If you’re looking for a unique or inexpensive gift to give a mountain biker this year, you’re in the right place: this year’s holiday gift guide features some great finds! Here is the gear the Singletracks blog team is hoping to find under their Christmas trees.

Mountain Bike Bar Mitts ($64.95)

photo: barmitts.com.

I recently moved to a cold place. With climate in mind that leaves me two choices for riding in the extreme dead of winter: don’t do it or gear up appropriately. As shown in one of my first posts from the arctic north, I have Bar Mitts for my cyclocross/commuter bike. The same company also makes neoprene hand protectors for mountain bike bars, and that’s the missing link in my quest to rail the trails far into the saddest, darkest time of year. -Luke_E

Velo Stickers Bike Name Stickers ($17.95)

I’ve always wanted to ride like a pro mountain biker, though sadly it looks like that ship has already sailed. Still, I can look like a pro with a 10-pack of personalized Velo Stickers! Slap these on your bike fleet to ID your rig in a crowd (like at the Snake Creek Gap Time Trial bike drop off) or to look like a team rider. I like the simple, white American Flag version but for an additional fee you can even customize stickers for your club or team. -trek7k

Incredibell Brass Duet ($12)

If I were asking for a bike part for Christmas it would be a bell.  Wait – don’t leave!  Hear me out first.  I have a bell on my single speed, a Brass Duet that makes a wonderful “DA-DING” noise (you can hear it on the website linked above).  I bought it to use for races to let people know I’m approaching and would like to pass when I’m riding too hard to talk in complete words/sentences (which happens a lot when climbing on the SS).  But I ended up leaving it on my bike all the time, because, well, it’s a lot of fun.  Seriously.  Doesn’t matter who you’re riding with, or how tired they are, or how much they’re suffering up a climb, when you ring a bell, everyone smiles, everytime, guaranteed.  Now I just need one for my geared bike.  -dgaddis

Trail Building Tools (from $29)

High on my mountain bike wish list this Christmas are a couple of trail building tools. While riding a mountain bike is fun, designing, building, and then riding a trail is even more fun! In order to make my hand-built-trail dreams a reality, I’m asking for a Pulaski and a McLeod in my stocking this Christmas (yes, I have a very large stocking). A Pulaski is great for breaking up hard soil, chipping in bench cuts, de-berming trails, and clearing out awkward roots, small trees, and branches. The McLeod is the perfect tool for raking sticks and leaves out of the trail tread, nicking low points, and finishing the tread by grading the outside edge with the blade. If you can only have two trail tools, pick the Pulaski and the McLeod for their incredible versatility! -mtbgreg1

Spank Spike Pedals ($125)

The Spank Spike is a great stocking stuffer for anyone who just loves the feel of a good quality flat pedal. Now that special someone (yeah, you’re special too) can rest assured that these pedals can take serious, long-term abuse on the slopes. The Spike represents a big leap in pedal design with an ultra thin profile, forged body, and an IGUS bushing and inner bearing. The added spin adjustment is the cherry on top, allowing the rider to select how much free spin he wants.  -element22

Smartphone Cases and Mounts (from $29)

If you don’t know what to get someone, a smartphone accessory is usually a safe pick. I’ve been looking for a safe and convenient way to use my iPhone on the trail and this year a couple products caught my eye. Topeak makes a Bicycle Handlebar Mount iPhone Drybag ($29.99) that can be mounted to your handlebars or stem to keep your phone dry and secure during the ride. The Optrix HD Sport case ($79.99) transforms your iPhone into a mountable helmet camera for capturing video footage on the trail, though sadly it’s only available for pre-orders at the moment. Throw in an app store gift card and you can turn an ordinary smart phone into a trail-ready GPS, helmet camera, and point and shoot camera that also happens to make phone calls. You know, in case you need to dial 911 after a nasty crash. -trek7k

Santa Cruz V10 Carbon ($3,350, frame only)

OK, so you won the lottery or got a fat Christmas bonus and want to get a kickass gift. Well the Santa Cruz V10 Carbon fits that bill nicely. For starters, the V10 totally destroys the perception people have about what DH bikes should look, feel, and ride like. Forget the fact that you could easily build it to less than 33lbs. Nevermind the 10 inches of VPP travel and all the other technical highlights that Santa Cruz packs into this puppy. This bike just looks sexy under the tree – super clean and not a weld in sight on the main triangle. Built up you’re looking at a $7,000 World Cup level gravity ride! -element22

Schwalbe Muddy Mary and Big Betty Tires (starting at $52)

If you’re the kind of rider who finds himself spending a lot of time pointing downhill, I have two great tires for you: the Muddy Mary and Big Betty. Both ladies offer great traction and, depending on compound choice, will trade off tread wear for increasing levels of traction. A good choice for most will be the Trail star compound or the even longer-lasting Pace Star. These beastly tires range in cost from $52 – $89 dollars each. -element22

What’s on your Christmas wishlist this year?

