does your bike shop demo bikes?
08-25-11, 10:04 PM
#1
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does your bike shop demo bikes?
i'm sort of jaded and in a bit of a false reality of how things work. i sincerely do not know how things work in most places and so i'm asking.....
can you rent or demo a bike from your local shop for the day and take it out on trails to see how the bike works in a real actual riding situation before you buy it to see if it's the right bike for you?
can you rent or demo a bike from your local shop for the day and take it out on trails to see how the bike works in a real actual riding situation before you buy it to see if it's the right bike for you?
08-25-11, 11:39 PM
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The place I bought my mountain bike from had a deal where it's $50 to demo a bike for I think a day, but that $50 (or more, if you demoed more than one bike) goes towards the purchase of a bike. I didn't actually take them up on it because the manufacturer of my first choice was really close-by and didn't charge me anything for a demo, and I was looking at bikes from a few different stores. The place I bought my road bike from took my license and told me to go disappear for half an hour. The place I bought my tri bike from did a fit on one of those Serotta things that took about 1.5 hours and then set up the bike exactly as was dictated in the fit. The fitting was pretty expensive but the money came off the price of the bike. Those were all when I was still living in Boulder though, before I moved back east to go to school. No idea how it is around here, because I haven't bought anything since moving.
You're at OTE, right? What do they do there?
You're at OTE, right? What do they do there?
Last edited by Zephyr11; 08-25-11 at 11:43 PM.
08-26-11, 12:48 AM
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we rent the bikes, you can take them out and ride all over, and then if you want, up to $200 worth of rental goes towards the purchase of a bike.
to me it makes sense. if you are gonna drop that much dough on a bicycle, you should take it on stuff you are gonna ride. the way a bike feels riding around a parking lot can be different when it's going up or down a rocky hill.
just wondering if most shops do that, is it normal, is it standard?
to me it makes sense. if you are gonna drop that much dough on a bicycle, you should take it on stuff you are gonna ride. the way a bike feels riding around a parking lot can be different when it's going up or down a rocky hill.
just wondering if most shops do that, is it normal, is it standard?
08-26-11, 05:26 AM
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All of the shops here (MN) allow you to rent any bike but most of demo days at our local trails at least 3 to 4 times a season. We just had a Niner demo day this past Thursday which was quite nice they also provided beer and I got a sick 29NSNGL coozie 
I know another shop just north of me will take you on the trails with the bike you plan to buy and let you have it, they keep a few beater bikes (not a big shop). And I know most will let you demo a road bike no problem.
So come to MN we got it all.
I know another shop just north of me will take you on the trails with the bike you plan to buy and let you have it, they keep a few beater bikes (not a big shop). And I know most will let you demo a road bike no problem.
So come to MN we got it all.
08-26-11, 05:39 AM
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I don't think the two LBS near me do any kind of demo..could be wrong
08-26-11, 06:09 AM
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I don't think shops around here demo. You can take a bike out for a spin to see if it fits, but that's about it. I don't think there's enough turnover at shops here for demos to be cost effective. After one person demos a bike, can they really sell it at new prices?
08-26-11, 06:40 AM
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Not sure what they do now, but the Specialized dealer used to keep a few of Specialized's demo bikes on hand. They loaned me one once, and that loan sold me on full-suspension being worth the price. At the time, they seemed to keep the availability of demo bikes close to the vest.
The local Gary Fisher dealer brought in a couple of demo bikes this season. They announced the availability of demos on their Facebook page. I don't recall a charge. There might be a charge, but I'm not aware of it.
The local Gary Fisher dealer brought in a couple of demo bikes this season. They announced the availability of demos on their Facebook page. I don't recall a charge. There might be a charge, but I'm not aware of it.
08-26-11, 03:20 PM
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True, but not every shop can eat that cost. I wish more shops would do that, but unless they are high volume I don't see how they can.
08-26-11, 03:48 PM
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Renting a demo bike seems like a fair thing to me. There's value after all in being able to take a demo ride. Charging for one would be a way to offset the cost of offering the program. Who knows, maybe a shop could turn the demo/rental program into a profit center.
08-28-11, 10:53 AM
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I was actually wondering this myself. The shops around here mostly offer demos, but not every size in every model of bike. They charge $45-$60 a day, then apply it to the cost of the bike if you purchase one.
The Trek store seemed pretty lax, saying I can ride a Fuel EX 8 and if I don't like the feel I can try something else for no extra charge. But when I spoke with them I was very serious on buying, not just killing time on a Saturday.
I understand the concept, but it kinda makes it a pain in the ass if you want to check out several bikes from several shops before buying. Gets pricey.
The Trek store seemed pretty lax, saying I can ride a Fuel EX 8 and if I don't like the feel I can try something else for no extra charge. But when I spoke with them I was very serious on buying, not just killing time on a Saturday.
I understand the concept, but it kinda makes it a pain in the ass if you want to check out several bikes from several shops before buying. Gets pricey.
