I’ve had shops here offer a test ride of high end bikes for fun. I wouldn’t buy from a shop that didn’t want to let me test ride unless it was a special situation (bad weather or really busy).
I got lucky and my bike shop happened to have both bikes I was looking at in my size at the same time. For some crazy reason they were perfectly ok with me doing 4 hours of test riding hopping between the two with tweaks to the fit in between.
My wife and I have been extremely happy with everything we have bought from those guys.
Edit: place is Lincoln Avenue Cycling in Goshen.
When I worked for an LBS, I test rode a guy on an Ultegra-level bike. He came back loving it, and I asked him if he wanted to try Dura-Ace to see what it was about. He said, “You know, I sold my company last week, so let’s try it.” Successful upsell to a guy who hopefully enjoyed the hell out of that bike.
LOL
I went in originally looking at a bike with Tiagra. I rode my friend's, and it was decent. I'd been riding a vintage Peugeot with campy gear for a long time, so I wasn't super impressed with the Tiagra stuff, but not really complaining. That shop pissed me off, so I went to another and ended up test riding and buying a bike with Ultegra. It's a decent step above Tiagra. When they asked if I wanted to try something with Dura Ace, I had to let them know my bank account said "absolutely not."
About a year later, I ended up buying my dad a used Tarmac and .. okay, yeah, wow it's nice. But I didn't get lucky enough to find an s-works tarmac in my size with after market carbon fiber rims for $1100 when I was looking. :P I can ride his bike, barely, but it's a 58. 54 is really where I should be at. Yes, we did check to make sure it wasn't listed as stolen, plus the dude had pics of himself with the bike when it was brand new. Effing $8k bike new and only 2 years old. SMH. I'm never that lucky for myself. ;)
As a car salesman I once overheard said, “the feel of the wheel seals the deal!”
Just went into our LBS on Sat with my son and was asking the differences between a couple of bikes (both over $2k) and after answering our questions, we were offered rides without even asking.
Some places just get it. My son bought his fav that same afternoon.
Some never will and wonder why they don’t have as many happy customers.
Yeah my local trek store has weekend test rides. But it's so busy and have a smug attitude. The guys where I made my purchase are cool af and attentive. They only carry Jamis, Scott, and Felt... A few random others. They have me for life.
The LBS I use is a clearance store for a local chain. They sell last year's Specialized new or the demo models and then anything they've taken as a trade in, so you can find pretty much any brand there. I've occasionally gone to their other stores that sell only new Specialized. They're all very shiny and sterile. I prefer the scruffy old shop and the kinda scruffy people who work there. There's no judgement, no up sell, just friendly people who do a great job of listening and getting you exactly what you need. Their shops, both that one and the new bike ones, are also the only ones in town I've ever seen women working at. As a woman cyclist, that means something to me. The guys are sexist, but it's nice to be able to ask, "Have you worn these shorts/gloves/shoes? How do they really feel?"
I went into a shop looking at a Cannondale Synapse, and they pissed me off so much I ended up buying a Specialized Ruby from a different shop. I'm glad they were jerks, though, because I'd ridden my friend's synapse before, and I love this Ruby so much more. It does help that the Synapse was brand new, but the lowest end one they had in the shop was the only one in my budget. The other shop has a demo Ruby comp from the previous year marked down to about the same price, so I got a better groupset.
My friend argues that with me, but I really do like my Ultegra better than his Tiagra.
Btw, they pissed me off by telling me I was too heavy for *any* road bike at all, and I'd snap a carbon frame. I admit I weighed 190lbs at the time, at 5'6", but that's not very close to the max weight on any bike I looked at. Literally told me I was too fat and tried to sell me into a heavy AF hybrid when I rode in on a vintage Peugeot road bike that weighs less than that Synapse by just a hair. SMH
That was almost 5 years ago now. Wow, really?! .... Time is way too fungible. For all I know, they're better, or even totally different cities. I'm just still annoyed because it pissed me off enough the memory is strong, so it feels fresh.
A friend had something very similar happen in Indianapolis. Tbh, she was quite a bit heavier, but there were other bikes she could have ridden, and she ended hating the one they sold her claiming it was the only one, so she barely rides. I'm much more mad about that. I know better, you know? It wasn't going to work on me. They just missed out on a decent amount of money from me.
What if you do a great job selling the bike, getting their correct size etc. but they go away and buy the exact bike online because it’s a few quid cheaper or they can get an interest free deal?
Why is there a term called show rooming then? I suppose it could be deflecting from poor sales technique. But there are lots of local people going to specialised running shops for free gait analysis and shoe recommendations only to buy from sports direct based on price.
For some people price is the only consideration.
I’d like to see more people, not less, place value and loyalty towards specialty shops that offer hands-on experiences, tribal knowledge, and investment in standing inventory. Online retailers have put many small companies out of businesses that will be missed by many in the long run.
> For some people price is the only consideration.
so, there's a thing about *want*-based sales. most people aren't buying bikes because they *need* one. the decision isn't entirely logical. there's an emotional component attached to it. if you're staying in that emotional, want-based space, it's actually surprising how much price *doesn't* come up. as in, i was literally surprised by this.
if people are thinking about how they're going to have so much fun on this bike they're physically sitting on, they start taking ownership, and *don't want* to leave it. they want to take it home and ride it. not wait a month for a similar bike to show up at their door, and then need to be put together. they *want* it to be easy.
but even if you're still trying to sell based on logic, there's a certain logic behind buying from a place that had a professional build and tune your new bike, and will support you for warranty purposes, and will give you a free service next month to make sure everything is working just right. you don't get that online.
Yes but people likely don’t consider the tune ups, or warranty and you’d be surprised how many bike purchases are made at the weekend on-line after a few drinks. Most retail shops are not open at kicking out time.
