General Cycling Discussion - Test ride--denied

Eagerly anticipating the purchase of my first new bike in some years, I stopped by a LBS (Extreme Sports in Charlottesville, VA) to check out a bike that I am very interested in purchasing.

When I asked about a test ride, the shop guy said, "You can ride around the parking lot." He said that they don't allow longer test rides.

I was surprised and said, "Ok, I'll buy the bike somewhere else." I doubt I'll ever return to that shop, but I'm wondering, is the practice of "parking lot only" test rides normal? If so, how does one get a real feel for a bike in a two-minute spin around a parking lot?

Eagerly anticipating the purchase of my first new bike in some years, I stopped by a LBS (Extreme Sports in Charlottesville, VA) to check out a bike that I am very interested in purchasing.

When I asked about a test ride, the shop guy said, "You can ride around the parking lot." He said that they don't allow longer test rides.

I was surprised and said, "Ok, I'll buy the bike somewhere else." I doubt I'll ever return to that shop, but I'm wondering, is the practice of "parking lot only" test rides normal? If so, how does one get a real feel for a bike in a two-minute spin around a parking lot?


So maybe they have had bikes stolen from them. Maybe ask them if you can leave your credit card or car keys or something. You can easily get a feel for a bike while riding it around a parking lot or road though, I have bought all my bikes by just riding them around like that.

If they let you go farther, and you crash or whatever, then they have to try to sell the damaged bike to someone else.. I guess it depends on what kind of bike it was... if your test riding a $5,000 madone or something I can see them not wanting you to ride off into the sunset..

If they let you go farther, and you crash or whatever, then they have to try to sell the damaged bike to someone else.. I guess it depends on what kind of bike it was... if your test riding a $5,000 madone or something I can see them not wanting you to ride off into the sunset..

I personally have to say...with that test ride policy, I will not even talk to the shop. They want you to test drive it in the most dangerous possible location, not! As for the 5k issue, a bike is a small ticket item compared to an automobile. Can you imagine a car dealer saying you can test drive it around the parking lot!

Find a new shop...quick.

I personally have to say...with that test ride policy, I will not even talk to the shop. They want you to test drive it in the most dangerous possible location, not! As for the 5k issue, a bike is a small ticket item compared to an automobile. Can you imagine a car dealer saying you can test drive it around the parking lot!

Find a new shop...quick.


Wow.....

Yea maybe that shop should start letting everybody take a test ride on muddy trails and downhill and stuff. Then they could have the opportunity of washing all the bikes, cleaning the tires off and making the bike look new. Maybe dealing with bikes that come back with scratches....and then having to take money off the price of the bike when somebody asks about it.

What kind of test ride were you looking to take the bike on? If you were 95% set on one bike, you liked the price and looks and components and everything, then I could see you wanting to take the bike out on a real test ride on trails or something. But if it was a bike you were "looking at" and had other bikes in mind then why should they let you take it out and really ride it? I am sure you could have talked one of the sales people into riding with you if you wanted to go hop a few curbs or ride up some hills or something, or ride
it on something other than pavement. It dosent sound like you even gave the guy a chance, "ok i'll buy the bike somewhere else".

Yea maybe that shop should start letting everybody take a test ride on muddy trails and downhill and stuff. Then they could have the opportunity of washing all the bikes, cleaning the tires off and making the bike look new. Maybe dealing with bikes that come back with scratches....and then having to take money off the price of the bike when somebody asks about it.

It's quite possible that Blackberry is talking ahout a road bike, and not a mountain bike. In that case, taking it for a test ride probably wouldn't result in a whole lot of mud or very many scratches on the bike.

I think it's perfectly acceptable to expect to be allowed to actually test a bike on the kind of surface you're going to be riding on. A parking lot is going to be a lot smoother than actual roads, so it wouldn't give any indication of how the bike handles rough roads and vibrations.

