As we’re prepping for the holidays, we’re stocking up on stocking stuffers for our athlete friends. Personally, I love a literal stuffed stocking where I get a pair of bike or running socks and put a few of my favorite bars and gels into it as the gift, but of course, I’m also a huge fan of gifting the Read Books, Ride Bikes or Consummate Athlete tote bags! But whatever the case, we like to make our stocking stuffers as useful/practical as possible rather than the usual junk that gets tossed in them.
Favorite gels/bars/snackies
I say it often, but when it comes to gift, sometimes the boring stuff is the biggest hit. I love getting a few boxes of the bars and gels that I’ve found in the last year that I’ve really enjoyed and making grab bags of them for friends, so that they have a bunch of new flavors and gel types to try in the year ahead. Pair with a Bivo Bottle and you’re good to go—it’s like bringing a great bottle of wine to a party, but more athlete friendly. A few of our faves to buy in bulk and gift this year:
- Nuun tablets (a perennial fave)
- Gu Salted Caramel gels
- SIS Double Espresso Gels
- Tailwind single serve variety pack
- Untapped Maple Syrup packets
- Rip Van Wafels
- Snickers bars (cliche, but SO good on a long ride)
Bivo Bottles
These metal alternatives to plastic bike bottles make great stocking stuffers—the stainless steel bottle comes in a ton of colors now (though obviously, I love the black) and they last FOREVER, which is really nice. I like them for travel in particular, since they’re nice to drink out of as regular water glasses if you take the top off, and they’re great for riding as well! (You can also stuff this with some gels or single serve drink mix or electrolyte packets.)
Read Books, Ride Bikes Tote
An easy stocking inclusion or a gift bag in its own right. This tote from Strong Girl Publishing fits your helmet and shoes, or all of your library books. Get it here
Burts Bees Salve or Jet Lag Mask
I’ve put these on a couple lists already, but here’s the thing: They are both easy to gift to pretty much anyone, and are universally useful. I love both the Burt’s Bees Hand Salve and Jet Lag Mask from Summer Fridays as travel-friendly skin savers. The Burts Bees salve comes in a tin (great since it’s solid so no spills) and while it’s for hands, I use it for hands, elbows, and cheeks/lips when I’m out on a cold day and need that protective barrier. The Jet Lag Mask is also my go-to travel moisturizer: It’s thick, you only need a little, it’s great for sensitive/combination skin, and it really helps calm down grumpy skin whether it’s dry from flying or wrecked from the weather. (The Burts Bees is super cheap and lasts forever, Jet Lag mask is a little spendy but also lasts forever!)
Burts Bees Salve here, Jet Lag Mask here
Timberbike Bell
We like this inexpensive but shockingly loud bell for anyone who rides on public bike paths or who’s on singletrack, especially in bear country. We love that it has dual modes of ‘bear bell’ and ‘bike bell’ so you’re covered whether you’re trying to warn two-legged or four-legged mammals (or MAMILs) that you’re coming through.
Shred Girls Beanie
‘Nuff said. But seriously, a great little stocking stuffer for any girl or woman athlete in your crew. Get it here
Spare tube or CO2s
These little flat-fixing ride-saving helpers are annoying to keep in stock when you’re a cyclist, so getting them as gifts feels like a real treat since it’s one less trip to the store or online order. While I could give you an Amazon link here, I do want to shout out going to your local bike shop to get both of these things for two reasons. One, it’s the right thing to do, we love local bike shops, especially ones with great staff. Two, you’ll get the right things. Bring a pic of your buddy’s bike so the shop can help you get the right sized tube, and you’ll avoid getting a wonky CO2 that has a weird threading situation (trust me, it happens).
Shred Girls Beanie
Stockings to Stuff in their Stocking
I love a nice sock for cycling or running, yet they aren’t something I buy for myself, so I’m always happy to get them for the holidays. And bonus, the sizing is pretty simple, and you can find socks that suit your person’s vibes. Obviously, fans of Consummate Athlete know I prefer a simple black or white sock, like this pack of three black wool socks from Swiftwick, but you can also have fun with it and get some seriously bright versions.
Chain Lube
Another easy stocking stuffer that cyclists always need…. Upgrade their lube game, in a non-sexy way! (Well, we think a clean chain is kinda hot, but that’s just us.) Anyway… We love simple, long lasting wax chain lubes. Squirt is a popular brand that we’ve had great success with, despite the corny name. This isn’t the ‘chain waxing’ you have been hearing about but more akin to ‘normal’ chain lube with a few slight differences in application and cleaning (less really!) The difference in how long this lasts through tough conditions is WILD and WORTH IT.
Books for Young Athletes
Obviously, I have to mention that books make EXCELLENT stocking stuffers. If you have a young girl (14 and under) in your life that you’re hoping will get into cycling or who’s already a Shred Girl IRL, make sure you’ve gotten her all three books in the Shred Girls series: Lindsay’s Joyride, Ali’s Rocky Ride and Jen’s Bumpy Ride. For teenagers, the newest book by me, Running As Fast As We Can is all about navigating high school, and Micha Powell’s Sprinting Through Setbacks is a must read. You can visit the Strong Girl Publishing web shop for all the books plus Shred Girls themed tshirts, hoodies, beanies and more!
