how long should a test ride be?

foo-fighter

i'm thinking of selling my specialized allez 24, and buying a cannondale caad8. After sitting on one in evans last weekend, the difference in comfort level was quite remarkable, given that i was only sat on it in a shop. Before i take the plunge and buy one could anyone advise on how long a test ride should be? When i brought the allez evans only let me go around the block really so no time to tell if it was going to be comfy. My wife brought me the allez as a present, and is understanding enough to realize that im not getting on with it, so has said just buy another bike that you feel comfy on. This time i have to get it right as i dont think the wife will be so understanding if i get it wrong again.
thanks

slowsider

What was so different about the comfort level that making some adjustments to the current bike wouldn't fix ???

apreading

My evans let me test ride a couple of bikes last year. I paid a £50 deposit, they got them in my size and built them and then let me have them for 2 hours (or it may have been longer) each to test ride. If you dont buy then you get your deposit back.

TheEnglishman

The local BMW motorbike place let me have a £12000 bike for the weekend so I could make my mind up.

The local Evans let me have a £1200 bicycle for 20 minutes.


Anyway, I'd say an hour is a minimum - bike shops take note!

foo-fighter

to answer your question slowsider, i have tried different stems and about 10 saddles nothing works for me the bike now just sits unused as i cant get comfy enough to go any useful distance on it, i know people will say mtfu but i have tried persevering with it but i just cant get comfy. The caad8 felt like an arm chair in comparisson.

Gizmo_

Shape is a very personal thing, but I find my CAAD8 very comfy too.

In fact, the only criticism I have is that on a long ride - over an hour in the saddle - the saddle does start to give a bit in the middle. But it's just the standard one which I assume most people replace quite quickly; I'll probably pick up something like a Specialized Romin at some point.

slowsider

In that case, the test ride should be at least as long as you are likely to go in a typical single ride. Your idea of a 'useful distance' is personal to you, but that's what you should be aiming for. If the shop won't let you do that, go elsewhere.

Where's the discomfort on the Allez most noticeable?

CiB

Evans took a 1p swipe off my debit card just in case, then waved me off. I returned about an hour later, having had a good ride over a few different surfaces, climbs and drops. The youth at the counter had forgotten that I'd gone, when I rolled back in. Bought it too.

giropaul

My view would be that unless you get a bike fit before you start a "test" ride it won't have any useful purpose. What you will actually feel is if the setup that bike has happens to fit you.

I'm not sure any shop is going to change bars, stem, saddle etc.

Bikes do not "feel" that different to any other within a given price range. Professionals change makes all the time, and few these days get anything other than a standard frame.

I have a number of road bikes, all set up exactly the same (to the millimetre). I doubt very much if I could tell you which make I was on without looking down.

In my view, if you are unsure about what you need, get a good bike fit first, then choose your bike based on the metrics you need.

lc1981

Whereabouts are you based? You might want to consider going somewhere that offers full bike fitting as part of the standard sales service. For example, Epic Cycles in Ludlow offer this, plus a test ride of three hours.