Yes it was a road bike, and I would have handled the potential new purchase with much respect. I certainly would have been willing to leave a credit card or driver's license, but the shop guy basically told me, "we don't allow road tests." I very much wanted to check out its climbing ability on smooth roads among other things.
The amazing thing is that I had done signficant research on this bike and was just about ready to buy untiil I felt blown off by the shop. I wouldn't have asked for a discount or jawboned on the price. I respect the need for a small business to make a decent profit. I just wanted to be sure that a $2000+ investment was well
founded.

Yes it was a road bike, and I would have handled the potential new purchase with much respect. I certainly would have been willing to leave a credit card or driver's license, but the shop guy basically told me, "we don't allow road tests." I very much wanted to check out its climbing ability on smooth roads among other things.
The amazing thing is that I had done signficant research on this bike and was just about ready to buy untiil I felt blown off by the shop. I wouldn't have asked for a discount or jawboned on the price. I respect the need for a small business to make a decent profit. I just wanted to be sure that a $2000+ investment was well
founded.

Still you could have reasoned with the guy. For some reason I thought it was a mountain bike right away, possibly because the name of the bike shop "extreme sports" :D

road racing isn't "extreme" ???

If I owned a bike shop you would not leave the parking lot either. Allowing people to ride off down the road for test rides is stupid.

It dosent sound like you even gave the guy a chance, "ok i'll buy the bike somewhere else".[/QUOTE]

Actually, he never gave me a chance. If he had given me a chance to ride the bike for more than two mintues, I'm almost certain I would have bought the it--and at his price. But I guess that's the beauty of the capitalist system. He exercised his freedom of choice. So did I.

If I owned a bike shop you would not leave the parking lot either. Allowing people to ride off down the road for test rides is stupid.

Really? I've bought a number of high-end bikes exactly in that manner with excellent results.

OK blackberry, lets put this in a perspective you might understand.

You start a business and put 100,000 dollars into inventory. The money for the inventory is borrowed on top of that. It is a normal business practice to borrow money to cover the business instead of using your own capitol.

In strolls a man you have never met in your life insisting you let him ride off down the highway on a 2000 dollar peice of merchandise you really do not even own yourself. Realizing how likely it is that if stolen that the bike will never be recovered by the police what do you do.

Think about it.

I understand these people that are thinking they would be weary of letting someone test ride if it was their own shop (but Klein definitely has an attitude), but how can you be expected to drop such a chunk of change without even knowing if you're happy with something? Leaving something behind will solve the anti-trust problem. Being happy with the price and the looks will only do good if the bike sits in the living room as a decoration. Let's face it, nobody (I hope) buys a car without test driving. When a bike is made to be ridden, how do you know it'll work for you if you don't ride it? It's just ridiculous to be expected to get a feel for the bike by just looking and riding in circles.

When I bought my Cannondale a while back, I test rode the three I was choosing from all at least twice, and these were rides as long as I felt comfortable. (around town) I somply wouldn't have made a purchase without doing so, and they understood. Actually, a test ride was understood on their part, and freely offered, I left my purse behind each time.

Finding a different shop instead of spending so much without really knowing what you're getting is an awesome idea. Good luck!

Jessica

Sam, how will you ever make that money back that you've borrowed if you don't make a profit? People need to know what they'd actually be buying from you, and lot of them wouldn't want to make such an expensive mistake based on looks, components or price, etc. Perhaps $2000 just isn't such a big deal to you?

No shop should just trust so quickly, either, without getting something of value in return from the customer before they leave with the bike.

Around here, when you test drive a car, the salesperson stays with you, and additionally they take a photocopy of your license. Perhaps the shop owner could designate someone to ride with you on that test?

When I bought my Lemond, there was no problem with the test ride. But, I had been into the shop several times discussing what I wanted in a bike and the owner and I were on good terms.

When I came back from my test ride, the owner complained that my ride was too short, I should have stayed out longer.

But, since I was coming off of a mtn bike, and had never done much riding of a road bike, I pretty much left the recommendation of what to get to the LBS owner, who has a great reputation in those areas.

I really did not know a lot as to what I wanted in a road bike, except that I had a loonngg torso and short legs, and I wanted something faster than a mtn bike! So a test ride did not mean a lot.

