KD5NRH

We have 1.5 miles of MUP starting 3 back-street blocks away. Just let us know if you're wanting to ride more than ~5 minutes so we don't assume something went wrong and come looking for you. (Most people just go around the block.) If it's a pricier bike, leave ID and/or a credit card.

OldTryGuy

reference the BOLDED PRINT

Is that not what bicycling is all about**********

prathmann

Agreed. I've been on a few club rides of up to 60 miles on some mountain roads where I noticed one of our members on a different bike than usual. Turns out he was taking a test ride and figured one of our regular routes would give him the best comparison to his old bike.

Lazyass

What's up with you people? If you disagree you don't have to be jerks about it.

OP, if you didn't want someone mentioning thru axles you should have stated you don't care about them. QR's on disc bikes will disappear in the next few years. Wheel changes are a little faster, it's easier to center the rotors between the pads. Bike manufacturers know everyone wants what the pro's ride, and you won't see one on a disc bike with QR's, which is the main reason they will disappear. The transition is already happening.

But I'll be sure to never post a reply in another of your threads.

rydabent

IMO test rides are somewhat over rated. Go ahead and test ride, but realize one fact. A bike is a machine and will never change. A cyclist always has to conform to the bike.

Probably where a test ride is the most valuable is if going to a recumbent, especially high racers. OTOH anyone can ride a trike.

curttard

Jeez, I don't know what I said that offended you. I'm just saying that QR vs thru axles is a non-factor for me, personally.

bikehoco

If your local store has test ride restrictions, go to a non-local store.

bikehoco

Lots of unfriendly people here.

Maelochs

Cycling is about suffering, hardening the F up, matching socks to bar tape, and Strava. Bikes aren't even part of it.

bikehoco

How dare someone ask for advice from others. /s

wphamilton

I think I agree with the original post @curttard, for a new cyclist or even someone new to the particular geometry, a test ride is useless. Probably even worse than useless since tooling around the parking lot or around a couple of blocks feels completely different than the middle of your regular ride, when you're warmed up, been at it for an hour, and putting out some effort. Not to mention that your position, muscles and balance will probably all change after a few hundred miles.

I vividly recall the first time I saddled up on a road geometry bike. My immediate thought was, "Well a lot of people ride this kind of bike, and they're mostly uncoordinated so I'll get used to this." No offense to present company but that was literally how I reassured myself. There is no way I could have compared road bikes in test rides and had any sort of rational reason to prefer one over another. Touring bike, mountain bike, it would be the same situation.

The solution is "knowing", rather than "feeling." Bike sizing is well known, the impact of different geometries is well known. The relative advantages of different component levels are easy to find, if you reject marketing hype. Select your criteria, relate those to cost if that's a factor, and choose the bike that conforms. Then test ride the bikes for kicks.

mstateglfr 

I simply questioned if QR dropouts really kill the possibility of the fuji due to the reality that most riders i see will never, performance wise, need TA.

Genuine apologies if that came off as jerkish. I think its funny that someone who dismissed a liked bike solely for 1 thing is crying jerk though.

Rje58

LOL! Fantastic post!

sarcasm/

I don't even own a bike, I just drive around in my car at between 18-37 mph, gathering up Strava points.

/sarcasm off

Maelochs

Rje58 wins the thread, but more important ... He Wins Bicycles!!!

The rest of us might as well quit and change back into normal clothes.

Chuck Naill

I wear normal clothes when riding.


If I were spending some bucks on a new bike I would not want one that had several "try out" miles.


BTW, you see more at 8 miles per hour.

Viich

Wow. A little sensitive are we? All he did was disagree with you that thru axles are a must have. You didn't put any of that rationale in your original reply, I think you're over-reacting.

I don't like TA because I like to be able to swap wheelsets, and I only have one disc brake bike.

pdlamb

I was bemused when a new bike shop opened up on the highway just over the ridge; there's no place to test ride a bike except their parking lot or the 4-lane, high speed, divided highway. All the other bike shops in my area are located so you can get a decent test ride in a neighborhood or low-traffic streets, within easy reach (except maybe at rush hour).


To the OP, maybe you need to drive a bit further to find a shop with bikes you're interested in that will let you take a real test ride.

jefnvk

I dunno. Last time I took a Fuji out from Performance Bike, they specifically told me to go ride it over the curbs, jump it off things, and run through a big rock garden to see how it felt. I was looking at different fat bikes, and even just hanging out around the building and not taking it out on a trail, it was very easy to see how the couple different bikes fit me considerably different.

That said, if you want a "real" test run, find a demo day. Much easier to try out different styles of bikes and such there.

I'd imagine there are just as many older folks who gave up riding because they went and bought the wrong thing without researching it and didn't end up liking it. As one who likes cheap old bikes, I can guarantee there are plenty of bikes bought on a whim that sat in a garage after being ridden all of a couple miles because they just weren't right for the owner.

indyfabz

Your missing that simply standardizing those contact point measurements over bikes with differing frame geometries may put you in uncomfortable and/or inefficient riding positions. You might also have to do something like push the saddle all the way back or forward and/or have an inordinate number of spacers.

coffeesnob

Where I bought my bikes I think they just took my drivers license and said see ya later..

Maelochs

I read this before i looked at the previous posts or the title of the thread, and thought you had your license revoked permanently for some hideous traffic infraction ...

athrowawaynic

I'm sure you can replicate the fit.

I think test rides are really more about subjective "feel". It's not every bike that feels different, but some do. You won't know for sure unless you ride it. If you can feel a difference and have a strong preference for one over another, then factor that into your decision. If not, then you can eliminate "feel" as a consideration and move on to other considerations, such as price and color. If you're asking whether it's a necessary step in the shopping/research process, probably not. But if someone will let me ride a bike, I'll do it. It's fun.

trainsktg

Man, where's the 'like' button when you need it?

Keith