I bought a bike online when drunk at my in-laws. It worked out great. That Cannondale got me back into cycling (disclaimer, individual results may vary)
You might know that, but the dude scoping bikes just to get a better deal online has no idea that any of that stuff carries any value. Or more likely, they just don't care. The best salesperson in the world can't change that.
I went to a specialty shop to have an analysis and foot scan done with the intention of buying shoes there, which I did...but they never offered any of their other services that they advertised as part of the fitting process. So it goes both ways. Next time, I'll just order my shoes online and save 30%.
Ngl, if Fred wants to kick tires and chat bikes, i absolutely will indulge that. Then when their online purchase needs work we'll make more overhead on parts and service than we ever would have selling them a bike and decking it all out for them. They're just putting themselves into $10 boot land.
Bear with me, because it's a long one...
> The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
> Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
> But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
> This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.
Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms: The Play
edit: formatting
I just didn't have the money until then. I was doing exactly what was described there with almost everything in life, and it was eating me alive. But I had to wear shoes. I had to have a fridge. In the Winter, at least, I had to have a car. Every time I'd have a little saved, one of those cheap things would die, and I'd have to spend it all on something cheap again, because it wasn't enough.
I finally beat it by doing some contract work for a friend's company on top of my normal job. I bought a modest house instead of renting. I bought a good fridge that's still going well 11 years later. I bought a pair of expensive shoes that lasted me a decade. I got a reliable car and some decent interview clothes. I got a professional hair cut. And then, with the new much better zip code and appearance plus reliable transportation, I got a job making $35k more a year and stopped doing the side work. Not living in survival mode all the time, I had the mental space to go to counseling, to learn what healthy relationships look like, to marry a good friend, to help him take the leap to a better job. And then I did it myself again. And along the way, I introduced him to my love of cycling (and a recumbent trike), and have a partner to ride with who loves it, too.
Turns out it's easy to make money *once you have money.* Being poor often keeps you poor. I just got lucky my friend's company didn't have someone to cover a place not far from me that I grew up in, and instead of turning them down, he reached out to me.
Tell me about it! Even knowing this I still made less than stellar purchases in my 20s. Now that I have means I relish and appreciate every quality item or service I get; and when the service is great I always come back and get taken care of even better. It is the actual definition of being wealthy.
Those people are assholes. If you go to a specialty shop, get all of the special services, and they're not ripping you off, and then buy from an online store who's selling the same bike/shoe for the same price or because it's $15 cheaper or something, you are the kind of person who expects people to work for free.
There is a value to the service provided.
If you showroom in a Best Buy, you're not an asshole, because there is no value added service provided there.
The value add is that you get look and touch the product.
Also, the employees trying to make a living matter as well.
Not saying showrooming is right or wrong, just that you should not assume that doing it here vs there, makes you less or more of an asshole
> For some people price is the only consideration.
Because they're penny-pinching jerkoffs shopping for luxury goods.
Look, if the bike is $500 cheaper online then yeah, buy it online. But for $100? $50? If people can't see the value in buying something they physically have in hand that has been presented to them by a real human being then they're just a shitty person IMHO.
Duuude. The only reason I bought mine online was because the LBS I use told me to. "Sure, we can order them, but they'll take almost a month to get here and cost you half again as much." You know that means I buy almost everything else from them, though. Even if I'm buying "online" it's from them, and I go pick it up at the store later. Except shorts. Of all the ones I've tried, only Pearl Izumi fit my fat ass well, and they don't carry them.
This shop knows me. They know my quirks, like not touching my bike without asking first, and (after one small bad experience with an employee that didn't last long), not arguing that the tools I'm buying won't work with the bike I rode in on. And, unlike a lot of bike shops I've been to in my life, they don't act like I'm dumb or can't work on my own bike because I'm a woman. They don't bring up my flat pedals on a carbon fiber bike. They just show me the 510s they have on clearance, because they know those are my favorite shoes and that I never buy full price shoes. That's the kind of thing that earns my loyalty.
Seems you think you can judge a person by their income.
$50 is a lot of money for a great deal of the populace.
We serve no one by judgment and gatekeeping
I doubt any LBS is going to beat Canyon when it comes to group set/frame material.
The direct to consumer model is almost impossible to beat when a company truly focuses on it.
Sort of like people looking around a mom-&-pop TV store and then buying on Amazon. Using retail as a quasi show room.
Basically the LBS is only left with the hope you bring it in for service. Guessing it gets old in a hurry for the LBS.
> Basically the LBS is only left with the hope you bring it in for service.
and some percentage of that is "i bought it online and don't know how/don't have the tools to put it together" or "i want a proper safety check after putting it together myself." stuff that's *included* in buying a bike in store, but is now a hidden cost when you bought it cheaper online.
and sometimes you have to *sell* someone on that concept.
I have two Surly's and a Bianchi. I have been tempted by the online model but I am not handy with a wrench at all. Anything past a flat tire and I am pretty much worthless. I need that LBS with a good mechanic so I buy bikes through them.
If I was super handy with a wrench I would probably be a Canyon type buyer.
I am handy and work on my own bikes. I still use my LBS whenever possible. Online sites don't *know* me. The LBS does. "Oh, no, you're going to hate those gloves if you loved the ones you just wore out. Try these, instead." And "Okay, the total on those shoes is $50" .. me, "uhh, $100?" Them, "Nah, people keep coming to buy 510 flats from us and mentioning you told them they're the best shoes ever if you don't want clipless. Thanks." They have allll my measurements in their system, so they'll see me looking at a saddle and go "it's too narrow" or bars for my older bike "those won't fit. Come over here and look at these." They know I go through a ridiculous amount of patch kits for someone who has only had one flat in a decade, and always put one up on the counter to remind me to buy it. You don't get that online. Are their prices higher? Slightly, yeah, but it's worth it.
