The 2019 Fat Bike Holiday Gift Guide

Aloha! It’s the Holiday season and after my favorite holiday (GFBD) we coast into the new year with the other holidays and perhaps some shopping for that special fat-bike enthusiast on your gift list or maybe something nice for yourself?

This is our way of shedding some light upon what passes for sugar plum fairies in the imagination of fat-bikers around the world. Just for giggles, I took a look back at our first holiday gift guide from 2012 – https://fat-bike.com/2012/11/santas-fat-bike-x-mas-wish-list/ Things haven’t changed that much have they?

In the last few years, we’ve started a tradition of polling our product testers, about what they’d like to receive for X-mas and this year we asked them to break down our collage of fat-bike gift suggestions into categories like gifts for the new rider or the enthusiast or even the person that already seems to have everything. Huge thanks to our test crew for helping to contribute their ideas to the article – ¡Muchimas Gracias! to JP Syverud, Julio, Greg Gentle & Tony Grande! The internets keep telling me that it’s cyber-monday so enough with the blither-blather let the parade of gift ideas begin!

Gifts for the Rookie

One of the essentials for winter ride shenanigans is a stuffable puffy Jacket. I like to carry one with synthetic insulation and a hood, but that’s me. You can find this sort of jacket from almost every brand. Duluth Trading Alaskan Gear is available in bonus sizes for my Clydesdale and Athena amigos!

For the Rookie -> The Lezyne Micro Floor Drive XL, It’s invaluable on rides when airing down for conditions and then being able to air back up quickly.  https://ride.lezyne.com/collections/hand-pumps-high-volume-trail/products/1-mp-mfdr-xl-v104https://fat-bike.com/2016/09/preview-lezyne-micro-floor-drive-xl/

Merino Wool base layer – Icebreaker or SmartWool are our top pics. 

Revelate Mag Tank Mag-Tank™ – Cockpit | Revelate Designs LLC
Mag-Tank™ – Cockpit | Revelate Designs LLCCOCKPIT | Mag-Tank™: Flip top bag with magnetic closure

Pogies to keep your hands warm while maintaining your dexterity for shifting and braking. Some of our Favorites come from Revelate Designs, 45NRTH, Wolftooth Components & Bar Mitts

A good pair of FITS Merino Wool Socks to keep your toes nice and toasty!

Blinkie Lights – The gift that might save someone’s life. PDW – Asteroid – https://ridepdw.com/collections/lights/products/asteroid-light-set?variant=24825546369 . Bontrager – Bontrager Ion 200 RT/Flare RT Light Set – https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/equipment/cycling-accessories/bike-lights/bike-light-sets/bontrager-ion-200-rt/flare-rt-light-set/p/23710/?colorCode=black

Up that rookie’s game with a Framed Alaskan Carbon Fiber Fat-Bike – https://www.framedbikes.com/collections/fat-bikes

Gifts for the Enthusiast

Studded Tires are on every fat-biker’s wish list. The New 45NRTH Wrathlorde rocks 300 xl concave studs per tire and the gnarliest tread.

Nothing Beats the pairing of the Surly Bud and Lou and now they come tubeless ready!

Speaking of Tubeless – Tubeless wheels make getting your bead to seal a snap and despite what you might think, you don’t have to break the bank for a really nice light set of wheels.

Check out the Big Su and Wide Ride Wheels from Fatback

Custom-fit Cedaero Frame Bag to carry all of the fun stuff.  https://www.cedaero.com/

Revelate Designs Mountain Feedbag Mountain Feedbag – Cockpit | Revelate Designs LLC

GORE Thermal Bibs – https://www.gorewear.com/us/en-us/gore-c5-thermo-bib-tights-100365.html

Bontrager Blaze Wavecell Bontrager Blaze WaveCel Mountain Bike Helmet | Trek Bikes

ALT bars such as Jones H-bar ( https://www.jonesbikes.com/h-bars/ ) Surly’s Moloko Bar ( https://surlybikes.com/parts/moloko_bar ) and my favorite The OddSheep Bars (https://www.odditycycles.com/product-page/oddsheep ) – They are fantastic for longer rides by giving you hand placement options a-plenty, and more space to strap more things on when Bikepacking.

The best outerwear from Bontrager – OMW Jacket and Pants

45NRTH Wolvehammer Boa Boots – https://45nrth.com/products/wolvhammer-boa

Start your favorite enthusiast on the path to becoming the person that has everything with a Fatback Corvus! – https://shop.fatbackbikes.com/corvus.html

Gifts for the Person that already has (almost) Everything

For the Longbeard/beer geek – uKeg 128 Stainless double walled insluated stainless steel presurized growler

For the one who has it all and likes to ride it all (dirt, snow, & sand) – the Reeb Donkadonk w/ a Pinion Gearbox.  Near maintenance free drive-train, yes please.  American made Steel or Titanium, yes or yes.  Fits the fattest of the fat tires, o’yea!  I can and will dream of the day. – https://reebcycles.com/bikes/fat/donkadonk/

KORA – Merino and Yak Wool Apparel – https://us.kora.net/ https://www.facebook.com/koraoutdoor/

SWRV Softshell regular trousers.  Race these in -13 below and they look good enough to wear to the office Christmas party or church if that’s your jam.  https://swrve.us/collections/trousers/products/softshell-trousers

Bearclaw Bikes Beaux Jaxon – https://bearclawbicycleco.com/beaux-jaxon-titanium-gravel-plus-bike/

Reeb Hooptie – https://reebcycles.com/bikes/klunker/hooptie/

All three of our gift categories would probably love a gift certificate from their local bike shop! Even someone that has everything will need a new cassette or chain now and then! Happy Holidays and Buena Suerte Amigos!