Holiday Gift Thoughts

by Scott

That time of year has arrived, the one where folks start to get all excited about "The Holidays."
A time of gift giving and spending time with friends and family or, in some cases, escaping all of the above. So in the spirit of providing some assistance: cut and paste the url for this page in an email to Aunt Estelle if she is in need of help.

Starting small, the coolest little things that folks can always use if they have toe straps on their bike - toe clip buttons. These are the cuff links of bikes and add a huge amount of class to any ride, even that rusted out velopicide that gets so little love (really, you should at least oil the chain once in a while). Putting these on your straps instantly bumps the cool factor up a level.

Moving up in size, Rustine patch kits add a vintage charm to your bike repair kit. The little tin ones look great, have lots of usable stuff inside them, and always make people smile when you pull it out to help some one with a flat. It's great as a stocking stuffer or as a package if you also picked up a baguette bag to go along with it.
                        

Keeping with vintage charm that is 100% practical, an Opinel knife is a fine gift for almost everyone- well, maybe not for a 6-year old. We sell carbon or stainless steel blades. Naturally, we also carry a corkscrew model for that picnic with your favorite ride partner when some nice wine is brought along. We even have a model with a whistle in it should you get lost from your partner.

           
If you're someone who heads out on a hot day and needs lots of fluids on hand, then the Mojave cage is something to ask for this year. It will  hold a 32 oz Nalgene bottle or 40 oz Kleen Kanteen bottle, so for adventure cyclists this is the best alternative to towing a camel.

Most of our customers have some sort of rack on their bikes or some way to get that extra bottle of wine home with them. Having a good quality bungee cord can make all the difference between getting that bottle back home or crying over spilt Merlot. Enter the Constructeur bungee. Available in a variety of colours to match your bike or libation of choice, these are a great addition to any bike.

Finally if none of the above floats your boat or pumps up your tire, then you can always ask for a gift certificate. It's usable on everything in the store and never goes out of stock, plus it fits all sizes from XS to XXL.

Other items from years past that have been popular are the Soto coffee maker, Soap, Rhodia note books, bells or a cycling cap to top off the cyclist in your life.

One last tip - if you need a pick me up of shortbread this holiday season, try Dean's of Scotland. Best we've found, and we've tried lots.