Fortunately, he chose well for me, and I have never had to change anything about the "fit" (except I raised the seat 1/4 inch) in almost 5 years.

You sign a wavier,leave your DL and a CC.That covers everything doesnt it.Both times i tested a bike,a salesman came with me to ride and talk to me. We rode around for 15 minutes at one lbs and 10-15 at another.

Sam, how will you ever make that money back that you've borrowed if you don't make a profit? People need to know what they'd actually be buying from you, and lot of them wouldn't want to make such an expensive mistake based on looks, components or price, etc. Perhaps $2000 just isn't such a big deal to you?

There is also the added angle of what stipulations there might be in the shops insurance providers. If I provided insurance to protect this shop I might stipulate that they cannot allow bikes to be ridden off the property in the event of theft or even bodily injury of the customer after you have sent them on their way down the road.

There are all kinds of reasons for limiting test rides.

BUT...he was not in fact denied a test ride he was just told he could not ride beyond a specified area. Was it a shopping center where there is room for sprinting to a decent speed or was it a 10 car parking lot with no room whatsoever?

I understand these people that are thinking they would be weary of letting someone test ride if it was their own shop (but Klein definitely has an attitude)


Haha that was kind of random. I am just discussing the topic, I dont see why you think I have an attitude just because of this. Maybe I should have put a few more :D's in my posts...

At our shop you give us you drivers liscense or other ID(Sometimes with a credit card) and you can test ride a bike for a reasonable length of time. We allow some long test rides for high end bikes and tandems with the understanding that if you damage it your purchase choice has been made. The only rules are no skidding and no riding in the dirt(Dirty bikes are not new bikes)

In my opinion, letting bikes out the door with no collateral(ID or whatever) is foolish.

I prefer that our customers go out in the local neighborhood to test ride. They can pay more attention to the ride and worry less about getting run over by the A-holes rushing to buy organic at the whole food store in our shopping center.

When my wife and I went to our bike shop to select our bikes, our salesman practically shooed us out into the neighborhood with them (twice for me, as I test-rode a Gary Fisher before setting eyes on the Trek). They of course required us to leave our licenses with them (dur!), but it was assumed that we couldn't possibly make a decision by simply straddling the machines in the showroom or by pedaling the short stretch of sidewalk adjacent to their miniscule parking lot.

Can't say enough about our lbs! :D

Actually, a test ride was understood on their part, and freely offered, I left my purse behind each time.

Finding a different shop instead of spending so much without really knowing what you're getting is an awesome idea. Good luck!

Jessica[/QUOTE]

Thanks, Jessica, for your good suggestion.

I had been to the shop three times to talk with the staff before I even asked for a test ride. I would have been happy to leave a wallet/driver's licence, or anything else they asked for. Or I would have been happy to ride with a shop employee. Despite all the flaming re: my question, I still don't think anyone has answered how one can get a sense of a bike riding circles around a parking lot. I have a lot of respect for small business owners, but I guess I also needed to feel like I was in my comfort zone with regard to a big decision. I've bought bikes from great shops (like West Hill in Putney Vt.) where there's just a good vibe between customers and staff. That's what I'll look for again here in the hospitable south.

In my opinion, letting bikes out the door with no collateral(ID or whatever) is foolish.

My FBS seems to have a bunch of different test ride policies. For almost everyone, they'll require a CC and copy of some form of ID. For some bikes, they require a refundable deposit which they will of course apply to the purchase of the bike should the customer want to buy it. Then for other people such as myself, they just let the bike roll with out the door without much concern. I've developed a pretty good relationship with them and am friends with the owners so they have been known to let me have the bike for a weekend. I do like that idea of the salesperson joining in on the test ride (that definately would demonstrate a personal touch) if it's short enough and things were slow enough but I guess that wouldn't scale very well.




I prefer that our customers go out in the local neighborhood to test ride. They can pay more attention to the ride and worry less about getting run over by the A-holes rushing to buy organic at the whole food store in our shopping center.

