hao

I'm not trying to troll, I don't see the value of test rides.
Say you test two bikes and conclude that one feels faster/more comfy/better, it doesn't mean a thing...unless you ensure that everything on the two bikes are identical, i.e. the only difference is the frame, AND that both bikes are optimally fitted, AND that you are in the same physical and mental state during both test rides.
You do all that, you'll have a legitimate comparison. But it's still a sample size of 1.

Mageesh0

For the same sort of reasons you test drive a car before buying I would imagine.

Cleave

Hi,

I agree, the typical test ride is a waste of time. You can draw some conclusions if you demo a bike for a few days, but not over a few miles. Besides fit is more important than how a bike "feels" on a short test ride.

HMF

I think the test ride is simply to make sure the bike is within range of what you like.. i.e. eliminating what is definitely not an option. After that, it's mostly a matter of which bike is sexier. Or better value.

BrainInAJar

So that the sleazy used car salesman can psychologically commit you to it?

Creatre

This.

BarracksSi

A test ride is what got me to find the right size of my first "real" (i.e., non-Wal-Mart) MTB. A test ride also highlighted the differences between the same size of Tarmac and Roubaix, even though I bought neither.

Tangentially, it shows that the shop is willing to trust me and will work with me. One LBS that I now like let me take home a demo bike for a week. I've given them more of my business since then.

jmX

The test ride between the Roubaix that I purchased and a canondale carbon six were immense. If I hadn't ridden either I probably would have bought the Canondale. After the ride, there was no way I could pass on the Roubaix. It smooths out everything the road throws at you, which appeals to me.

As for fit, I figured I could make either bike fit just fine, and got a pro fitting after I bought the bike.

Other things I learned on a test ride, ultegra shifts great, and I don't like SRAM doubletap shifting. Seems like a perfectly legit thing to test ride a bike to me.

Seattle Forrest

You can figure some things out from a test ride, and some shops will work with you more than others will. The place I got mine from had three bikes I was interested in; they adjusted the saddle height and setback on each of them to match my bike, put the pedals I like on the bikes, and flipped the stems upright. They offered to take the stem off my bike and put it on each of theirs as I test rode, but that was a bit extreme. They also said that if I wanted to take a week day off, I could take the one I was interested in ( and wound up buying ) for an all-day test ride.

Another shop wouldn't even let me change the platform pedals on their CR1. I rode the bike that way, but it felt so weird, I couldn't really get a feel for the bike. Like you say.

What I really don't get, though, is how you try to compare the feel of two different bikes at two different shops.

BarracksSi

I think what would help is if you could take both shops' bikes on routes that you already know (and if you're lucky about their locations, the same route). Making sure both bikes' tires are pumped up the same helps, too. There was a street near one LBS that I always used to check "ride smoothness" because the pavement was in such dire need of repair. It's been repaved, though, so I would need to find another stretch if I was shopping again.

BarracksSi

Some things you can't really get from a test ride, though.

To say that "Ultegra shifts great" (not picking on you, jmX) might only indicate that the Ultegra bike was recently tuned by someone who knows what they're doing. I can make any bike shift crappy just by fiddling with the barrel adjusters. When I bought my CAAD8, I told the shop that if they tune the shifting, I'd buy it; they said that they always fine-tuned bikes before they got sold, so when I took it home a while later, it shifted flawlessly. The fact that it was out of adjustment was probably no fault of theirs, too, because who knows what other customers did to it while it was sitting on the display rack.

The bike's fit only needs to be close enough, too. We all know that changing stems and saddle position can make enough difference to prefer one setup over the other. But, I don't think that something like a stem that's angled a bit too high is enough to dismiss the entire bike.

The trick is, you need to know what differences are due to the frame and what are due to bike setup & tuning. You won't quite be able to figure them out, however, until you get a good amount of seat time.

SendMoreChris

Even considering those variables you're still deciding on one full bike. If a Trek bike feels better than a Specialized bike only because of the difference in wheels, those are still the wheels you're going to ride if you buy. If a bike feels better only because it's fits better, that's the fit you should ride. The variables would only become an issue if you were choosing a frame for a build.

patentcad

I have to ride a bike for a week or more to really get a feel for it.

