After looking at a few bikes when I was last looking to buy I asked, "Can I take it on a test ride?" The manager said sure. I showed up the next day and me and a friend went on a 30 mile ride.
It wasn't anything special at this place. When we got back he asked how it was and how far we went. When I said 30 miles he asked if I wanted to take it out again to get a better feel for it.