Agreed. IMHO, parking lots are some of the most dangerous places to be riding. All the bike shops I've ever visited have suggested riding areas that are low in traffic but offer enough distance and terrain to truly exercise the qualities of the bike.

You can't get a good feel for a new bike riding it around your local bike shop's parking lot. Most parking lots wouldn't have enough area to take the bike out of low gear.

As mentioned, you should be able to leave car keys, or a credit card. Or the salesperson should be willing to hop on a bike, and ride with you around the neighborhood.

Today, a lot of bikes can be considered a major purchase. It's not unrealistic to want to try out a particular model, and make sure it's right for you, before you buy it. If the bike shop lets you take the bike, or several bikes out for a spin, and you find one you like and purchase, you will probably return to the same shop for servicing, accessories, etc. On the other hand, if you can't go beyond the parking lot testing a bike, and aren't able to get a good feel for how it rides (other then in circles), you may have regrets later on after buying this bike, if you discover it's not suited to the riding you do.

If there are no other bike shops around, and you can't test ride around the neighborhood. I think no riding around the neighborhood warrants repeated, & extended parking lot riding with each bike you are considering. Test ride a bike, and then stall afterwards making it a point to the bike shop, that you're not sure. Then do another test ride. You should be able to do this several times a day, for each model.

When i was looking for my bike the guys at the bike show encouraged me to test ride 3 bikes up the hill just outside their shop. If they told me I could only ride it in their parking lot I dont think I would have made the right decision on the bike I bought as the first two did not feel quite as good.

To be honest of the 15 bike shops in my area, you will not be given the bike to ride except in the parking lot. If you want it for longer you can ride a demo model (if they have it). Even when I lived in Vancouver no shop would let you take the bike for a real ride. For several reasons I would assume

a) you could 'test' it and damage it.
b) show bikes usually aren't ready to ride. Not tuned up or even completely built
c) Stolen bikes are a crappy thing and dealing with insurance is even worse.

I would never hold it against a shop for not letting me ride past the parking lot.

How many of you buy clothes without trying them on first? A proper test ride is a must. Some people steal bikes, but I do not. How the shop is going to be able to tell the difference is their concern, and I am willing to comply with rational requirements (CC, driver's license etc). A shop that flatly tells me to stick within the parking lot area will not get the deal.

--J

[QUOTE=BlackberryDespite all the flaming re: my question, I still don't think anyone has answered [/QUOTE]


I can say that all my bikes have been purchased without riding it out of a parking lot. I ordered the bike that I will be paying off tomorrow without riding one at all....that is the specialized demo 9. Part of it is because I work at the shop but I still dont really think I would need to take a bike out of a parking lot to get used to it. All you need to know is if the bike fits and what the weight of it is really. You can always take the bike back if you arent satisfied with it also. Then when you take it back and they ask why....you can tell them that they didnt allow you to take it on a real test ride :D

I prefer that our customers go out in the local neighborhood to test ride. They can pay more attention to the ride and worry less about getting run over by the A-holes rushing to buy organic at the whole food store in our shopping center.

Sounds like you got a great shopping center there. I would even bet that a lot of those organic whole food buyers are also customers of yours, or that almost all of your customers stop at the whole foods store when they come see you.

[QUOTE=BlackberryDespite all the flaming re: my question, I still don't think anyone has answered


I can say that all my bikes have been purchased without riding it out of a parking lot. I ordered the bike that I will be paying off tomorrow without riding one at all....that is the specialized demo 9. Part of it is because I work at the shop but I still dont really think I would need to take a bike out of a parking lot to get used to it. All you need to know is if the bike fits and what the weight of it is really. You can always take the bike back if you arent satisfied with it also. Then when you take it back and they ask why....you can tell them that they didnt allow you to take it on a real test ride :D[/QUOTE]
If you test ride then its less likly to go to the hassle of returning the thing. I need to know a lot more then you do including how it feels under me,not a guess or in a dream.

Actually, a test ride was understood on their part, and freely offered, I left my purse behind each time.

Finding a different shop instead of spending so much without really knowing what you're getting is an awesome idea. Good luck!


