Struggling for inspiration for a perfect gift for the mountain biker in your life?
Don’t panic! We’ve done the hard work for you – here’s our essential guide to great gifts for mountain bikers in 2018.
Hurly Burly 3 – the essential downhill annual.
At under £20 posted, there’s few better presents out there for a World Cup racing fanatic than Hurly Burly 3. Filled to the brim with insight and photos from the guys that are embedded in the World Cup circuit.
Hurly Burly 3 is 220 pages of glorious World Cup and World Champs content.
Coaching sessions- the gift of new skills.
Even the most experienced riders can benefit from some coaching. Whether it’s getting yourself smarter at racing, better at jumping or just improving those core skills, you’d be hard pushed to get better at riding quicker than with a coaching session.
There’s plenty of good coaches in the UK, check out our list of the best here.
Uplift tickets – the joy of a day’s riding.
Uplifts aren’t cheap but they are a great way to pack in some quality time on the bike. Like coaches, there’s plenty of good uplift services running through the winter all around the UK.
More time on the bike is what we’re all after and uplifts are no longer just for downhill bikes.
There’s uplifts running full tilt through the winter, you can check out your nearest one here.
A custom top cap
Wideopenmag Granite RockBand – the gift of bagless inner tube portage
On-bike storage is all the rage these days and pretty much anyone that is anyone will want a Wideopenmag Granite Rock Band so they’re not stuffing gas canisters and a tube into pockets for that hour’s blast in the woods.
A cracking stocking-filler or for someone who might have the rest of the kit.
Get yours here.
Melon Optics Parker goggles – cool googles with custom colours
Winter equals mud. Mud equals less visibility. A good set of goggles can save a race run or just mean you can actually see where you’re going for the majority of your ride.
The Melon Optics Parker goggle came out at the top of the heap in our recent goggle grouptest. Sporting the same features as goggles twice the price, the Parkers really are a steal. Fully customisable, you can get a unique set to suit whoever you’ll be wrapping them up for.
Tune your set of Parkers here.
Crank Brothers’ M19 multitool – tight nuts for Christmas
A good multitool is the gift that keeps on giving. Like a good pair of socks, you don’t realise how good they are until you’re left high and dry until they save your bacon.
The Crank Brothers M19 multitool took the top honours in our grouptest, offering a good mix of tools, a good amount of leverage and a handy storage case at a sensible price.
A lifetime warranty backs up what is already one of the best multitools out there.
Mobi V-17 Washer – a clean bike for the new year.
Washing a bike after a ride can save you countless hours, toil and bills by keeping everything clean and running smooth. Often you have to go hunting out a garage after a ride away from a trail centre so the Mobi V-17 can save all that trouble.
The Mobi runs off a battery and can plug into you cigarette lighter in the car, holds its own water and will get the worst of the cack off your bike.
Syncros Matchbox – easy tools carriage.
It’s a neat idea of adding those tools to get you out of a pinch without having to lug them around in your bag and fitting onto something that’s already there.
Sporting a full size bottle cage, a multi-tool and a chain-splitter, the Syncros Matchbox will save you in a pinch and you can’t forget to take it on a ride.
Tubeless repair kit – fast fixes for better bike rides.
Tubeless is awesome, when it works. To save you having to cart a tube around in your pack, simply carry some tubeless plugs that will fix any hole or tear that wouldn’t otherwise be an easy fix.
There are plenty of options on the market and most come with an applicator, glue and a handful of the plugs themselves.
X-Tools 18-Piece Tool Kit – no more buggered bikes
Having the right tools for the job certainly helps, and with the X-Tools 18 piece tool kit, you can give the mountain biker in your life exactly that without selling organs or re-mortgaging the house.
There is everything you can conceivably need to service a modern bicycle in this kit.
Nukeproof Horizon flat pedal – big, flat and affordable
Winter often sees riders reverting back to flat pedals as the trails get more unpredictable, you might find yourself wanting to dangle a safety leg when things start getting a bit hectic. They’re also great for slapping on the hardtail for some pumptrack or skatepark laps.
The Nukeproof Horizon pedals are strong, low profile and well-sealed without costing the earth and recently won our flat pedal grouptest.
TrailMaps – a tribute to their favourite trail.
Help make someone’s wall that little bit more special by getting them a Trail Map of their favourite trail ever. There’s plenty to choose from and they certainly don’t cost an arm and a leg.
If you can’t find a trail already in the collection, you can upload from Strava and have your favourite ride custom made just for you.
You can check out the full Trail Maps trails over on their website.
Pearl Izumi Transfer base layer – warms bits for Christmas.
While you might be getting it as a Christmas present, a good base layer is almost a year-round piece of kit here in the UK. Sling it under a thin waterproof for most of the year and you’re laughing.
The Pearl Izumi Transfer base layer came out on top in our recent base layer grouptest for being the best balance of weight, warmth, wicking and price.
Shextreme Alliance Membership – join the Alliance.
Why not get the creative lady in your life access to award-winning help, support and training from the founders of the first film festival to celebrate women in extreme sports with a Shextreme Alliance Membership?
A custom top cap – anything you want, custom engraved
Us mountain bikers love custom stuff… and Kapz can custom engrave top caps with whatever you want. You could give your favourite mountain biker a one-off, custom engraved complete with message of encouragement. You could also, if that’s your vibe, think of less ‘encouraging’ messages for good buddies, riding mates and anyone you want to think of you when they look down at their stem!
You can order a custom engraved headset cap from Kapz here.Â
Custom name stickers – look like a pro, even if you’re slow
Nothing says ‘pro’ like your name emblazoned on your bike frame with a vinyl graphic. NamesonFrames can produce you a set of stickers with your name and a wee graphic for less than a tenner… Where they get stuck is up to you.
Order custom name stickers at NamesonFrames here.
Juice Lubes – the gift of a clean bicycle
The mountain biker’s equivalent of those double packs of shampoo and deodorant.
Team Wideopenmag’s sponsors Juice Lubes make all sorts of great lubes, cleaners and maintenance products to help keep us mountain biker’s bikes clean and tidy.
We’d recommend the Juice Lubes Scrub n Buff pack which contains everything you need to keep your bike maintained for months, for just £36.99.
Buy a Juice Lubes Scrub n Buff pac here.
 Chain Reaction Cycles gift eVouchers – the ultimate last minute gift
When you’ve really, really left it last minute you just need something you can buy with no delivery times or waiting around.
We’d recommend some Chain Reaction Cycles gift vouchers. Insert the value equivalent to the amount you love your significant other then hit ‘buy’. Print it out, stick it in a card, nailed it.
You can either email the eVoucher to your recipient or to yourself. The voucher comes with a code which can be spent on CRC, online.
Buy Chain Reaction Cycles gift vouchers here.
A tune up in our local bike shop – last minute perfection
Need something in a jiffy and can’t wait for deliveries to turn up?
Give the gift of a tuned-up bicycle in your loved one’s local bike shop. Just call the shop, book the service in for after Christmas and stick it in a card.
The gift relies on your recipient’s bike needing a spruce up… but, most mountain biker’s should have something they need seeing to. You’re welcome!
