Holidays during a pandemic are different. You might not have a big gift exchange with extended family or your group ride buddies, and stay-at-home orders might make shopping challenging, even when local small businesses are desperate for your dollar and support.
Gift-giving this year is different. Timing matters less, gifting experiences is fraught with uncertainty while material goods are making a comeback. Thankfully, we've got a few great last-minute gift ideas and stocking stuffers for the cyclist in your life that may be available from your local bike shop or online retailer. They're also great cycling essentials that can keep you riding into 2021 in comfort and style.
Here are three items that have brought joy to our cycling lives. Stay tuned for more tomorrow.
Note: None of these items are sponsored or paid, and we've tried them all. We might earn a small commission via related product affiliate links.
2020 Last-Minute Gift Ideas for the Cyclist
Kora Azog Cycling Jersey
The fabric and detailing of the Kora Azog cycling jersey is very nice
We first saw the Kora Jersey this Spring, a company that produces clothing from yak wool sourced in Tibet. Kora developed partnerships with the nomadic Tibetian herders and the development of the fabrics using the yak’s wool is a decade-long evolution with sustainability and benefit for all.
Yaks live year-round on the Tibetian plateau at altitudes over 3000 meters. In the spring, the yak sheds its wool, which yak herders collect without the need to shear the yak. The herders sell the wool for staples, but much of the un-needed wool falls onto the grassland. Kora uses that unneeded wool to make high tech outdoor fabrics and clothing.
Marino wool sleeve end is soft, with a sleeve extension folded in. © Cyclocross Magazine
Kora’s Azog cycling jersey is a winter garment that uses a hybrid fabric Kora called Hima-Layer Stratam 350 that has a loop knit yak wool inner layer. The outer layer uses Dupont Sorona, a biopolymer made with corn starch, woven with traditional polyester to yield a soft, smooth face. The yak wool inner is brown and the outer fabric is black, so woven together the Kora Azog cycling jersey fabric has a rich dark appearance with a nice hand that drapes well. The size medium sample we received fits like a true American medium cardigan with close-fitting sleeves and a relaxed body. Worn it actually looks like a nice zippered-front cardigan and is attractive off the bike!
Kora Azog cycling jersey has a relaxed fit. © Cyclocross Magazine
I’m an off-the-shelf medium and the Kora Azog cycling jersey’s long body covers my hips. The relaxed fit in the body means in a road cycling position, the jersey is a bit baggy in the front torso. So it fits more like a warm-up jacket than a racing jersey. The sleeves have extra length with an extension that includes a thumb hole. The 3 rear pockets are generous and quite deep, so you’ll have to reach far in for small items. There is a zippered key pocket outside the middle rear pocket. The zippers are reflective to add a bit of visibility to a dark-colored jersey when ambient light wanes.
A small key pocket has a reflective zipper. The back pockets are generous and very deep! © Cyclocross Magazine
The jersey is a bit warmer than a typical thermal fleece cycling jersey. I wore it with a good thermal base layer in non-windy conditions in the upper 30’s to mid-50s and it was just right. Colder than that I’d want another layer. Wind does come through, so that needs to be factored into its comfort zone. It is machine washable, but does take a day (or two) to line dry, something to think about if you cannot keep the jersey dry on a multi-day ride.
Still, this would make a nice gift for any cold-weather cyclist.
$225 USD
More info: koraoutdoor.com
Check back tomorrow for more cycling essentials we’ve tested, and last-minute gift ideas.
