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Worst Cycling Gifts of the Internet

By Angie Ng

Now that the holiday season is finally over, it’s time to reflect back on some of the worst cycling-related gifts of the Internet. This is not to disrespect gift givers – I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of buying bad gifts before. Instead, this is more of a what-not-to-buy list, because useless gifts that just end up in the landfill are good for neither gift receivers nor the environment!

Tacky Biking-Themed Clothing

Not cool!

I don’t know about you, but just because I’m into cycling, it doesn’t mean I want to walk around in a t-shirt or scarf announcing it. Ditto for sweaters, ties, belts, socks and the like.  The exception to this rule would be cute onesies for babies and toddlers.

 Wow!

Biking-Themed Books

Similar to the cycling-themed T-shirts and sweaters, just because I’m into cycling, it doesn’t mean that I want to read the biography of every famous cyclist… or any cyclist for that matter. The same goes for those gigantic, hard-covered coffee table books about random bicycle-related topics.

 How many cycling books do you have? Too many?

Low-Quality Tools

While bike tools are certainly more practical than some of the usual cycling-themed gifts, please don’t buy these unless you’re planning to pay for quality. Not only are cheap tools that break bad for landfills, they are a major pain in the butt for any cyclists who ends up getting stuck while out on the road or trail because of a broken tool.

 You don't want these tools...

Funny/Cute/Tacky Bike Bells

What am I supposed to do with a funny/cute/tacky bike bell? I can imagine how it can seem like a practical gift, but cyclist who want or need bike bells already have them. I personally am not going to change my bike bell to an “I <heart> my bike” one to match that “I <heart> my bike” outfit that I will never wear.

You got a shotgun?

Cheap, Plastic Bike-Themed Gifts

In this category, I place all the useless, plastic things you could imagine coming out of an adult version of a “Kinder Surprise” egg. Where do people think those cheap, plastic toys that come out of those eggs go? Landfills. The same goes for cheap, plastic toys for adults.

We need that shotgun...