Father’s day is fast approaching and if you’re into giving gifts it is a great opportunity to spoil dad with a surprise or two! If you’re a dad and not sure what to put on the wishlist, maybe you can find a few ideas below or pass on the link to interested parties and if you’re here looking for gift ideas for dad, read on! With some good looking weekend weather around the country (bar the Cape which looks to be having a wet and windy one) we’ve included some adventures in the mix as well incase purchasing a gift isn’t on the cards. Check out some of our suggestions below!
Father’s Day Gift Ideas:
Kids Bicycle Seat:
This one’s a gift for dad and the little one! The LITTE WING is a locally designed and produced children’s bicycle seat that attaches to your mountain bike without any frame contact. There are few gifts as rich as sharing those moments of adventure and fun outdoors with your little girl or boy and the LITTE WING opens wide the doors to plenty of those shared experiences!
We are well into the winter season now in SA and if getting outside is dad’s thing, having the right gear is a game changer!
Lights:
Shorter days means the time before and after work to get out on the trails for a run or ride is getting quite dark. Nothing a solid torch can’t help though! We’ve spotted a special on Led Lenser head torches if trail running is the sport of choice. For those who like to spend their time outdoors on 2 wheels, bike lights from Giant and Ryder are well regarded for their value for money and worth checking out! Night rides are pretty cool when you get the hang of them and having a decent bike light (900 – 1600 lumens is a good range) is the key to unlocking the fun!
Kit:
Beating the cold and or wet in winter is a constant battle. A solid rain jacket is an invaluable item in the wardrobe if you’re Cape Town based. Throughout the rest of South Africa rain isn’t as much of a significant foe but the cold certainly is, especially in the north.
Swinging a leg over the bike in the winter is made much more pleasant with some decent pants and good jacket. Local brand Leatt has a great range of riding pants (pictured) and jackets aimed at mountain bikers that will help in the cold and wet. If you’re not looking for mountain bike specific kit, then ASICS, First Ascent, Salomon, and the other usual suspects will likely have the kind of all rounder winter jacket you might be looking for be it waterproof or cold protection!
Not a winter specific Father’s Day gift, but a good one nonetheless, is a running vest. These lightweight packs are increasingly popular on the trails and the road. You can find them in various styles and storage capacities. Aonijie is a local brand that does good value for money running vest options. If you’re looking to go more premium, Osprey is highly regarded for their durability and lifetime warranty on their products. Their Duro 6 is a great option for longer adventures (2 hours +) and their Duro 1.5l for shorter missions!
Mountain Bike Essential:
If dad loves getting out on his mountain bike and enjoys descending and increasing his skills but hasn’t yet got on the dropper post trend, could you even find a better gift for him than a dropper post?! It is important to get the right size post for the bike so this one may take a bit of homework. If you’re looking for reliability and value for money, local Lyne Components is the way to go.
Bike Tools:
A good set of quality allen keys is always handy to a dad with a bike. PRO and Fabric both make a great set of Allen keys that you’ll likely be able to find in your local bike shop. When I comes to carrying tools on the bike, there are some nifty inventions that have been cooked up in the local cycling industry! Lyne Components and Ryder both offer clever on-the-bike storage tool storage that could be a great gift to a bike riding dad. If he’s more of a tools-in-pockets guy then something like the Forza Tool Pouch is a good option to keep things organised and all together!
Memberships:
Whether it’s a year’s subscription to Strava Premium to help hit those training goals and keep track of the KOM leaderboards, a Trailforks subscription to plan those mountain missions and explore more, or a year’s membership to a great trail network like MTO Trails Jonkershoek, memberships aren’t often thought of but they can make for great gifts to an active dad!
ADVENTURE IDEAS
Keen to get out as a family and have a bit of adventure together to celebrate dad’s day? Here are a few mini-adventure ideas that we could recommend near Cape Town or Johannesburg.
Up near JHB / Pretoria there is the Hennops mountain biking and hiking trails that are family friendly, Hartebeespoort Iron Throne Trail Park for the more extreme mountain biking and trial running, or a visit to Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve if you want to keep traveling time down!
Down in the Cape, if you’re looking to get out the city, The Perdekop hike in Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve above Franschhoek is phenomenal. It is a big day out (there are shorter routes available as well) and you are well in the mountains so dress and pack accordingly. The views are unbeatable! With all the winter rain, a stroll along the contour path from Constantia Nek will provide some great waterfall viewing if you’re looking for a mission close to home. Keep an eye on the weather though this weekend, it looks to be pretty gnarly!
