The Cyclist's Christmas Stocking.

We wanted to toss out a few suggestions for you or a loved one's Holiday shopping spree, so here are some things we think you just might like to see under the tree on December 25th.

Warm clothes:  Technical garments that are made for exercising in cold or harsh weather conditions are worth their weight in gold, and we know how much THAT costs these days.  Beginning with a fine base layer, look at the offerings from Craft (shown at right, the men's Zero Extreme Concept base layer), a leader in this type of item.  Buy it so that it fits snugly.  A base layer should be form fitting. Some of the latest Craft wind blocking base layers are especially interesting for cyclists.  Look for a review soon. 

Have we mentioned wool before?  Wool is quite excellent for a wide variety of temps and makes a great intermediate layer either with or without a shell, depending on wind, etc.  It does not grow funky unless you wear it all year without washing it and it lasts.  The newest Merino blends from companies like Ibex and Swiftwick are comfortable and versatile. Jerseys and trainers from Twin Six are stylish and warm. We review the Ibex El Fito 3/4 Bib Knickers here.

Night Lighting:  Don't let darkness ruin your riding plans.  Modern LED lighting from companies like Light and Motion, Lupine, and JET lights are changing the way we see the trail at night.  The budget leader, Magicshine, is working its way through battery recall issues and a 'stop use' order, so I would wait till they sort through all that.  As well, look at some of the cottage industry lights that many small builders have come up with, many that began as DIY garage projects and now compete with the big boys:  Trail LED, Trout Lights, and CNCDelite, with others cropping up all the time, look for someone with a track record of customer service.

Inflation Systems: Ways to inflate tires, tubes, and shocks are always good gifts. Some of our favorite tire/tube inflation tools include the excellent quality units from Lezyne, (available on-line at at better bike shops...Micro Floor Drive HV shown at left), or try the Blackburn "Airstick 2 Stage" which does a great job of inflating road or mountain bike tires and fits easily in a jersey pocket. Need to inflate faster? Try a CO2 unit like Bontrager Airpack which is a kit with inflator head, C)2 carts, and tire levers that all fit into a nice wallet. Or do you need to set up a suspension fork, or rear shock? well, take a look at this dandy pump. It is the aptly named Bontrager "Shock Pump" and has a nifty lever that prevents air from bleeding off when you unscrew the pump head after topping off your shock. It works much like a lock-on lever that many mini-pumps have. Pretty trick!

Hydration packs have become very specialized and there are a large selection to choose from.  Camelbak is still the leader in the field, but newcomers to cycling packs like Osprey are turning up the heat a bit.  A pack like the Camelbak M.U.L.E NV is scalable and good for weekend warriors (shown here in white).  The Osprey Raptor series begins small with the 6 and goes all the way up to the 18, gaining hauling capacity as they go.  The Raptor 10 is shown here in green.  My current favorite hydration pack is the Camelbak Charge 450, a lightweight and very expandable pack, an excellent balance between too much and too little pack.  Test report soon!

Be true to your school:  Most all of the players in the bike industry will be happy to supply you with branded clothing and accessories.  Niner (T-Shirt shown here with motivating message), Bontrager, Salsa, and many others can keep you looking good off the bike too.  Wear your colors proudly.

Multi tools are not expensive and make great stocking suffers.  Topeak and Lezyne are two brands that come to mind and offer everything from simple tools to the kitchen sink models.

And For The Cyclist Who has Everything: (And an addiction to caffeine doesn't hurt either!) We present the novelty gift of 2010 for cyclists: The Chris King Espresso Tamper. From the press release:

Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee! 

Our espresso tamper is born from an appreciation of the coffee making process as much as the coffee it produces. We worked in collaboration with the Portland, Oregon based American Barista & Coffee School to develop a professional grade espresso tamper with precise dimensions, exceptional feel, and the iconic shape that every cyclist recognizes as the very best.

We offer three flat base sizes in stainless steel, 53 mm, 56 mm, & 58 mm, with an aluminum handle in Pink, Brown, Gold and Red options.

Total stack height is 83.5 mm with a base depth of 10 mm.

446 grams

Made in the USA.

Price: $75.00