My dad wants to get me something to keep hold of ……

+1 pen

If not a fountain pen (why not?), then a decent ballpen.

My recomendation: Lamy 2000. It’s a design classic.

What’s this about pens? Does anyone use a pen much these days? Hardly the gift it once was, is it?

I write a lot. I only use fountain pens.

An Eccles miners’ lamp

A top of the range Gerber or Leatherman, I would be lost without mine and they do last for ever and are repairable should you trash the blade as my son in law did with his (by using it as an inappropriate lever after using it for cutting sand bags for a week).

@ XC-steve, take it you didn’t notice the budget 😉

@ Kunster – his nickname used to be ‘pub grub’ when he was a bomber (NDT Tester – government watching types) due to being a chicken in a basket – scared of heights. 😆

@ Jerome – no offence but that’s gopping and also over budget

Shared interests are limited, he likes golf 😯 I’m about as musical as a brick so instruments are pointless.

A pen would be useless really, don’t do enough fancy-dan writing and marking up drawings in ink is a bit messy

How about a nice:
chair?
or a clock?
A picture frame?
Suitcase?
Camera?
Framed section of OS map of somewhere important to you both?
Sunglasses?

what about a cockroach..? they last a long time… can survive a nuclear holocaust apparently..

or a pair of nicely carved antique wooden chinese book ends?

Another vote for a pen, I can’t do fountain pens as I’m left handed & just smudge everything, but you can get a nice Mont Blanc rollarball for your budget.

Zippo hand Warmer with an engraving.

LED lenser torch off amazon, what the police use, very bright! and they hav a bike mount 😉

A north face/ berghaus jacket for cycling?

A nice upgrade or gadgety thing for comp.. if you are a mac user i suggest one of these:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/TY274ZM/A

A nice office chair:
http://www.johnlewis.com/230594031/Product.aspx?source=63258

What about something like a wheel truing stand/stuff to build them yourself? Book etc included. It’s a useful thing to be able to do for your bikes and every time you use it it’ll make you think of him.

bike pressure washer / hose

muc of full cleaning kit

part tool repair stand

pedro’s care kit

and bb tools set

roughly 260

If you drink wine or just love gadgets then how about a Campagnolo Big Corkscrew, my 40th next year and this is what I have hinted I would like from whoever!

Pen? If god had meant us to write things, he wouldn’t have given us keyboards.

+1 for a multitool, I got one of those Swiss Army things with a built-in chainsaw and tool for removing boy scouts from horses’ hooves. At the time I thought “WTF” and slung it in the bottom of a bag / pocket; but I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve gone “oh!”, hauled it out and used it.

Speaking of gadgets that live in a pocket and are far more great than first thought – camera. I <3 my IXUS, it’s getting old now but fabulous.

How about a really good bottle of wine that can be left in a cellar until that special occasion or some “just casked” whisky, something that will be ready in 10 years time?

I can’t believe no one has mentioned a Thai Bride yet!!

or failing that, I’d go with the workstand/wheel truing jig or something along those lines.

An engraved (more tastefully than the one shown) Leatherman Charge TTi

The best thing you can ever keep is a good memory of doing something you love doing.

Is there an experience you’ve always fancied doing?

I’d value that over anything material.

If you get anything bike component or gadget related, I will personally track you down and beat you round the head with it. Your dad wants to buy you something meaningful – get something meaningful.

Account with the local taxi firm, so you can come out when the wife’s ill 😉

All wonderful suggestions, but the Taxi one sounds like a winner he hee.

SBZ, you’ll be too easy to spot i you are actually surrounded by Zulus 😆

Thing is I like gadgets and some normal techy stuff, so it’ll more than likely be that. My sister got me a nice watch for my 21st and I haven’t worn it for a good 10 years since I scratched the face at work and never got round to getting it replaced 😕

How much are them digital SLR camera thingies? Possible common interest, my dad is amazing at taking rubbish photos and I like taking them

Telescope?
GoProHd?
I guess you have a bike work stand?
Rollercab tool box?
I guess its got to be something that you wouldnt normally buy yourslef, but will keep and use reasonably often.
Heckler and Koch MP5k, bang on the money if you know the right villans.
Sorted

A hamster. You could get a **** brilliant hamster for that sort of money.

trumped by a Hamster.Winner .

What about a pet monkey? Like Mj , teach it to ride a bike and everything

Singletrackmind – possibly the best suggestion yet with the GoPro 😀

Got the rest bar the pervscopetelescope

You got an MP5k , Wicked . You bad , bad man.

Lighter: Du Pont
Pen: Waterman
Watch: Rolex/Omega

Does he have no heirloom to pass on?

Something small by Lalique?

Ditto Clarice Cliff?

Should be within budget, I think…

nice set of binoculars ? pair of minox, etc

nice mono scope ? (i have one which cost a few hundred, small enough to go in a day sack pocket, powerful enough for long range udder watching at the beach) opitcron etc..

im also +1 for the mont blanc biro, nice heirloom, good idea, perfect

how about a nice compass , Frances barker M-73 prisamatic, under £255, very nice to pass on, you will never
get lost again.(got one of these on my list)

Gold chain and pendant / cross?
Ring?

Of course I meant Mont Blanc, not Waterman, brain farted

I really like the idea of a Compass.

Never in a million years would I have come up with that one, but it sort of says ” … when I am gone Son you can look at this and always know in which direction to take your life next …”

Tattoo his name on your arm & watch his face light up on xmas day (well you could always do a fake one for the same effect too) 😉

Giant Galapagos turtle, the legacy should last a few generations past you as well.

However, at the end of the day, something which belonged to him would mean a whole lot more than anything he could buy you. I have a pair of My Grandfather’s gloves, which i remember him and my dad wearing (at different times). They would be worth more to me than any new Rolex or Compass.

Sorted, out shopping this afternoon and something shiny caught my eye 😀

Go on then, the suspense isn’t killing me 😉

It needed some adjustment

Mint Sauce cufflinks.

Ooh – I’d like some of those. Where do I get ones with something that’s recognizably Mint rather than a generic badly drawn sheep? 😈