Our cycling agony aunt Sara has some Christmas gift suggestions for keen cyclists

Q: Help I need to get a present for a keen cyclist but I haven’t a clue what to get!

A: Both my son and daughter do plenty of cycling and I have been scratching my head as I don’t want to give them something that won’t be useful. So this was a very timely question and provided an excuse to visit some bike shops and do some research!

I have been to a few bike shops and there are plenty of useful but also twinkly and Christmassy items available. For example lights for bikes have really improved in the last few years with batteries that can be recharged by plugging into a USB socket and with powerful LEDs bright enough to see where you are going.

When York Cycleworks first opened we did a roaring trade in batteries when the clocks went back as lights were fairly dim and used a lot of battery power. Dynamos were not very reliable and involved much fiddling and cursing in the workshop!

Check your keen cyclist’s bike to see if it has a bell. Some bikes don’t have bells which can be a problem particularly if you use cycle paths that are shared by pedestrians, a loud ring of a bell from some distance away can really help to clear your path without upsetting anyone.

While doing my Christmas present research I ended up buying a particularly nifty bell for myself in case my family secret Santa fails to find one for me! The make is Knog (www.knog.com/collections/bike-bells) and they have been designed in Australia where I started my cycle mechanic experience, an extra attraction. For cyclists who think a bell isn’t cool these are perfect as they don’t look like a traditional bell and are very loud!

An absorbing cycling book for when the rain is pouring down on a dark night is a great idea. A good book will transport you to other people’s cycling adventures or to possible routes and ideas for cycling in more pleasant weather. A book by someone who has lived in York for many years and started Get Cycling, on Hospital Fields Road, is On Your Bicycle an illustrated history of cycling by Jim McGurn which can be bought from Get Cycling. Cycle Heaven also has a good selection of books about cycling, with titles like The Midlife Cyclist and the Cycling Chef, plus maps and tales of cycling trips and expeditions.

Another possibility is to get degreasers, oils, and tools so that keen cyclists can fettle their bikes on dark evenings. If you have noticed that your loved one has a bike that makes rattling and grinding noises and looks a bit rusty it may need some TLC. A present of a book on cycle maintenance plus tools etc could hit the spot. If you think they are unlikely to fix their bike themselves cycle shops will also do gift vouchers that can be used to pay for bike servicing to save the reluctant mechanic time and effort!

Just make sure you only buy things which your keen cyclist will be delighted to receive and keeps them happily cycling in 2024.

About Sara

Sara has been riding her bike in York and further afield since 1980. She initially got into cycling in Australia and worked as a mechanic in two bike shops in Sydney. When she moved to York Sara was a founder member of York Cycleworks which was set up as a workers coop in 1980 and she worked there in many roles until 2002. She rides one of her bikes most days and would love to encourage more people of all ages to ride bikes for getting around, shopping, commuting and leisure.

Do you have a question about cycling? Email maxine.gordon@thepress.co.uk and we will pass your question on to Sara