Gifts for cyclists – Rouleur's guide

Given that Father’s Day is a construct of the greetings card industry, and there is no real reason to celebrate either parent on one particular day of the year, please do not feel compelled to splash some cash on your doting daddy.

That said, should you wish to present papa with a little something cycling-related, because he deserves some extra appreciation, we’re here to help. We are good like that. Below you'll find a selection of tasteful gifts, peppered with picks from some of the Rouleur staff.  

Discover Rouleur's Desire Selection: Our guide to the best kit across cycling

Michael Blann Grimsel Pass Print 

From £245, Shop now

Almost as good as being there. Photographer Michael Blann lugged a medium format camera up many of the world’s most beautiful and storied climbs. Over five years, he captured each in immense detail, waiting for the perfect light before snatching the shot. Whether you opt for a portrait of one of your dad’s faves, or just something you think is particularly aesthetically pleasing (as almost anyone would find this image of Switzerland’s Grimsel Pass), each is printed on request to your required size.

The Desire Selection – Rouleur's guide to the best products in cycling

Alba Optics Ferro sunglasses

£169, Shop Alba Optics

Let’s face it, your dad is the type to rock the same shades he did 20 years ago. It’s time for an upgrade, pops. I won’t push too far though. Take one of Alba Optics’ classic frame styles and you’ve got all the style with no less tech. - Miles Baker-Clarke

Wahoo Elemnt Bolt v2 Computer 

£249, Shop Wahoo

If you free yourself from the need to get something ‘meaningful’, you can skip straight to the stuff your dad, or indeed any cyclist, is guaranteed to want. Top of the current lust-list for many of us is Wahoo’s latest Bolt v2 computer. Now with enhanced mapping and a vibrant colour screen, it’s the perfect tool for exploring new routes. You could even load it up with their favourites ahead of handing it over. Or just gift wrap it. Either is probably fine. 

ashmei - Signature Merino Socks

£18, Shop ashmei

Father’s day gifting’s non plus ultra. There is a school of thought that suggests giving socks means you’ve no deeper insight into the receiver’s tastes and proclivities than that they possess feet. But then again everyone needs socks. Making them as close to currency as possible, these lovely Merino wool numbers from UK firm ashmei are as nice as any you’ll find.

Rapha Pro Team Bib Shorts 

£180, Shop Rapha

Like socks, but a lot more extravagant, there’s zero chance of a quality pair of bibs not being gratefully received. Rapha’s canonical Pro Team shorts are among the nicest you can find. Assuming their recipient is fairly trim they’ll offer one of the best pads, along with lightweight compressive fabric that makes them a solid choice at any time of the year. 

Grand Tour Coffee - Rouleur Whole Beans

£7, Shop Grand Tour CoffeeWith two young children at home, this lockdown period has turned coffee from a luxury to a necessity. I’ve recently taken the next step in coffee obsession by acquiring a grinder, so am now on the hunt for tasty beans to experiment with. While I don’t have the subtlety of palette to fully appreciate things like “a rounded body, caramel sweetness, or balanced earthy chocolate notes”, I am nevertheless fully confident that it will taste like very delicious coffee. And while the team at the magazine didn’t actually design this ourselves, sharing a name does help ensure mornings begin in a suitably on-brand manner. - Ben Ward 

Met Trenta Carbon Helmet

£270, Shop Met

A bit like socks, cycle helmets have a limited lifespan. If your dad is whizzing around in one that’s now looking fashionably retro, but potentially less than entirely fresh, an upgrade could make a great gift. Also subtly suggesting that you care for their wellbeing, this makes a new helmet a simultaneously practical and feelsy gift. Straight from the pages of our Desire section, with an elegant shape and superb lightness, this Trenta model from Met is among our all-time favourites.

Vadolibero Kryon wall-mounted bike storage

£890, Shop Vadolibero

The new shed arrived this week. Finally, the hallway will be clutter-free and the paint no longer scuffed after years of abuse. How to arrange our bikes in a suitably organised way? These storage hangers are practical, safe and sexy – a bit like me [You’ve gone too far this time, Ed]. They are also jolly expensive, but that’s why we had three kids: to keep us in the manner to which we’ve become accustomed. They won’t mind chipping in for dear old dad, surely? - Ian Cleverly

Bellroy Sling Bag

£89, Shop Bellroy

We mainly included this because it’s funny to think of someone’s dad wearing one of these dreadfully fashionable sling bags. However, they are also quite practical, so maybe it’s not such a silly idea.

Feedback Sports Sprint Repair Stand

£320, Shop Feedback

Generational economic shifts mean that many of our parents now live in houses far larger than those we might ever hope to own. Some of them even have garages or sheds. Now, I can’t help but feel that if you were to buy your father this WorldTour quality work stand, he’d probably let you use it if you were to pop by of a Sunday. Just saying, it’s always nice to have one in the family.

The Alps Makers Bible

£35, Shop Makers Bible

For anyone with an interest in either craft or the Alps, this guide highlights many of the makers located in amongst the mountains. Perfect for collecting inspiration ahead of your next trip, it’s a great coffee table book or an ideal aid to planning your itinerary. Now onto its third edition, it features 101 makers whose techniques and products have been shaped by the region’s extreme conditions and harsh seasons. Taking in everything from modern shelters and hospitality to celebrating local resources, it’s like taking a trip in your living room. Which, what with travel restrictions, might be as good as it gets this year.

Subscription to Rouleur

£73 annually, Shop Rouleur

Ours is the best, boldest and most beautifully-illustrated storytelling in sport, whether chatting to Chris Froome and Marcel Kittel, or introducing future talents like Trinidad’s Teniel Campbell. Now gearing up for a packed summer racing season, there’s no better time to get the world’s finest cycling magazine through your letterbox – all for the monthly price of a couple of coffees. - Andy McGrath

Rouleur X Hummingbird Folding Bike

£4,995, Shop Hummingbird 

At the risk of setting the bar very high when either Christmas or their birthday rolls around, what about getting them the world’s lightest folding bike? This Rouleur customised version of the British-made Hummingbird comes in at a UCI weight limit pestering 6.9kg. Thanks partly to ridiculous 16-inch carbon tri-spoke wheels on the lightest single-speed version, it’s also available with a practical 4-speed Sturmey Archer hub gear and belt drive.

Illimité Le Melon Cycling Cap

£30, Shop Illimité

My dad has a tendency to wear hats of questionable aesthetic merit. I would suggest he substitute them with this melon-flavoured number from Illimité, however, he hasn’t ridden a bike since I nicked his Dawes Galaxy to commute to my first job at some point in the mid-2000s. Tbh, having forgotten far more important occasions than father’s day in the intervening years, I’ll probably just buy him a drink next time I see him. Still think this is a nice cap though.

For more excellent gift ideas, shop cycling’s coolest brands in our Father's Day collection