Carbon Unit

I wouldn't buy a pair of shoes without trying them on either. When tested a few bikes before I bought mine and I could feel a difference. I bought the bike that felt the best and I very happy with it.

Riding a bike for a few days would be better but I could tell in a few miles that I liked one bike more than the other.

patentcad

Here's the problem: the impressions I form on a 10 mile test ride are often misleading. Then I ride the bike for a week I really change my mind.

GeorgePaul

Do you know of a better way to select a bicycle for purchase?

Hydrotim

Some of these points are similar to my thinking re the post about lbs or Bikes Direct (or any other mail order bike). Is not being able to test ride a bike such a big deal? As long as the frame size is correct all other adjustments for a good fit can be made over an extended period of time a little at a time.
I think the value of a test ride is even less for a non experienced rider such as myself - all new bikes seem great and it is almost impossible to distinguish the subtle differences between two - never mind 4 or 5 that may be available at a single lbs. Then going to another lbs on different days, conditions and roads would cloud any decision making even more.

BeeSeeBee

Looking at geometry charts, talking to reputable and trusted reviewers or owners that can describe the nuances of the bike, borrowing a friend's for a few days if possible. And failing all that, realizing that the differences between some bikes are going to be so small that it doesn't matter, and that I should stop wringing my hands and just ride the thing.

hao

Agreed.

Everything shifts great, IF you adjust it correctly, even Sora. And I'm not sure how you can decide Doubletap is not for you based on one test ride.

Agreed.

True. But many of us buy a bike as a starting point, with the aim of upgrading the components with exactly what we want. Therefore, the frame is really what we care about.

Components, reputation, warranty, price, sale, bad reviews by others (I find bad reviews more illuminating than good reviews)...all of which are independent of a test ride.

hao

Interpretation: Pcad has signs of Alzheimer's.

cappuccino911

it depends on who the consumer is. I hadn't ridden a bike regular in over 15 years when I stopped into my lbs last february just to randomly look at things with ZERO intention of buying anything. I was looking for something to commute on around the city but also to be able to do fitness rides. Told the salesperson I was thinking a MTB potentially because I would love to have the option to go offroad with it. He asked how often did I think I'd do that and I thought about it and said, "being that i'd have to load it onto a car to get anywhere with dirt trails, probably not often." I told him my budget and he had me ride two totally different bikes to get a feel for the differences. An entry level MTB feels nothing like an entry level road bike and I immediately knew that a MTB was NOT the bike for me.

Now that I'm a lot more experienced with bikes and been educating myself, I would still test ride but I'd definately be looking at different things.

ciocc_cat

Since I built-up my last three bikes myself, a test ride prior to purchase wasn't an option for me. I had to go on research/experience. My current ride (Ciocc San Cristobal built-up in 1986) is still my "dream bike" in terms of comfort/ride quality, so I must have done something right.

If you're buying an assembled bike, a test-ride might not help much - or it might keep you from making a bad mistake. I say take her for a spin - unless you're one of those who still doesn't believe in sex before marriage and is gambling on the outcome.

garysol1 

It is the shops fault. At our shop we check and adjust the detailers and brakes before any and all test rides no matter. If a customer is willing to spend there time in my store test riding bikes it is my responsibility to give them the best test ride possible. Besides the cable adjustments we also make sure saddle height is correct and Ill swap stems if needed for a more proper fit.

pdedes

test rides are next to useless. unless you've got the bike for a week. know your dimensions, the geometry requirements your body has and you can pick a bike that will work for you sight unseen. if the bike and your body are close enough, the right stem, handlebar, saddle and seatpost will conspire to make things work.

banerjek

If you're buying a whole bike and not just a frame, why on earth would you expect everything to need to be identical on the bikes for the comparison to be valid? The whole point is that each bike is different.

The only thing you really need to do is make sure the bikes are set up basically the same way. If you test ride a bunch of bikes set up the same way, you'll find that you respond to them very differently, and if one speaks to you, you'll know it. It's true it takes awhile to figure out some things -- it takes me about 2 weeks or even more to dial in a bike. But you'll know what works for you and what doesn't. If you don't, you didn't really test it.

If you buy a bike based on specs or on someone else's recommendation and you don't already know a lot about yourself and what you're buying, your chances of not being happy go through the roof.