Getting husband a bike for a gift? ?

[ed]

I would like to get my husband a bike for his birthday. I'm not sure the best way to go about doing this. Should I give him cash/gift card to go and purchase it on his own? This bike would be used for recreational use on bike paths and a little off road I suppose. The areas we'd be using it in tend to be very hilly. I'm not sure what type of bike to get if I purchase one on my own.

[McG]

I wouldn't buy it outright because it needs to be fit to him. He may have personal choices in a bike that he hasn't made you aware of.

Find a good bike shop, take him there, buy it together. Look at one for yourself while you are there. That way you give him a bike and the gift of riding together.

[McG]

I wouldn't buy it outright because it needs to be fit to him. He may have personal choices in a bike that he hasn't made you aware of.

Find a good bike shop, take him there, buy it together. Look at one for yourself while you are there. That way you give him a bike and the gift of riding together.

[rons]

If you have a good idea what bike he wants, check with the store if they allow you to return to the store and get a good fitting for him, or if they will allow adjustments/modifications or even upgrade to a better model should he decide to. That way, you have the gift giving factor, but allow the flexibility to customize the bike to what he wants. Or, some stores would allow a full return given a number of days, for a completely different bike.

If you're not sure what bike to get, or if your husband may be very particular, you may be better with a gift card for him to get one his own. Bikes especially to enthusiasts, are a very personal item. It usually involves in test riding a couple of bikes and researching to find the best one to fit.