The ultimate cycling Christmas gift guide 2018
A wishlist for the cyclist who has everything
The 2018 season will be one to remember. Three new winners for each of the Grand Tours, Peter Sagan winning at Paris-Roubaix and Vincenzo Nibali living up to his nickname as the Shark of Messina with an audacious attack on the Poggio to win Milan-San Remo.
As the year draws to a close, many cycling fans will be celebrating Christmas. Below, we take a look at some of the best, unusual and exclusive gift ideas for the cyclist or fan who has everything.
Let us know in the comments below if we've missed anything or what you would add to the list.
Rapha Weekend Bag
Rapha designed the weekend bag to store shoes, helmet and kit while conforming to most airline carry-on limits. Away from the cycling the bag also features a laptop sleeve, two easily accessible end pockets and a smaller pocket for valuables.
The shoulder strap is removable and the bag also features a large pocket to the front of the bag.
Available from Rapha for £170 / $235 / AUS$295 / €200
Sidi Shot shoes
Cycling shoes will always be a personal preference when it comes to aesthetics, performance and fit. Legendary Italian brand Sidi has always sat at the top of the market however and frequently win Grand Tours and Monuments at the top of the sport.
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The Sidi Shot sits at the top of the brand's line-up and has been worn by Chris Froome for several seasons. Two proprietary tensioning dials sit on the tongue of the shoe for a secure fit, which is enhanced by the brand's iconic secure heel system.
A carbon sole ensures great power transfer and features multiple vents for breathability. The heel and toe pads are also replaceable to ensure the longevity of the shoe.
Sidi shoes available from Jenson USA or Wiggle.
Prendas Ciclismo vintage jerseys
Prendas Ciclismo differentiate themselves from other clothing specialists by offering a unique selection of iconic retro and modern jerseys and clothing.
The faithful recreations are created by working with original sponsors and trawling the archives to ensure accuracy. Merino wool recreations are offered for an authentic experience alongside replicas created using modern materials.
The Mondrian-inspired classic of La Vie Claire, Eddy Merckx's Faema and Molteni teams, Brooklyn Chewing Gum, Tom Simpson's Peugeot and the multi-coloured Mapei from the 90s are just some of the designs on offer.
Available from Prendas Ciclismo from £55 / $70.34 / AUS$97.48 / €61.86
CeramicSpeed OSPW (over-sized pulley wheel) rear derailleur upgrade
Ceramic bearings specialist CeramicSpeed have risen in popularity in the WorldTour in recent seasons, with the Danish company being one of the most prominent upgrade companies at this season's Tour de France.
The brand sponsors AG2R La Mondiale, Quick-Step Floors and Bora-Hansgrohe with other riders from non-sponsored teams understood to have bought the marginal advantages privately.
The over-sized pulley wheel system offers just a couple of watts, according to CeramicSpeed but for those who already have everything, the OSPW system is an opportunity to find some extra speed.
The system photographed features limited edition pink jockey wheels, which celebrated the Giro d'Italia earlier this year. Black, red, blue or gold jockey wheels are available for Shimano, SRAM or Campagnolo drivetrains.
CeramicSpeed components available from Wiggle.
Cyclingnews Films download
The 2018 season saw Cyclingnews document a different side to some of the biggest races on the calendar.
- The Holy Week - Behind the scenes at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix
- CRESCENDO - Our exclusive film from the final week of the 2018 Giro d’Italia
- RUNNING WITH WOLVES - Our exclusive behind the scenes film with Quick-Step Floors at the Tour de France
Live coverage and subsequent highlights document the racing on the road and largely generic post-race interviews, alongside the subsequent news and reaction covered in the written press and online, including Cyclingnews.
Cyclingnews Films, however, aims to show fans a different side to these races. The characters that make the headlines, the ecstatic highs and devastating lows of what is frequently an emotional rollercoaster within professional cycling.
Cyclingnews Films goes behind the scenes on team buses, training rides, on the massage table and more with exclusive interviews and insight from riders, coaches and team staff.
Available to buy from Vimeo from £3.80 / $4.99 (renting options are also available).
