junkyard

Yes. Size matters.

And stay away from green bikes. Green bikes attract women, and since you are clearly committed, you don't want him meeting any new ladies.

ZeCanon

I know it would be less exciting on his b-day, but how about promising to help him with a bike? If he has some money, and you have some money, the two of you together could buy him a better bike than either of you alone.
Just a thought.

jm01

sub $500 is tough, stay away from dept. store bikes at that price, but probably the best deal out there is the Cadillac MTB:

https://www.cadillacbikestore.com/mountain-bikes.htm

you can't beat the build on the 2.7...better than many bikes at twice the oprice

You can always paint out the name if he has a problem with it, but its an outstanding value and a great bike (same frame that a couple of tier 1 mfg's use)

happy trails

Also...make sure he rides the bike and checks it for fit before you buy...I've learned this the hard way

fuzzymemory

OK, we are now suggesting off-brand bikes that cost $1200? There are quality F/S bikes that can be bought for less than that from a Local Bike Shop...

My comment is this: the size of the bike is very important, when buying new or used. If you get a good deal on a very nice size X-Large bike and your boyfriend is really a small/medium then it won't suit him very well, even if you can adjust the seat height. He should go to a shop and see what is comfortable and what fits.

My advice would be to give him $ towards a new bike... maybe get him a birthday card with a picture of a shiny tricycle and then give him the $ that you can afford and tell him to get a bike. If he is light he shouldn't have much trouble with a quality hardtail that fits him - I would imagine that some junky walmart/target bike would not be comfortable even with a rear shock. Full suspension is nice, but it is not really needed in most situations. If your boyfriend is downhilling, it may be needed, but for X-Country trails, it isn't a need. Just nice when done well.

Flash

The above quote may be the key for you. He babied a walmart bike, that says something about this guy e.g. he will not only ride a clunker, but he'll respect it for what it is.

So, stepping up to an Iron Horse will be a major upgrade for him. I own an Iron Horse hardtail, I ride it to death, it's a great bike for the money. Period.

Take the advice of others on this forum and find out his bike size, whatever it takes. Once you are armed with this info, buy one of the Iron Horses at links below from performance bike. If you can get to performance bike locally, print out the web pages, call them, and see if they have the below models in stock and in his size. If so, go to the store and bargain down.

If online is the only option, buy it online and have it shipped to your local performance bike. shipping and assembly should be free, if I remember correctly, but make sure to check first.

If no performance bike locally, have the bike shipped to your home and then figure out who will build it up. local shop somewhere? or maybe just let the BF build it up since he seems to tinker with the walmart special anyway.

The nice part about choosing from the group below is that you can focus on price, color, what's in stock in his size, and not worry too much about the components on the bikes b/c at this level it's all pretty even in terms of quality.

Disclaimer: it is possible I've completely misjudged your boyfriend, who I've never met. For all I know he dreams of hi-end Santa Cruz mtbs each night. But, if you want to properly execute the surprise (and I like this idea, btw), and we can safely assume that he will not frown at the Iron Horse logo on the box, you will succeed.

Here are the links. Go to it:

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...slisearch=true
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...slisearch=true
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...slisearch=true
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...slisearch=true
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...slisearch=true
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...slisearch=true

Cyclist0383

Check out some of the deals on older model bikes at the following link. But you MUST get him the right size and have the bike set up properly at a bike shop.

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/sub/1...ension+Xc.aspx

laurenashley321

thanks so much for the advice! i'll keep yall updated as i look at bikes and (hopefully) find good deals. we'll see..it may have to wait til christmas so i can have a long time to find a good deal/do research/be sneaky in getting his size and stuff

mountain bike people are pretty cool....maybe i should just get into biking myself for his bday i can see it now, the two of us romantically trudging through muddy trails carrying our broken down walmart bikes...

TRaffic Jammer

Bless you all to heaven and back laurenashley321. Wantin' to buy her guy a bike...man....

Flash

how likely is it that he will buy a new bike for himself before you do? His bike was stolen, he needs a new one, he may beat you to the punch.

z415

Man, best my girlfriend did was get me new brakes...

Sixty Fiver

Yep... when I ride my green bike I have to beat the women off with a tire pump cause they all want my green bike.

