Cyber Monday Dealzzzzz
Cyber Monday is here and nearly everyone I have an affiliate link with is having some decent sales. I'd sincerely appreciate if you do buy something, use the links below. I get a small kickback which helps me keep doing this work.
Also, and this feels gross, but if you're going to buy any big ticket items from Amazon, let me know and I can send you a direct link to that product. I'm not sure how their cookie tracking works for the overall site.
2021 Holiday Gift Guide: The Best Gifts For Commuters, Bikepackers, Road Cyclists, & More
If you’ve got a cyclist on your holiday shopping list, it’s likely you’re on the hunt for a gift they’ll both love and use. But with so many types of bikes and specific gear out there, it can be daunting to know what to get, especially if you’re not a bike rider yourself!
There are affiliate links to some of the products listed below. If you make a purchase using my link, I will receive a small commission (from the company, not you), which helps me continue to do this work. To read more about my use of affiliate links, please click here.
Tis the season! If you’re looking for the perfect gift for your two-wheeling loving friend, then you’ve come to the right place. Below are my hand-picked gift recommendations for the cyclist in your life for things they actually want and will use, including mountain bikers, bikepackers, road cyclists, commuters, home mechanics, kids and more.
Rest assured that I have personally used and like each gift. I’ve also tried to provide a range of price points - so you can splurge on your bestie and still throw a little something in for your favorite mechanic too.
Click each image for a description on why I like it and recommend! and a direct link to purchase!
For the Daily Bike Commuter
For the bike rider in your life who rides no matter the weather or time of day. These gifts will keep them comfortable, safer, and happy for many commutes to come!
Click on each image for a description and direct link to purchase!
For the Competitive Cyclist
For the competitive cyclist in your life - gravel grinders, cyclocross champs (and wanna-be’s) and road racers. These gifts will keep your competitive friend in shape, hydrated, looking and feeling good.
Click on each image for a description and direct link to purchase!
For Looking Good On & Off the Bike
Everyone deserves to look good both on and off the bike. While some may question my fashion choices, I’m sure you’ll agree that some of these products make perfect gifts.
Click on each image for a description and direct link to purchase!
For The Cyclist who Has Everything
Let’s be honest - most of us already have way too much gear. A great gift for any one who rides a bike is a donation to one of the following organizations, working hard every day to make biking better for all of us.
Trip Report: Inclusive Design Campout with NEMO Equipment
This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase something using one of these links, I get a small commission of that purchase (from the retailer, not you!) which lets me keep making content like this! To learn more about my use of affiliate links, please click here.
An Adventure with NEMO’s Product Design Team and Central Maine Adaptive Sports
If you’re familiar with my work, you know that I focus on making the outdoor industry, specifically the bike world, more accessible to fat people. My vision, however, is a world where all outdoors equipment is accessible to people of all sizes and shapes.
If you’re fat and have tried to go backpacking or bikepacking, you know the problem. Lightweight, backcountry gear is not made for big people. Sleeping bags and pads are too narrow, camp furniture doesn’t hold our weight, and often the backpacks don’t fit us. The gear that does work for us is often too big or bulky to reasonably stuff down for a backpacking or bikepacking trip.
Which leads me to the Inclusive Design Camping Trip I got to go on last weekend with NEMO Equipment and Central Maine Adaptive Sports. There might be hope you guys!!
New friends from Central Maine Adaptive Sports
Let me back up a minute. One of the first brands I worked with on size inclusive design was NEMO Equipment. In February, I was invited to be on an Inclusive Design Panel with a few other folks, including Christy Gardner, a Special Olympics Coach, and a few other athletes/outdoors people.
On that panel with the NEMO Product team, we each shared our experience as non-traditional outdoors people and the challenges we encounter with standard camping equipment. I specifically detailed my frustration with camp furniture weight limits typically being pretty low, not having enough room in my sleeping bag, and the length of tent poles for bikepacking. Christy and the other athletes shared their experiences, including getting into/out of a tent in a wheelchair, struggling with zippers with using prosthesis and missing limbs, and other challenges.
Even though this panel was virtual, the product team had so many great questions and ideas for improvements that could potentially be made and seemed genuinely excited to improve on their designs to make them more accessible to wider audience. At the end of the panel, we jokingly discussed getting together once it was safe to do so for a real camping trip…and what do you know, it actually happened!
