PNWmtb: Top 10 Best Mountain Bike Christmas Gifts for 2020

So as we wind down to a rather dispiriting year, there’s still hope for some holiday cheer. After all, 2021 could hardly be worse, right? To get us off on the right pedal, though, here’s some suggestions for that certain special mountain biker on your holiday list, especially if that special mountain biker is… you.

TIMBER! Bell. This little bear bell with the on-off switch is just great for warning other riders as well as hikers, horsers, mountain lions and other critters of your presence on the trail. Price: $25 Shop at: https://www.mtbbell.com/

PNW Components Loam Grips. These have among the tackiest compounds of any grips available, plus you gotta love their poppy colors. Plus a bargain at just $19. https://www.pnwcomponents.com/collections/seat-posts/products/loam-grips

G-Form Pro Trail Gloves. After dislocating my pinky in a crash I got real serious about gloves. The Pro Trails have the best balance between comfort and protection that I’ve found. They run $40 retail but look for discount deals, coupons etc. https://g-form.com/mountain-bike-gloves

Tubolito inner tube. At around $35 it’s on the pricey side, but from a weight and convenience standpoint, as well as reliability, this tube is the gold standard. It weighs only 83 grams, about 150 fewer than an average inner tube, and takes about half the space in your pack. https://www.tubolito.com/en/

Trailforks Pro. In a crowded arena, Trailforks is emerging as the go-to app for all your ride-finding and tracking needs. After using all the gadgets over the years, and trying out everything from Strava to Relive, I’m thinking the market will coalesce around Trailforks. https://www.trailforks.com/pro/

BikeYoke Revive 2.0 dropper post. I’ve owned 3 BikeYoke droppers on different bikes and am a fan of its quick and reliable action. I’ve only had to do one reset using the little lever at the top of the post, and it worked like a charm. Now I did actually break one, which separated at the clamp level, but BikeYoke warrantied the post and more importantly addressed the problem with its 2.0 upgrade last August. The posts aren’t cheap, most in the $450 range, but from an operational standpoint they can’t be beat. https://www.bikeyoke.de/en/dropper-posts/

NOBL TR-32 wheelset. When a company like Canada’s NOBL does one thing and one thing only, you can bet they’re pretty good at it. The new TR-32 has a lower, sleeker profile, new graphics and a wavy rim design for strength and performance. As the number implies, the rim measures 32mm external, which is pretty much the sweet spot for all-around riding. Pricing starts at $1200 but is extremely competitive across the board, the lightweight set I ordered retailed at $1600 US. https://noblwheels.com/cross-country-trail/?v=4326ce96e26c

Shimano SHM series booties. This is my fourth winter season on these boots and I can’t quite believe how well they’ve held up. As a test I submerged them in a fast running creek for 60 seconds and not a drop of water made its way in. My 700 model has been updated to the 701, and other variations exist, but bottom line is these boots do the job. At $300 they aren’t cheap, but they do go on sale a lot. https://www.backcountry.com/shimano-sh-mw7-mountain-bike-shoes-mens

Endura winter gloves. My current go-tos are the MT500 waterproof model, which like other Enduras I’ve had are actually two gloves in one. There’s a separate inner liner that insulates from the outer shell. These retail for $65 but you can find them on sale for $15 to $20 less by searching the web. https://www.endurasport.com/MT500-Waterproof-Glove/p/E1181-Black

Finally, here’s something different: Consider an image from MTB photographer John Shafer’s extensive gallery. If you don’t recognize his full name, you might his professional handle. For years Photo-John was an MTBR.com fixture and has been providing amazing published visual documentation of mountain biking’s evolution. He once constructed an ingenious helmet tree to comparison test helmet cams, when there were lots of those around, and his recent Grafton Gap jump now adorns my office wall and gives me daily inspiration. You can order off his web site at photojohn.zenfolio.com, full link below, or just search on John Shafer photography. He offers all different formats at various price points, but any would make a great gift for a devout mountain bike rider. https://photojohn.zenfolio.com/p50352033/hF159C790#hf159c790