We’re almost halfway to our goal of raising $1,000 to provide 10 new bikes to underprivileged kids this Christmas. Your generosity thus far is already generating buzz outside the singletracks community which just proves the power of giving + bikes! This weekend we’ll deliver the first two bikes to Ryder Transportation for their Salvation Army project and we’re stoked.

The remaining 8 bikes will go to select 3rd graders and their siblings at Belmont Hills Elementary School in mid-December and we need to raise another $525 to get there. Many thanks to all who weighed in on the forums to help us select appropriate bikes for these 8-10 year olds. We want to get the best bikes for your bucks so if anyone has connections with a retailer or manufacturer willing to offer bikes at cost, let’s talk!

You can give online using a credit or debit card and every little bit helps. And to say thanks to our top donors we’re also offering small thank-you gifts: $25 (singletracks stickers), $50 (singletracks t-shirt), $100 (pro membership).

Remember the first time you got on a bike? Help make that memory possible for a kid this holiday season!

Hi folks, I hope you enjoyed the Holiday Season. I also hope Santa was good to you as well. So… what did you do over the break? Anything interesting show up under the tree for ya? I ended spending some time over the break at Joyride 150, an indoor bike park up in Toronto, Canada much like the two Ray’s down in the States. I gotta say, indoor bike parks are a good idea for the whole family because there’s something for everyone.

I ended up riding indoors 4 times in 2 weeks, taking my XC, trail and DJ bikes out for spins. I rode just about everything they had to offer from the two pump tracks on my DJ bike to the challenging skinnies on my trail bike to the XC track with my XC bike. Joyride also has progressive jumps and a vert park for those who dare to enjoy air. Believe it or not, indoor riding is a great way to stay in shape and sharpen up your riding skills during the “off season.” I spent a ton of time learning a sweet new tail whip move on the progressive jumps, something I always wanted to do on the slopes but was a bit too shy to try. The idea of sucking dirt and rocks just doesn’t appeal to me so a controlled environment like the one at Joyride (high skill, low consequence) is perfect for building skills.

During some of my visits to Joyride 150 there up to 280 riders, not to mention families hanging around and watching everything from a few folks honing their trials skills to others nailing 360-degree backflips and tail whips into the foam pit. The great thing about many indoor parks is that they’re usually close enough to a hotel and other attractions that can add to the experience of your mini vacation if you have to travel. Fortunately I live very close by so I get to ride pretty much whenever I like!

Mark Summers, one of the owners at Joyride 150, explained how he got the idea to open the place after taking his own mini vacation a few years back with his family. He said he loved the idea so much they had to do it here (Toronto) and it was just a matter of finding a location big enough to do it (Joyride is 80,000 sq ft). These days Joyride is well established and has partnered with local hotels for deals and family packages. This, in turn, has lured more and more out of state visitors.

Well needless to say I continue to have a great time at Joyride and find that I use the facilities often when testing new products as well. I can always count on some of the key features to be there so I can evaluate products without second guessing if it’s the product or the terrain that is making a difference.

New MTB Gear

The photos below show a sneak peak of some hotly anticipated skid lids I just received. The new T2 from THE is for the gravity park folks and the new XAR is for all of you who want a lightweight XC / AM lid with superior protection and fit.

Speaking of products and parts and stuff – Santa (and his manufacturing reps) recently sent out some of the new 2011 items for product review. Look for product tests from Giro, POC, THE, Mavic, Fox and more to help you gear up for the upcoming riding season!

Looking further into 2011, we also have more cool contests on tap as well. Thanks to your word of mouth, singletracks has been growing and with growth comes notoriety (which helps us get great prizes for giveaways). Just above is my Opus Nelson FR bike which this year is sporting the all new Fox 36 Talas 180 FIT RC2 and a SRAM XO 9spd drivetrain in red.

My DH project bike, the Banshee Legend II, has been coming along nicely as well. Here is a glory shot of the bike just waiting to hit the slopes! The build now comes in at just a hair over 36lbs. with dual ply rubbers from ITS. The new Mavic Deemax Ultimate wheels, in case you’re wondering, are under 2,000 grams (1,965).

We’re stoked for mountain biking in 2011 and hope you are too! Stay tuned and stay well everyone.

Happy New Year.

Yep, it’s that time of year again when Santa asks whether you’ve been naughty or nice. Hopefully you made it out to at least one trail workday this year or gave someone a spare tube on the trail because the Singletracks MTB Holiday Gift Guide is overflowing with radness. This year we’ve added some new categories including bikes and a whole section devoted to singletracks merch (naturally). Take a spin through the guide and start making your list of stuff to give and stuff to get. Happy Holidays!

Aside from mountain biking, we can’t think of any reason to wake up at 4am on Friday – unless, of course, it’s for deals on mountain bike stuff. Fortunately most of the Black Friday deals we’ve spotted don’t require a wake-up call which leaves you free to ride early Friday morning.

JensonUSA

Jenson’s Black Friday “Week of Deals” actually kicked off earlier this week and the best part is you can shop in your shorts liners. A couple of deals that caught our eyes: Hayes Stroker Carbon Brakes ($99) and Syncros FL Stems for $29.99.

