Originally Posted by
baj32161
Oh puhlEEEEEZE....another "expert" heard from
Why do so many of the posters here in BF jump at the chance to be a d*ck? I am assuming you actually KNOW the OP and have actually seen him? Give me a break.
As for the shop...I agree with many of the other posters.
I have found that any brand name road bike in any given price point will not differ much.
As far as the importance of a test drive, it all depends on whom you ask. A test ride around the parking lot is not going to tell you much at all....maybe just give you a basic feel for shifting, and I would be insulted if that is all the shop offered. A proper test ride can tel you many things, especialy if you are a new rider but do no tbe too discouraged if you cannot tell a big difference be6tween one bike and another similar one. I think you have gotten some good advice from the guys in here. One thing I would also consider is if
the shop would swap out saddles for you. The first road bike I test rode years ago would have given me a very pleasant test ride had I had a different saddle than the stock one (I ended up buying the bike anyway and tyhe shop did eventually swap out the saddle for me.
Cheers,
Brian J.
OK...
First, because they are and when confronted with a lack of knowledge one behaves badly. Even on an anonymous bike board.
Second...if the bikes don't have a lot of differences, then why is a test ride so all important? It's not except for the shop person to test fit. You are contradicting yourself with your comments.
Test rides have been beaten to death...so here's what I do...I like to get (within the bikes that fit) two different types...like say a TCR carbon something and a Defy carbon something (if the Defy's shorter top tube will work) and have them ride them. I'll tell them what to expect, have them take both bikes over our rough riding area so they can experience the different feel for that, and solicit thier feedback. I can get that done in about 20-30 minutes. Riding the bike longer than that won't give you much else.
Saddle swap....no, because customers alway seem to want to "trade" for an Arione or Antares. We will take the existing seat off, reduce the bike price for that, then sell you another at a discount. You can bring your won seat in if you want to do that and I'll put that one on, but I'll only do that on a higher end bike.
There's a reason why so many bike shops have gone out of business.
I can ride a new frame for maybe ten to 15 minutes in our lot and get all I need to know. Sprint it a few times, take it for some handling moves, quick turns etc...ride it at a tempo speed, hit a few bumps, done. That's all I need to know. I can walk a customer through that same process and they never leave my sight and the bike does not turn into a used one in a few days.