clip and Go! Coffee retails for $12.99 for a 12-ounce bag and is available in either Whole Bean or Ground. A three pack that has one bag of each flavor is only $35.99. You can order these products online from the Sip, Clip and Go! Coffee Website. This coffee is 100% Organic and Fair Trade.
I own dozens of cycling jerseys, but the highest quality jersey I’ve ever bought is from a small company called Road Holland (based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida). I wrote a lengthy product for the Road Holland Hilversum Jersey several months ago, but if you are not a cyclist it probably won’t mean much to you. These are not the cheapest jerseys on the market, but they are my favorite. The great news is that everything in their online store is 20% off when you use coupon code “ORANGE” at checkout (sale runs through January 6, 2013).
If your favorite cyclist wants to work on their own bike, but they don’t have the right tools yet, I would suggest you buy the Nashbar Deluxe Tool Kit. This tool kit retails for $260, but at the moment it is on sale for $150 from the Bike Nashbar Website. The Nashbar Deluxe Tool Kit is a nice collection of bike tools and they easily fit in the included tool box. The collection includes the following tools: Cassette lockring remover, Cartridge Bottom Bracket tool, Chain rivet extractor for UG/HG/IG, Cable cutter, Three spoke wrenches, Two sturdy tire levers, Crank remover, Chainring nut wrench, T-handle Hex set (2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10mm), Torx 25 wrench, one Phillips and one slotted screwdriver, 15mm pedal wrench, Cone wrench set (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19mm), Hollowtech 2 Bottom Bracket wrench, and a measuring tape. To help you keep your bike clean this set also includes a very good chain cleaner, along with a cog brush and larger cleaning brush.
If your significant other likes to work out with weights (in addition to their cycling) then one of the best investments you will ever make in their health is a pair of Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells. Each Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbell adjusts from 5 to 52.5 pounds (in 2.5-pound increments up to the first 25 pounds). Because of the beautifully designed dial system you can change the weight of a dumbbell in a matter of seconds. The Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells work far better than I expected and I would highly recommend them to anyone. They take up very little room and are a pleasure to work with. This product also comes with a DVD that shows how to correctly perform over 30 exercises. I bought my Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells at a brick-and-mortar Dick’s Sporting Goods store for $400. However, I wish I would have checked Amazon.com first—they sell the set for $300 and offer free shipping!
If you still can’t figure out what the love of your life would like you can never go wrong with a gift certificate! If your favorite cyclist speaks with glowing terms about their local bike shop, then that is where you should go first. Most bike shops will either have an actual gift certificate available or give you a receipt showing how much “in store credit” you purchased. However, if your beloved tends to buy most of their cycling clothing online, I’d get them a gift certificate from eCyclingstore.com. This company offers decent quality merchandise and their prices are hard to beat.
Greg
November 21, 2012 at 10:03 AM
I will take everything but the white cycling jersey.
All Seasons Cyclist
November 21, 2012 at 10:44 AM
I love the white jersey in the middle of summer — I rode several days this year when the temp was over 100 degrees — the white jersey reflected the heat fairly well (but I was still hot).
runcolbyrun
November 21, 2012 at 10:13 AM
Thrilled to have found your site! LOVE the coffee. I’m on it! Thanks!
All Seasons Cyclist
November 21, 2012 at 10:46 AM
I am not a coffee drinker, but the packing on this coffee is awesome (I had a female friend of mine write the product review for this coffee several months ago — she gave it her stamp of approval).
fitnessbloggers
November 21, 2012 at 11:39 AM
The bowflex adjustable dumbbells are great, I have used these before – but have never purchased them as they’re pretty expensive. Would love to get one as a Xmas gift!
All Seasons Cyclist
November 21, 2012 at 4:30 PM
If a set of these shows up under your tree they should be easy to spot — the box weighs about 110 pounds!
Carrie
November 21, 2012 at 11:44 AM
Love the coffee! I’ll have to pass the idea along to Santa. 😉
All Seasons Cyclist
November 21, 2012 at 4:31 PM
Even if you never drink it the bags look pretty cool!
Irish Katie
November 21, 2012 at 1:27 PM
At first I thought the coffee was heated in the bag and I was thinking…omg really?!?!? lol I thought it was like one of those camping meals where you pull the string and it heats up!
I am eyeing the tool set for myself though … but then I’d have doubles…and I’m not sure I’d ever use the chain ring wrench and some other stuffs….they just look awesomely cool and I want it haha. I found that I kind of like getting my hands greasy and fixing my bike (when its small fixes anyway.)
All Seasons Cyclist
November 21, 2012 at 4:32 PM
Fixing your own been can be very satisfying. PLUS, if you ever have a mechanical problem while out on the road you won’t panic. I’ve changed a lot of tires for other folks who were stuck by the side of the road waiting for someone to tell them how to replace an inner tube.
Joy
November 21, 2012 at 4:34 PM
This is great, I’m going to get the sip, clip coffee for my husband, that is awesome!
All Seasons Cyclist
November 21, 2012 at 4:36 PM
Please leave a note on the blog after Christmas to let me know how he liked it!
Joy
November 23, 2012 at 11:10 PM
Of course!
mareelouise
November 21, 2012 at 5:00 PM
Hurrah! That’s Christmas solved. My favourite cyclist will be getting a cool toolbox! NIce one, thanks.
All Seasons Cyclist
November 21, 2012 at 5:11 PM
I hope he enjoys it!
MikeW
November 22, 2012 at 1:21 AM
Got me interested with those grease-black blends of Joe!
All Seasons Cyclist
November 22, 2012 at 10:41 AM
Let me know what you think of them once you’ve had a chance to try them out.
simonnurse
November 22, 2012 at 8:41 AM
I’ll take that tool kit any day. My capacity to lose tools is only matched by my ineffectiveness with them. 🙂
All Seasons Cyclist
November 22, 2012 at 10:48 AM
I can’t help you find the tools you lose, but if you need help on a repair you should get Park Tool’s “Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair” (one of the two best books on bike repair I’ve seen — sells for around $20 on Amazon.com).
Jessi
November 23, 2012 at 4:45 AM
Super helpful!
All Seasons Cyclist
November 23, 2012 at 10:14 AM
Thank you!
mtbtokyogirl
November 23, 2012 at 8:40 AM
I wish I could order from japan. That coffee is perfect for John as he sometimes make coffee @top of mountain when we go riding!
All Seasons Cyclist
November 23, 2012 at 10:14 AM
Drop the folks at Sip, Clip and Go an email — they might be willing to ship it to you (don’t know about the cost of postage though).
mtbtokyogirl
November 24, 2012 at 6:21 AM
Thanks! still have time till Christmas so guess I’ll give it a try 🙂
Karen
November 26, 2012 at 6:29 AM
As always, thank you for the shout out! It is much appreciated 🙂 I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season!
All Seasons Cyclist
November 26, 2012 at 7:48 AM
You are very welcome!
Karen
November 27, 2012 at 7:36 AM
Reblogged this on Sip, clip, and go! and commented:
Top of the fold mention for our coffee for Xmas Gifts Ideas for Cyclists from the All Season Cyclist. Awesome! And thanks. One potential customer has contacted me after reading this post–all the way from Australia! I don’t have international shipping enabled on the website (working on it) but I can ship internationally, just email me for details.
Jessica
December 18, 2012 at 7:51 AM
http://lexalbrecht.blogspot.ca/2012/12/christmas-gifts.html has some great ideas for cyclists, especially if you’re on a tight budget!