Setting up camp with the Product Design Team
We camped at Christy’s brand new house, built for her by A Soldier’s Journey Home.
Christy is the Board President for Central Maine Adaptive Sports and was an Army Sergeant in Korea when she was severely injured during a foot patrol, leaving her with severe injuries that have resulted in a double amputation, a spinal cord injury, and other lasting injuries.
Christy’s pack of eight dogs! Two of them are hers - she’s training the other six to be Service Dogs
She’s a powerhouse of good-she’s a professional athlete, she founded Mission Working Dogs and is currently living with 8 dogs, six of them service dogs in training at her house! I was exhausted just watching her in action!
Ok- sorry for all the gushing. But seriously - you know when you meet someone who is making changes in the world and you just want to support everything they’re doing? That’s how I feel about the work Christy is doing. I’m really excited I met her and really hope we can do some work together in the future - especially around adaptive cycling!
So this camping trip! HOLY MOLEY! What a treat!
First off - Maine is absolutely stunning! I don’t know if it’s normal to have 70 degree weather in October, but I’ll take it. The night was cold, but I was nice and toasty with a campfire and 15 degree sleeping bag.
To give the product team the best insight, they were split up among participants for camp setup. I was tasked with setting up the Aurora Backpacking Tent, the Quasar 3D Sleeping Pad, the Women’s Disco 15 Degree Bag and the Stargaze Recliner Luxury Chair (which is definitely going on my wish list.) On my “team” to help out was Cam, the CEO, and Mark, a Product Designer. I have to tell you, it was a bit embarrassing to admit to them that I don’t read instructions on tents, but they wanted to watch my actual process. So I gave them the truth!
After camp setup, we enjoyed a dinner together, campfire and s’mores and lots of dog snuggles. Christy brought out a few of her wheelchairs for the team to test out, which was surprisingly fun, especially the chair she uses in the snow. I retired pretty early and actually had a really cozy night’s sleep - and the sleeping bag fit!! I could fully zip the whole bag up around my body with my arms inside the bag with room to spare!
After breakfast the next morning, we did a debrief around the fire, sharing our experiences with the equipment. We each shared one thing we were delighted with, one thing we were surprised by, and one thing we were frustrated by. It was super cool to hear everyone’s experiences and you could see the product team taking notes in their head for ideas to take back to the office.
From there, we broke down camp and cleaned up, leaving Christy’s backyard once again to the dogs. I caught a ride into Boston, where I had an All Bodies on Bikeside planned for the next day!
Overall, it truly felt like the NEMO product team actually paid attention to our feedback and cared about our experiences and really wanted to learn from the trip. From the engineers to the designers, they all had thoughtful questions and genuinely got to know us.
Debriefing our experiences around the campfire
Honestly, I’m so appreciative for the time, effort, and money that was put into this trip. Perhaps most refreshing of all - there wasn’t a photographer or media person on the trip. There was no live tweeting or updating NEMO’s stories about this. I don’t think there’s even a mention of this on any of their social media. In fact, I had to get permission to write this blog - NEMO is not doing inclusive design just for the likes. They’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do.
But they’re also not promising anything yet, in terms of new products, which I honestly appreciate. We all know how businesses work - priorities can change in an instant, things get put to the chopping block and supply chains can disrupt everything.
While we’re not at a fully inclusive outdoor world yet, trips like this are a great step in that direction. Thanks for including me in this effort NEMO and I’m so excited for this more inclusive world we’re creating together!
The Best Bike Seat for Heavy Riders - Updated July 2024
Looking for a more comfortable seat for your bicycle? I’ve got you covered! From indoor riding to tricycles to long distance touring, I’ve rounded up my favorite saddles for heavier riders in one place. Every saddle listed has a weight limit of 300+ pounds, with a few with a limit of over 600 pounds.
This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase something using one of these links, I get a small commission of that purchase (from the retailer, not you!) which lets me keep making content like this! To learn more about my use of affiliate links, please click here.
Edit: Updated July 2024 with two new seats that have a weight limit over 500 lbs!
I’m going to admit something here - I think I’ve given bad advice in the past. Well, maybe not bad advice, but not fully inclusive. I think I’ve been a bit narrow-minded in my approach to bike seats.
If you’ve followed my adventures, you know that I’m an endurance rider. It’s not a big deal for me to go for 50+ mile days or consider spending 8 hours on my bike at one time. My recommendations have often reflected this and I’m realizing that those might not be the most appropriate for many folks just getting into cycling.
