AMB's gift guide for women who ride
Need some gift ideas for the lady shredder in your life? Imogen Smith has compiled some options for newbies through to expert riders.
AMB has done your festive leg-work for you this year, searching high and low for gifts she’ll love. Here’s our picks on what to get the mountain-biking lady in your life to make her Christmas special!
She’s a risk taker? Protection!
Keep her in once piece! Try some of these protection options for women:
Race Face Khyber Knee/Elbow guards
These knee guards designed for women offer a small fit, soft lining, and go on in a flash with Velcro straps and cool, open back design. Khyber knee guards offer hard-shell impact protection with a soft-shell feel and have a soft terry-towel lining for comfort.
RRP: Elbow guards from $65. Knee guards from $85
Web: raceface.com
Bontrager Rally MIPS Women’s Mountain Helmet
With the latest in protection technology in MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System), one-handed ‘headmaster’ adjustment, and additional protection around the bottom edge of the helmet, Bontrager’s Rally Women’s helmet is a stylish way to keep safe, and comes with a crash replacement guarantee for free replacement if you crash in the first year (but don’t).
RRP: $189
Web: trekbikes.com/au
Troy Lee Designs’ Ace 2 Women’s glove
The Ace 2 is perfect to pull on during the Aussie Christmas season. They’re lightweight, simple, sleek, and styled for trail riding, with soft, pliable palms that give plenty of feel for the bars, and they’re touch screen compatible.
RRP: About $45
Web: Troyleedesigns.com
Popular with pros the world over, these glasses, which we reviewed earlier this year, combine casual good looks and performance features like a panoramic single lens for the widest field of vision, and offer a range of lenses with impressive filters for different light conditions (including Adidas’s Vario photochromatic lens). These ultra-lightweight, adustable glasses come in two sizes, and two versions. The Pro version features a removable sweat blocker and spare nose pad, while the basic edition comes without these extras. Lenses are available in prescription, too. There is also a half-rim model available.
RRP: $320–400 for Pro, $225–350 for Basic
Web: Mimo.com.au/adidas
She’s a fashionista? Threads!
Check out these stylish, functional outfits from some of the world’s best:
Pearl Izumi’s dirt collections feature a comprehensive range of women’s kit, all of it in playfully complementary colours and in styles to suit every lady. We like the Launch jersey paired with women’s Summit shorts.
Complete the look with a pair of Pearl Izumi’s Launch or Divide gloves and she’s ready to rock any trail.
RRP: See your Pearl Izumi dealer
Web: pearlizumi.com.au
New Zealand’s Ground Effect have long been known for their attention to detail and impeccable quality garments made to withstand the elements and all kinds of rough treatment at the hands of MTBers. Their Jigsaw trail jersey is lightweight, breathable, and dries ultra-fast, and their Tantrums trails shorts are ultra comfy and hard-wearing for all-day shredders.
RRP: Jigsaw jersey $79.44; Tantrums shorts $106.21
Web: Groundeffect.co.nz
Need some more options – then don’t miss the range from DHaRCO – homegrown on Sydney’s Northern Beaches!
She’s got a shoe fetish? Shoes!
They don’t have to be Manolos. Here’s the kicks we most recommend:
For just $199 bucks Shimano’s XC5 shoe is a versatile, functional option for girls who want performance and comfort. Complete with a sticky Michelin, high-traction tread and a reinforced sole, they come with two sets of laces: pink or black.
RRP: $199
Web: shimano-lifestylegear.com
The women’s Terradura shoe, which AMB reviewed a couple of years ago, is built around versatility, with excellent pedalling stiffness on the bike, and comfortable walkability off it, with its Vibram sole and flexible forefoot.
RRP: From $249.95
Web: giro.com
She’s starting out? Essentials!
Get her some accessories that will make her entrée into mountain biking a breeze. Think about women’s-specific products for touch points like saddles and grips, and those little extras that make riding a joy:
AMB recently reviewed this new MTB-specific ladies’ saddle and we were impressed with its combination of stiffness and flexibility.
RRP: Approx $149
Web: fizik.com
This women’s Camelbak designed specifically for mountain biking holds everything she needs for a full day out shredding trails. It features a three-litre reservoir with Cruz valve to deliver 20 per cent more fluid with each sip, plus 10-litre total capacity, with a magnetic tube trap for fuss-free hydration, stretch overflow compartment for speedy stashing, and handy built-in helmet straps for those times spent in transit.
RRP: $179.95
Web: Camelbak.com.au
RRP: $399.95
Web: au.wahoofitness.com
Supercaz are the kings of individualisation, and their bar tape and grips grace the bikes of the world’s best ‘crossers, roadies, and MTBers. Siliconez are made of soft, forgiving memory foam, are lightweight, and shock absorbing. Best of all, they come in a huge array of colours, so she can get creative and customise her ride.
RRP: $35
Web: supacaz.com
She’s the love of your life? A bike!
Nothing says I love you like a new bike. Here are a few women’s steeds that have turned our heads this year, and are sure to turn hers:
We checked out the new Liv bikes for 2018 a few months ago and were impressed by the depth of the range on offer. Among them was the entry-level, Embolden 2, which offers everything she needs to get a taste for shredding dirt, including 120mm of front and rear travel, a Giant XC-2 27.5” wheelset with Maxxis Ardent tubeless tyres, and a 2×9-speed Shimano drivetrain.
RRP: $2,199
Web: liv-cycling.com/au
The new 2018 Trek Fuel EX 8 Women’s features all the latest MTB specs, including Boost 148/110 wheels and plus-sized tyres. The capable alloy frame comes equipped with Fox suspension and Sram GX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain, 27.5” wheels, and quality Bontrager parts.
RRP: 4,299
Web: Trekbikes.com/au
We were enthusiastic about Norco’s 2018 MTB range when it was released a few months ago, and were equally thrilled to see a thoughtful couple of women’s bikes included in the Aussie lineup. The Norco Sight C3 Women’s boasts a lightweight carbon frame with 150/140mm travel from DVO and Fox, Sram GX Eagle drivetrain, Sram Level T brakes, and geometry that will keep her smiling from the top of the climb to the valley and back again.
RRP: $5,799
Web: norco.com