Wait... are you saying that the women may have been attracted to me ?

Oh crap.

laurenashley321

went to performance bike, looked at an iron horse that was around 500 (on sale from like 750, so they say). i wish i could find that bike a couple years old. theres a local bike shop that sells used bikes that im gonna check out, maybe i can find a cheaper one...$500 just seems a little overboard as we usually spend about $100 on bdays...i cant decide!! ugh! wish me luck with a used bike at the local store!

ed 

I think the '05 Jamis Dakar for $462 is a very good deal. I'm biased though b/c I love Jamis bikes.
The '04 is only $389...you're not going to find a deal like that anywhere. Granted, the technology is a few years old, but that basic design has been around since 1995 and still gets great reviews.

laurenashley321

thanks! the '04 would be fine i think....so tell me about jamis bikes? will he have heard of it? what is it comparable to? that is definitely the best deal, free shipping too and a free bike build (does that mean at a local store im guessing?)

what does everyone think about me getting that?

ed 

I think that if you're going to spend less than $500 and cringe at that amount...it is a good deal. It's far below what I would ride, but I'm a snob. Jamis "as a brand" is of good quality known for decent bang-for-your-buck.

If you're not an avid cyclist, but just ride a mountain bike here and there...you may be unfamiliar with them. I have the 2005 long travel "XLT" version of that bike and I love it. I built mine from the frame up though, so that's where my snobbery comes into play.

Go here and read a little history on them from their site.

That's a subjective question. Is Trek comparable to Specialized? Not in my eyes. Others may say yes. Is Iron Horse comparable to Giant? For me, not by a long shot...but those who own and like them may say "sure, better".

In my eyes, Jamis quality is comparable to the "major brands" out there. When you start adding in craftsmanship from smaller "boutique" brands like Ellsworth, Turner, Titus, Badger...then I'd say they're a step under...but alot of people who haven't heard of Jamis haven't heard of the boutique brands either. Doesn't mean that they're sub-par...quite the opposite, really.


The problem that you're going to have with spending $500 on a dual suspension bike is that it will be either heavy and inefficient, fragile, or it will just perform poorly in other departments like shifting, braking, bump absorption...etc...

The '04 Dakar at under $400 is prob. the highest end bike for the money I've seen in a long time though I think it's worth the extra $100 to get the '05 model.

laurenashley321

good stuff to know. thanks so much. i guess jamis isnt sold at performance bike? id rather buy it locally, is it online only?

ed 

You won't find it anywhere at that price except Jensonusa.com

How tall is he? All Jenson has left are 19".

laurenashley321

he's about 6' or 6'1. im either going to get that one (if the size is right) or wait til later when i can afford a more expensive one (and one for me! ) yall have been sooooo helpful thanks so much! ill probably keep checking back here even if i dont get one right now to keep my eye on good deals and stuff.

seriously, thanks so much!

laurenashley321

ok just found this -- i know its old and not amazing... but how not amazing is it?

https://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/bik/426368550.html -1996 Diamondback V-Link Pro mountainbike - $300 obo, was $2600 new

keep in mind he rode walmart before, and probably wont get a bike for about a year unless he gets one as a present.

Maelstrom 

As much as I disagree with Chelboeds assessment of comparing companies, I would also look at his recommendation for the Jamis.

The bike you referenced is worth 50$...tops. Sorry.

Maelstrom 

https://cgi.ebay.com/Specialized-Epic...QQcmdZViewItem
https://listings.ebay.com/_W0QQsocmdZ...10244%2Ca30300

I imagine you are trying to stick to a certain region, but finding a 500ish dollar bike that worth its money wasn't that difficult on ebay (I know some people hate it but i dislike craigslist for some reason)...

norco_rider77

just throwing this out there, heres another sie similar to craigslist, but a little bit different...

https://www.kijiji.com/ find your state, then city (or nearest), and go to for sale on the left, and pick 'sports, bikes', and search away. if you dont find anything in there, search all ads, to see if theres something you missed.

Good Luck!

laurenashley321

thanks! nothing there right now, im in dallas. but ill keep that in mind

ed 

Merely a statement that I blew outta my keaster to show how subjective it is.

In all honesty...nuthin beats a Jamis!