How to make a cyclist happy at Christmas? Selle Royal’s useful hints

Christmas is just around the corner now and it isn’t always easy to know what to give our friends and family. The best certain way of making those who find our gifts under the tree happy is going for what they love most, perhaps trying to be original without overdoing it. Fulfilling the desires of a bike lover getting ready for the season, for example, isn’t difficult. All you need to do is find the right accessory to make both everyday cycling through traffic and cycling excursions more pleasant. And making e-bike owners happy is even easier as optional extras to improve the electrical bike experience have mushroomed in recent years.
For those who are relatively new to the e-bike world the following may be useful:

• Intelligent front and back lights charging directly from an e-bike battery, available at various light intensity levels. Don’t worry about using up all your electrical charge because a mini transformer attached to the lights means that the lights won’t consume much. So there’s no risk of ending up on foot or suddenly in the dark.

• Car bike carriers to transport your e-bikes anywhere. As e-bikes are much heavier than traditional bikes, e-bike carriers have a much higher load capacity (up to 60 kg in some cases), a wider space between the rails they attach to and are equipped with ramps to facilitate e-bike loading and unloading. Your back will be grateful!

• Special e-bike saddle: Selle Royal has recently released eZone, a saddle which is specially designed for e-bike owners, ensuring 3D Skingel comfort and the safety of a specific design which improves bike stability during the acceleration phase. Lastly, a practical fibreglass handle integrated into the support makes bike movements easier.  

• Hi-tech locks equipped with trackers which geo-locate the bike. With an app which is free to download, this lock-tracker combination communicates with your smartphone and if the connection between the two is lost - if it is stolen for example - it lets you know immediately, sending you the exact position of your e-bike on Google Maps.

• Displays to mount onto your handlebars enabling a wide range of parameters to be monitored at all times including: current speed, remaining e-bike battery charge, distance covered and average and maximum speed. Many displays available on the market can also be connected to smartphones and are equipped with bluetooth.

But don’t be fooled. These are technological gifts suitable for everyone from the most obsessive cyclists to beginners and while they can seem complex they are actually very simple both to attach to bikes and to use on an everyday basis. There are also a great many objects suitable for all amateur cyclists riding any sort of bike whether it is an e-bike, a city bike or a mountain bike. What counts is simply your personal taste! Some of these accessories are truly unusual and ideal as useful and original gifts which will also amaze your friends. For example, there are gloves on sale equipped with a strip of Led lights integrated into the back which enable cyclists to indicate direction. Just close your thumb and index finger when you want to turn and an electrical system and button battery installed into the glove will activate the light arrow.

For those who cycle in the city everyday a city mask might also be of interest. These are anti-smog neoprene masks which fit wearers’ faces perfectly and are equipped with valves and micro filters which block even the smallest pollutant particles. Your lungs will be grateful and you will feel like batman on the saddle of his bat-bike! A saddle cover could also be an ideal present, above all if you remember how unpleasant it can be getting onto your bike after a rain storm or snowfall. There are also models reinforced with gel or foam at the most uncomfortable points for cyclists so that even an old saddle can be given a face lift and be made more comfortable again.

If you feel like being especially creative and want to give a personalised gift, we recommend a saddle from the Selle Royal Ta+too series. Ta+too saddles are available in many graphic designs and colours and you will certainly have no problem finding one to suit the person you’re giving it to. It is not just an original gift but a useful one too. Ta+too gives you the chance to remove the cover and take it with you when you leave your bike so that you won’t have to worry about theft or sudden rain. 

These are just a few examples from an infinite range of accessories for bike lovers.
Whether your gift is for a tried and tested cyclist or a less expert commuter, you’ll have no difficulty finding the best way of wishing them Happy Christmas!