Thanks, Jessica, for your good suggestion.

I had been to the shop three times to talk with the staff before I even asked for a test ride. I would have been happy to leave a wallet/driver's licence, or anything else they asked for. Or I would have been happy to ride with a shop employee. Despite all the flaming re: my question, I still don't think anyone has answered how one can get a sense of a bike riding circles around a parking lot. I have a lot of respect for small business owners, but I guess I also needed to feel like I was in my comfort zone with regard to a big decision. I've bought bikes from great shops (like West Hill in Putney Vt.) where there's just a good vibe between customers and staff. That's what I'll look for again here in the hospitable south.

As mensioned befor a parking lot is by far a lot more dangerous than the road! No you cannot get a good feel of the bike from a flat parking lot at least for climbing and sprints. For what it's worth another lbs opinion: my local lbs lets you ride an hour if you want. I don't know about mtb but road bikes no prob.

On the other hand if you have done your research and you know what size frame you need and you have experience riding so you know what climbing gears you need and what a sprint feels like ect... than you can most certainly get the bike to fit you. Why not look on line for the same bike after taking them up on there parking lot tour?

For a mountain bike I've found the parking lot to be sufficient. All I really want to do on it is get a feel for the position, and the speed humps and small curbs provide a good opportunty to get a feel for the handling. My LBS has a couple of MTB test tracks set up in the parking area (which is quite a large area), so there's really no need to go further.

For a road bike, it's good to at least have the option to ride a bit further. Even in a big parking lot, you often just don't have space to test higher speed stability, braking, cornering etc. Parking lots can also be too bumpy or debris-laden to safely take on too much speed. My LBS is right near one of Denver's bike trails and a few quiet roads, and they're more than happy for you to ride away from the store providing you leave a CC, DL and sign a waiver. I took a 10 minute test ride on my road bike and the salespeople were all surprised I didn't go further! I rode bikes at 2 other shops in Denver and both happily allowed me to ride away from the store (within reason).

IMHO, you did the right thing taking your business elsewhere. A new bike is not a small purchase, and not one many of us can afford to make a mistake on. Find a shop that will support you well during pre-sales, and you'll more than likely have a shop that will support you after you hand over your hard earned cash. :)

Whe I test drove my Grizzly they took my credit card, of course by the time I did the test I was on first a first name basis with everybody there.

blackberry

Fredericksburg isn't all that far away and "The Bike Works" will encourage you to take a long ride to be sure it's what you want.

They didn't keep my license or credit card or anything like that I've been in there before but not that much. Of course my truck was in their lot so maybe they were pretty sure I'd come back.

Joe

Taking a test ride on the road isnt stupid for a LBS to do. Implying that it is, in my opinion, is stupid. Would you buy a car from a dealer if you were only able to drive around the parking lot or just around the block? Not me. I know plenty of LBSs that allow you to take a 20 to 30 minute ride with any bike, just as long as you have a valid ID and credit card. All of them have a you scratch it = you bought it clause. In one summer I test rode as many as 15 different bikes from several LBSs...Colnago, Klein, Bianchi, the list goes on. You just take the chance that if you scratch, ding, slide or wreck it, you bought it.

If I owned a bike shop you would not leave the parking lot either. Allowing people to ride off down the road for test rides is stupid.

Well, I must live a a pretty nice place, my experience, it's never been a problem to test ride a bike beyond a parking lot around here.

When we decided my husband was getting a Blur, we went the LBS for a test ride. They asked for a CC, and allowed us to take the bicycle 15 minutes away for 2 hours to test ride. Now, to "demo" a mtb bike, you pay a refundable deposit of $25, leave your CC#, and it's yours for the weekend. With our road bikes, we were encouraged to ride them around the neighborhood, and even to take them down to our local river trail for a 25 mile ride. We keep going back.

There's one shop in town that only allows a "parking lot test," but I've never bought a bike from them b/c of that.

haha, I left my mom there as collateral...when I got my bike, I couldn't drive, so I didn't have any collateral...I think I left my shoes in the shop too.

haha, I left my mom there as collateral...when I got my bike, I couldn't drive, so I didn't have any collateral...