Argonaut Cycles custom carbon frameset
New aero bikes from Specialized, Trek, BMC and Cannondale this year have made it very easy to spend $10,000 on one of the latest and most technologically advanced road bikes on the market. However, for those looking for something more unique, there are several custom frame builders who can build and spec the ultimate dream builds at a similar price point.
Argonaut Cycles have been building custom carbon framesets for more than 10 years, winning multiple awards at the North American Hand Built Bicycle Show on the way.
While plenty of other brand's offer custom geometry, Argonaut Cycles go a step further by laying up each carbon tube from scratch specifically for each customer and adapting vertical, horizontal and torsional stiffness depending on customer weight and power output.
Headsets and bottom brackets are co-designed with Chris King and the frames are paired with forks and finishing kit from ENVE.
Custom paint is also available for both the road and gravel frames offered from the Oregon-based brand, with rim brakes or disc brakes customer preference.
Framesets available from Argonaut Cycles (North America) or G!RO Cycles (UK) from £5,950 / $7,250, full builds also available and priced as spec'ed.
The Model Cyclist hand-painted models
Initially designed to celebrate the Grand Depart of the 2014 Tour de France in Yorkshire, The Model Cyclist team of three have seen the continued success of their hand-painted miniature cyclists from their home of York.
Polka-dot, world champion and yellow jerseys are available, alongside modern and retro trade and national team designs with the riders offered in several riding positions enabling you to create your own mini-peloton.
Custom kit designs are also available to be commissioned, offering the perfect gift for that special teammate after a season of loyal domestique duties.
UK and international shipping offered.
Available from The Model Cyclist from £15
Queens of Pain: Legends & Rebels of Cycling by Isabel Best
Isabel Best covers the lesser-known world of women's cycling, covering remarkable stories from "fin-de-siècle velodromes in North America to the first women's Tour de France" and everything in between from the past 100 years from the 1890s onwards.
For those looking for stories on a different side of professional cycling, look no further.
Available from Rapha for £25 / $35 / AUS$45 / €30
World Bicycle Relief donation
World Bicycle Relief was founded as a response to the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in the Indian Ocean with backing from components manufacturer SRAM. Providing transport to thousands of displaced individuals and offering access to education, healthcare and reconnecting communities devastated by the tragedy through their robustly designed and simple bicycles.
Today, the charity continues to provide the proven, durable and locally assembled bicycles across the developing world and is fast approaching half a million 'Buffalo Bicycles' and improving significantly more lives as a result.
Buffalo Bikes continue to provide far easier access to education, healthcare, trade and in turn, development within regions where walking is often the only form of transport.
The charity's model is scalable and sustainable across different regions and a donation of $147 fully funds a Buffalo Bike, giving the opportunity to change an individual's, a family's or a community's life for the better and indefinitely.
Learn more about World Bicycle Relief here.
Procycling Magazine Subscription
Procycling is the world's best cycling magazine and takes you inside the colourful, fast-moving world of professional road racing.
Procycling works with the very best cycling writers and photographers to bring unparalleled insight and analysis of one of the world's fastest-growing and exciting sports. Their coverage includes on-the-ground reportage of races from the Classics to the Tour de France, and in-depth interviews with the biggest stars of the sport.
A year's subscription to Procycling is the ideal gift for the cycling fan in your life and will bring 13 packed editions of the magazine.
13 issues available for £44.99 here.
Michael Blann Photography Limited Edition Prints
Born on the south coast of England, Michael Blann spent his childhood riding his bike and dreaming of racing at the Tour de France. After spending a year racing at the elite level in Australia, Blann returned to the UK to work as a professional photographer for Getty Images after gaining a degree in printmaking and illustration.
Now working for agencies and brands shooting advertising campaigns, Blann still has a passion for cycling and regularly shoots at Grand Tours, the Classics and the landscapes the sport's biggest races pass through.
Blann's prints include iconic images of Mont Ventoux, Passo Stelvio, Col du Tourmalet, Alpe d'Huez and many more, all capturing the stunning scenery professional cycling races in or the unique spectacle of flags and camper vans lining the hairpins of the Col du Galibier during the Tour de France.
The limited-edition images are available as prints only or framed. Blann also offers a book collating some of his favourite images.
Prints available from Michael Blann from £395
