Originally Posted by
burglnar
Seriously. I work at a LBS and we don't "demo" new bikes of any kind. We have a demo saddle program so you can try out a saddle to see if you like it before you buy but I've never been in a shop that offered to let people take a new bike home for a couple days to test out. Not saying you're crazy for asking but I'm not sure exactly what you were expecting. No offense, but where did you grow up, Mayberry? In this day and age of identity theft and the sheer numbers of just plain old bike thieves, most shops aren't going to take a risk losing hundreds, possibly thousands, of dollars without a deposit or collateral.. Unless you are just really tight with your LBS salespeople and mechanics. On that note, maybe you should try buttering them up with a case of beer or something. I know I sure go the extra mile for customers who take care of their mechanic (myself or my fellow lube monkeys).
I test ride bikes by leaving my credit card at the shop before I ride out the door. But the LBS's all know me well enough by now that I could probably ride one for a couple of hours even without leaving the card. (they probably have my number on speed dial anyways.
)
I wouldn't do that, though. The LBS runs the risk of you crashing or scratching the bike, or at the very least getting it real dirty. I'd never ask to have one overnight, they might lose a sale if the bike is out of the shop that long.
And yes, beer works wonders on bike shop workers. Pizza, too.