He is a very keen roadie but has also been doing some offroad stuff recently – including some racing.

Ideas appreciated so he gets more than just a scalextric velodrome set!

[damn – wrong forum – sorry – bike related though..]

£?

An STW subscription ! A copy of David Millars book.

I’m approaching the Hawaii five-oh birthday too, how about you invite him (and pay accomodation, dinner and beers etc) to a trail centre weekend or a big natural ride somewhere special. We’re doing this sort of thing for mine and a few mates sharing the milestone. To me that’s far more memorable.

Does he like wine?

He is actually a close mate of a friend of mine who will be buying him the present – I suggested a after-cycling merino/retro cycle jersey/jumper which would be 70-100ish I suppose and he thought that was a decent idea, so somewhere around that budget I suppose.

Me, I’d love to go and do a proper indoor velodrome session with some of my riding buddies.

Price is pretty important.

A Garmin?
Book/Guide?
Skills day/course.
Sportive entry/trail centre trip/velodrome trip.

Me, I’d love to go and do a proper indoor velodrome session with some of my riding buddies.

I think his company had something to do with the building of the Olympic velodrome – I will ask.

budget probably £100ish, maybe a little more.

Oakley’s?
Something I’d never buy myself, but would love to receive as a gift.

those Lance oakleys are going cheap at the moment as well..

A clock from The Sprocket Man:
http://www.thesprocketman.com/clocks.html

Lots to choose from – or go bespoke (boom boom)

Garmin Edge 200?

Like those clocks – have forwarded the link to the pressie buyer.

As I say, he is a very keen roadie so likely to have everything for a road bike.

clock idea has gone down well…

A bike fitting session ?

A bike fitting session ?

too keen for that – he rides hundreds of miles already.

Think that might be an insult – like when I bought my dad a ‘photography simplified’ type book, when he used to develop his own photos when I was a baby 🙁

+1 for skills day.

I got a Great Rock voucher for christmas last year and was very pleased indeed with that as a gift and the resulting coaching.

With that budget I was going to suggest a skills day with Jedi, either 4 of you together for a private session or a place for him on a public day.

For my 40th, I was given the corkscrew above which is fantastic and a Rapha Jersey but that was in their early days – both great

Like the clock! Looks singlespeed…

The bottle opener looks good.

Would you seriously put that clock on the wall!?

Wife’s liking the clocks as well.

He’s up in scotland so Jedi is a bit far – I did suggest the skills day to my mate.

Bike Repair stand, cos at fifty his back will be on the way out.

Velodromes (newport in my experience) are a mare to book and expensive. As a roadie you can never have too much good qulaity merino base kit. The mrs loves her rapha jacket, maybe a bit over budget /ott but a weekend away at a 6 day would be cool. thinking as a mtb’er; Portable jet wash, decent winter boots, ayup lights, real ale or a beard?

I shall make some enquiries about lights – the exposure flash/flare set is about £70ish with rechargeables and charger and are good as daylight running lights for a roadie – maybe he doesn’t have these.

Experiences, not products.

I’m approaching 50… I’d value a great ride, experience, weekend with my mates, shared laughs, time, velodrome/trail centre/special ride FAR more than a Campagnolo corkscrew, Merino base layer etc…

I’d love to spend 2 days with my wife and mates riding in Majorca… or France… or Italy, or just anywhere somewhere special.. could be Wales.

He’ll remember that day/weekend when he’s 70… whereas the corkscrew/merino will be long forgotten.

Trouble is that I think he rides a lot, and I am not so sure of the invalidity of something like the corkscrew.

I was given one of those topeak droid chain tools and I just keep it on display in my room as it looks cute, and will always remember it was a gift. For my 16th my sister bought me a 12inch record that I asked for, and I still have it and remember the gift and who it was from 🙂

I turned 50 last March. My wife surprised me with an airline ticket for all of us to a favorite place. TBH, it was the best present EVER. Wine can be drunk, cigars smoked, bikes broken. Memories of special places and special times are so much better. Once we returned there was a massive surprise party arranged. That was when it slowly sank in that so many of my mates had contributed a bit of cash to make my trip so fantastic.

I bought the campy smaller corkscrew.it works well.but I’d not buy again.
skills session is probably the best idea.
I’d get him a book as well.just so you can all write a message on the inside.
memories are nice,especially when you also have something that reminds you.
something like bobet’s tomorrow we ride.or thompson’s history of the tour.or dervla murphy.
just finished the yellow jersey,it was brilliant.
best cycling gift I ever got was a painting(of a cyclist) my aunt made for me.

Hip flask and holster

did think of the hip flask holder – luckily I didn’t go to a sportive recently in Scotland that he would have been at as I had just put one on my road bike – I am still drinking the whisky I put in the flask but didn’t use…

Is he a performance/club roadie or weight weenie? If so a custom fillet-brazed stem for his bike with a detailed / engraved faceplate may not be so good, but for anyone else it could be nice, like a step up from the personalised top cap.

Hand-made personalised head badge? A leather-bound ride notes and photos book if he does a lot of riding trips?

Otherwise, I’d second the comments on experiences over items, or at least items that have a shelf life.

Useful thread, thanks – been thinking of gifts / ideas for a cycling friends 50th next summer. We already have the ride planned.

I have been with friends (and some folk from local cycle club to assit make up numbers) to Manchester Velodrome for a 50th, late one Saturday evening, track to ourselves and coached for 2 hours. Excellent fun for a group, will need some organising, but for anyone who is interested it is GREAT fun and a must do experience.
Fun means no brakes, no gears and riding up that 43-ish degree slope, plus my mate and I won the pairs single lap time trial! so we were chuffed:)
So basically any excuse for a group experience that you will remember for some time. Enjoy!

the chain on that clock is stretched.

Velodrome is out as he used to be a track cyclist apparently, and he is a “Sports Stadium and Leisure Architect ” and a Director in Holmes Miller, who were involved in the design of the velodrome for the olympics:

http://www.holmesmiller.com/news/london-2012/10/

So I think he is going to end up with a custom clock from that link above and maybe the corkscrew and some wine.

Custom, hand-built frame if you’re any kind of mate 😉

He’s just built up a new titanium road bike…

If you really love him, and you want a bike that will make him LOOK slim

StirlingCrispin – Member

A clock from The Sprocket Man:
http://www.thesprocketman.com/clocks.html

Lots to choose from – or go bespoke (boom boom)

Many thanks StirlingCrispen – he went for a custom clock in the end – sort of be-spoke as it has a wheel in it. I haven’t seen it yet but his wife thinks it is excellent!

thanks again.

Slippers, pipe and dressing gown combo?