Funny, but I have only test ridden a bike one time before buying, and I have had many. I have ordered my other frames and bikes with no idea how they would ride. Why, because it just doesn't matter to me...in the long run. I build my own bikes and consider each one a project. If it works out, great. If not, I unload the frame I don't like and try again. That is part of the fun. I road my Everti Falcon for a couple of years before realizing it was really not very comfortable after making a comparison with my other bikes on the exact same route. No problem. I unloaded the Everti for $200 less than I paid for it and found a Merlin for which I just had to come up with that extra $200. The Merlin was great. So it goes. If I limited myself to buying bikes I could test ride first, I could never afford the type of bikes that I want to have. All in all I don't miss the test riding. Every bike is a project to me, so the fact that some are better than others is almost what I am looking to find out when I build them.

EDIT: I see that tmh657 and I are saying just about the same thing.