2021 Holiday Gift Guide

Hola Vatos and Hippy Holly-Daze! Every brand pumps out a gift guide these days that tend to feature what they’d like to sell you. It’s kind of turned the typical Holiday Gift Guide into nothing more than a sale flyer. Our gift guide isn’t a sale paper. The ideas and products on this here Holiday Gift Guide were curated personally by your weird tio gomez, his own jolly self. Our gift guide is filled with things that we wouldn’t mind finding under the old artificial Xmas tree. If you’ve got a fat-biker with discerning tastes on your holiday gift list, there might just be something that would tickle their fancy in our 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.

Simms GORE-TEX Infinium Wind Beanie

It might not look like much and you may be scratching your head wondering why a fishing brand like Simms has captivated my interest and landed at the top of the list. Truth be told, I bought two of these tuques for myself after wearing a jacket, jersey, and gloves from Gorewear that are made with GORE-TEX Infinium. It’s simply the most breathable windproof substrate that I’ve ever tested. GORE-TEX Infinium doesn’t keep you warm as much as it keeps you cool and comfortable. I searched for a winter hat to wear under my helmet that’s made with Infinium and found them at Cabelas and from Simms. If you’re prone to overheating, you should give GORE-TEX Infinium a whirl. Like my amigo Blatz likes to say, “It’s a stone-cold groove”.

More Information – $50

Jenni Earle 100% Cotton Talisman Bandanas

I wear bandanas when I ride. That might make you think that I’m some sorta hippie, but a bandana is more than just a fashion accessory. It works pretty well to keep the upper thorax lightly covered. In a pinch, a bandana can come up over the nose (bandito-style) to hide from the paparazzi. Ms. Earl’s bandanas are made from cotton grown in the US. These big soft bandanas are sewn and hand died in the Carolinas. There are a bunch of solid designs that all feature courage and conviction (according to their website). I chose the “fuck all yall” design in baby blue for my test bandana and I never thought that I could be this happy.

More Information – $34

Darn Tough Vermont Wool Socks

My newest favorite brand of wool socks is Darn Tough. A good pair of wool socks and a hooded puffy jacket are two pretty good things to bring along on any good winter bike ride and these puppies have been tested both out in the field as well as in the laundry room.

More info – $27

Why Cycles Big Iron v2

The bike that won Outside Magazine Best Fat Bike of 2020 just got updated around 27.5” fat bike wheels with clearance for up to 27.5×4.5” or 26×5” tires. I’ve lusted after a modern titanium fatty ever since my carbon fat-bike cracked (and then was repaired) The crew at Why goes way back to the early days of fat biking in Alaska. We reviewed the OG version of this bike and it’s remained at the top of my wish list ever since. The V2 of the Big Iron sees some updates to slightly more progressive geometry and a new UDH hanger.

More Info – Frame and Fork – $3,100 ~ Full Bike Builds from $4,500 to $9,500

HED Made in MN Fat Bike Wheelset

I’ve been lucky enough to have ridden HED single-layer carbon wheels since they were released about eight or nine years ago. If you want to give the fat-biker on your gift list the equivalent of a turbocharger for their bike, a set of HED Carbon fat bike wheels is a great place to start.

If you’re seeking the lightest set of carbon wheels in the universe for your fat bike, HED, Berd, and Onyx Racing team up to make the Made in MN Wheelset. I’m currently running these wheels and they frigg’n rock!

More Info – $2,000 to $3,600

BFGoodrich® Tool Chest Fridge with Speaker

Any shop would benefit from cold beverages, good music, and a charging station. This mini-fridge is loaded with features. They’ve thought of everything except the eclectic array of stickers that should be applied over time and displayed in your own pop-art expressionism. This thing comes with a bottle opener, USB charging ports, blue tooth speakers, two tool drawers, and a 1.8 cubic foot refrigerator all stacked on casters so you can roll it out onto the patio for tiki parties – More Info – $800

Goal Zero Yeti 150 Charging Station

If you travel with electronic gadgets you could probably benefit from a portable recharging station. I’ve been babysitting a Goal Zero Yeti 150 charging station that mi amigo, JP forgot at gnomefest. It fed my devices for about a week and it’s been sitting here, next to my desk beeping to let me know that it needs to be charged. The alarm resets every twenty-four hours so it’s like a daily reminder to ride bikes. (I don’t have the power cord). JP assures me that this thing is baller because I’ve quizzed him about it every time that we go camping. The 150 is perfect for car camping but Goal Zero also has a range of portable power solutions that cover everything from bikepacking to household backup power stations.

More Info – $200

Wildcoat Bear Parka

Probably the thing that the little kid that lives in my brain would love most to find under the tree is this totally functional slopestyle parka that looks like a bear. Of course, it’s faux fur, so don’t get your underwear in a bundle. This thing comes with a bunch of inner storage pockets for all of your safety equipment and beverages. Here’s a quote from the Wildcoat Website “A fur-ocious combination of shreddin’ in the mountains and classin’ up the Apres — these bears are ready to become your go-to winter coat.” If you’re reading this Santa, Gary would like the Grizzly in size extra-smurfy, Please/Thank you very much! It’s probably not a good idea to wear this during hunting season.

More Information – $400

I hope that you found something unique and wonderful that inspires you to delight the fat-biker on your gift list during this glorious holiday season! We wish you all the very best of holiday delight from now until the New Year! – 2022! (or maybe even Epiphany) ~ g