This oughta be good...

BTW...my take was (and this comes from many many hours in front of customers) defining what you are planning to get from the ride. There are many more riders buying at the entryish level (under $1,500) coming off bikes that did not fit, some by a lot. It's not hard to get someone on a properly fit bike and have them immediately tell you it feels great. That can happen in minutes.

I have three friends who have sons that race for a paycheck. They have all changed bikes at least twice. None got a "test ride". It didn't matter. I also got paid to ride a bike. Once it was set up, it didn't matter. I'll go with our experiences and those of my ex-teammates.

If it matters that much, Bikesdirect would cease to exist and they sell a lot of bikes on line.