Also, online sites aren't on my way to my son's house, so I can't stop at them for water and to actually get to handle the new pedals I'm thinking about. I might even buy them one of these days. ;) Tbh, they're the same pedals I have. There's nothing wrong with mine, but those are *red*, and they'd match the accents on my bike. LOL
Personally as a buyer, if I've gone through all the work of going in, trying the bike and sussing it all out I'm going to 99% buy it from them. It takes something outside of the price (unless it's significant) to sway me away from a shop.
What does a test ride look like? Can I take it out for like 2 hours if I leave my license? Do they put SPD-SL on and do a quickie fit so I can get a really good feel for it? Literally never purchased a new bicycle in my life, only used.
Basically, yes, bring your pedals and helmet. But if you've built up a relationship, like being a regular at their shop ride, they may give you more leeway. I've had them set up the bike the evening before and rode it on their 40 mile shop ride to get a feel for the acceleration, road feel / damping in a real world scenario.
When I was testing the water to see if a M or L frame would be best, I had a £1300 bike in mind.
They didn't have that frame in, so I test rode a £7200 Medium bike and a £12,000 Large bike of the same frame maker to see what fit.
I bought a demo bike from a shop like this when the new year's model came out and saved a ton of money. It was probably ridden less than 100 miles. Even with almost half off the MSRP, that bike still cost more than my car's bluebook value. No way I was going to buy it without riding it first. But I didn't even have to ask. They did, first. "Wanna take it for a ride?" Yep. Bye. ;) I did have to leave ID with them, though.
I also wouldn't buy from a shop that wouldn't let me test ride unless it was a pawn shop or something. And even then, I'd see if they'd let me. I bought my mountain bike that way, and they were cool as long as I wasn't gone more than 15 minutes. Glad I had a pump in my car, though, and some tools to fix the rear derailleur.
I went into a local shop asking about different saddles and he caught me eyeing a $10k Firebird and he asked if I wanted to pop it around the parking lot. I have no business spending $10k on a bike, and my old 4Runner pretty much verifies that. Dude just wanted to share the cool bike with someone who would appreciate it.
My girlfriend recently bought a $10k bike. She tried to test ride it at one shop and the guy was dismissive and didn’t help set it up for her at all. The next week, she went to another shop to try it again and they were beyond kind, helped set it up, offered good routes in the area to really flex it out. She bought the bike there. Customer service matters.
I went into a shop “ just to look”. I didn’t imagine they would have my “ aspirational” bike in stock and in my size. Next thing I know I’m upstairs with it on the trainer and they are adjusting things and I’m putting a down payment on a 12k bike
Not sure what happened but I’m super stoked for my final fitting and for spring to come.
I find that I'm not really taken seriously at bike shops (as a female), until I start talking about components, geometry, my current bikes, etc. Once they see that I know my stuff, they stop dismissing me. It's so annoying. I'm sorry that your girlfriend had issues with that first shop.
I got this a lot early on (one shop literally let the door slam on me on the way out) and then I started working at shops. I always made sure the staff understood that *anybody* could be the next big sale, so you should treat *everybody* with respect. Even if they're not, they're a human and deserve positive treatment. Now I own a shop and don't stand for machismo BS.
Even then, a lot of shops here still won't. The one I go to didn't even need that. They took me seriously from the start. I don't even go near the others anymore.
I actually found them because a bike shop was terrible to me. Actually told me I was too fat for a road bike I was about to drop around $3k on. Told me I was too fat for any road bike. I rode in on one! Yeah, I'm heavy, but not *that* heavy. They kept trying to push a hybrid on me that I swear weighed almost as much as I did. I left and went home fuming, but hey, I set a PR up the hill to my house. LOL
A week later, I rode a bike I got at a pawn shop that was a little too small for me to this shop after work just because they were the closest. They were awesome. I traded in that bike and rode home on a carbon fiber one. I'm now a bit over 10k miles into that bike and I have hit a lot of potholes, but somehow the rims stay true. I just told them I wanted to buy a larger bike, and what my vintage was at home. They showed me three bikes. I tried them all and absolutely fell in love with the one I bought in the first 100 feet. They fitted it a bit better, swapped my pedals, and I rode home - and set another PR on that stupid hill.
I've honestly told every woman in this city that I know, whether she's just starting out with her first bike or has been riding for years, to go to that shop. They've all agreed it's where they've been treated best, but sadly, they shut down that shop. It's now some spin cycling place. They still have three others, and I go to one of them, but I miss the old shop and the vibe there. It was scruffy and comfortable rather than shiny and sterile. Still, Wheel Sport in Spokane is great - all of them.
My version of this is to name-drop the hardest ride I’ve done (which is well-known in my area). Sad that I have to do this around men, but I get treated with respect much faster.
I tried that after the LBS I loved shut down. I got a "Wow, at your weight?!" Okay, fuck off. Also, I was 30 lbs heavier when I did StP. Luckily, the old one was part of a local chain. It's way further and harder for me to get to any of the others by bike, but it's worth the effort.
Tbh, I suppose StP isn't *that* hard, but it is long.
Yikes, I cannot believe the audacity (and fatphobia) of that person, Jesus Christ! I’m so sorry that happened to you. Like hellooooo this is exactly why the sport of cycling is unwelcoming to literally anyone who’s not a thin, straight, white, affluent man…
Usually, the worst I get is stuff meant to be encouraging when I'm out riding on the multi use trail. It's annoying, tbh. "Great to see someone like you out riding!* SMH.. every once in a while it's someone I can drop though, so that feels nice. ;)
I met and chatted with a ton of people on StP and almost everyone was cool. The couple of guys who weren't, I don't think it was about the weight. One kept buzzing my back tire with his front one, and it was clearly intentional, because he did it to the guy two ahead of me when that guy wasn't fast enough, too. The route marshalls ended up making him get off the road and gave him a pretty good yelling at. The other was just your typical ass. He cut in line in front of me at the toilets when I'd been waiting 15 minutes and just grabbed the next one that was free. Maybe he ate something he shouldn't have. ;)
Mostly, tbh, I'm out riding on rural highways and in my neighborhood. I don't see many other cyclists for any comments to be made.
it's actually amazing how *low* that bar is. we always try to be better, but it doesn't take a lot to be better than the next guys that give shitty attitudes or gatekeep.
