Try before you buy-stating the obvious

ricky48

Greetings everyone here’s my tale which might ring true with others but I NEED to get this off my chest.
Being forced to buy a new bike after my much loved 3 mtbs were stolen 5 years ago,I foolishly rushed in to buy what at the time was THE trail/enduro bike to have via an on-line purchase.
I bought it “blind” as no shops in Glasgow had any choice of sizes/stock of other models I had also shortlisted.
Herein lies the root of my problems resulting in the supplying dealer in England offering to swap/upgrade exchange/whatever to satisfy my needs.
So,I took up their offer,hired a car and made the three hour journey to return the carbon fibre high end wonderbike for something I actually gelled with.Tbh I actually bought two bikes from them as they had been so helpful.
The hard lesson for me was DONT believe everything you see or read in the media is going to work for you.I consider myself very fortunate I was able to return my unwanted/unused £4K purchase after 3 months!
I’ve been riding and fettling mtbs for over 20 years now and really thought I knew better,don’t make my stupid mistake.

steve_sordy

@ricky48 Reading about the circumstances, I can understand why you felt impelled to buy before you tried. I too have bought before trying, three times!" But happily, each time worked out well for me. What did I do that made it work? In summary, research.

My first was a YT Capra (27.5er, 160/160 travel), that was Bike of the Year and had received five stars. It was an internet purchase from the German company. I looked up the geometry and compared it with bikes I had ridden before and fitted me well (I paid particular attention to Reach and Stack). The one thing I didn't check at all was the height of the saddle when the dropper was fully inserted into the seat tube and with the post fully extended. The saddle was 5-10mm too high for comfort. Yes, I know I could drop the saddle using the dropper, but trying to find that elusive position again first time while bouncing along the trail was virtually impossible. The problem was only resolved when the 150mm dropper failed and I persuaded Rockshox to replace it with a 125mm dropper. Lesson learned.

My second was my first emtb. After testing 7-8 different bikes I liked the 2018 Focus Jam2 alloy 27.5" wheels F&R, 140mm travel F&R. This time I was testing the motor and the power delivery experience as well as the bike geometry. The Focus was fantastic! It was just like me on a really good day! So why did I decide to buy the 2019 carbon framed 29er with 150mm front travel? A sudden rush of blood to the head I suspect. I had never owned a 29er before and I wanted to experience one, but the geo was the same. The bike took ages to arrive from Germany but I loved that bike, but every time my rear end went behind the saddle my shorts got buzzed by the rear wheel, sometimes not just my shorts! Another lesson learned! But I loved that bike and owned it for nearly three years.

My third "buy before try" was during the pandemic (Jun'21) when buying any bike was a frantic experience. Getting any sort of test ride was just impossible unless you knew someone who had the bike you were looking for (I didn't). I did all my usual pre-buy stuff: 5-star ratings, geometry search, saddle not too high when fully extended etc. This time I went for a mullet (29 front 27.5 rear). I also went for a more powerful motor and a bigger battery. I must say that the bike a Merida eOne-Sixty 9000 has been the perfect untried bike for me so far. I cannot fault it for fit, ride, or in fact anything at all! It was the last one of its kind in the UK still in stock (an overlooked item that was discovered and put up for sale and I found it within minutes!) Lucky me!

@ricky48 I'm not saying that you didn't do any research, just maybe not enough research, or maybe not the right kind. I did do research but as I discovered, not enough and not the right kind. Fortunately, the mistakes I made were relatively small and I could either fix them or live with them quite easily. The fact I made mistakes is not a reason never to buy without trying. Just do more and better research.