Local bike shop
 

Local bike shop will not let me test ride any bike outside of parking lot
Thoughts?

That is how some shops operate unfortunately. Depending on the area it can certainly be understandable.

Offer to leave something of value, or a person? I let them hold my mum hostage for a bit. :p

I plan on spending 5-6 grand on a bike so I would like to ride it up some hills and get it up to speed

You should probably tell them that then. If they don't agree then you should probably find another shop.

Go to another one.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=...a05a4063eb4b83

Leave your Corvette and keys with them while your ride.

This.

Go to another shop, usually some shops will want to hold onto your ID or even some i've been to your credit card and ID.

Why?? Sounds bizarre unless this is a super high crime area or they have been burned by theft.

If they are totally inflexible about it I suggest you take your business elsewhere.

Seems unreasonable for them to have no flexibility on this.

This time of year, bike shops aren't that busy yet. If the salesperson won't go for the collateral ideas, ask him to come along with you.

As an aside, there was a doctor (yes, a medical doctor) in the Seattle area that would walk in to a shop in scrubs, ask to do a test ride on whatever the nicest bike was on the sales floor, and never come back. He was only busted because he through his coffee cup away in a shop's wastebasket and they pulled a print off of it.

Another vote for finding another shop. I can't imagine them being scarce in or around Long Island. Here in LA, most shops have no problem with you taking a decent test ride as long as you leave ID and a credit card. Some shops even let the high rollers test ride a bike all day where ever they want to.

I don't see why the LBS couldn't just take your licence AND credit card. Have the test rider sign a form that says they could charge you if you don't show up or damage stuff. Problem Solved.

Is it a shop that knows you?
Do you look like a guy who just wants to ride it and then go buy one cheaper online?

test rides are mostly useless.

+1

how did you prove it was your mum :)

They are if they're around a car park. I've taken bikes for 30-50km rides. These were useful rides.

what does that "guy" look like? I take your point, that might be their assumption. Sad thing is people do this all of the time.

OP - good advice on shopping around. If they don't have a test model and you want to test a floor model then I'd understand their point. How would you feel about buying a bike as new that had been tested in the hills? So find a shop with test bikes.

Why were the longer ones useful? What did you learn?

Are you also willing to pay for cleaning the bike afterward and any depreciation on the bike which can no longer be sold as new?

You are kidding, right???

I would offer to pay a few bucks to drag along one of the staff (maybe the cheap kid that sweeps the floors). Swing by and drop off a six-pack later that afternoon.

Find another bike shop!

The credit card needs to have enough room on it so if you wreck the bike we can charge it to your card. So if you are riding an expensive bike, make sure that your card is clear.

"This bike you are taking on a test ride has had 8 test rides on it that have averaged 25 miles." Are you going to buy that bike? Or will you want a "fresh" one. Like buying a new car that has a hundred or so "test miles" on it. Will you pay retail for the bike? We have a helluva time with MTB's. We have a little shock testing track and if it's wet, the tires get dirty. No one wants that bike.

It's a simple world when you don't live in it.

Thank you.

Like I said, it's a simple world when you don't live in it.

I had a guy do the "I'll go to another shop" deal on me...I just shrugged and took the bike back inside.

It cracks me....you are buying a $30,000 car, and there's a breath of gas in it and you might get 2-3 test miles on it. Somehow that's ok.

BTW...there's also a liability factor with test rides. Damn lawyers.