Your best (bike related) buy of the year?

For me it's a bike. At the beginning of the year my GP advised me to cycle more as it would be a good means of stress relief (I had all sorts of minor but irritating health issues that were stress related). I decided to visit the London Cycle Show at the Excel to see what was available and came across the Decathlon stand.
Long story short I purchased a B'Twin Sport 3 road bike (aluminium frame with carbon fork and seat stays and a 10-speed Campagnolo Xenon groupset for £100 off retail.
This new bike was my first road bike in 10 years and now I find myself riding on the road far more than either of my custom built MTBs.
Oh and my health is very good, I've even given up the cigarettes now!

Got a Wilier Izoard to help me scale the alps in the Etape du tour. Love it!

Either my Anodized 2005 Cervelo Soloist or the Quarq Cinqo. Very pleased with both. Or the Rapha Brevet jersey, that's also very nice.

Self-purchase has to be Davide Cassini's Almanacco del Ciclismo (cycling's equivalent of Wisden, available in Italian only), which I picked up in Milan when I was over for the Giro. Particularly useful for background detail for obscure riders in breaks when it comes to writing race reports

http://www.almanaccodelciclismo.it/

Best bit of new kit this year though is the Rapha seat pack tool roll the missus got me for my birthday last month, looks the business on my bike (which has black/silver colour scheme with white decals), I never liked the my old seat pack looked on it.

http://www.rapha.cc/seat-pack

Ironically I haven't really bought much kit this year, but have bought a whopping 3 bikes. So very much the opposite of a "normal" year.

First bike was bought to replace a 10yo mtb that I kept up in London for my commute. Charge Plug single-speed for £200. Brilliant bike, great fun to ride, superb value for money. Even got me started riding a fixed wheel (though I've swapped back to freewheel now because I feel a lot more confident with what I'm used to on winter roads).

Second bike (Giant TCR Advanced) was bought to replace a bike that got nicked (Trek 2.3). Many happy memories of the Trek because it was what got me back into road cycling, did my first sportives on it etc. Gutted to see it go. Got nicked at the end of summer so have only really ridden the Giant 500km or so yet, but on paper it is far superior to the Trek and I noticed a 10% speed increase straight away on my regular circuit. Looking forward to next year on it...

Last bike I got just a couple of days ago, I'm going to take it out today for the first (proper) ride so am quite excited. Dawes Century SE (nice steel-framed audax bike), bought so I can keep the Giant in hibernation over winter. Managed to get one of the last 2011 models at 60% RRP, so this should rate as the best value.

This last one is all thanks to HMRC as a few weeks ago I found out that I'd overpaid my income tax by quite a lot... (The bike is my payback for all the nasty threatening letters they've sent me during the course of the year!)

My bike, since I've only back on a bike this year so that is kind of key!

Pair of Lake cx236 shoes.

My Ribble Gran Fondo, great bike at one hell of a good price!! That or sealskinz waterproof socks, invaluable the past wee while!!

Pair of white Sidi Ergo 2 for £125 because they were such a bargain. Won't be wearing them until the Spring though!

And a Gore Phantom jacket for £65 which I've worn almost every day this Winter on my commute.