Talk about selling your own mother for a ride! :D

Heck..I think a parking lot is more likely to have a problem than a quiet road. My two road bikes they let me take out on a minor ride, but did not limit me to the parking lot. When I bought my Klein I probably rode it for two miles before deciding to buy it.. My older road bike was in their store. They did not require a DL or CC. They knew me just a little. Not from the town where the shop was located. Probably had been in the store two times prior to the test ride.
I appreciated the one mile ride. Got a feel for the bike at speeds in excess of 10 mph...

Erratic rider-
"Sounds like you got a great shopping center there. I would even bet that a lot of those organic whole food buyers are also customers of yours, or that almost all of your customers stop at the whole foods store when they come see you."
Surprisingly few of our customers are also customers of the grocery store. ( I ask, as I have had numerous problems with the groc. including the manager of the store accusing me of stealing in front of my co-workers, a false and slanderous statement)
For the customers of this groc. we exist as a childcare for their children. Most of our customers come from the neighborhood and they dislike this store replacing the Winn Dixie that was there.

You would only need to ride a bike from one end of the lot to the other to agree that the people driving in the lot are A-holes and spend one afternoon here to figure out most cars contain people that will be going into the groc.
They block up the lot so much during lunch that it probably cost us customers.




AND, yes you can get a feel for most bikes in the parking lot if the lot is big enough. For a mountian bike more so than a road bike.

Someone mentioned that you're allowed to try on a jacket before you buy it.
Anyone ever tried on a jacket, walked out the store with it, came back from lunch?
Ever tested a fridge, taken it home, checked if it'd keep your food cold enough, taken it back w/o purchasing it?
Ever gone into glen cove auto and said, here's my drivers license and 1 credit card, lemme test drive that ferrari 360 F1, oh yeah, and you don't get to come with me.

With that said, my girlfriend went to one bike shop where they practically INSISTED she try on a bike when we told them we did not want to buy a bike at the time. They actually took up 2 bikes from the shop for her to test out on the streets. All we did was leave behind her bike, which was worth 1/5th the price. We went around the block.

If the service is good and friendly, I wouldn't completely shun the shop just because they didn't allow me to go further than the parking lot. Especially in NYC.

ok, well, i'm skipping over the other responses so hopefully i'm not just restating everything...

I have experienced this attitude a few times, but almost any good bike shop will let you REALLY test the product.

On one hand, you do have to demonstrate the willingness/potential to buy (i mean if a 13-year-old comes in by himself to test a lightspeed or the newest dirt jumper, well...)

and as this has already been cleared, it is a road bike. For mountain bikes many shops let you test ride, but tell you not to get it dirty (which makes sense as they will have to clean it if you don't buy it).

as an example: we bought a new mountain bike for my girlfriend over xmas when i was back in the US. as i had no local contacts in Philadelphia, i contacted the shop in advance by email/phone and the owner arranged to have a test bike to our wishes (small women's model Epic) available for us and for no charge we had the test bike 5 days and he said we could ride whatever we wanted (it was rainy/muddy). in the end we ended up not buying this bike (a 2003), but ordering the new 2004 --- and the owner FREE gave me a demo bike so i could ride with her... and in the end i ended up buying it to :) THAT's how a good bike shop works! Keswick Cycle Philadelphia (i also just ordered a new fork and rear shock from Brian)

anyway, not all shops are as great as the above...

but other than a test ride, ask if you can do a demo ride - maybe for $10 to $30 for the day which IF you purchase the bike goes towards the purchase cost - i.e. if you don't buy the bike the owner gets some money to offset washing/wear it AND knows that you're not just joyriding as you're serious enough to pay for a test-ride.

and for a high-dollar bike, say over $900, DEFINITELY test-ride it or an almost identical bike (same brand/size).

Someone mentioned that you're allowed to try on a jacket before you buy it.
Anyone ever tried on a jacket, walked out the store with it, came back from lunch?
Ever tested a fridge, taken it home, checked if it'd keep your food cold enough, taken it back w/o purchasing it?
Ever gone into glen cove auto and said, here's my drivers license and 1 credit card, lemme test drive that ferrari 360 F1, oh yeah, and you don't get to come with me.




