Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt V3 GPS Cycling/Bike Computer,Black

Why it's worth it

The ELEMNT BOLT V3 is a compact GPS computer that pulls routes from Strava and Komoot automatically and gives turn-by-turn directions on screen. Setup happens on their phone, not on a tiny device, which makes it one of the rare tech gifts that isn't a chore to start using.

This is the gift a cyclist would buy themselves if they got around to it. Bike computers have topped cyclist wish lists for three years running in BikeRadar's reader survey, named by 41% of respondents as their most-wanted category. That's a rare thing in gifting — a want that's both widely shared and rarely acted on. Most riders keep using their phone in a bar mount, hating it, until someone hands them the alternative.

The setup story matters more than the spec sheet when you're giving this. Everything gets configured in the phone app, so your rider isn't poking at a two-inch screen on Christmas morning. Connect it to Strava, Ride With GPS or Komoot once and saved routes download themselves; finished rides upload without being asked. Owners who came from tracking rides on their phone describe the switch as the moment cycling data stopped being a hassle.

From our review of 8 gifts for cyclists

What we like

• +This is the gift a cyclist would buy themselves if they got around to it
• +The setup story matters more than the spec sheet when you're giving this
• +It uses buttons, not a touchscreen
• +It also plays well with a radar light, which is worth knowing if you're buying two gifts

What to know

• –It's not flawless hardware
• –Screen brightness ships set for battery life, not for sunlight, and riders regularly have to go change it before the display is…