Seattle Forrest

There used to be a shop around here that would encourage people to go for half century test rides. I was a guy 15+ miles away, on a test ride from them.

They went out of business. Rent is absurd here.

Sy Reene

Size is one thing that maybe helps with a test ride. But it occurs to me that (maybe such as myself), there could be cyclists looking who want to evaluate some of the 'new' stuff -- eg. do I really want/need Di2 or disc brakes? Can I tell a difference if I get a bike with aero rims? How multi-purpose is a gravel bike really (ie. how is it on the road)? etc etc.

Sy Reene

And what does a test ride on the wrong sized bike tell you?

canklecat

If I owned a bike shop I'd want some kind of insurance to cover damage from wrecks on test rides. Same as car rentals. And an employee would need to do a walk around inspection with checklist, before and after, signed by the customer/test-rider. Seems reasonable, at least for pricey new bikes.

My favorite LBS has let me take test rides, even on bikes I told them I probably wouldn't buy. But I've known them for a few years and buy at least a little something on every visit -- at least a tube, or something from the bargain bin. It's a good old school shop with knowledgeable staff (the owner is one of the earliest Trek dealers in the US), a place with little turnover where customers and staff will chatter. So it's a little different vibe from some newer stores with lots of turnover, less knowledgeable staff and no real opportunity to develop a relationship.

big john

A lot of the bike shops around here have closed. Rent here is ridiculous and on-line sales are hurting them.

sfrider 

It's pretty normal for shops to hold onto your driver's license and a credit card while you're out with their bike.

big john

Working in a new car service dept I understand that. People would bring their car in with lists of things they found wrong, sometimes 15 items and nobody could see any of it. Smells, phantom noises, lack of power, too much power (!) flaws in the paint which couldn't be seen, and of course, gas mileage. Like "I was getting 20 mpg and now I only get 19.5"

CliffordK

One of the Portland bike shops was doing an E-Cargo Bike show at a shop here in Eugene.

I thought I'd just go to look at the goods. They almost pushed me out the door on a test ride, even though I thought I had said I was more interested in looking at the technology than actually buying it.

I left my homebuilt cargo bike and my backpack there, but they didn't ask for ID or anything. And, almost complained that my 10 block loop or so was too short.

Nonetheless, it was an interesting ride. And, lots of food for thought.

Carbonfiberboy 

The best test experience I had in a bike shop was having the sales person put me on a candidate bike on the shop's trainer, sitting there for that purpose. He set the saddle height for me, then had me pedal in various positions, watched me, suggested changes to stem and bars. I was new to bike buying and learned a few things from the guy while he was fooling with me. He probably spent 20 minutes with me. That was so much more useful than a test ride. I already knew I wanted the bike, just wasn't sure about the size. Still have it.

Nachoman

My bike shop has small, medium and large loaner bikes that they will loan out for days at a time.
https://hollandcycles.com/
I suppose if you're too big or too small to make one of their loaners fit, you're just out of luck.

zacster

About 15 years ago I went to Brooklyn's largest high-end pro shop, R&A Cycles. Yea, those guys. I was looking for something high-end myself, but they really couldn't get me a ride on the bike that I liked because it was a custom build. Instead, knowing that I hadn't been on carbon before, they set up a nice Giant TCR for me to take a loop around Prospect Park, about a 4 mile ride. I was hooked on carbon, and bought the bike I still ride today without test riding. They almost lost the custom sale to that Giant, but I don't regret for a moment buying the Kuota with Chorus.

I should add that after taking delivery about a week later, they did a custom fit and had the thing completely dialed in. You can only hope that you are treated that way in a lot of shops. Also they upgraded any parts they didn't have in stock, not a huge amount but enough.

bbbean 

A lot more than looking at specs on a webpage. Overall feel, quality of components, specific features, frame stiffness, etc.

canklecat

Without a contract there's no legal obligation to compensate the shop for damage or theft. Holding the cards is just for identification. They couldn't even charge the loss to the credit card holder's account.

I'll ask my LBS next time I see 'em whether they are insured for that sort of thing.

big john

It's nice to hear a story like that. I went to a big local shop looking for a bike with cash in pocket. Wasn't sure what I wanted and those people treated me like I was invisible. Screw them, I left disgusted and went to a small shop and the guy treated me like you were treated. Stopped what he was doing and showed me bikes until I found "the one". Great service.

smurfy

Back in the nineties I worked in a bike shop (a chain of five stores) when the owners inherited the business from their father who passed away. To them a bike was a toaster or some other mundane appliance. They hated the road racers, club cyclists, or any enthusiasts because they always wanted deals and couldn't make money off of them. Eventually the owners ran the business into the ground.

guadzilla

I have never test ridden a bike before purchase, either. I dont really think a ride around the block will tell me anything, and honestly, i dont really think it is reasonable to take a bike out for a 2 hour ride without making a commitment to purchase *something*, for all the reasons @Cypress mentioned. It isnt fair to the bike shop. I read up on the reviews to find out which bike characteristics are important to me.

