try before you buy ???

delcol

how many of you fellow mtbers actually tried your bike before you bought it..?

cooldad

There's no option for some of them yes, some of them no.

nicklouse

Mmmmmm.

Both. And did not get it right all the time.

supersonic

Not always, though I do study geometry closely.

ilovedirt

Only ever tried a couple before I bought, I usually have a pretty solid idea of what I'm after before I buy though. That said, when buying a frame, I can't afford to buy new, and by buying second hand, it means I can afford to get rid and buy something else if I don't like what I've bought.

tom_howard

Of the last 5, I've tried 1, and sold it the soonest, as I didn't like the size or geometry.

The Rookie

All my bikes in the last 5 years have been built from bare frames so trying them wasn't really an option! You didn't put that as a voting option.
On the main MTB I've just (last night) fitted a shorter stem as I felt I was just a fraction too far forward on it, waiting to see if 20mm is meaningful!

Simon

VWsurfbum

The Beginner wrote:

All my bikes in the last 5 years have been built from bare frames so trying them wasn't really an option!

I have never bought a complet MTB either

cervelofan

Any decent LBS will give you a try before you buy. I use Billy Bilsland Cycles in Glasgow and when I bought my Genesis hardtail i got to fly it and a few other round Glasgow Green before buying

angry_bird

Tried one of them properly, sat on the road bike and rode it round the shop, and the other I had no idea how it was going to ride, just ordered a frame and built it up with some careful consideration. Turns out it does what I want it to do brilliantly.

Mojo_666

Sat on for size but not riding a trail in proper Demo fashion.

1mancity2

Bought the frame and built it like a few have already mentioned.

Thewaylander

Test riding is very important, even if it's just to get a general feeling of a bike.

I always say try all your mates bikes, anyone you meet allong the way bike, anything and everything it's the only way to find what you really like. My mondy was tested round the july track at afan, along with several santa cruzes and so on. it's how i know i made an nformed choice

lawman

never tested any of the bikes I've actually owned, but have tested ones i was looking at in case of the HD, although I did try the standard mojo numerous times and a maxlight xc pro2 to get a feel of them, which made things abit easier, but Id never ridden either the HD or xc120 before I bought them.

milko9000

Nah. I did a lot of research but riding wasn't an easy option. I now refuse to ride any other bicycle in case it turns out I like it better

bails87

Had a Boardman MTB, Ribble road bike, On One Carbon 456 and a Boardman CX. So only sat on the Boardmans (Boardmen?), and just looked at the geo of the others.

Thewaylander

So what most people are saying is, They really have no idea if there bike rides better for them than any other because they couldn't be bothered to try anything out first?

I actually find this fairly suprising, would have thought ona ike forum people would be test riding bikes when ever they get a chance on a trail

sandy771

Borrowed a talon from my LBS for a couple of days before I bought it. Rode my mates carbon trance for half an hour before I went for an X4, very quickly hated the x4's from suss and upgraded to the x3 - been out on that once so far for a few hours and loved it.

Mccraque

I tried a Zesty, Stumpy, Cannondale, Trek Fuel (and a couple of others) before going for the Zesty. I tried it first in a medium (and found it was too small) and a large. The large was at Waterloo Evans...and got some weird looks jumping off steps and putting it through as much "offroad" as I could in an urban environment.

Also own a boardman. Halfords kindly let me ride it around the car rust cure aisle prior to purchase.

fat_homer

I managed to swing a leg over a Soul before I bought it, just felt right so paid the man there and then. I had researched it before this though and I've not regretted it since. My cube I bought after a ride round a car park and Boardman road bike I got second hand so nothing. I'm planning on getting a full sus towards the end of the year and will be test riding 3 or 4 before making my choice.

ilovedirt

Thewaylander wrote:

I actually find this fairly suprising, would have thought ona ike forum people would be test riding bikes when ever they get a chance on a trail

To be honest, I like to have a certain setup on my bikes, wide low bars, short stem, seat back quite far etc, and I find that any bike that isn't set up how I like it, regardless of how well it actually performs, just feels weird to me... It's quite hard to actually compare unless they're specced fairly similarly. Besides, it's more about the rider than the bike most of the time anyway. As long as the geo is how I like it and the ride is alright (doesn't need to be spectacular) then I'm just happy to ride it.

Thewaylander

ilovedirt wrote:

Thewaylander wrote:

I actually find this fairly suprising, would have thought ona ike forum people would be test riding bikes when ever they get a chance on a trail

To be honest, I like to have a certain setup on my bikes, wide low bars, short stem, seat back quite far etc, and I find that any bike that isn't set up how I like it, regardless of how well it actually performs, just feels weird to me... It's quite hard to actually compare unless they're specced fairly similarly. Besides, it's more about the rider than the bike most of the time anyway. As long as the geo is how I like it and the ride is alright (doesn't need to be spectacular) then I'm just happy to ride it.

