Has anyone bought a bike from a store without a test ride on the right frame size?

I really want to test a Kona Sutra. The the stores would have to order me one and of course if I ride it and it doesn't feel right, they're stuck with a bike they may or may not be able to sell.

I don't want to do that to them. I may have better luck with an AWOL because the stores are bigger and Specialized is a bigger volume brand than Kona. I think.

I bought a Trek 7.3 FX and I had to test ride the 7.2 rather than the 7.3. The 7.2 the shop had in stock was the correct frame size for me. Plus, they had a smaller framed 7.3 so I got to touch and feel the actual bike before ordering it in my frame size. I was fine with that. However, the bike I actually wanted was the GT Tachyon Comp and the shop didn't have one in stock at all at any frame size. Ultimately, I went for the Trek 7.3 FX because purchasing a bike blindly was not something I am willing to do.

What I'm saying is - I understand your situation. It can be a tough call. I understand that the shops can't stock every bike in every size, but then again I have to be a responsible consumer. Weight that against the fact that the shop will want to sell you the bikes they have in stock... You got some thinking to do. :-)

This topic came up in a different context a week or so ago. Thinking back, of the highest dollar value bikes that I've sold, none involved test rides.

Yes. Lots of our bicycles are built up from frame and parts, so there's no chance to try them before we buy them.


Back in 2003, I had a Marinoni Ciclo custom built for me because I wasn't entirely happy with the fit of the Giant OCR3 I had, and I needed a bicycle that fit me well for 1200K randonnees. There was no way I could have tried that bicycle before I bought it because it wasn't built yet. Nevertheless it was a very good fit and I had many wonderful years of riding.

I also had the sense to measure it and my Giant.

In 2010, my Marinoni Ciclo was stolen. I was just about to do a 300K, so I needed another bicycle, and my Giant was back in Canada. Rowan modified my GT mountain bike, set it up as close to the measurements as possible ... and I rode the 300K. I had all of about 5 minutes on a trainer a couple days before the event to make some fit adjustments, and about 5 minutes riding around the motel parking lot to ensure gears, brakes, etc. were satisfactory.

Then, of course we had to find me a new long distance bicycle. I have always wanted titanium, so we found HASA frames from a shop in Melbourne, and got one that was really close to my Marinoni Ciclo's measurements. Rowan built that bicycle up for me, and it has turned out to be quite a good climbing bicycle.

We did do a short test ride on our tandem before we bought it, but we had been riding a borrowed tandem for about 8 or 10 months before we bought it so we had a pretty good idea what we wanted. And again, we pulled out the measurement spreadsheet to check that my area was within the ballpark.

Next up, we wanted to travel the world for 8 months and needed touring bicycles. So after browsing through several options online, Rowan ordered Thorn frames, based on the measurement spreadsheet, of course. When I got my Marinoni Ciclo, Thorn had come up as "runner up", so it was nice to go that route this time. The frames were delivered ... and Rowan built them up.

Toward the end of the trip we had been talking about getting folding bicycles for subsequent trips, and so we stopped in at Bike Friday and did a test ride on a pair of their bicycles ... and were quite pleased with them.

When we returned from that trip ... happily ... my Marinoni Ciclo was recovered.

So ... about a year later, we started the process of ordering Bike Fridays. Out came the measurement spreadsheet again, and I double checked the measurements of my Marinoni Ciclo, as well as adding in those of my HASA and Thorn. We also added some measurement columns as suggested by Bike Friday. Rowan did up a spreadsheet of measurements of his own bicycles. And our Bike Fridays were order from those measurements.

There have been several other bicycles in the mix as well ... frames we've picked up at tip shops which Rowan has built up, etc..

In my collection, there aren't many bicycles I actually test rode before I bought them.


And this is a thread where I talk about the measurement spreadsheet
https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...surements.html

Hmmm. I don't consider 1500 to be high end. But then, maybe the shop does.

But.....you buy custom built frames, no?

I've edited my post and have gone into more detail.

Well, you've almost talked me into a custom frame. Almost.

My Marinoni Ciclo and the Bike Friday were custom ... the rest weren't. The rest were off-the-shelf frames selected based on custom measurements.

I will go read the spreadsheet thread in the morning. Too googley eyed at the moment. Thanks, Machka.

Yes.

None of the local shops stocked the bike I wanted... in any size. They measured me up and it was obvious which size I needed. They told me if I didn't like it I could "keep the money in the store" and choose a different bike instead. I ended up loving it.

BTW, Machka, I'm happy to hear your favorite was recovered. Hopefully in decent shape.

My last two bike purchases were not test ridden. The first was a super cheap online deal (1/2 price), the second was a frame I built up. I've been riding for 35 years so I know what size frame I need, so test rides were not necessary. I guess for the second one it was a leap of faith that the frame would be as nice as everyone said it was in reviews and online comments. Luckily for me it was.

Do they have the same bike in a size bigger or smaller in the store, that you can test ride? You can get a good idea of everything, except the fit, by riding a different size.

I did! I decided to build a bike from frame (meaning I hired a shop). Didn't ride it. Didn't see the frame in real life. I read a few online reviews. And I guessed at sizing based on those reviews and the fit of my current bike. After the frame was ordered I did lots of test rides on similar frames and sizes around the size I got. I did make a last tire size change from 700c to 650b to reduce tire overlap.

I asked the shop of my hunch on the bigger size was right. And sure enough it was fine. I was right at the very edge. A smaller size would have led to a small cockpit and perhaps toe overlap. The bigger size only has a little bit more downward adjustment of the seat, but handlebar reach is perfect.

I am about 3 weeks in and happy with the sizing. The smaller size wouldn't have been awful. But the current bike is very comfy, handles well and feels great. It works for the intended riding style.

It took a few adjustments on handlebar and seat positioning and setback, but I have done more miles and traveled further with ease on the new bike.

I have zero experience with building bikes and and new to riding as an adult. As a teen I read a lot and read a bit about bikes but am no expert. This process made me learn a ton about fitting and geometry.

If say this works fine if you have an ok understanding of geometry (or an expert to lead you) and you know what a good fit is and what can be changed easily.

I bought a $600 bike from Bikes Direct without a test ride. I've test ridden all my other bikes.

I did buy a $20,000 minivan without a test ride. I was in England and wanted a family hauler waiting for me when we got back to the States. The van fit me just fine.

I didn't test ride my main road bike -- I just really wanted it. I test rode all my other bikes. The bike I didn't test ride is my favorite bike : )

When I wanted to go from a Rans Tailwind to a Stratus, I just had the LBS order one. But then sizing and fit pretty much amounts to a 10 second adjustment of the seat position. Another advantage of bents.

One of us isn't doing it right, rydabent. Seat back angle, boom length, crank length, shifter style, rear view mirror position, handlebar style and position, etc. I've done a lot more fiddling with my recumbents than I've had to do with DF bikes.

I do the same thing buy a frame build a bike, hope it fits, but I know my frame size for the most part.

I bought my first mini cooper without a test ride. We didn't have a dealership in our city when they first came out. I ordered one over the phone from a town 200 miles away. It worked out fine.