Bike buying and test riding.

[Crackle]

I personally would not buy a bike I hadn't ridden, even if that means going out of my way to do a test ride. Even if I just buy a frame to build up, aka my mtn bike, I still found a built one to test ride first.

We always get threads on here asking, which one should I buy. My first thought is always, the one you liked best when you test rode it but of course people often don't, especially as so much is bought online but then again, we then get threads about buying something too big, wrong geometry etc...

So, do you buy, sight unseen or do you test ride. What's your views on the rights and wrongs of buying a bike?

 

[jowwy]

all 3 bikes sight unseen - 2 built from frame only by myself - the shiv i bought based around the geometry of my tarmac sl4

 

[Milkfloat]

I have done both and will continue to do both. In an ideal world it would be available locally (within 50 miles) for a test ride, but I think that in the future less and less will be available. I am lucky in that I am pretty confident in my fit and can narrow down the choice to a few bikes. if I cannot ride them, then I have to trust others that have or just go for the prettiest one.

I think my next major purchase will be custom made, no real chance to ride beforehand, but I expect that by being able to specify the exact materials and geometry I should be able to get it right.

 

[Drago]

I made an expensive mistake buying a Spesh Carve MTB unridden. I wouldn't spend proper money on a bike now without trying it first. Hell, I wouldn't spend 500 sheets on a car without driving it first, and the principle is little different.

 

[Crackle]

Even if you buy on similar geometry, then material, components such as stem and bars, wheels, tyres, will all influence the ride. Unless you buy prepared to start changing components you still don't quite know what you're getting, which may leave you content or with a bit of post purchase dissonance.

 

[Kajjal]

Buying unseen even new means taking a risk. Looking at the geometry and component sizes gives an idea of riding position. Also the style of bike and components fitted gives an idea of if it is what you are looking for. Being very tall i don't risk it and also there can be a difference between a spec / geometry sheet and if the actual bike rides the way you want.

 

[mjr]

I've done both. Of those I can remember, two were test-ridden, two were unseen and one was the merest of sitting-over because it wasn't ready to ride. All were made to fit.

 

[steveindenmark]

Buying bikes without testing them is not a problem as long as you know what you are looking for to begin with.

 

[Cuchilo]

Bought my Defy , TCR advanced and Shiv without test rides . Cant see the point in taking a bike sort of set up for you for a pootle up the road .

 

[growingvegetables]

I can't imagine buying a bike without having a test-ride. No way. Not ever.

 

[outlash]

Ebay muddies the waters somewhat though. You're committed to buying if you win the auction so it's a chance you take. I did this week before last with a Condor Fratello. Even though on the geometry sheet it should have been fine, there was a small chance it wouldn't fit. Apart from the seat and the narrow bars (both of which have now been changed), it's all good .

 

[Levo-Lon]

I bought the sensa sl pro from merlins which was the wrong type of road bike for me..swapped the frame for a PX Rt58 medium..miles better..
i got lucky with my commencal from crc as that was good from the box ,but ive done all sorts with it from 1x10 short stem CYB wales trips to flat fens big gear xc set up..its been a good buy and i got it for 1800 instead of the 3699 rrp..i just had to have it ,it was a bike of the year winner bla bla..the internet can be brilliant ,but you can lose a lot of money if your choice is wrong..
id never buy a Canyon as the sizing is a big gamble..

i wont buy anything now unless its ridden first.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I've done both, I would rather at least sit on it before buying but if I'm confident its what I want and I think the size is right I don't have any problem with buying blind. I did get it wrong when I brought my Verenti though, I hadn't quite got my head round sizing on modern compact frames and ended up one size to large, it wasn't a major issue though, a shorter stem and careful set up and it was fine, and I've done many happy miles on it. With both my Eastway and my Genesis I got the size right, both brought of the internet, and I've done a lot of happy miles on both.

 

[steveindenmark]

I can't imagine buying a bike without having a test-ride. No way. Not ever.

When I test ride a motorbike I usually have it for half a day.

I would need to really test a cycle for a couple of hours to see if I liked it. A 15 minute test ride would not tell me much. You also have to realise that by only buying bikes that you can test ride you are restricting yourself to very few bikes compared to the thousands you can buy on the net.

All my bikes are Koga and so I know I can buy them with confidence without trying them.

 

[Drago]

Buying bikes without testing them is not a problem as long as you know what you are looking for to begin with.

That's what I thought, until it eventually went wrong for me.

I came close to a second similar mistake when I almost about a Ribble unridden in 2014. As luck would have it I discovered guy I vaguely know at work had the model I was considering, and he lent it to me for a morning. This is how I discovered the frame flexed near the BB when I hammered the power in higher gears, which is inefficient and disconcerting. I knew exactly what I was looking for, but had no way of discovering this without actually riding one.