Cool Cycling Gift Ideas For 2017

So you know someone who is crazy about cycling, but your not quite sure what to get them, I have some Cool Cycling Gift Ideas For 2017.

SAM SMITH aka CAPTAIN SMITH | TOUR DE FRANCE WATER COLORS

First Up. I found a really cool painter who does cycling water colors named Sam Smith. He also goes by the name Captain Smith on Twitter and his website is http://www.captainsmithdesign.com.

Sam’s style and technique is quite inspiring and downright unique for the fact that I haven’t seen anything done like this for the Tour.

Since 2016 Sam has been capturing moments in water color of the Tour De France.

His new venture is a Kickstarter showcasing his artwork in book form.

Sam Also does street style live portraits for those fortunate enough to live near Camden market in London.

CYCLED PROJECT

Next up is a company called Cycled Project (http://cycledproject.com). From Venice – Italy, comes two brothers with a neat recyclable concept. Take used road tires and turn them into ultra cool belts.

Each Cycled belt is entirely handcrafted using needles, threads, scissors and a bit of creativity thrown in. The back sides are iron branded with the Cycled lettering and numbered to give each belt a bit of uniqueness.

The belts are made of old bicycle tires and are available in many options. The Classic Series keeps it civilized and simple in appearance, the Sport belts, one like above, showcase brand names like Continental, Vittoria, Mavic and Wilier on the belt loop. There is also the Color collection, of tangerines with colored cheeks and finally the Matched series, which targets a striking design.

Cycled Belts come in both men and women sizes.

Men’s sizes: S (90 cm), m (100 cm), L (110 cm) and XL (120 cm)
Women’s sizes: XS (70 cm), S (80 cm), M (90 cm) and L (100 cm)

Belt prices range from € 65.00 to € 85.00

CYCLING COG COASTERS

This is a do it yourself project and it involves recycling an old cog or two and making cog coasters. I recommend really cleaning the cogs off and removing most if not all the grease, but when your done, you will have something rather special.

To do it you just need a vintage rear cassette or cog and cork or wood for the bottom. You might even be able to track down a cog being thrown away at a local bike store.

STEMCAP YOUR BIKE

For those who are looking for inspiration or a way to bling out your bike, StemCaps (https://stemcaps.com/) makes a really cool and inventive headset cap system. For roughly $18 you get the Stem Cap Base and one StemCap. You can choose from existing caps or create your own for an additional cost. What makes the concept even cooler is you can buy multiple Caps and quickly switch them out as desired.

For example I have one cap that says “As Long As I Breath I Attack”. A great saying, but maybe something I shouldn’t see on those days I should be going easy on the bike. Luckily I can easily swap it out for the “Limits Live In Our Minds” cap.

WATERFIELD DESIGNS CYCLING RIDE POUCH

When out cycling you always want to be prepared for mishaps like flat tires or mechanical issues. This of course means you often want to bring a phone, money, spare tube and tools. The quandary is where to put all these items. Sure you can put them in a saddle bag, but often there isn’t enough space for it all. You could also use a plastic baggy, but then everything is jumbled together. This was my life for 40 years of cycling and my solution was to use and reuse plastic baggies that would always fall apart. Things were all jumbled together, but it worked. It just wasn’t ideal and I knew it.

The solution: Waterfield Designs (https://www.sfbags.com) came up with what they call the Cycling Ride Pouch. A simple, yet elegant solution to hold it all.

The Cycling Ride Pouch is custom-fit for the back jersey pocket. It has 3 compartments for storing tools, phone, and other items. Separated from each other, items can be quickly accessed without having to disturb the other contents.

The ride pouch can hold the following:

Main compartment with self-locking zipper on three sides:
- Spare tube, tools, air cartridge, tire levers, patches, etc. Pumps up to 7 inches long can be stored in the pocket.
Front transparent window pocket:
- custom-fit for iPhone 7, 7 Plus and other similarly-sized phones
- can also fit smaller-sized phones, but will have extra room
Back mesh pocket:
- includes a water-resistant Mini Wallet for cash, card, ID, keys
- other items you need to get at quickly.