Where to "test" ride a bike.

[Neg]

ok, so i am in the market for a new bike.... i had a 26er but now looking at a 29er... the MOST common response is- "TEST RIDE THE BIKES!"

 

now how THE HELL do i do that when every bike Shop i have been to says they have no test bikes....?? i have a list as long as my arm of bike shops that will sell me a bike BLIND! even after telling them i have never ridden a 29er... they still wanna sell me the bike...!!! how the hell do i know if i will like the 29er or it will suit what riding i do... on paper the 29er has its spot... but does it have a spot for me?? i will only know once i have ridden a 29er... but OH NO.... no flippin shop has test bikes... WTF?? so how do i make an informed decision?

 

they are all SO keen to say this and that but ask for a test ride/bike and you start to stink or something because they quickly turn attention to the next "victim" !! someone who does not want to make an informed decision and is stupid enough to buy blind.... i have the money to spend... I WILL BUY a bike... or am i being judged because i drive a 1985 vehicle and wear slops looking at a 30k bike....???

 

rant off......

[Grondpad]

Almost on the same topic: Does anyone know what happened to those Ride before you buy days? When's the next one?

[PhilipV]

NegVT, if I remember correctly a couple of suppliers have (or used to have) demo bikes that can be sent to a LBS near you. I know my LBS used to have a couple in store. Not sure wether the facility is still available. Store is Cycle Addiction in Somerset West.

 

The thing is, most of the bikes in store are consignment items, or are high price points. I'd also be wary of the risk of people going for extended test rides if I owned a shop. This is where the supplier owned demo bikes that floated around came in handy.

 

Best bet, hassle the guys at Ride to organise another Ride before you buy near you, or hassle the LBS to source you a demo unit.

[TYGA]

I know my LBS used to have a couple in store. Not sure wether the facility is still available. Store is Cycle Addiction in Somerset West.

 

They had an Elsworth Evolve 29er dually DEMO there on Monday which had me drewling badly so ya, they still do demo's. I'm struggling to forget that particular sample as it was oh so beautiful.

[manbearpig]

ok, so i am in the market for a new bike.... i had a 26er but now looking at a 29er... the MOST common response is- "TEST RIDE THE BIKES!"

 

now how THE HELL do i do that when every bike Shop i have been to says they have no test bikes....?? i have a list as long as my arm of bike shops that will sell me a bike BLIND! even after telling them i have never ridden a 29er... they still wanna sell me the bike...!!! how the hell do i know if i will like the 29er or it will suit what riding i do... on paper the 29er has its spot... but does it have a spot for me?? i will only know once i have ridden a 29er... but OH NO.... no flippin shop has test bikes... WTF?? so how do i make an informed decision?

 

they are all SO keen to say this and that but ask for a test ride/bike and you start to stink or something because they quickly turn attention to the next "victim" !! someone who does not want to make an informed decision and is stupid enough to buy blind.... i have the money to spend... I WILL BUY a bike... or am i being judged because i drive a 1985 vehicle and wear slops looking at a 30k bike....???

 

rant off......

If you are coming from a 26 Dual I suggest you ride a 29er for 4 hours and then tackle a technical rocky climb. My personal experience is that the 29er hardtail is great/fast when you are feeling strong and fit but jissie you need to be seriously fit to make the most out of one for 100km of proper mtbiking. It will leave you broken and it will make you hate life more than any dual sus 26er ever did. Closing door behind me.....

[Robrider]

Does anyone "remember" how to "use" quotation marks?

 

Hat, coat, door...

[Danger Dassie]

NegVT, if I remember correctly a couple of suppliers have (or used to have) demo bikes that can be sent to a LBS near you. I know my LBS used to have a couple in store. Not sure wether the facility is still available. Store is Cycle Addiction in Somerset West.

 

The thing is, most of the bikes in store are consignment items, or are high price points. I'd also be wary of the risk of people going for extended test rides if I owned a shop. This is where the supplier owned demo bikes that floated around came in handy.

 

Best bet, hassle the guys at Ride to organise another Ride before you buy near you, or hassle the LBS to source you a demo unit.

 

Ride before you buy was Bicycling, not Ride.

Those days weren't always well supported.

[Mojoman]

Ride before you buy was Bicycling, not Ride.

Those days weren't always well supported.

