Money-no-object gifts for cyclists 2024 — costly Christmas presents for the cyclist in your life

When we reviewed this combination jersey and jacket at the start of the year, our only real criticism was the £280 price, and 7mesh has now dropped it to £134-£184 (at the time of writing), depending on the colour you choose. Anyway, this is a guide to Money-No-Object Christmas gifts, so let’s not worry too much about it.

A three-layer fabric at the front of the body and the tops of the arms offers weather protection, while a lighter two-layer fabric provides more breathability at the back and on the underside of the arms.

The windproofing is very good, but it’s the superb breathability that takes this garment to the next level, meaning there’s no need to take layers on and off throughout the day. 

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is an outstanding smartwatch for cycling. It comes chock-full of far too many functions to list here, the activity tracking capabilities being particularly useful for cyclists. Basically, any Bluetooth-enabled external measurement device (power meter, speed sensor, cadence sensor…) can be paired with the Ultra 2, allowing it to calculate FTP (functional threshold power), show climbs, and generally work as a bike computer.  

The bright and crisp display allows all this information to be seen clearly in diverse conditions, and the apps open quickly and react fast. Even so, the battery life is still impressive.

We’re also fans of the double tap function which allows the user to perform the primary action on a notification by simply pinching their thumb and forefinger together twice. Probably a pretty minor feature for most Apple Watch users, it allows a cyclist to respond without taking a hand off the handlebar.

The Chrome Industries Hawes 26L Pack is an excellent option for urban rides. The quality is outstanding, the fabric is highly water resistant, and there are compartments for squirrelling all manner of things away, including a padded sleeve that fits most 15in laptops.

It’s large enough for commuting or trips to the gym, and even for use as an overnight bag filled with both cycling kit and regular clothes. Both practical and stylish, this pack has huge Christmas gift potential.

Plus, although the RRP is high, Chrome Industries was selling the Hawes 26L Pack for £100 last time we checked.

These hookless wheels – the same make and model that Tadej Pogacar used to win the Tour de France earlier in the year – are designed for speed on various types of terrain. They’re aerodynamically efficient while also being stable and lightweight.

Our man Jamie said, “For me, they’re the perfect depth, perfectly made, optimised for the right size of tyre [27-29mm]and as fast as the best in the business without sacrificing durability or robustness.”

Of course, you can buy wheels for a fraction of the price but these put in a stunning performance.

You don’t need us to point out that £345 is a whole lot of cash to spend on a bike light, but the Exposure Strada Mk12 SB would make a fabulous gift for someone who rides a lot at night.

For a start, no one could want more light at their fingertips for road riding. Then there’s the fact that the flat beam shape is designed especially for the road, giving excellent illumination exactly where it’s needed.

There’s a larger selection of output modes than almost any other light on the market, and the battery life is impressive. On top of all that, the Strada SB has a high-quality look and feel so it’ll definitely be appreciated.

If the cyclist in your life struggles to stay comfortable on the bike, Fizik has introduced a One-to-One 3D-printed saddle service, with prices starting at £459.

Fizik has offered saddles with 3D-printed padding before. The difference now is that the padding can be custom-made for the individual following personalised measurement at a participating

Fizik dealership, and a pressure-mapping session focusing on hotspots, instabilities and asymmetries. 

The service has only recently gone live, but dealers in London and Manchester are already on board.

The Edge 1050 – in its standard and solar-powered forms – is Garmin’s flagship bike computer, coming with an excellent colour touchscreen, an intuitive user interface, and a massive range of customisation options. The battery life is also impressive, allowing up to 20 hours of use between charges.

There’s a massive amount of information available here, but one of the main reasons to choose the Edge 1050 over rivals would be for the mapping and navigation. Routes are easily loaded from Garmin Connect or other platforms such as Strava or Komoot, and it’s easy to zoom in and out on the touchscreen.

If you want to create a training schedule, the Edge 1050 can do that for you, creating a series of workouts and rest days, working around time that you’re unavailable.

The Edge 1050 does pretty much everything anyone could expect of a modern bike computer.

The Giro Aries Spherical helmet comes at a top-end price, but that’s fair enough because it also features top-end tech and puts in a top-end performance.

The key feature is its Mips Spherical Technology system. Essentially, this is a two-layer construction – a ball and socket design that helps reduce rotational motion (which can cause brain injury) in certain impacts.

Even putting that safety system to one side, this is an excellent helmet: lightweight and comfortable with loads of well-positioned vents to keep things cool, even in hot weather.

Gloves make a great Christmas gift because just about every cyclist uses them, and even if they have a good pair on the go right now, the new ones can go into a drawer for next year.

Gorewear’s C5 Gore-Tex Thermo Gloves are the warmest waterproof option in the company’s range, and the membrane that’s buried in between the layers is highly breathable, so there’ll be no sweaty hands here.

Okay, they’re not cheap at full RRP, but they were 25% off when we last checked with Gorewear. 

Socks are a Christmas gift mainstay, but rather than nipping down the market for whatever cheap and cheerful multi-pack you can find, treat the cyclist in your life to something special. 

