Test rides - why bother?

Roon

I've decided to get off the roads and into the mountains. This, of course, will require a shiny new bike. I've been advised to test ride as many different bikes as possible. But this got me thinking.....Why bother?

Considering you'll only get about 10 mins to pootle around the car park, what is a novice supposed to look for? When you're considering changing the pedals (to clipless), handlebar (to straight + barends) and inevitably the saddle as well, won't this effect the "feel" of the bike? You know what a difference a little thing like tyre pressure can make on a ride, so this also enters the equation.

I've never riden on suspension before so that will feel completely alien.

I'd have thought the only thing to gain would be how the reach was? But you don't have to ride it to do that. Please correct me if I'm wrong and tell me what to look out for.

Andy B

A lot of places do longer than a 10min car park pootle.

but even on a 10min pootle you will get a feel of the bike.

Is the steering twitchy, or slack

is there enough top tube clearance (2"+ is ideal)

do you feel cramped up or stretched out

do you feel like you're positioned too far forward, or too far back

you can try most of these on a stationary bike, but when on a test ride you can emulate the body position & movement that you would have to do on the trails so you get a better idea of the bikes 'feel' and if it is right for you or not.

If you feel that you have to change the bars, saddle & other stuff, then maybe it's not the right bike, unless you only have to change the saddle say, which is a purely personal thing.

paul_GY

The thing is Andy, when your new like us you don't consider things like, Is the steering twitchy, or slack. Its such a mine field, the more bikes I tried the more I got confused, then again when I tried the Mrelin Malt it just felt ace so I bought it.

PS: I don't know how to do the quote thing yet!

supersonic

But it does give you a feel of what feels right. For you. Andy is spot on with what he says and that comes from working in a bike shop and seeing dozens of customers.

Size varies so much from brand to brand. If you don't understand all aspects of geometry, don't buy without at least sitting on it. And even if you do understand, it won't tell you about the ride feel (flex, shock absorption,etc)

jake_clyro

Hi Roon,

I've not long been mountain biking and I though the same when I was looking round for my bike.

But i did test a couple and it is surprising how some you can get on and instantly think that its just not right. I could put my finger on why, because like you didn't really know what to look out for.

I know have a bike that i am very happy with and looking to upgrade some parts.

FSR_XC

My LBS has a fleet of test bikes.

They will often let you borrow one for a day (or 2). This means you can try the bike where you will ride it.

Cps

I agree with the comments on geometry

I was looking at a Scott MC on tinternet, but when I went to an LBS and rode it round the car park I just did not like the feel of it.

sure if I had bought it 'blind' i would have just got on with it and got used to it, but as my own bike feels much more comfortable I would have to advocate in the least swinging your leg over in the least.

the rest of it is then really down to the spec - travel - fork type etc...... which can all be researched on the net.

supertwisted

I'd agree with what's been said above, whether a bike is right for you or not seems purely subjective.

I've spent ages reading posts on sizing and geometry, trying to work out what is right for my next bike. But it seems there's no substitute for actually trying it out.

A 10 minute test ride in a car park will doubtful tell you a great deal about how the bike will fair on the trails, but it will be as good as several hours spent reading other peoples opinions of which frame/size/accessory is right for you.

I'd say it's pretty important to trust your instincts on it as well. When I bought my Purgatory, I went in to the shop looking for a 17". I was told that would be too small and I'd need a 19", so I took one out for a test ride and although it felt a little too big for me I assumed he must be right as he's a professional. Several years on I wish I'd taken the 17", as though my 19" is fine in the reach department the rest of the bike is a bit too tall for me to handle on the rough stuff.
That's not to say don't listen to advice, but your own 'feel' is the best advice to listen to I think.

Big Red S

paul_GY wrote:

The thing is Andy, when your new like us you don't consider things like, Is the steering twitchy, or slack.

But you do.
You might not notice that you dislike the really steep steering of this bike, or the bizarre weight distribution of that one, but you know it feels wrong, and that's enough.

Its such a mine field, the more bikes I tried the more I got confused, then again when I tried the Mrelin Malt it just felt ace so I bought it.

When I was working in a bike shop, we always advised customers not to ride more than two bikes in any given test ride 'session'. Three at the most.
If you're looking at five bikes, compare them in pairs, and then compare the winners of the pairs etc. else you will forget what the first bike felt like.
It does take time, but it is worth it.

paul_GY

Been some good points in this topic, now I'm a bit concerned as to wether I've picked the right bike or not.

supersonic

If it felt ace, I would say you got it right ;-)

Andy B

supersonic wrote:

If it felt ace, I would say you got it right ;-)

Yup, it's when you notice that X,Y or Z feels wrong that you've made a bad choice.

If it all felt good, it should be!