Not sure i totally agree, bikes are so different now, could i compare my old stumpy to my dune R, there totalyly different bikes, but thats how i found out what i prefered in style

A bike wont make you faster really, or cope with things you couldn't before but some are confindence inspriring some twitchy, moving from the stumpy to a Dune R i moved alot faster on prue DH's and a bit slower on pedally stuff worth while trade, but how do you know thats the trade you want to make or not with out test riding?

delcol

so i see more people bought bikes without testing their chosen ride first...

i thought it might of just been me..

out of all the bikes i had over the years i have never tested any, like others on here most of mine apart from 3 have been frame only custom specced by my self..

ilovedirt

Thewaylander wrote:

ilovedirt wrote:

Thewaylander wrote:

I actually find this fairly suprising, would have thought ona ike forum people would be test riding bikes when ever they get a chance on a trail

To be honest, I like to have a certain setup on my bikes, wide low bars, short stem, seat back quite far etc, and I find that any bike that isn't set up how I like it, regardless of how well it actually performs, just feels weird to me... It's quite hard to actually compare unless they're specced fairly similarly. Besides, it's more about the rider than the bike most of the time anyway. As long as the geo is how I like it and the ride is alright (doesn't need to be spectacular) then I'm just happy to ride it.

Not sure i totally agree, bikes are so different now, could i compare my old stumpy to my dune R, there totalyly different bikes, but thats how i found out what i prefered in style

A bike wont make you faster really, or cope with things you couldn't before but some are confindence inspriring some twitchy, moving from the stumpy to a Dune R i moved alot faster on prue DH's and a bit slower on pedally stuff worth while trade, but how do you know thats the trade you want to make or not with out test riding?

That's pretty much the trade-off i went for, after owning an XC hardtail and a big bike, decided i'd rather have something in between and got my slayer.

bails87

If I was buying a 'special' £3k full sus then I'd want to try it first, but with the bikes I've had there was no way to have a test ride as they were either from Halfords or online only sellers*. The people I ride with (with the exception of lawman ) all ride bikes that I know I don't want. And I'm not going to get test rides off strangers I've just met on the trails!

*Clearly the model works though, look at the success of Canyon, On One, Planet X, Ribble, etc.

tenfoot

I can't imagine buying without trying first, although obviously I understand the problem with just buying a frame.

I guess if I'm spending good money on a bike, it's got to be right.

Current bike was a 20 minute test ride that involved a small hill, so I could see how it climbed
Marin & Spesh were 5 minutes around the car park - more a size check, really, but better than nothing.
Scott - I had a two week, all conditions test ride, as I bought it off a mate. If only I'd known it was going to blow apart only 3 months later :oops:

Stevo_666

Bought my first one of recent times without trying because I knew jack sh1t about bikes and liked the look/reviews. Second one was a Boardman and you can't do any more than sit on them. The Spicy I tried out before parting with the cash.

Though I do a lot of research beforehand usually. Not made a choice I've regretted yet!

mcnultycop

I was away from MTBs for years (to put it in perspective, my last one was an Orange Clockwork) and when I got a new one, three or four years ago I tried it on the road outside the LBS. I was more worried about not falling off as I hadn't ridden for so long, so didn't think at all about anything other than that. I'll be hoping to try the next one for a little longer as I plan on spending quite a bit more, and hopefully over a little rougher terrain.

larryb

I have in the past put with my latest bike, I took a big gamble by buying direct from Canyon. Put trust in there measurment system and very anxously waited. It fits me better than any other bike I have owned.

Briggo

I 'tried' the Whyte before I bought it, but to be honest riding around on it for 5 mins up and down the road isn't a test.

I didn't try the Stumpy before I bought it and if anything it fits slightly better than the Whyte does as I studied the geometry more on that one.

I do always find it funny on here how when someone says "which bike should I get" everyone replies with "try them" when knowing full well you can't or if you can its a piddly little test around the car park which gives no indication, and then so far with this survey it shows less people tried before they buy.

Thewaylander

Briggo wrote:

I 'tried' the Whyte before I bought it, but to be honest riding around on it for 5 mins up and down the road isn't a test.

I didn't try the Stumpy before I bought it and if anything it fits slightly better than the Whyte does as I studied the geometry more on that one.

I do always find it funny on here how when someone says "which bike should I get" everyone replies with "try them" when knowing full well you can't or if you can its a piddly little test around the car park which gives no indication, and then so far with this survey it shows less people tried before they buy.

or you go toa test day because you have some common sense.

There are loads of test days arranged around thr country where you can get your hands on a fair few bikes to actually ride around a trail as i said tested my bikes on the July trail at afan