No one enjoys cold, wet feet when they’re out on the bike, and these GripGrab Waterproof Merino Thermal Socks are amazingly waterproof. Nothing gets in here. 

Plus, the soft merino wool keeps toes nice and toasty and, unlike some waterproof socks, these aren’t massively bulky. The overall quality is great.

Customised bar ends make for a thoughtful and personalised gift for cyclists. With Kapz bar end plugs, you can make a one-of-a-kind present tailored to the recipient. This customisation extends to the design, colours, logos or text, and you can match it to a custom headset cap too. You can sketch out a rough design and Kapz will make it for you.

On Kapz’s website, personalised bar end plugs start at £39.95 although the price depends on the colour and the type of bolt you choose, with a claimed weight of 44g for the pair. 

You can buy rear lights for just a few quid but the Lezyne Zecto Drive Max 400+ is a cut above most others out there and has an air of quality. It’s large (but not heavy) and very bright, so it gets noticed out on the road. It’s rugged too, so it won’t fall apart as a result of everyday scrapes, which is a worry with some cheaper options.

You also get very useable run-times between charges – up to 16 hours in the Day Flash mode –  and it’s rated IPX7, meaning that rain won’t get inside. Reliability isn’t a worry here.

Not surprisingly, Lore Cycle reckons its second-generation 3D custom-printed shoes are the most advanced in the world… and so they should be at $1,349 (around £1,078). That’s for the nylon finish, by the way. It’s an extra $300 (around £240) for a carbon-fibre finish.

The process starts with a 3D scan of the user’s feet at a bike fitter or retailer, then the LoreTwo’s are made for the individual, the aim being to produce the best fitting and most biomechanically efficient shoes possible. That’s the plan, but we’ve not reviewed these so we’ll reserve judgement. They’re certainly a bold step forward in cycling footwear tech.

The mudguards that feature in our latest buyer’s guide top out at about £50, so these ones from New York-based No. 22 Bicycle Company might be pushing it a bit at – cough! – US$1,000 (about £800). Assuming you’re reading this from the UK, you’d also have to have them shipped over and pay VAT and excise duty.

Let’s be honest, it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to do that, but we thought you might like to have another look after our original story back in September. 

What’s so special about these mudguards? Plenty, you’d hope, given the price. They are rolled from a single sheet of titanium, so they might last a lifetime. You can choose from a raw, anodised, or Cerakote (ceramic-based) finish.

Cheap? Nope, you couldn’t accuse the Pinarello Dogma F of being that, but this is a first-class race bike designed for competition at the very highest level.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the Dogma F is a high point of modern road bike design and performance. It’s not only incredibly fast but also remarkably comfortable, delivering pure joy on every ride. Even among elite racing bikes, it stands out as one of the best money can buy.

Unlike the Dogma Fs ridden by Ineos Grenadiers, our review model was built up with Campagnolo’s Super Record Wireless groupset and Hyperon Ultra wheels. Reassuringly expensive, then. You can’t get much more high-end than this.

The Rapha Women’s Brevet Long Sleeve Jersey has reviewed incredibly well on road.cc in the past, and the latest version is made with Gore-Tex Infinium Windstopper fabric that’s water-resistant and highly breathable, as well as being windproof. Reflective details on the chest, armband and lower back add visibility for safety in low-light conditions

As well as packing in a high level of performance, this jersey manages to look very cool. Also available in a men’s version. 

You’re right, £189.99 is a lot to pay for a pair of cycling sunnies, but these are uncommonly good with infinite adjustability, loads of comfort, and a really reactive photochromic lens. Plus, that price is in-line with many other top brands.

The frame is well made, with a nice amount of flex so it never feels like the arms are going to snap when stretching them into helmet vents. The best feature, though, is the speed at which the photochromic lens reacts to light changes, so there’s no squinting while waiting for the lens to darken, nor trying to peer over the top, waiting for them to clear up in shady patches.

These come in solid case and look high-quality enough to make an impression on Christmas morning.

A rear derailleur hanger as a Christmas present? Have we gone mad? You’re absolutely right, a rear derailleur hanger is one of those essentials we don’t think much about until it goes wrong. Then we usually go online, look up the right one for the bike in question, and order a new one.

Silca introduced 3D-printed titanium derailleur hangers last year. The idea is that they’re lighter and up to 12 times as stiff as a regular aluminium hanger for more accurate shifting.

As far as bike bling goes, this is subtle. Very subtle. But if you’re looking for a gift for the cyclist who has everything… Plus, they were all 30% off from Silca last time we checked. Practical and frugal, then!

The advent of online platforms like Zwift has made indoor riding more popular than ever before,  particularly at this time of year when outdoor conditions can be… challenging. This system is a wheel-less bike on its own turbo trainer, so it’s always ready to go; it gives the cyclist in your life a smart bike setup with dedicated Zwift controls. 

Plus, even though this is our Money-no-object Christmas gift guide, the good news for you is that it’s the same price as a top-end direct-drive trainer.

Even better news is that for a limited time, this all-in-one indoor solution is currently 20% off with our exclusive code ROADRIDE20. Just click the clink above and enter the code at checkout to get the Zwift Ride with Kickr Core for £959.99.