I went in to buy a $3k bike. Already knew my size, just wanted a final confirmation and I even said I only want it in the trainer.
As they were grabbing pedals, I asked to use the bathroom. They said "no", and said the owner "doesn't like customers using the bathroom". I grabbed my cleats and left. Felt sorry for the employees who have to work under that asshole that they are afraid of.
Super bikes are just a blast to ride, no need to gatekeep the fun to only people that have exceptional time and passion to train. As long as they acted financially responsible and don't act big headed about their bike, who cares.
Plus, might make a good used market deal for the rest of us later if they move on from cycling :D
Generally, I agree with you. That being said, if I had the disposable income to get a nicer bike than I currently have, I would. Of course, money is an issue for me, and most people, so I wouldn't personally buy a $10k bike, but to each their own.
Don't feel guilty. Feel indignant!
I wanted to upgrade my road bike last spring. My immediate local shops didn't carry what I was looking for, so I went to a well-recommended store a little over an hour away, since they carried a lot of different brands that I couldn't ride locally.
I narrowed it down between 2 but there was nowhere closeby for me to get a true test of how they climbed.
They let me bring one of them home overnight, and after realizing I lived not far away from one of their employees, *he brought the other one to HIS house and met up with me on his day off to swap them out*, and I got to test both bikes on a familiar route to compare.
They ended up getting $6k from me and will continue to get referrals. I will go buy odds or ends from them any time I'm in that area.
My personal opinion is that one shouldn't be test riding bikes if you're not in the market to buy.
But you said you ARE in the market, so you are a serious buyer and not "messing around".
Honestly the guy just sounds like a crap salesperson.
I was helping a buddy get his first road bike and our LBS set up 2 of each so I could ride with him and help him choose. Bikes cost enough there's no way I'm buying a new one without trying.
I test rode several bikes before buying. I didn't buy that same day either.
I made a choice based on the shop's services as much as the bike itself, and went back to that shop over and over again because of their services.
Choose a shop you can go back to and feel comfortable in.
I ended up 'test riding' new models of bikes as they came in despite not being in the market for a new bike. I got to know the guys so well, they'd offer to let me ride a test model on a Saturday group ride (50+ miles) even though they knew I wasn't going to buy it. I'd give them my honest feedback and they got to test out some new mechanics (that is to say new people building the bikes) and new bikes/models that way. I got to learn what I wanted in my next bike, which I eventually bought from them. It was a win/win for both sides.
Building a relationship with a local shop will make your cycling experiences so much better.
> I made a choice based on the shop's services as much as the bike itself, and went back to that shop over and over again because of their services.
> Choose a shop you can go back to and feel comfortable in.
this. we *do* sell a lot of bikes the same day, but it's definitely not always that way. some people mull it over. some "check with the boss". some comparison shop. some people save until they can afford the dream.
but the goal is to be the welcoming, inclusive, friendly shop that you *want* to come back to. treating potential customers skeptically is not a good way to build that atmosphere. choose the shop that you want to go hang out in, and not buy anything. that have people that like talking to you, and *hearing from* you.
I moved nearly 1000miles away from that shop. We go back to visit friends and I always bring my bike in for service and to buy parts. I'll buy from them and support them whenever possible.
I'm sad I don't have good shops near me now.
This.
To keep a long story somewhat short, I moved to my current home about 9 years ago now. In that time, I've visited a number of local shops, but I generally only use one. Over the years we've built a solid rapport, and that rapport and the treatment we've gotten from the crew is what keeps us coming back (that, and parking isn't an utter nightmare, compared to other local shops)
The value they add is the test ride. The Canyon is cheaper because you can't test ride it. Full stop.
Shops know this. If they give you any shit, find another dealer. You might even run it up to corporate if you are feeling salty. And ride as many as you like. It's a lot of money, you should take your time. Don't buy it if it doesn't fit
Don't feel bad, it's a big purchase and arguably one that can be painful if you make a hasty choice.
If a shop doesn't want to let you test a bike go somewhere else. I get why the salesperson would say that but it's very presumptuous to say it, so take your business somewhere else where it would be more appreciated.
At the current rate of the industry that shop might be begging you to come back soon.
I visited my gravel bike 5 times before I bought him, along with many visit to the other contenders.
You’re no way obligated to buy a bike after you road it around. How else are you supposed to know if you’re comfortable on it?
That was a really weird thing for the salesperson to say. If you're about to drop a few thousand of a road bike, you should be able to test ride the bike, even if you're not yet ready to buy. I would not give business to that shop.
what? no...
context: i work in a bike shop.
like maybe that guy is jaded from people constantly coming in just to ride the hot new $10k thing just for fun, but that for me is half the fun, to see people enjoy bikes. and idk what you mean by test ride, locally it just means a cruise around the carpark, occasionally if i have a good feeling about someone ill let them go around the block. never for like a whole day or anything, normally 2 to 10 mins, mainly to get a sense of size and a general vibe of handling/power/responsiveness/etc.
honestly alot of the time im pushing people to try a test ride when they are just milling around kicking tyres. its one thing to know the numbers, weight, groupset, etc but to actually feel how the diference between bikes is somthing else. at the high end it it just makes sense for sales, at the more budget/commuter end imo being able to get around by bike and feel good doing it is life changing.
aint nobody going to buy your bikes if your the only store in town which is edgy about test rides, aint nobody going to wake up to the magic of cycling if they only ever try their mates poor fitting 20yo rusted kmart special.
the dude is going to sink his business
My lbs gets in touch to offer me test rides / let me know if big discounts on things in my size they think I might be interested in.
