Tis the season… to shop for yourself and other athletes in your life! This year, we’re sharing our favorite gifts to give and receive in this one single spot rather than spreading it out into multiple gift guides. We’ll likely update it as more ideas come to us, and feel free to share any suggestions in the comments here on over on Instagram!
Need more ideas? We’ve got tons of past gift guides with favorites we’ve loved for years and years. We tried to change things up a bit and do all new items this season, but years past still have a ton of gems!
For the Gravel Grinder: DynaPlug for Tubeless Tires
Peter swears by these, as does our friend Alexey Vermeulen. Having a way to plug a large hole in a tire mid-ride or race can be a gamechanger, and we’ve found these are pretty easy to use.
For the mountain biker: Granite Cricket Mountain Bike Bell with Single-Strike Mode and Constant Cowbell Mode
We love this bike/bear bell because you can opt to have it in constant cowbell mode in bear-heavy areas, or switch it to being just a little bike bell to alert people to your presence on the trail. And Peter has tried many, many bells in the past!
For the bikepacker/hiker/adventurer: Garmin inReach Mini 2 Satellite Communicator
Our friend Ashton Lambie recommended this particular device to us—it’s a tracker so no matter where you are, someone can keep an eye on you, and it has—his words—a ‘holy shit’ button in case of serious emergencies. You do pay a subscription (or per month fee) for it, but it’s well worth it if you’re often riding or running in areas with no cell coverage.
Get it here (currently on sale!)
For the daughters, nieces, grandkids and other girls in your life: The Strong Girl by Molly Hurford
The latest book from Molly Hurford, “The Strong Girl,” is all about how strong girls can really be—and it’s a great adventure story that will subtly introduce your middle grade reader to strength training, endurance sport and more. The book is set in the 1860s, when opportunities for a young farm girl on the outskirts of Montreal are slim. Lizzy has two choices: Take an apprenticeship and save her family farm, or run away to save herself from the life that’s been decided for her—and follow her dreams. When the circus comes to town, the choice is easy—but she quickly realizes that no decision is black and white. As mysterious things start happening within her newfound family, she’ll have to fight to save her friends and herself. This book is perfect for middle grade readers—especially those who may not have embraced their strong side just yet.
For the Type A Athlete (or the one you wish was!): Charging Station
If you’ve ever gone on a ride or run with your gift give-ee and had them lose power in their computer/light/phone/watch, a charging station where every sporty thing they own can charge at once is an awesome present. We love having these stations set up in our place—it makes it so much easier to ensure that when it is time to ride or run, there’s no lag time as we wait for headphones to power up, and we like this station because it works for numerous devices. Wireless pads are great, but most cycling computers and watches won’t use them.
For Women Who Ride: The Shred Girls Beanie
Back by popular demand, this beanie celebrates Molly’s Shred Girls book series but also just women shredding in general!
For the adventure pup who has everything: Doggles
Yes, our dachshund already has a backpack for riding (the K9 Sports Sack Air, the chosen pack of famous dachshunds like Sir Willie the Wiener) and a Dogger jogging stroller that Molly uses for running when we’re living out of the van. Don’t tell him, but these are going to be coming to him this year, so that whenever he’s in the pack on windy/chilly days, his eyes are protected.
For the one who needs to be reminded to eat more: Our Run (or Ride) All the Miles, Eat All the Snacks Sweatshirt
This sweatshirt has
Get it here (and get the Ride version here!)
For the foodie who loves a protein shake: This Tiny Frother
We started using a tiny frother for our daily scoop of AG1 and it made SUCH a difference to the consistency and how much stuff ended up at the bottom of the glass, requiring another shot of water to make sure we got every drop. The frother made it taste even better, and so much more like a beverage that came out of a pitcher rather than out of a packet… and we found that the same was true for mixing up our whey protein. No more sludge at the bottom of cups, and a much tastier consistency!
For ANY AND EVERY Cyclist: Topeak Digital Pressure Gauge
We cannot recommend this enough, and this new Smart version of the pressure gauge gets even more specific with decimal points—key for the super Type A cyclocrossers out there! Make sure you get this one rather than a cheaper option, since we’ve found the cheap ones a) don’t work for Presta valves and b) break pretty much instantly.
For the Cyclocrosser: Ryobi Pressure Washer
We weren’t convinced we needed a pressure washer, but my dad got this for Peter a couple years ago and we LOVE it. This little guy is great for anyone living in a small apartment (I mean, it’s fine if you have a big house too, but great for small spaces) and doesn’t require a hose hookup, just a bucket of water to work. It’s gentle enough to handle cleaning the bikes without hurting them, stashes away in our van, and has really made our bikes so much easier to clean.
For the Gym-Loving Cyclist/Runner: Our Cross Training is NOT a Crime T-shirt
Love cross-training? Prove it.
For the Old-School Cyclocrosser: Our Canti Brake T-Shirt
Are we biased about our own swag? Obviously. But it’s also super cool! This tshirt features our beloved canti brakes and the banner of CAN’T STOP, DIDN’T STOP. If you’re old enough to have raced with canti brakes and are still racing (or know someone who is), this is a perfect gift.
For athletes who always lose their gear: COOSPO Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap
A spare HR monitor that works well on bluetooth and ANT+ and is under $50? You can’t beat the COOSPO Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap. Peter’s had his for a couple years now and just bought a spare, he was so impressed! Heck, even if this isn’t a present, check this one on Black Friday since it’s often on super sale.
For anyone: Our book! Becoming A Consummate Athlete
Everything you need to build the habits that will help you to crush your goals & live a healthy, adventurous life.
More Books We Loved This Year
- Built to Move by Kelly and Juliet Starrett
- In Defense of Big Dreams by Mackenzie Myatt
- The Midlife Cyclist by Phil Cavell
- The Joy of Well-Being by Colleen and Jason Wochab
- The Strong Girl by Molly Hurford
- From Strength to Strength by Arthur Brooks
- The Shred Girls Series by Molly Hurford
- Born to Run 2 by Chris McDougall and Eric Orton
Stocking Stuffer Ideas
We love the idea of getting a stocking full of fun athlete-friendly goodies. This is also super cost effective if you want to buy some stuff in bulk, like a pack of gels or bars, and divvy them out between your athlete friends.
Our favorite stocking ideas include:
- Chamois Butt’r
- Mad Alchemy Embrocation
- Sports Sunscreen
- Anti-fog Glasses Wipes
- Lacrosse Balls (for self massage)
- Fun Gu gels (like Campfire S’Mores!)
- Fun Clif Bars (like Gingerbread or Pumpkin Pie!)
- Hazy IPA from Athletic Brewing (non alcoholic but delicious!)
And of course, consider putting all of this stuff inside of a pair of great socks from Smartwool or Tough Cutie for a true stocking stuffer vibe!