REI

With a reasonable 8am opening at most stores on Black Friday, REI is hoping to lure the “post-ride” crowd with $20 gift cards to the first 150 customers. The company is also promoting a winter sale which sorta leaves out the bike stuff – whatever happened to off-season pricing?

Your Local Bike Shop

Don’t assume big box and online retailers are the only ones with smokin’ deals on Black Friday. Drop by your LBS to see what’s on sale – you might be surprised!

Pricepoint

Pricepoint has a Black Friday sale happening now that’s “4 days only,” though it’s not clear when it started or when (if?) it will end. I found a 29er tire for less than $18 and a name-brand 200 lumen LED headlamp for just $119. Get on it before the best stuff is gone.

DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w SE

We wrote about DeLorme’s mack-daddy GPS that’s paired with the SPOT Satellite Communicator back in October and this week a little birdie emailed us about a $240 discount at shop.delorme.com. With the discount you’re still looking at over $450 plus $30 a year but hey, at least you get free shipping. Still, compared to other recreational GPS units, this one is a good value since it includes maps and the text-anywhere feature.

Nashbar

Arni Nashbar sold out years ago but the company is carrying on his tradition with huge deals for the holidays. Right now “Turkey Day Specials” are up to 70% off but we’d like to point out Turkey Day isn’t actually until tomorrow.

Chainlove

At Chainlove pretty much everyday is Black Friday so be sure to check in often for the best deals. We even pipe the deal feed to our mountain bike deals page so you can see what’s on sale at the moment.

Know of any other Black Friday / Cyber Monday mountain bike deals we missed? Let us know in the comments!

Hey everyone, sorry for the late post today. There’s still a great article by element22 about AM stuff from Easton coming later this evening but in the meantime thought I’d share just a couple items that I’ve been collecting:

Ellsworth is offering buyers $500 off a new rig! All you have to do is bring in a bike to donate to Trips for Kids to your Ellsworth dealer and they’ll hook it up. Remember what I was saying about doing good this season? Now you can do good AND get a reward (as if you needed one anyway).

JensonUSA is holding their “12 Days of Christmas” sale again this year and somehow we’re already on Day 2 (is Christmas really coming that soon?). Today’s deal is 44% off the Camelbak Octane 8+ which got a 5-star rating here on singletracks. Can’t wait to see what the deal is tomorrow!

We’re also collecting funds to help out one of our members, Bombardier, get some of his stuff out of storage. If you read the forum thread and want to help out, hit me (Jeff) up on the contact page and I’ll let you know what to do.

You know the deal this time of year: it’s usually way more fun to give than it is to receive. So while it might be exciting to find some of this stuff under your tree this year, we thought we’d share some cool opportunities to give the gift of mountain biking to someone else.

Board n Bike in metro Atlanta is collecting used bicycles again this year to give to single mothers who can’t afford to give their kids a big Christmas. Just drop off a bike in any condition and the guys will take make sure it’s put to good use. If the bike is in decent shape, they’ll provide the parts and labor to make it like new again. Otherwise, they use the parts to build wheel chairs for use in third world countries where the roads are rough and sidewalks are non-existent. The shop takes used bike donations throughout the year but the deadline to get a bike into Santa’s sleigh this year is December 15. At Bike n Board you’ll also get a 10% shop discount for your donation, though clearly that’s not what this is about.

No matter where you live, there’s probably a local bike charity that fixes up used bikes and give them to the less fortunate. Even if there isn’t, you can support a national charity like Trips for Kids with used bike donations, cash, or even your time organizing a trip. Ditto for IMBA and your local non-profit bike club – both can always use cash and manpower for trail projects.

You may have heard of TOMS Shoes, the company that gives away a new pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair they sell. While I don’t know of any bike companies doing this (yet), it’s something that you can do on your own and it’ll cost a lot less than you think, especially compared to the thousands of dollars many of us will spend on a new rig. Wal-Mart sells many kids’ bikes for under $50 and it’s easy to find a grateful local toy drive this time of year. If you’re getting a bike this year, consider giving a bike as well – you may actually get more joy out of the latter than the former!

They say it’s more blessed to give than it is to receive and in my life I’ve definitely found that to be true. Here’s to a happy holiday season!

The National Collegiate MTB Championships are being held this weekend at Northstar resort in Lake Tahoe and the men’s and women’s cross-country races are kicking things off today. Tomorrow it’s short track and mountain cross and on Sunday the long travel bikes make their appearance for the downhill race. This year’s race is being hosted by the University of Nevada Reno and any USA Cycling collegiate-eligible team is welcome to compete.

It’s sad to think we’re already at the end of the racing season here in the US as cool weather and shorter days approach. Want to delay the end of summer riding just a little longer? Check out the Week of the Dead, a Mexican adventure full of mountain biking, surfing, paddling, and drinking set at the Punta San Carlos resort in Baja, California. This resort sounds super sweet with its own 60 mile MTB trail system, private landing strip (for your jet!), and direct access to some killer waves. If you’re looking to blow some coin, this definitely sounds like a fun way to do it!