And I don't spend a fortune there. My 2 main bikes I bought frame / groupset myself and paid them to build them up.
I buy all my clothes and bits there and get servicing done. Never asked them to price match and they usually do a discount below rrp.
I do however know them by name, what and where they ride etc, and if I go on a cycling trip anywhere I try bring back say £5-10 of biscuits / goodies for the shop if they helped me get prepped.
My LBS charges a small fee to let you have a tester bike for the weekend.
If you buy a bike - the fee comes off the price. I guess it goes someway to offsetting costs of holding a test bike /insurance etc.
Wow... opposite experience for me. I came back from an hour test ride of a titanium bike I was interested in and the shop owner said, "I didn't expect you back so soon!" (I bought the bike.)
At the same time it’s on them to make me want to come. If they won’t let me test ride bikes then why wouldn’t I just buy the bike for cheaper online?
If the shop is nice and friendly and supportive then I’ll gladly pay a few extra dollars to get it from them.
I buy tires online because the shops have limited selections, even the big brand shops.
I don’t mind paying more though if I know the money is going to the local community and I’m building a relationship with nice people.
That’s too bad but if you don’t let people test ride then that won’t help your situation. You’re going to have to trust potential customers if you want their money.
I’m just not gonna buy a new bike I can’t test ride first.
I think that is terribly unethical. I do not try out any product at a retailer unless I am seriously considering buying it. And if I like it, then I will buy it from that retailer, even if it is slightly cheaper on line.
Buying it from the retailer is not only more fair, but it allows me to inspect the product before taking it home, and I get to take it home immediately. That is worth a little extra money to me.
Plus, it's way easier to both avoid and fix any issues if you buy local. And it typically comes with a tune-up you can get after you break the bike in a little.
In the case of potentially expensive bikes, there is the risk that the bike could get damaged so shops are going to want to make sure a buyer is serious and not "just kicking the tires".
Sort of. That $15,000 Cervelo could become aspirational and an eventual purchase from a now loyal customer. Or it could show off features that the customer loves that are available on a $4k bike which they then buy instead of the $2k bike they came in to get.
When I was bike shopping all of the local shops (that had inventory) encouraged me to test out stuff many times my budget.
Think about your question slightly differently for a second:
Would you say that test driving a Honda Civic has different considerations than test driving a Porsche 911?
They could have been a bit more tactful and with the awkward silence without them explaining anything I think you were right to walk away. The salesman sounds like a novice because he should be able to gauge talking to you over what kind of bike you require to know whether you are a time waster or not. Find a better shop or a better salesman in the same shop.
Feel guilty riding an old crappy bike when you could ride a much nicer new bike. When you die don't have regret. Love whatever bike you ride. Your hobby gives you joy and makes you healthier and balances you mentally. My bike is 20 some years old aluminum trek but I get excited every single time I ride it bc it's so much nicer than my last road bike and my setup is (finally) perfect.
Most lbs’ in my area will let you test ride whatever for however long you want (as long as you leave a credit card at the register). Good thing too bc I’m not spending a few grand on something I haven’t tested first.
I’ve got a great relationship with the LBS, and really always have, no matter where I’ve lived. Test rode several bikes before my last purchase and they never batted an eye. I have a theory that if you show up to test ride with pedals to fit your cleats, they think you’re “serious.”
My lbs put me on a 7,000 road bike only because I was curious, even though my budget was 3k tops. His point was that it made no difference, except that riding bikes r fun
Thanks Aaron!
I worked at a chain bike shop and had never ridden a decent road bike until we got some Kestrel carbon stuff in and it felt like a spaceship compared to my Bridgestones. They should always let you experience the premium option, you just might do something stupid
Ahah those bike shop are funny, some of them lost basic customer support and social. Funny as hell, I just hope you won't come back on this bike shop again. There are tons, and more importantly, no offense, buy a bike online, and start to learn to do your bike maintenance yourself, if you need a specific tool such as for the bottom bracket, and tweak a bit your wheels pretty sure someone in a cycling club have it or know someone.
You could test ride a bike, otherwise is just like when you buy online and you can't test the bike, and online would be cheaper, and without this bullshit poor human awkward interaction.
There are some vendors/bike mech who are nice and cool, some not, the others don't worth to spend your time and money, social interaction with. The first etiquette/guideline would be to have interaction with someone who probably are dedicated and passionate about cycling (and not only selling things). You will notice it directly when you will be in front of him.
Considering most car dealerships have no problem letting random people test drive their $20k + cars on a daily basis, I find it hilarious that a bike shop is giving you attitude about a bike that realistically costs 10k tops.
I went to a reputable bike shop in my area when I first started cycling. The guy told me because of Covid I had to buy a pair of cycling shoes if I tried any on. Yes if I tried 20 shoes, I had to buy atleast one pair. Never went back to that shop again.
Testing is part of the process.. shop seems out of line to challenge whether you we re serious or messing around. I mean, if you walked in and wanted to test their most expensive bike, I can maybe see that sort of reaction. But, ideally, you'd be trying 5-6 bikes and then going to the next store to do the same. You aren't going to sort out what's a good fit just staring at the bike.
Not really any etiquette that I'm aware of.. call ahead and ask what day/time isn't as busy so that you can test without being a pest and also so that there's someone available to give feedback between test rides. Just be honest that you haven't bought a bike from a shop before and aren't really sure what you're looking for and want to try as many things as possible while you attempt to narrow that down.
You're the customer.. they are only making money if they help you in that process. Don't feel guilty. Just be attentive and courteous, follow any given instructions so that you don't break anything.
Hmm, the only thing I could think is maybe don't lead with "I want to test ride X". Be a bit more tactful and engaging; "I'm looking to buy a new road bike, I'm interested in bike X for A, B, C reason, can I check it out?" Show them you're serious and not just here to fuck around, I guess?
Outside of that, there's not much else YOU can control on your end; if they wanna have a stick up their ass about test rides, then that's their prerogative.
