Originally Posted by
jefnvk
Why change then?
Kidding aside, if you've been happy on the same bike for 36 years, what is a week or two for a dealer to get in a bike you are considering to try?
As to your actual question, there are a few shops around me that keep rental stock that you can rent for anything from $25-60 a day, and if you buy a bike the rental fee goes towards the purchase. Geared more towards things like fat tires and fancy new road tech, but maybe you could find a bike rental place near you with the bikes you are looking at. Shouldn't be too hard to find something with hybrids.
Another choice, albeit a bit late in the season, is go if any of the manufacturers have a demo day at a shop near you.
Most places near me aren't keen on letting people take new bikes on extended rides. 15 minutes is generally long enough to tell if there is a fundamental fit issue with the bike that can't be adjusted away, and to get a good idea of handling.
Thanks all for your very helpful responses and ideas, much appreciated.
Jefnvk, if I could keep riding my Free Spirit I would, believe me! It has been very reliable and I have definitely gotten my money’s worth and more in the fun/adventure/pleasure quota. One nice feature about the Free Spirit that I learned from my recent study of bikes is it has a steel frame (60 lb bike!) and according to what I have read steel frames seem to absorb the shock better than any other material. It does seem when I have been riding the new bikes I “feel” the road more than I do on my Free Spirit.
The 15-30 minute limit was self-imposed because I didn’t know how long was normal for the initial ride but all your responses and experiences have taught me I am the buyer and if the LBS has my riding interest as well as a sell as his/her goal, they better let me ride and test in the way I need to in order to make a well informed decision.
Now that I have initially ridden the bikes, when I go back to ride both the Fuji Traverse 1.3 and the Trek 8.4 DS I am going to ask/tell them I want the bike fitted for me as best as possible and I am going to ride it at least one hour if not more. One of the LBSs is 2 blocks from the ocean and I intend to do a workout along the ocean. The other is in a strip mall and has a huge parking lot so I will do as much as I can and find potholes and storm drains and some grass to ride and as long a stretch as I can to get some speed going.
Again thanks for your responses and input. Take care, be well, live and enjoy life.
“we are all angels with but one wing, when we embrace we fly”