I am suprised the bigger cycling shops don't have this option, surely it can only boost potential sales? There are always MTB events across the country, could they not have an 'Ride before you buy' event after the guys have departed and the course is empty?

[kandui]

Same problem for me when I changed from 26 to 29 inch.

I got Scott to bring some demo bikes to the last Awareness ride I organised on Table Mountain. In the howling gale and rain there will still enough "testers" that Joggie said he would come again.

Perhaps I should look at another awareness ride with a Demo day attached. What brands would be preferable?

[CAAD4]

Must be the slops.....

[Mr SingleTrack]

One problem with testing the bike beforehand:

I converted to a 29er about a year ago and I can honestly tell you that it felt weird when I first got on the bike. IMHO, it takes you about 100km worth of riding to get used to the feeling. After that, getting on a 26er just feels wrong to me. To be honest, I will never buy a 26er again as the 29er is perfect for my riding style etc. however, I would not have bought the 29er if I had done a test ride as it does feel “different” in the beginning.

Good luck with finding a test bike. Just don’t diss it after a 10km ride, give yourself time to get used to the different geometry and gear ratios

[Neg]

You guys in the Cape are lucky, your LBS's care.... here in JHB its the buck before the service... and even then the service is ............

[Caerus]

Even after I borrowed a 29er for a whole weekend, I still could not tell you if its the right bike for me, so not sure how you could never having ridden one.

 

Personally I think its stupid that the manufactuers/ agents don't supply the shops with bikes to test, surely its helping both agent & LBS in the long run.

 

The one issue is see is, what 29er do you have as a test bike? Hardtail or Dual?

 

Maybe look at renting a bike for a day/ weekend, only shite thing is you have to pay to just experience if its the right thing, crazy I know, but just a thought.

[rouxtjie]

See if you can ride with a tjommie that has a clown bike...take a pedal wrench or allen key set and swop pedals should you have to, if you can, try to ride different 29'ers as well since they are not all equal ito of geo. Also ride different terrains, long district road, some singletrack, long climbs and descents and short steep climbs and descents...rocky, smooth etc etc. And at the the end of the day...remember there is no silver bullet.

[Cycle Factory]

You guys in the Cape are lucky, your LBS's care....

 

We've been 'aving it!

 

At Cycle Factory we have a Anthem 29er available for demo rides. I agree that you need more than one spin around the block to get used to the bike and you certainly need to make sure the bike is properly setup before you do. Ride before you buy is a great initiative, but most of the time people just jump on the bikes on off they go.

 

To make sure you get the most smiles for your miles one of our sales team members will join you on the trail of your choice and can either ride another bike while you ride the demo bike or for better comparison and back-to-back sections ride yours. This way you can hop over to your own bike to confirm what you feel.

 

For most bikes this does the trick. But going from 26 to 29 you really do need more than one ride to adjust your riding style in terms of how you turn, how to hit an apex, when to lift the front wheel and the likes.

 

The Crow has been doing almost all our 29er rides for a couple of months now and he keeps stressing how one ride simply won't do it. Spend some time in the shop yesterday to make sure our sales team understand the differences in setup of a 29er vs 26er as well. Stuff like this helps a lot and it all adds up to a much better chance to get you on the right bike.

 

So if you're in CT, give Jacques a call and arrange a test ride today! (Unfortunately only a Med available)

 

On the subject of WHY DON'T MORE SHOPS / BRANDS DO THIS:

Unfortunately a couple of cowboys have soiling it for you guys over and above the fact that it's an expensive exercise. We've changed our approach by trying to get our sales and workshop team on various bikes for own use and then use those for customers to try out. Not always the right size in the brand or bike you want to try, but it's a start and we have to do something from our side to get the wheels rolling.

[Neg]

Even after I borrowed a 29er for a whole weekend, I still could not tell you if its the right bike for me, so not sure how you could never having ridden one.

 

Personally I think its stupid that the manufactuers/ agents don't supply the shops with bikes to test, surely its helping both agent & LBS in the long run.

 

The one issue is see is, what 29er do you have as a test bike? Hardtail or Dual?

 

Maybe look at renting a bike for a day/ weekend, only shite thing is you have to pay to just experience if its the right thing, crazy I know, but just a thought.

 

i would even go that far to pay to ride one for a weekend.... but if there are no test bikes... im not holding my breath for a rented bike....