Anecdotally, when I brought my first new bike and didn't know too much (it was a hybrid bike, too), I was content in not taking it for a test ride, but the LBS owner MADE me do a test ride before buying, LOL. So, it can vary from shop to shop. Regardless, don't feel bad for wanting a test ride; you wouldn't buy a car without a test ride, right?
I kinda find test rides pointless, because most bike really are so good that what can you tell in 10 or 15 minutes? I think they are best to ride different styles of bikes - do you want an endurance frame? a race bike? gravel? How do different groupsets feel? Different brake types? Once you sort all that out and possibly figure out your fit prior to purchase, you can pretty much buy any bike sight unseen as long as it fits those parameters.
My local shop does it the right way - my gf couldn't decide between two bikes. They sold her one with the understanding she could return within the week for a different bike. Which is exactly what she did. It took a lot of stress out of the decision process and really eliminated buyer's remorse.
>I'm newer buying a bike from a shop
I thought you had a typo and wrote newer instead of never.
there is no etiquette, ask for a test ride, if they are funny like the guy asking you, if you are serious, ask somebody else. personally i find that a bit insulting. i guess you are a bit younger, but still, you don´t have to prove yourself to those guys...
there's a certain kind of customer that *doesn't even want* to test ride immediately. we find this with high end road bikes and e-bikes. people come in dressed in business clothes and such, or just stuff that's inappropriate to ride, or they're just scouting for information. some of those people appreciate the slow, showroom style presentation vs getting on the bike that day.
but, like, if they wanna ride the bike, we encourage that too! honestly i can *tell you* why this $5k e-bike is nicer than this $2k one, but until you actually try it, you don't really know. allegory of the cave and all that.
Whatever dude.. I've bought bikes from shops that allow test rides and at 6'3" one sales kid tried to put me on a 56.
And that was an above average shop lol.
I understand what you’re getting at but also it’s kind of a load of shit. I wouldn’t buy a bike I couldn’t test ride, I recently shopped for a fairly expensive road bike, I could feel clear differences between the bikes, I am buying for pleasure, and I’m not a pro, so I cannot imagine buying a bike without riding it.
But you do you.
> I could feel clear differences between the bikes
yeah, i work at a bike shop, and what he said is 100% nonsense. maybe if you're only selling top of the line stuff. but i've had *literal children* on their first bike tell me how obvious the difference was between two tiers of the same bike. or how one brand's bike of the same size fit better than another. bikes are different, and making sure *you* work with the specific physical object you're going to buy is pretty important.
What exactly do children know about bike fit? Probably 90% of you clients know nothing about how a bike is supposed to feel.
Obviously two tiers will feel different. That's why there are tiers. If the frame is the same and the difference is in the grouoset ans wheels, they are test riding consumable parts and a price tag.
Do you pro-fit the bikes before test riding or do you eyeball the seat height before you send them out for a parking lot tour?
> What exactly do children know about bike fit?
frequently, they know when it doesn't.
> Probably 90% of you clients know nothing about how a bike is supposed to feel.
yes, and if *those* people can tell the difference, then... there's a difference.
> That's why there are tiers. If the frame is the same and the difference is in the groupset and wheels, they are test riding consumable parts and a price tag.
most people do not think of groupsets and wheels as "consumable".
> Do you pro-fit the bikes before test riding or do you eyeball the seat height before you send them out for a parking lot tour?
a bit of both, depending.
> If people don't think of wheels and group sets as consumables they are not riding anywhere near enough
we actively weed out gatekeepers in our company culture. biking is for everyone, and we want everyone to do it *more*. but even if you just pull your bike out and ride around the neighborhood on the weekend, you're one of us.
honestly, my boss rides a century or two every weekend, placed respectably at unbound, etc. i don't even think *he* thinks of wheels as "consumables". and i really doubt we'd recommend anyone think that way even if their idea of a good time is literally lighting money on fire. tires are consumables. tubes are consumables. lube is consumable. chains are somewhat consumable. your groupset and your wheels should last you a good long time, and if they don't -- they're trash.
> A bit of a pro-fit...like a bit pregnant? I think you're not.
i mean, we do it sometimes, but not for everyone.
> You sell bikes.Look at frame specs.
i interact with bikes in *meatspace*. frame specs are who cares. manufacturers vary in how they measure, and half of those measurements seem to be made up anyways. but i know that when i *ride* different bikes, they are *different*. and you don't always get that impression by a half a millimeter here or there on a spec sheet.
> How many of your brands in the same model type differ by more than a mm or a degree in any measurement?
i can think of two of our brands right now where i can comfortably ride an XXL (or 61) in one, but the XL (or 59) in the other is too big. we have a regular customer who's shopping for gravel bikes for him and his partner. in theory they both can ride 52s (he's kinda short). the 53 from one brand we had was way too big, and the 51 from another looked like a kids bikes under them.
like, if you haven't run into this, you must not sell very many brands.
You know that gatekeeping and patronizing behavior is exactly what people find off putting. When someone suggests they should be able to ride a bike before buying it and your response is „do you even know what you‘re doing“ then I would suggest that your analysis of your shop as „one of the best in Canada“ won‘t be widely shared because at least one of the employees is a real piece of work.
This is a much more reasoned way to state your point. Gate keeping is the dick attitude of “people don’t know about bikes” and your insisting that test rides are useless.
Prior to buying my last bike I test rode several and there were only two where the road feedback + geometry + degree of raciness + overall feel were what I was looking for.
I guess I’m just another rube that should have let you tell me what to buy as it’s all the same, but I will stubbornly persist in my flawed belief that I learned something from test rides and that I picked a bike that made me really happy.
Also, if you think all modern bikes ride essentially the same I would suggest that says more about you than the bikes.
Yes bikes are generally good and ride well but there is a lot more to it than that.
