I often hear it said on these forums "buy the bike that fits you the best," but hardly never any real details or suggestions given. How do you know which one feels or fits the best? How can you possibly know in the short amount of time that you're given to test one?

I have ongoing issues with numbness in my hands, and have made numerous changes to my bike at the suggestions of the owner where I bought my bike. Nothing has helped very much. But the point I'm trying to make is, every time I make a change, I need to ride and ride to know how the change will affect me. Not just a short ride, but one of over 10 miles ...at least. It takes that to really be able to tell if what you've done is beneficial.

Having said that, when buying a new bike, how do you get on one long enough to know exactly how it really feels to you? Most LBS will only tolerate 5 or 10 mins of test riding. Not nearly long enough to see what the affects will be. I can certainly understand them wanting to keep new bikes new.

So, how can you put enough time on a bike you're testing to get a proper assessment and know it's the right bike for you?