In fact, for a lot of my readers who are just getting into bikes (or back on them) or who only intend to ride recreationally, I’ve neglected to provide good recommendations for you...So let’s fix that!
As a gentle reminder, just because you’ve got a big booty, DOES NOT mean you need a bigger seat! It’s all about supporting your sit bones (technically your ischial tuberosity, which is the lower part of your pelvis.)
This drawing does a good job showing the bones we want to be supported - and again - just because we’re fat, doesn’t mean we have super-wide sit bones!
Bike Seats for Recreational Riding / Shorter Trips
All of these seats have a weight limit of 300 lbs or more!
Oversized Bike Seat for Men & Women Comfort - Weight limit of 600 pounds!
This seat had the second highest weight limit I could find, at 600 pounds. A bargain at $39.99, this seat should work well for shorter distance riding on an upright bike or trike.
This saddle has some nice anatomic features and has a comfortable (but not too cushy) gel padding that provides nice support. Another cool (but often overlooked feature) is the “cooling fabric” which supposedly keeps the saddle from heating up in the sun. I haven’t tested this feature personally, but the reviews seem promising! Buy on Amazon.
Selle Royal Respiro Men’s Soft Moderate Cool Xsenium Bicycle Saddle - $62.65
Similar to the women’s version, but with a bit different geometry for our different nether region needs, this saddle has the same features as the women’s version. Buy here.
IPOW Comfort Bike Seat for Women or Men - $19.99
This seat is pretty different from what I typically recommend, but it has over 4000 glowing reviews on Amazon, so something must be nice about it. At $19.99, you can’t really go wrong either. Ergonomic features, a cutout for breathability, springs for shock absorption, and a reflective feature in the rear. Buy here.
YLG Oversized Bike Seat for Outdoors Use -$39.97
This saddle is a big departure from my typical recommendations, but again, I’ve heard nothing but glowing reviews. Much wider and fully supportive of your hips, this saddle is a very different design. This seat is ideal for very upright bicycles or tricycles. Buy here.
Bike Seats for Indoor Cycling
Do you enjoy riding a stationary bike inside but find that your butt is killing you? Me too actually - I’ve found that riding inside hurts SO MUCH MORE than riding outside. My theory is that when we’re outside, we’re constantly shifting our weight when we stop or start, look around, or change speed. When we ride inside, however, our bodies stay in one place much longer, so having a supportive seat is crucial!
Here are my favorites for people living in larger bodies:
YLG Oversized Bike Seat for Indoor Use - $39.99
This is the same saddle as my recommendation for outdoor riding, but this one is specifically for indoors. The primary difference is the cover material is different for indoors than outdoors, but realistically, either model would work for indoors or outdoors. Buy here.
DAWAY Oversized Comfort Bike Seat - $41.99
This saddle has the highest weight limit I could find at 550 lbs and I’ve seen a million fat influencers rave about it. Apparently it’s THE BEST for the Peloton but I can neither confirm nor deny that as I’ve never used a Peloton :) This saddle has memory foam and is water resistant, so it would also work for outdoor riding! Buy here.
Bike Seats for Endurance, Bike Touring & Road Riding
Terry Liberator X Gel - $82.95
This is my go-to all time favorite seat. Firm but not too squishy with padding in just the right places. The cut out in the saddle is great for all sorts of anatomy too. Buy here.
Brooks B-17 and B-17S $104-125 (price varies)
People either love or hate Brooks Saddles. I love them, but admit that they do take a bit to get used to. If you’re able to find one, I especially recommend the B-17S, which has a shorter nose. Buy here.
WTB Volt - $47.95
With steel rails and firm padding, this no-frills saddle is a good bet for many body types. I use this on my gravel bike and cyclocross bike and am very happy. Buy here.
The Tool You Need to Change Your Bike Seat
Each seat post and setup is a little different, but there’s one (nearly) universal tool that will work regardless what setup you’ve got. A bicycle multi-tool!
This is actually a very handy tool for every person who rides a bike to have (and to carry on every single ride.) Most multi-tools have a size range of allen wrenches (or hex key), a flat head and Phillips head screw driver, and a few other helpful tools.
I love this one from Crank Brothers - it’s $19.99, fits in nearly any bag at 3.5” long, and I never leave home without it. It will almost definitely have the tool you need to change your bike seat.