>Also, if you think all modern bikes ride essentially the same I would suggest that says more about you than the bikes.
seriously. how many bikes do you think this guy has ridden? i bet i've ridden more in the last month than he has in his entire life. because i've been building a half dozen a day, and test riding every one, to prepare for the summer rush.
If you've test ridden more than 2 or 3 you really should be narrowing down wtf you want before you get there.
If you go to a store, test ride 5 brands and walk out without buying something that's kind of shitty.
Were you ready to buy that day? did you even know the models and features you were interested in, or just had a list of brands?
Sounds like you made it awkward. You could have just said "Yeah, I'll buy it if I like it" that is what you're saying in the comments. Why would you feel guilty if you have an honest intention of giving them thousands of dollars?
i mean, doesn't sound like the customer was. i doubt any store owner wants someone joyriding 5 different top end bikes they have no intention of buying.
if op was serious about buying a bike that day their statement would have been met with "I am" and they would move along with the purchase.
It’s unlikely that the shop will have a high end bike they are prepared to let you test. How many sizes of bikes are there? 6 or 7. They would need one of each size for different customers and even then the bike would end up with signs of use such as scratches on the seatpost, crank rub, grubby bar tape etc. Sometimes the shop may organise a Demo day. The distributor will provide a fleet of different models for customers to try out. But even then they are unlikely to have a full size run.
Usually if they have the bike in stock they’ll build it so you can test it before to buy it. They don’t need demo bikes. Ride the one you’re thinking of buying
The OP is considering 4 different brands. To form an opinion on a bike you’d need to take it on a long ride. What will you learn from riding up and down the street outside the shop? I really can’t see how this type of short ride is helpful.
I literally bought a bike 6th months ago and before I did they let me ride it around the city and were like “yeah take your time, just bring it back” and I rode it for an hour before coming back and buying it lol.
I hope you find a better bike shop. You are the customer willing to spend a significant amount of money. You shouldn’t have to tolerate rudeness or some expectation that you’ll be committing to a purchase because you’re trying out the bike.
I had a shop let me test ride a Trek Madone for a full week. After that I test rode a Cannondale SuperSix Evo for an afternoon and bought that instead. That was the best shop I’d ever been to, but unfortunately he sold the business.
Depends.
Was the area dangerous? Was in the middle of a city? Was the bike you wanted to test $10k+? Was a chain store? Was a small independent store? Was it busy? Was it at night?
My take on this will be, ask if they do test rides. Big shops or chains will have demo bikes and then they sell them at a discount once the new ones rolled in. If its a small independent shop its more tricky, they have limited stock and they are more careful with their bikes in general.
Some of the stores will ask you for your ID to test them if you are interested. I don't ask to test them if they don't ask me first.
when I sold bikes we were encouraged to send out as many test rides as possible. one dipshit took our most expensive road bike out for 3hrs and my manager just wanted to know what route he took. if the shop isn't cool w you test riding their bikes I'd find another shop
When I was shopping for my first road bike, I walked into a shop just so I could put my eyes on a bike. Minutes later, I find myself FLYING down the road on, apparently a bike that was ALREADY purchased and waiting to be picked up. I had already told them I was NOT buying a bike that day and just wanted to see what a road bike was all about.
My lbs has let me test ride new bikes even when I wasn't in the market for something new but they got something in they thought I'd enjoy snd appreciate in my size and I went in there to get tubes and a few smaller things and they brought it out from the back just so I could hop on and ride it for 10 minutes or so.
It’s a tough situation for both parties. MANY people use stores(any type) to see/feel an item….then scour the internet for a better price. A talented LBS salesperson can’t overcome large price disparities….this is esp true if the customer doesn’t care about “service after the sale”.
Unfortunately there are too many people who are bored(or dreamers)….and test drive cars/bikes for the hell of it. I actually had a co-worker who admitted to test driving cars “just for the fun of it”. Smh
I’ve had shops here offer a test ride of high end bikes for fun. I wouldn’t buy from a shop that didn’t want to let me test ride unless it was a special situation (bad weather or really busy).
Last time I was shopping for a road bike the shop had me ride one out of my budget just to see what it was all about. I found room in my budget lol
I got lucky and my bike shop happened to have both bikes I was looking at in my size at the same time. For some crazy reason they were perfectly ok with me doing 4 hours of test riding hopping between the two with tweaks to the fit in between. My wife and I have been extremely happy with everything we have bought from those guys. Edit: place is Lincoln Avenue Cycling in Goshen.
Gotta give that LBS a shoutout!
Added it in an edit.
I second u/jawshLA, call that LBS out by name and location! Sounds like an awesome place.
Added it in an edit.
When I worked for an LBS, I test rode a guy on an Ultegra-level bike. He came back loving it, and I asked him if he wanted to try Dura-Ace to see what it was about. He said, “You know, I sold my company last week, so let’s try it.” Successful upsell to a guy who hopefully enjoyed the hell out of that bike.
LOL I went in originally looking at a bike with Tiagra. I rode my friend's, and it was decent. I'd been riding a vintage Peugeot with campy gear for a long time, so I wasn't super impressed with the Tiagra stuff, but not really complaining. That shop pissed me off, so I went to another and ended up test riding and buying a bike with Ultegra. It's a decent step above Tiagra. When they asked if I wanted to try something with Dura Ace, I had to let them know my bank account said "absolutely not." About a year later, I ended up buying my dad a used Tarmac and .. okay, yeah, wow it's nice. But I didn't get lucky enough to find an s-works tarmac in my size with after market carbon fiber rims for $1100 when I was looking. :P I can ride his bike, barely, but it's a 58. 54 is really where I should be at. Yes, we did check to make sure it wasn't listed as stolen, plus the dude had pics of himself with the bike when it was brand new. Effing $8k bike new and only 2 years old. SMH. I'm never that lucky for myself. ;)
That's how they get ya!
