Santa has to deliver gifts somehow, so why not via bike? © Erin Smiles (flickr)
'Tis the season for giving, and here at Cyclocross Magazine HQ, our heads are full of fun holiday gift ideas for any budget, for any kind of cyclocross racer, fan or cyclist under the sun. So, what are you waiting for? Snag the holeshot and get gifting! Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or More Cowbell Day, we've got some great gift ideas for your cycling friends (or yourself). Here's Part 2 of our guide:
Click through our slideshow with the "Next Page" and "Previous Page" buttons to see all of our favorite presents!
It’s like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer… on your bike!
Serfas Thunderbolt Bike Light
You don’t have to limit small blinking red and white lights to your Christmas tree during the short days this holiday season. You, or the cyclist in your life, can appreciate some bright options to decorate your bike and keep you visible and alive during evening rides. We’ve been testing two rear flashing lights from Serfas and Knog, and have been enjoying nearly eye-searing visibility from the Serfas Thunderbolt and Knog Blinder 4V.
The Thunderbolt offers 35 lumens of bright red light from a 30 micro-LED strip. At full strength, the light lasts just 1.5 hours, but three other settings in a low beam (7 hours), high blink (3 hours) and a low blink mode (9.5 hour life). Charging takes six hours from a completely dead battery, and uses a mini-USB port, which is convenient in that you can use a cable so that the light doesn’t have to be sticking out from your laptop, but we’d rather see a micro-USB port since most popular smart phones have moved in that direction.
Silcone straps make it easy to mount the Serfas Thunderbolt tail light on a seatpost or seatstay in seconds, and because the straps are removable, you could lose them, but thankfully Serfas sells replacements. Our main complaint is that in the dark, it’s often hard to find the on/off switch. It’s on one side of the light under a Serfas logo, but seeing or feeling the switch in the dark is at best a 50/50 shot.
The Thunderbolt also comes in a 90 lumens headlight version, which is great for front visibility and shining a bit of light on the road or trail. It’s a bright, wide pattern, but be warned: ff you mount in on your handlebar, the wide light pattern will catch your eye and can be distracting. A strategically placed piece of electrical tape can help shield your eyes from unwelcomed light. Seven color options.
MSRP: $45, each
Website: https://www.serfas.com/