This statement is completely ridiculous. A jacket fits or it doesn't an appliance works or it doesn't, it does not require you take it out of the store for a "test drive" - besides nearly all stores I shop in will allow you to return and item, for a refund, after a purchase for whatever reason. I would fully expect an adult, with the means to purchase a Ferrari, to be allowed to test ride one alone.

When I purchased my entry level bike, I did not test ride it - I would not have known what to look for anyway. When I purchased my road bike, I test rode several and picked the one that fit me best. The differences were minor, and I would not have been able to notice any difference by riding around a small parking lot. BTW, the bike shop employees did not know me, and the did not ask for any ID or even my name.

Someone mentioned that you're allowed to try on a jacket before you buy it.
Anyone ever tried on a jacket, walked out the store with it, came back from lunch?
Ever tested a fridge, taken it home, checked if it'd keep your food cold enough, taken it back w/o purchasing it?
Ever gone into glen cove auto and said, here's my drivers license and 1 credit card, lemme test drive that ferrari 360 F1, oh yeah, and you don't get to come with me.
i gotta agree with NW NJ Biker here...

besides, assuming you are a customer who could reasonably afford a Ferrari, you DEFINITELY CAN test it out! they have insurance and the small cost of cleaning it and/or possiblity of something going wrong is WELL worth the potential of a $$$$$ sale.

if it's an inexpensive bike then ok, but for an "expensive" bike (subjective - but definitely over $800) you cannot reasonably determine the capabilities of the bike without a test ride.

again, if they give you a problem, offer to leave keys, credit card, etc. if that doesn't work, then offer to make a deposit or even pre-authorize the cost on your credit card and then do a demo/test ride. if they won't work with you, then buy somewhere else! (this doesn't apply if you're shopping at Wal-mart but then don't buy a bike there anyway)

Service is part of what you pay for at the LBS (otherwise order it online or from Ebay), so you should actually GET service. (I have never, and probably will never buy a bike online as i can't test-ride it -- and going to a LBS and test riding and then ordering online is WRONG - you're *stealing* their service if you never intended to buy from there)

You're taking my examples out of context, as far as using the item is concerned, my point was you shouldn't totally discount the store if they don't allow you a ride outside of the parking lot.

The first two LBS I went too for some ride time on differnt bikes gave me the option to "road test" them. However, the mere thought of damaging them while doing so kept me from taking them outside of their parking lot.

About any good bike shop will let you test ride as long as they know you are serious about buying. I've had shops let me ride around the parking lot and after I found one I liked, offer to let me take it for the weekend. The higher the price of the bike the more likely you are to get an offer like this though.

Okay-- a couple of quick points. First, I wouldn't frequent that shop either-- as I recall, they're in a very small parking lot, so it's not much of an area to ride. In addition, I looked at a kayak there once, and found the sales help to be a) snooty and b) lacking knowledge. Not a positive sign.

That said, if it's the shop I recall, it's located a bit up from the Rio road/route 29 intersection on Rio. Both of these roads are heavily travelled, with 45mph speed limits. I would not take a new, unfamiliar bike on either one. I would not be hot to let some ride a new, unfamiliar bike on either one. I'd only take a very familiar steed that I knew well on either of these roads. The location of the shop may have something to do with the lot only policy. Those two roads, especially at that juncture, are hideous urban/suburban road sprawl/design at it's absolute worst. That may be an understatement.

The OP has plenty of other shops in the C'ville area to choose from. Blue Wheel is still on Elliwood; there's a Performance out 29 as well as another shop; and there's always the fascinating collection of junkers at Basic Cycles. Probably another couple shops somewhere around. I'll tell the OP not to bother with the trip to Richmond, as none of the shops here are terribly impressive.

If they're friendly and they try their best, I'd still go to them and respect their reasons for keeping me in the parking lot.
Though overly friendly makes me feel guilty...