Gifts for cyclists who have everything: the climb, not more kit
The cyclist who has everything chooses kit down to the last gram, so another gadget rarely lands. Give them the ride instead: a framed print of a famous climb or of their own route from Strava or Garmin, with the route 3D-printed on the glass. Or a gift voucher, so they choose it themselves.
, 7 min read
The best gift for a cyclist who has everything is not another piece of kit. It is the ride they are proudest of: the climb they finally cleared without stopping, their first hundred, the col from a summer trip. Nobody can buy that in a bike shop, and nobody else has the same one. Below are three ideas, from the most personal to the safest, plus what to find out before you order.
Why kit is the hard option
Riders who have been at it for years already own the pump, the lights and the bottles they want. Kit is personal: sizes, standards, the brand they trust, the gram they will not add. That is why so many gift lists fall back on socks and multi-tools. A line on a map, on the other hand, is something every rider reads at a glance: where it started, where it hurt, where it topped out.
What we add is depth. On our prints the route is 3D-printed in matt PLA and glued to the glass above the printed map, and its height follows the terrain, from 4 mm at the lowest point to 15 mm at the highest by default. A climb really climbs.
There are three ways to give one:
A print of their own ride, if you can get the recording from Strava, Garmin or another app.
A ready-made print of a climb they know, if you know where they love to ride.
A gift voucher, if you would rather they chose the route, the look and the size.
Idea 1: a print of their own ride
This is the personal one. Their first century, the loop from the front door they know by heart, the club ride up the big hill. A GPX, TCX or KML file from a watch or an app is all the configurator needs. You try the templates and colour themes on their route, then choose the size and the frame.
Getting the file without giving the game away
Here is the catch. Strava says exporting data works only on its website, not in the app, and the simplest person to download an activity is the rider who recorded it. Strava explains it in its article on exporting your data. Our own Strava export link likewise works only for the rider’s own activity, in a browser where they are signed in to Strava. So you have three options:
Ask them for the file with a cover story, such as wanting to ride the same route.
Ask a riding mate who was on the same ride and has it in their own recording.
Give the voucher and let them design the print themselves (idea 3).
Our guide on how to export a GPX file from Strava walks through Strava, Garmin Connect and Komoot step by step.
Idea 2: a climb they know
If you know where they ride and would rather skip the files, choose a ready-made print. We have drawn the route already; you choose the size and the frame.
The French icons
Alpe d'Huez is on many riders’ list. According to the resort’s own page the climb from Bourg-d'Oisans has 21 bends, marked by 21 signs that count down towards the top. The climb’s key figures on the official Alpe d'Huez site. Our print follows the road up from Bourg-d'Oisans through those numbered hairpins and shows 14.12 km and 1,111 m of climbing.
Mont Ventoux from Bédoin starts in the forest and finishes on the bare limestone slopes at the top. The print shows 21.29 km and 1,587 m of climbing.
In the Pyrenees, the Col du Tourmalet from Luz-Saint-Sauveur climbs up the valley through Barèges to the col: 19.10 km and 1,409 m of climbing on the print.
A pass in South Tyrol
For the rider who collects hairpins, the north ramp from Prad climbs a road of numbered hairpins to a pass high in South Tyrol. The print shows 23.90 km and 1,831 m of climbing.
We look at these climbs side by side, with the numbers for each, in famous cycling climbs in France.
How to find out where they ride
If you would rather not ask outright, small clues help. Which hill do they mention most after a ride? Where does the Sunday group go? Where was last summer’s cycling holiday? Ride photos often say more than they would, and the friends they ride with are usually happy to help. Still unsure? The voucher is the safe choice.
Idea 3: a gift voucher when you do not know the route
If you cannot tell which ride matters most, do not guess. The gift voucher arrives by email with a code; the recipient designs a print of their own route in the configurator and enters the code in the basket. It is valid for 12 months from purchase, so there is time to wait for next summer’s big ride and put that on the wall instead.
A voucher is also the right call when they are fussy about the frame colour or the size, or when you know a big trip is coming and want the print to be of that.
Gifts for a cyclist dad
Dads who ride tend to have one road they ride every weekend, and one trip they still talk about. Either makes a print: the weekend loop from their own recording, or the famous climb from the trip as a ready-made print. If he is on Strava, a family member who rides with him may already have the same ride in their own account, which solves the file problem in idea 1.
Text makes it personal too. The print carries the map, a title and the details from the activity, so the title can be the name of the ride, the place or the date you want him to remember.
Choosing the size and the frame
There are three sizes:
A5 (14.8 × 21 cm) for a shelf or a desk.
A4 (21 × 29.7 cm) as the all-rounder.
A3 (29.7 × 42 cm) when the print is the main thing on the wall.
The frame is black or white. The backing board has a hook and a stand, so the print can hang on the wall or stand on a desk. Long, twisting climbs like the 21 hairpins benefit from the larger sizes, where every bend has room.
Every print is made to order, so give yourself time before a birthday or Christmas. The delivery time is shown on each print and in the basket. Short of time? The gift voucher arrives by email, so it can go under the tree printed out.
Buying for someone who prefers walking boots to cleats? Try our gifts for hikers.
Frequently asked questions
What do you buy a cyclist who has everything?
Something they would never buy themselves: a reminder of a ride. A print of their own route, a print of a climb they know, or a gift voucher so they can design the print themselves.
Can I turn a Strava or Garmin ride into a print?
Yes. Upload a GPX, TCX or KML file, or paste a link to the activity from Strava or Garmin and we show you how to download the file. For Strava this works only for your own activity.
What sizes are there?
A5 (14.8 × 21 cm), A4 (21 × 29.7 cm) and A3 (29.7 × 42 cm), each with a black or a white frame.
How long is the gift voucher valid?
12 months from purchase. It arrives by email with a code that the recipient enters in the basket.
