Money-no-object gifts for cyclists 2023 — splurge-worthy Christmas presents for the cyclist in your life

Customised bar ends make for a thoughtful and personalised gift for cycling enthusiasts. With Kapz bar end plugs, you can make a one-of-a-kind present tailored to the recipient's preferences. This customisation extends to the design, colours, and the option to incorporate photos or text, and you can match it to a custom headset cap too.

On Kapz's website, personalised bar end plugs start at £34.95 and go up to £119.85 depending on the materials, complexity of the engraving and the type of bolt, with a claimed weight of 44g for the pair. 

Christmas and socks are a classic festive pairing and these GripGrab Merino-Lined Waterproof Winter Socks have no problem keeping the elements out. They are amazingly waterproof, and not overly bulky with it, plus they do an impressive job of keeping your feet warm too.

The GripGrabs feel just like a traditional pair of socks but they are a little thicker than standard socks so you'll need a bit of spare room in your shoes.

Chain lube is a practical present for the cyclist in your life, and Muc-Off's Ludicrous AF lube, priced at £49.99 for 50ml, offers a premium solution. 

Muc-Off claims that it offers 18% less power consumption than the nearest competitor making it the “world’s fastest lube”. 

It’s designed to provide this long-lasting optimum performance, in both wet and damp or dry and dusty conditions at a range of temperatures. The lube is also biodegradable, petroleum-free and made from renewable sources.

The Oakley Kato is one of the best cycling sunglasses we’ve reviewed this year. They might be expensive but they offer excellent clarity, performance and fit so they’ll make a superb Christmas present that will be hugely appreciated.

From a performance point of view, Oakley has nailed it here. The lens sits very close to the face for an exceptional level of protection and you can even alter the angle of the arms to fine-tune the distance to your cheekbones. 

Oakley’s Prizm technology enhances colour and contrast, there’s no distortion anywhere despite the curved lens, and the lack of a frame makes for unimpaired vision.

For tech enthusiasts, the HOVERAir X1 is a pocket-sized self-flying camera that can shoot video as you ride. It has a claimed weight of 125g and when folded, it can fit in your pocket or bag so you can take it anywhere. 

It's easy to set up, doesn't require a controller, and offers 2.7K 30fps (frames per second) and 1080p HDR video recording.

“Hover X1 comes with a selection of pre-programmed flight paths and you can even customise whether you want to take photos or video clips, as well as adjust the height, distance, and angle,” says the brand. The Follow mode, for example, can track you from the front or back at up to 20km/h (12.5mph), and keep you centred in the frame.

MAAP's Training Winter Jacket is a very impressive jacket offering excellent protection in a variety of conditions. The weather protection comes from the jacket's Drytex TPU membrane, combined with taped seams and YKK Aquaguard zips, which do a very good job of keeping the wind and rain out. 

It features a semi-relaxed fit making it comfortable to wear in a variety of situations as you can layer up to suit. The jacket has a fleece lining for sub-zero conditions and despite it being warm and comfortable in even the most foul conditions, it maintains good breathability and ventilation making it suitable for a slightly nippy autumnal day too. 

Exposure’s Strada Mk11 SB Aktiv is among the best front bike lights. It has been upgraded for 2023 to offer a 1600-lumen output – so it’s bright enough for any road riding, even for tackling dingy lanes in the dead of night.

AKTiv is a cool feature that senses oncoming light sources and automatically dims when a vehicle approaches to avoid dazzling other road users. It’s clever stuff that allows the rider to keep their hands on the handlebar and their eyes on the road.

The Strada also offers a range of settings, a low-bulk mount, great build quality and good run times. 

The Fizik Vento Stabilita Carbon road shoes are among the most innovative, adjustable, and comfortable out there.

The carbon sole delivers exceptional stiffness but what really sets these shoes apart from the crowd is that they offer fully adjustable arch support. This comes courtesy of a section cut out from the sole, with the top Boa Li2 dial connected to a strap that tightens from the middle of your foot over the top and around your instep. It’s a clever system and superbly effective. 

The mesh uppers provide tons of ventilation making these an excellent choice for riding indoors as well as outside. 

The Apple Watch Ultra is designed for athletes and extreme environments, focusing on durability and performance. The Ultra is different in appearance from a regular Apple Watch with a noticeably larger face made of scratch-resistant glass, and a bigger body made from titanium. Despite this, it comes in at 75g which is a very reasonable weight for a watch of this size. 

GPS tracking works well and the heart rate tracking is very good. It can track your VO2 rate and perform basic ECG testing too, and has the ability to track multiple sports such as Triathlon. The battery life of the Ultra is improved compared to standard Apple Watches too, lasting around two and a half days compared with around a day.

Indoor training has come a long way over the past few years and Wahoo has been at the heart of this, helping to make it a much more fun experience with some of the best turbo trainers. 

The Wahoo Kickr v6 smart trainer  would make a great present for anyone who regularly rides indoors because it's a super-accurate and refined turbo trainer, boasting a 2.4GHz built-in Wi-Fi connection and a more refined ERG mode. 

It’s a very good design that’s easy to use and it offers a realistic ride feel and accurate power measurement. If you want to elevate your Zwift racing experience and ensure your connection is rock-solid and stays uninterrupted, there's nothing quite like the immersive experience offered by the Wahoo Kickr v6 smart trainer. 

A bit of a controversial addition this, because it made Jo Burt's annual list of things not to buy for cyclists in 2022... but we've had a think and come to the conclusion that you wouldn't not want a €1,950, gold-plated corkscrew designed by Tulio Campagnolo if it was bought for you, right? Therefore, it truly fits the bill as a truly money-no-object Christmas gift! 

As the name suggests, this is Campagnolo's already rather pricey Big Corkscrew but plated in either 24-carat yellow gold or 18-carat rose gold. 

It also promises to be pretty good at uncorking wine, with the product info adding: “To prevent incorrect extraction of the cork from leaving residue in the wine, the Campagnolo BIG corkscrew is designed so that the screw self-centres on the cork, ensuring optimal extraction every time.”

Lovely! I know most of you will have been wanting to order a pair, but the yellow gold one is currently out of stock, so you'll have to just get the rose gold version for now...