If you've been scratching your head trying to think of the perfect gift for the mountain biker in your life you've come to the right place. Here's an assortment of items across various price points that are bound to make any rider happy.
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Christmas gifts for mountain bikers in 2018
Mavic Crossride bumbag
Bumbags give you the freedom to ride without a pack, but still let you take the essentials with you on shorter rides — no wonder most of the BikeRadar team have one or two knocking about for quick blasts in the woods.
The Mavic Crossride always performs well in tests, so we’ve no qualms about recommending getting your mountain biking loved one one of these. Check out our 6 of the best bumbag reviews to see what we thought.
- £60
Muc-Off bike cleaning kit
You’re probably well-aware that bikes can cost plenty of money, so it’s worth looking after them so they last longer and don’t need continual maintenance. Cleaning post-ride is step one of looking after your bike.
This Muc-Off kit comes with its best-in-class cleaner, along with brushes, a polish and a bucket to store it all in.
- £40 / $70 / AU$75
- Buy the 8 in 1 kit from Evans Cycles, Jensons USA and Chain Reaction Cycles
Booicore changing towel
Bear with me here — yes the Booicore looks like a monk’s robe (and may double as a great Halloween outfit next year!), but this relatively simple piece of towelling saves delicate onlookers from the sight of your mountain biking pal’s bare backside when getting changed post ride.
Its towel material also makes getting changed after a cold, wet ride a lot more pleasant, and potentially saves dirtying the car when one inevitably, one day, forgets a change of clothes.
- £31 / approx $40 / approx AU$56
The Mudhugger
You’ve probably realised that mountain biking is not an activity that you end up coming back from clean and fresh — and a large part of that is muddy spray from the front wheel.
Mudhugger mudguards are among the best out there in our experience, and they don’t break the bank either. They’re easily bought from online, and ship internationally.
- £18
Fox Proframe helmet
Every mountain biker should really wear a helmet when riding off-road, and the Proframe is one of the latest breed of full-face helmets offering tons of protection, without getting too sweaty — making it ideal for big days in big mountains.
The Proframe has plenty of vents, dual density EPS foam and MIPS protection, and an adjustable fit that should suit most head shapes.
- £225 / $250 / AU$380
Birzman Travel Tool Box
Save for the most involved bits of bike spannering, this Birzman toolkit can pretty much cover off any regular job on a bike, and it packs away neatly into its own box.
I’ve been using one for three years now — it lives in my van — and the quality of the tools, especially for the price, is very impressive. If only I hadn’t lost the Torx 25 key — oh well!
- £199 / $250 / AU$353
- Buy the took box in the UK from Pro Bike Kit
- Buy the Birzman kit from Jenson USA
- Buy the Travel Tool Box from Chain Reaction Cycles Australia
Schwalbe Magic Mary
Tyres are arguably one of the most important components for ensuring a fast, fun and safe ride on your mountain bike, so getting decent rubber on your wheels is vital.
With winter meaning tricky trail conditions, why not treat your riding buddy to something decent to wrap round their wheels? Our reviewers certainly loved it.
The Schwalbe Magic Mary is a consistent top performer, and while there is a multitude of options, for the more skilled rider out there I’d suggest the Addis UltraSoft compound with the Super Gravity casing.
It’s a touch heavier than all but the downhill casing tyre, but there’s buckets of grip and it’s less likely to puncture than some lighter versions. Make sure you select the right wheelsize though!
- £65 / $98 / AU$123
- Buy the Magic Mary in the UK from Wheelies
- Buy the Magic Mary in the US from Jenson USA
- Buy from Chain Reaction Cycles in Australia
Clif Bar Nut Butter energy bars
As soon as these landed in the BikeRadar office, they disappeared — mostly down my gullet it seems. The latest bars from Clif are packed with energy and various tasty nut butters, which makes them delicious. My particular favourite is the Chocolate Peanut Butter, because, chocolate.
They’re available individually, but a box of 12 gets some cost savings and means there’s more for your mountain biking friend to nibble on.
- £24 / $22 / AU$41
Nukeproof Sam Hill Series grips
Sam Hill is almost undisputedly one of the greatest mountain bikers of all time, so why not see if some of that magic can rub off into the hands of your mountain biking friend?
Nukeproof’s grips have a half-waffle design for decent grip levels and are comfortable to ride with. The metal end cap protects the bars whether you drop the bike or bar-drag through the berms.
- £20 / $30 / AU$37
- Buy in the UK from Chain Reaction Cycles
- Buy in the US from Chain Reaction Cycles
- Buy in Australia from Chain Reaction Cycles
Evoc Bike Travel Bag
Travelling with a bike can be both stressful and a faff in equal measures. Unwieldy boxes and bags are a pain to trawl from baggage carousel to Alpine transfer, and the thought of your bike being damaged by hasty baggage handlers is almost too terrifying to think about.
There are plenty of bike bags and boxes out there, but Evoc seems to have the concept nailed.
The Bike Travel Bag is easy to tow around, has plenty of space for a bike and all the necessary bits, and offers decent levels of protection without weighing so much that you’re guaranteed to get yourself into excess baggage fee territory — check our review here.
- £245 / $399 / AU$607
