Of the three trikes I have owned, only one of them had a test ride before I bought it. The first one purchased was based on a magazine article and turned out to be a really big mistake. I bought it from the factory as a kit and assembled it myself. It was fun to ride but a disaster when it came to durability. The second one was a used Greenspeed GTO which is one of the finest trikes ever made and lasted me 9 years before I bought a Catrike 700 in 2013. I tried a friend's Catrike Expedition so I knew I would probably like the trike. The only question was would I like the more laid-back seating. It has been $3K well spend. I've enjoyed nearly 10K miles on it and am still happy with my choice. You take your chances and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.