As far as fit goes, I do expect the bike shop to sort that out for me though. In my case, I know my fit coordinates fairly well, but if I wasnt unsure, I'd put the onus on the bike shop to get the fit dialled in correctly f or me.

I just bought my Venge Pro with upgraded CLX64s wheels that way - they didnt have the bike and had to import it from the regional dealer, I paid a deposit, and when it collected it, they set it up for me. In my case, it didnt require much - my predicted stem size and stack (1 5mm spacer under the handlebars) was enough, but they would have changes the stem size and saddle if need be. For my wife's Shiv, her first TT bike, they spent a good 2 hours dialling in the fit for her. To me, that is a greater value-added service than a quick spin, to be honest.

maartendc

LOL, the weather was cold, but dry. I was dressed perfectly respectably. But is was right before closing time, so for sure the test ride would not have been that day.

My point is that he seemed very apprehensive about having someone test ride a bike, PERIOD. Which led to my question how common that actually is, since all I hear on this forum is "test ride, test ride, test ride".

Interesting. This is the exact opposite from what I always hear, but it makes some kind of sense. In any case, I would customize stem length etc on a new bike. But a short test ride tells you at least SOMEthing.

I totally understand this point of view. However, I am actually serious about purchasing a gravel bike, will purchase one in the next 3 weeks with 99% certainty if I find one that fits. I get that they don't want to be taken advantage of by non-serious buyers. But they are turning off some serious buyers (me) in the process.

Also, I would have gone for a size S, standard Tiagra or 105 groupset. So nothing too crazy. Not a custom $10,000 build that they couldn't easily sell afterwards I would think.

But now.. I definitely won't be buying from this store. From the point of view of the customer, I just don't see how they are providing added value over ordering online, if you know what I mean? If they are just going to order it for me, and I have to commit fully, I might as well commit online and save some cash in the process. I can swap out a stem myself.


So yeah, in a nutshell: I am surprised to find how many people are coming out of the woodwork here and admitting they buy bikes without a test ride. Perhaps it is not that big of a deal if I can compare geometries with the bikes I currently own..

Thanks all!

shelbyfv

I think this is correct.

burnthesheep

For this, I actually don't blame the shop but the manufacturers and companies providing the products in not properly supporting retail. They push product down like a plunger shoving turds in a clogged crapper, the auto industry is the worst.

They should for helmets or shoes have some kind of jig, samples, or something they can provide to shops for free or low cost to allow customers to size themselves without shops risking carrying every size of every shoe and helmet possible.

Even if it's a program utilizing a distribution hub that the shops can pull from within a day's time and return to with minimal fuss without the shop having to actually buy it.

For the expensive bikes, I'd say the manufacturers should have a semi regional stock of samples they can ship to/from shops for test-rides by utilizing an electronic appointment schedule. You choose the bike you want to test ride, choose the shop to ship it to, etc....

I'd pay for a service like that for a test ride of even only 15min. Or, as a % of the retail of what you test ride. So, if I want to test ride a $10k bike.......that'll be a $100 test ride fee.

And then, the test ride unit would just be the regional "loaner" from the manufacturer. Not the one you're getting. You'd then order your "new" unit.

I think that would get rid of the problematic tire kickers.

If a bike costs $1k or less.........tough cookies. Just ride whatever is already there and buy it as-is. It ain't a $10k bike. You don't get $10k bike service.

There'd be no more $10k bike test rides while walking over waiting to be seated at the local Chilis. You'd have to reserve ahead of time. Who buys a $5k/$10k bike on a whim anyway?

Just me thinking out loud.

big john

When I bought my mtb last year nobody had one to try. My lbs called the regional distributor and none of the dealers in our area had one in x-large. It's easy to compare geometry on a road bike but modern mountain bikes have changed a lot from even 2 years ago. Anyway I bought the thing and it fits great, amazingly enough.

I wear a wide size 13 shoe so buying any kind of shoe can be a problem. Many cycling shoe companies don't make shoes I can wear. There was a huge Performance store near here and I went in and they didn't have a shoe of any brand, style, or price in the whole store that would fit.

Most helmets won't fit. Some Giro models do so that's what I use.

bbbean 

If being in business was easy, everyone would do it. I've owned and run my own business for 40+ years. I started selling watermelons at age 9, and have been selling or trading something ever since. There is a distinct skill set to building and maintaining a customer base, and not everyone has it.

