bonutz

I'm looking into my first road bike purchase. I was looking at steel frame cross bikes for comfort and versatility, and almost set myself on the Lemond Poprad.

My LBS Lemond dealer doesn't have one and the owner said that he didn't want to stock one. They stock the trek cross bike but I wasn't so interested in aluminum. I test rode a 53 cm Lemond Versailles and liked it, but I fear I'm not experienced enough to tell the difference yet between frame materials or geometry on a test ride.

Would it be a terrible idea to order a bike and not test ride it first? In a town where there aren't LBS that stock Cross bikes, are there bikes I could test ride that would be similar in feel to the poprad?

KevinF

What sort of test rides does your LBS allow? Some shops only allow test rides around the parking lot or the block. I fail to see how you'd learn anything useful about how the bike reacts through a real short ride like that. Unless you get the ability for a 20ish mile ride I think you're basically buying the bike "untested" anyway.

rufvelo

True. LBS test rides are only good for obvious fit and shifter type choices. You can't really tell until you're about 50-200 miles into the bike.

yater

I have a similar problem with my LBS. It's a great shop and I get along well with the employees...but the owner doesn't want to stock ANY bianchis (even though he is a bianchi dealer). I can test ride all the specialized I want and a giant or 2...but that's it. What kind of incentive does he have to ONLY stock specialized? I told him I would most likely buy a bianchi veloce from him but wouldn't drop that kind of cheeze without a long test ride on a frame that fits. I'll go in there tomorrow with a wad of cash and see if I can change his mind. Otherwise, I'll have to drive 120 miles to check one out.

johnny99

I think test riding for fit is very useful, especially if the geometry is different from what you have ridden in the past. You can also get some kind of feel for how well the bike handles in a parking lot test (e.g., too twitchy or too sluggish for you). Beyond that, you kind of have to trust the print reviews and reputation of the manufacturer.

Surferbruce

i've bought my last three bikes w/out a test ride, but i knew what i wanted and, very importantly, what size i needed. it's tough because no shop can carry every model out there. The poprad is a great bike if it fits your body and your purpose. does the shop have fit kit type set up where they can replicate the dimensions? I've done that for one bike and it was helpful, mostly in confirming the proper size.
test rides are great but far too often they limit your choices to a small number of candidates. since it's your first bike take some time and ride other bikes with similiar and different geometries and sizes. remeber top tube length is of prime importance lemonds run long in the top tube, so you may end up on a "smaller" size then some other manufacturers.