Road Cycling - test riding a pre purchase road bike?

what are the parameters of test riding a new bike? will most lbs only let me test ride around the parking lot? if so, i don't think this is sufficient to know the bike and see if it fits me properly.

will they let me take the bike out for an hour or more so i can check the fit, the ride etc.?

before i go asking my lbs, i want some advice from some of you who know more about this than me.:(

The only way for you to know the policy of the LBS, would be for you to ask them. The LBS I usually go to has, several times let me take thier bikes for a spin thru the neighborhood.
At another LBS I stopped in last week, there was a girl looking at a new Giant road bike. They adjusted everything on the bike for her, put some Look cleats on her shoes and had her come in the next morning to ride out with the club that rides 40 miles from thier shop on Sunday mornings.

Shop around and narrow down the choices before asking. It helps to be a regular shopper (who buys) so they know your name/face. Most lbs here are willing to let you go if they think you are truly serious. As for fit, ask if any components can be swapped out for a better fit before heading out. Lbs don't always have this option as they foot the bill for exchanges.

http://www.wrenchscience.com/WS1/Secure/Fitting/Height.asp
Go here to help find your correct sizing.

I know of one lbs that basically fortifies their parking lot to make sure someone doesn't bolt with the bike. I don't think this approach is too condusive to selling their bikes but it is fun to watch.

Go to the shop and ask what you can do. the point is to get a good feel for the ride and, in my opinion, more than a parking lot ride is needed.

Good luck.

It really depends on the shop, and IMO this is one good measure of the quality of a shop. Not long ago I was on a long ride and happened upon a shop I'd never been to. Inside, I mentioned that I'd been thinking about adding a 105-level steel road bike to supplement my touring bikes. I made it clear I was "just looking," and wasn't there to buy a bike.

Nevertheless, they took down a Fuji Roubaix Pro, swapped my pedals onto it, adjusted the saddle position out in the parking lot, and then outlined an 8-mile loop that included some long flats, a very exciting descent, and a challenging climb, and sent me on my way.

No deposit, no ID. Of course, they had my ti touring bike as collateral!

Nevertheless, I was extremely impressed with this shop and will go out of my way to do business with them in the future.

This is an extreme example, but I wouldn't be willing to buy a bike where I wasn't allowed to test-ride it until I was satisfied. I would be specific about this up front, and if arrangements couldn't be made I would go elsewhere.

RichC

Originally posted by Greg
I know of one lbs that basically fortifies their parking lot to make sure someone doesn't bolt with the bike. I don't think this approach is too condusive to selling their bikes but it is fun to watch.



I rode at a bike shop that I think is going to start fortifying their parking lot for the opposite reason, to keep cars out.

reason being, I was hit by a car in their parking lot while taking a test ride. gotta watch out

My bike was adjusted and they have helments to use.You leave a C C and your D L AND GO RIDE.

The shop where I work, allows test rides and encourages them. If someone doesn't want to go for a ride, they come in and say, I'll take that bike (usually lower end comfort or hybrid bikes). We make sure they at least go for a ride around the parking lot.

If we are spending time with a customer, and they are serious cyclist. We'll let them Demo the bike for a day or a weekend. Had one guy who wanted to custom order a frame, and rode 4 different bikes on different days until he found what he wanted.

Of course, we ask for a CC and get a Dr. L. #. We tell the customer he/she is responsible for any damage. (just to cover our expenses if brought back wrecked)

We even do this with seats. Hard to tell if a saddle fits from just sitting on a bike for 5 mins. We'll tell the customer to ride it a few times and if they don't like it bring it back as long as it not damaged and we can resell it.

L8R

The LBS I bought my bike at pretty much lets you go as long as you want. The first time I was there, they asked to keep my Drivers License. But now that they know me and see me in there so often, I can basically go ride as far as I want. In fact, I was waiting for my bike to be fixed one afternoon and one guy asked if i wanted to take anything for a test ride. The local bike trail is right next to the shop, so I took a TI bike out and down the trail for a few miles and back. I've heard of guys going out for an hour long test ride. I think it kinda matters on their comfort level with you and how serious of a biker they think you are.

But, just asking what their policy is regarding test rides is the best bet. If they say No to a test ride, you need to go to a different LBS.

PBW

The LBS I go to will let you take a bike out. They actually have a rental program if someone wants to ride a bike for the weekend. No cheap bikes here- they are all Litespeeds, Moots, etc.
But they will let you test ride the bike, the owner is a master at fitting someone to the bike. I think it is a "take if for a spin around the parking lot" type thing but I know that if you buy it and don't like something they will work to satisfy the customer.
That is what you go to a LBS for anyway, is that superior service.

My ususal LBS will normally let me ride around for a while to determine if I like a bike no questions asked. I've also gone to another shop where the salesperson actually came out and rode with me. (might have been able to take him on my bike but not a GF 29'er that I wasn't used to :P)

Yeah, at the shop I work at test rides are heavely encouraged. If someone is looking at a fairly high end bike we have no problemw with them wanting to take it for a couple hours. If we know they are very serious a day or a weekend test ride is pretty common also. ID is always required and a CC for anything more then a couple hours. This is usually a win win for the shop and the customer. The customer ends up with the right bike for them, and the shop that helps him along with his selection is usually rewarded with a nice high end sale. I can't remember a test ride that lasted more then an hour that didn't end in a sale, at least down the road.

I can never understand why some shops refuse to do this.

The cycle shops I have seen are pretty understanding about this. You can go out and ride a bike in the local area. I don't know about doing a more extended ride like 40 miles, but I think they would let you if you were a decent customer and they figured you were going to buy a bike from them.

Of course, it is evil to test ride a bike and take their time and then buy the same thing on the internet for $50 less. You really should not test ride bikes unless you are going to give them a fair shot at the sale.

Now I don't know what the policy would be if you laid crashed and damaged the bike. But that does not happen much and I suspect it is not much of a problem.