Commute by Bike's Holiday Gift Guide 2011

Are you looking for a stocking stuffer for a bike lover?

Do you not dare buy a cycling accessory for someone who is very particular, or has an exotic bike?

Do you want to instill the love of cycling into a young’un?

Do you want to make this the most special holiday ever?

We don’t know if any of these will help, but we’ll do what we can.

Beardhead Last year, we recommended balaclavas. This year, we are trying to get more women to commute through the winter. Beardhead levels the playing field, and keeps your face and neck warm even if you can’t or won’t grow a winter beard. Fine, if you want to be boring, give a balaclava.

Bike Art from 100copies Beat the odds of giving a gift, only to have your recipient find someone else with the same print or t-shirt. 100copies makes bike-themed art, and only makes 100 copies of each design.

Burley Travoy Commuter Trailer We still love the Burley Travoy just as much as we did last year. And you didn’t give one as a gift, did you? If you know an urban commuter who needs to haul groceries, and other cargo of daily life, but also needs to navigate subways and elevators, now you have another chance to give them the perfect trailer for their needs.

Bike Art by Mike Joos Mike Joos sells 5 x 7″ prints of his line drawings. Not all of them are bike-related, but all of them are a little strange. Let’s be honest: The ratio of strange-to-normal among bike commuters is a bit higher than it is among the population in general. Not that we’re all strange. No, I would never say that.

Planet Bike Light Sets For someone who is giving cycling — perhaps bike commuting — a try, give them a coordinated headlight and tail light set from Planet Bike. Planet bikes makes great entry-level battery-powered light sets help cyclists see and be seen after dark.

Commute by Bike T-Shirt As if I wasn’t going to try and hock these some more. The person who receives this knows that you are a refined individual who reads the Web’s finest blog on Bike Commuting. (That was meant as a warning.)

Bar Mitts Bar Mitts keep your hands warm in winter riding. Josh reviewed these after a year of field testing — and I haven’t seen him without them since before our first winter storm. He transfers them to whatever bike he is using on a given day.

Green Guru Dutchy Pannier I dream of a world where we can’t rip down billboards fast enough to turn them all into panniers. That’s right: These panniers are made from repurposed billboards.

metro cycles T-shirt metro cycles designs t-shirts with the names of cities, states, and even some neighborhoods. If Quentin can figure out a way to squeeze an image of a bike into the name of a major market, he has probably done it.

SPOT Connect GPS Messenger The Spot Connect GPS Messenger is for someone with both a love of off-the-grid adventure, and an addiction to Facebook or Twitter.   It connects a smartphone to a satellite network. The user is never out of range.

Balance Bike Preempt the tricycle. Send training wheels to the history books. Balance bikes teach very young kids to balance competently before they ever put their feet on pedals. And when they finally do try pedals, it’s an easy add-on to what they already know.

A2B Velociti E-Bike Do you know someone who hates hills? Would you like to go on rides with this person anyway? The A2B Velociti E-Bike is a sleek looking electric bike with throttle electric power when you want it, and a 20-mile range.

Urbana Bikes Urbana makes bikes to order that are both fun and practical. Greg Hum reviewed an Urbana for us, and loved the way the tires swallowed Boston’s potholes — instead of the other way around.

Messenger Bags A perennial favorite for someone who wants to look hip, urban, and unique — just like everyone else. Messenger bags provide more stability than a purse or duffel bag, and easier access to the contents than a backpack. A padded laptop sleeve adds extra protection for the computer.

Light and Motion Headlights A long commute in the dark will burn through a lot of batteries. Light and Motion Bike Headlights recharge at work while connected to a computer USB port. You give the headlight, but your recipient’s employer buys the power.

Anti-Monkey Butt   Safari Towels Are subtlety and tact no longer issues in your relationship with a bike commuter? Anti-Monkey Butt Safari Towels make a great gift for a bike commuter who doesn’t have a shower waiting for them at work. Read Bob Caravona’s review.

Bicycling: A Reintroduction This is a great book for someone who is rediscovering cycling after a long break. You know the part that runs from the top thing over to the other thing by the seat? There’s a photo and a name for that part in Bicycling: A Reintroduction. I’m mostly too advanced for this book, but I keep it on my desk at work in case one of my bike geek co-workers mentions something I’d be embarrassed not to know.

Commute by Bike Hint-Dropping Service

Do you see something on this list — or not on the list — that you would like? Just this once, I’ll drop a hint for you. Send me a message using our contact form. Tell me what you want and who you think should give it to you. Make sure you provide me your real name and the name and e-mail address of the prospective gift giver. I won’t add them to any list, sell, or give their address to anyone. I’ll just drop a hint.