The fact that most customers who ask for a test ride don't buy right away doesn't mean the test ride was useless. The shop earns good will, your sales staff gets an opportunity to know the customer better, and you increase the odds that you are going to sell SOMETHING to that customer. Sure, there are some jerks who will use your shop as the showroom for the competition, but that's simply the challenge for your sales staff - how to turn those jerks into customers. Sometimes the process takes years, and it takes a sales staff that understands people, the local market, and the product to make it work.

When I hire someone new, I have to remind them not to get discouraged or show their frustration at the folks who pose as customers, but take their business elsewhere. We keep smiling and working to get their business next time, or at least be sure they tell their friends how easy we were to deal with. In my experience, successful bike shops have the same attitude.

BB

one4smoke

I can certainly relate, being 6'4" and needing 61cm frames. What I have found over the last 5 years, is most shops will not have the specific bike you're interested in, especially the size, color, etc. The only way they will order it in is if you deposit half down with the agreement if it doesn't work out after test riding and so forth, the money will be applied as a store credit. But fortunately, we have a LBS (Moab Bikes) here in Nashville that is willing to go above and beyond, making concessions to do whatever it takes to help you out. They have never refused ordering in the bike I'm interested in, much less refusing to let me test ride one. While some other shops have great guys, they just aren't willing to take the risk to do something like that. Needless to say, you can imagine where I spend most of my money.

CliffordK

One ends up with Apples and Oranges... and a few tangerines.

A lot of people that pop up on this website are absolute newbies. So, perhaps transitioning from a $100 used Hybrid to a $2K+ Road bike... try a test ride. I suppose, ultimately, it will be a steep and rapid learning curve, and the test ride won't tell one a lot.

A Gazillion specs will tell them a lot, but won't ever be equivalent to getting out on the bike.

Buy a $5K bike, and test ride. Although, keep in mind that if it is not in stock, or custom, one has to deal with what it takes to get it in stock.

On the other hand, many of us buy used or build from parts. Sometimes trying "experiments".

Frankenbikes that don't exist on any show room floors anywhere?

After a bad experience decades ago, I just don't ride no-handed. But, there was a post a few days ago about an issue with riding no-handed.

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...blem-bike.html

I wouldn't have even noticed it myself, but it might have shown up with an extended test ride by the OP in that thread.

big john

I agree with this, although I also think you need to get rid of bad customers, especially when higher end sales are involved. A dick customer can hurt a business.

Cypress

I watched a customer get "fired" once. Dude was a constant pain. He would come in every few months and make a fuss until he got his price on whatever it was he wanted (usually over several trips). He'd get mouthy with salespeople until management would "give in" just to get him out the door. After getting his way, he'd go on social media and badmouth the shop over how he was "treated." He eventually took a $5000 demo mountain bike out onto the trails and returned it TRASHED. Front rotor was bent, wheels out of true, cable ripped out of the dropper post, seat torn...it had obviously been crashed then possibly thrown into a trash compactor. It was covered in mud, and he put it in a frame-mounted rack on the back of his car, so while it was swinging, the rack straps/grommets ground the mud through the paint in three different areas.

Management got involved and pointed out the damage and cleaning clause in the demo agreement. The guy started his usual "I'm a regular customer so I shouldn't have to pay...blah, blah, blah..." and the owner of the shop was called in to handle it. The owner remained calm as the guy just verbally teed off on the shop, the employees, the owner, etc. It was decided that the shop would no longer serve him and he was asked to leave permanently, with the threat of trespassing if he came back. The owner had to flag and contest all of the heinous Yelp/Facebook reviews that ensued.

Different story that you may relate to:

Waaaay back in the day I was a detail guy at a car dealership. Every person that got an oil change got a free car wash. The car was then delivered to a covered bay so the customer didn't have to be in the elements when they picked their vehicle up. I once delivered a car to the bay during an epic rainstorm, and the customer was waiting for me. I thanked her, and as soon as I started to walk away, she (very rudely) demanded that I dry her car off ...7-feet from the open bay door that she was about to drive out of into the MONSOONAL RAIN. I chuckled because I thought she was kidding with me, but it quickly became obvious that she was dead serious. She followed me around her car as I dried it off, pointing out spots that weren't dry. Once she was satisfied, she got into the car without saying a word, then honked the horn at me and pointed to her side-view mirror that still had a film of water on it. I wiped it off to perfection, looked at her with a smile and a thumbs up so as to say "we good?" and she deadass scowled at me and drove off...into the rain. My brain couldn't even fathom the nightmare that daily life must be for that woman.

It's been said before, but I think every person on the planet should have to work a customer service job at some point in their life.