Originally Posted by
merlinextraligh
I think there's some logic to the Shop's approach. Test riding a bike that's a poor fit for you is not going to tell you much about the bike.
If you're new to this and don't have a bike that has your fit dialed in, then a logical approach to getting a new bike is to first determine your fit, and then set you up on test rides with that fit.
If however, you already have your fit dialed in on your current bike, or you otherwise know the frame size, and other dimensions of what you want, then I'd agree that you shouldn't need to pay for a pro fit before test riding a bike.
I agree, but this shop never asked me any of those questions. It was more like pay $150, and then we'll talk. Also, I don't agree that a test ride on a bike that isn't "dialed" in will be a poor experience. Naturally at 6'3" I don't want to test ride a 51, but I think that's obvious. You can do a quick fit with very little time and effort. Good enough for a test ride I think.