Unusual Gift Ideas for Cyclists

Personalized Christmas Gifts for Cycling Mad Men or Women

Oct 19, 2009

Take the stress out of present buying with these personalized, unusual gift ideas for cyclists based around photos, perfect for Christmas, a birthday or an anniversary.

Wondering what to buy the cyclist who has everything, especially someone who owns several different bikes and all the latest gadgets like a GPS, a head cam, top of the range Oakley sunglasses and every version of IPod?

These unusual gift ideas based around photos and drawings are perfect for any cyclist, whatever their age, and are easy to buy as they can all be purchased online.

Personalized Gift Ideas for Cyclists

Here are some suggestions for unique Christmas or birthday presents, original and personalized using photos taken of or by the cyclist in question:

Hand drawn caricatures - an amusing way to give a unique gift. Look for web-based companies like Caricature King who make it easy to order online. Simply find an appropriate photo of the cyclist, send it to the company and ask them to produce a caricature. If a suitable cycling photograph is not available, a passport photo or similar can be used as most caricature companies will add any specific details requested. Some companies also offer several different styles of drawing according to which artist is chosen. Expect to pay from $35 for a black/white caricature.

Photo collage. Cyclists who take lots of photographs will appreciate a unique reminder of a favorite trip, especially on cold stormy days when cycling is not an option. Pull together around 20 photos and get some print-outs of each picture, easily available online, to mount onto a Perspex covered picture frame. The cyclist can then hang in a bedroom, kitchen or hallway as a reminder of how great it is to just get out and ride.

Unique Christmas Gifts for Cyclists

These ideas use cycling and other images as the inspiration for a unique piece of artwork:

Artistic cycling print - transform a photo into a work of art. Anyone with a computer graphics package like Paint Shop Pro can play around with special effects to change a simple photograph into a watercolor or impressionist-style painting. Make a print of the altered photo and put into a frame for a special gift. For a more professional look, order an oil painting, pencil drawing or an acrylic print from an online site like PaintYourLife where unique artwork from photos can be produced from around $120.

Cycling word art. No pictures available of the cyclist? Why not give an unusual word art picture using any words of your choice? Sites like AlphabetPix offer an original way to create a totally unique picture using high quality black and white shots of architecture and metal. Perhaps the word “ride” would look good on a cyclist’s bedroom wall or maybe the brand of his/her favorite bike. Every picture is different according to which image is chosen to make up the word art so there is no chance of the receiver getting two of the same!

Buying Unique Personalized Gifts Online

Most personalized gifts using photographs take up to three weeks to produce so be sure to order well before Christmas or the birthday date. Allow additional time for changes to be made to the initial drawing or if using old-fashioned snail-mail to send the original picture.

Unusual Christmas Gifts for Cyclists

Give a truly original cycling gift this holiday season. Hunt for original cycling photos and turn them into a unique caricature, an oil painting or simply choose an appropriate cycling phrase to capture in a word art picture.

The copyright of the article Unusual Gift Ideas for Cyclists in Cycling & Mountain Biking is owned by Helen Smeaton. Permission to republish Unusual Gift Ideas for Cyclists in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.