Ideas For Mountain Biking Enthusiasts
If you cannot think of the exact gift that would work best for a loved one, a friend, or a relative, sometimes you can get a lot of great ideas simply by thinking of the hobby or sport he or she engages in most. If the person you have in mind is a fan of mountain biking, there are several ideas you can choose from when thinking of gifts to give him or her at any time of the year. This article will discuss some of the more straightforward and useful ideas for gift giving you should keep in mind if the receiver of the gift will be a mountain biking enthusiast.
Perhaps the most basic gift idea you should consider giving a mountain biking enthusiast is a portable air pump. It is convenient to have a floor pump at the ready somewhere in your apartment or home when you frequently ride mountain bikes, but you are more likely to experience a flat tire while you are out riding hard on the trail. It is fair to describe a flat tire as the problem cyclists are most likely to experience when riding, whether they are road cyclists or mountain bikers. In such situations, having a mini or portable air pump can make the difference between having to deal with a temporary interruption and having to pack up everything and begin the long trek back to the car. If you have learned that your loved one, friend, or relative does not carry a portable air pump with him or her while out in the woods, you will find it hard to go wrong if you make this your primary choice for gift giving. If you are feeling extra generous, you should also add a pressure gauge so he or she can tell how inflated the tire is and stop before blowing out a tube. It is an even better idea to look for and purchase a portable air pump that includes a pressure gauge directly on the pump, although these will typically cost you a little more money.
Another great gift idea you should consider giving a mountain biking enthusiast is a spare inner tube or two. No matter where a mountain biker is riding or how simple the trail appears to be, he or she is always at risk of experiencing a flat tire. This can occur for a variety of reasons. For example, your friend may run over a particularly sharp rock or a tree branch that is facing just the right (or wrong, rather) angle to penetrate a tire and rupture an inner tube. At other times the inner tube may become pinched between the tire rubber when the tire is squeezed and under intense pressure; this is known as a pinch flat. No matter the reason for the flat, it is a fact of riding life that they can and do occur, and most often seem to occur when you are least prepared to deal with them, such as when you are at the farthest point in your ride from civilization or right after you got drenched in a surprise rain storm or a puddle you did not see until the last minute. When you need to repair your flat tire while on the trail, it really helps to have a spare inner tube or two handy. If not, you might have to carry your bike all the way back to the car just because you hit a particularly bad bump. You can prevent this situation for your friend, loved one, or family member who loves mountain biking by buying him or her a few extra inner tubes that he or she can carry when going out into the wild.
Another great gift idea you should consider giving a mountain biking enthusiast is a good pair of riding gloves. Gloves are essential pieces of gear when riding a mountain bike, and some cyclists would consider them essential no matter what kind of bike you happen to be riding. Gloves not only protect the palms and fingers during a crash, they also help absorb shocks from impacts that would otherwise be transmitted directly into the hands and joints.