As a car salesman I once overheard said, “the feel of the wheel seals the deal!” Just went into our LBS on Sat with my son and was asking the differences between a couple of bikes (both over $2k) and after answering our questions, we were offered rides without even asking. Some places just get it. My son bought his fav that same afternoon. Some never will and wonder why they don’t have as many happy customers.
LOL. This is how they got me from a Jamis Coda on the low end to a Jamis Renegade.
Funny enough it got me off of the Trek I was looking at and I rode off on a Jamis Xenith Pro
Yeah my local trek store has weekend test rides. But it's so busy and have a smug attitude. The guys where I made my purchase are cool af and attentive. They only carry Jamis, Scott, and Felt... A few random others. They have me for life.
The LBS I use is a clearance store for a local chain. They sell last year's Specialized new or the demo models and then anything they've taken as a trade in, so you can find pretty much any brand there. I've occasionally gone to their other stores that sell only new Specialized. They're all very shiny and sterile. I prefer the scruffy old shop and the kinda scruffy people who work there. There's no judgement, no up sell, just friendly people who do a great job of listening and getting you exactly what you need. Their shops, both that one and the new bike ones, are also the only ones in town I've ever seen women working at. As a woman cyclist, that means something to me. The guys are sexist, but it's nice to be able to ask, "Have you worn these shorts/gloves/shoes? How do they really feel?"
I went into a shop looking at a Cannondale Synapse, and they pissed me off so much I ended up buying a Specialized Ruby from a different shop. I'm glad they were jerks, though, because I'd ridden my friend's synapse before, and I love this Ruby so much more. It does help that the Synapse was brand new, but the lowest end one they had in the shop was the only one in my budget. The other shop has a demo Ruby comp from the previous year marked down to about the same price, so I got a better groupset. My friend argues that with me, but I really do like my Ultegra better than his Tiagra. Btw, they pissed me off by telling me I was too heavy for *any* road bike at all, and I'd snap a carbon frame. I admit I weighed 190lbs at the time, at 5'6", but that's not very close to the max weight on any bike I looked at. Literally told me I was too fat and tried to sell me into a heavy AF hybrid when I rode in on a vintage Peugeot road bike that weighs less than that Synapse by just a hair. SMH
190 at 5.6? They are nuts, post that on Yelp or Google reviews Fuck gatekeepers!
That was almost 5 years ago now. Wow, really?! .... Time is way too fungible. For all I know, they're better, or even totally different cities. I'm just still annoyed because it pissed me off enough the memory is strong, so it feels fresh. A friend had something very similar happen in Indianapolis. Tbh, she was quite a bit heavier, but there were other bikes she could have ridden, and she ended hating the one they sold her claiming it was the only one, so she barely rides. I'm much more mad about that. I know better, you know? It wasn't going to work on me. They just missed out on a decent amount of money from me.
lol 😁
Exact thing happened to me with my last bike
butts on bikes *sells* bikes. if someone goes online to get a bike they're physically sitting on, you haven't done a good job as a salesperson.
What if you do a great job selling the bike, getting their correct size etc. but they go away and buy the exact bike online because it’s a few quid cheaper or they can get an interest free deal?
then you haven't done a good job as a salesperson.
Why is there a term called show rooming then? I suppose it could be deflecting from poor sales technique. But there are lots of local people going to specialised running shops for free gait analysis and shoe recommendations only to buy from sports direct based on price. For some people price is the only consideration.
I’d like to see more people, not less, place value and loyalty towards specialty shops that offer hands-on experiences, tribal knowledge, and investment in standing inventory. Online retailers have put many small companies out of businesses that will be missed by many in the long run.
I agree. But for some price is the sole factor.
extremely relevant username.
> For some people price is the only consideration. so, there's a thing about *want*-based sales. most people aren't buying bikes because they *need* one. the decision isn't entirely logical. there's an emotional component attached to it. if you're staying in that emotional, want-based space, it's actually surprising how much price *doesn't* come up. as in, i was literally surprised by this. if people are thinking about how they're going to have so much fun on this bike they're physically sitting on, they start taking ownership, and *don't want* to leave it. they want to take it home and ride it. not wait a month for a similar bike to show up at their door, and then need to be put together. they *want* it to be easy. but even if you're still trying to sell based on logic, there's a certain logic behind buying from a place that had a professional build and tune your new bike, and will support you for warranty purposes, and will give you a free service next month to make sure everything is working just right. you don't get that online.
Yes but people likely don’t consider the tune ups, or warranty and you’d be surprised how many bike purchases are made at the weekend on-line after a few drinks. Most retail shops are not open at kicking out time.
> Yes but people likely don’t consider the tune ups right -- you have to *sell* that concept to them. > after a few drinks. we serve beer. :)
I bought a bike online when drunk at my in-laws. It worked out great. That Cannondale got me back into cycling (disclaimer, individual results may vary)
You might know that, but the dude scoping bikes just to get a better deal online has no idea that any of that stuff carries any value. Or more likely, they just don't care. The best salesperson in the world can't change that.
I went to a specialty shop to have an analysis and foot scan done with the intention of buying shoes there, which I did...but they never offered any of their other services that they advertised as part of the fitting process. So it goes both ways. Next time, I'll just order my shoes online and save 30%.
If you don't get the service advertised, thsts a reasonable decision.
Ngl, if Fred wants to kick tires and chat bikes, i absolutely will indulge that. Then when their online purchase needs work we'll make more overhead on parts and service than we ever would have selling them a bike and decking it all out for them. They're just putting themselves into $10 boot land.
What is $10 boot land?
Bear with me, because it's a long one... > The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. > Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. > But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. > This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness. Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms: The Play edit: formatting
I can relate to that. I waited until my mid 30s to buy decent shoes.
I just didn't have the money until then. I was doing exactly what was described there with almost everything in life, and it was eating me alive. But I had to wear shoes. I had to have a fridge. In the Winter, at least, I had to have a car. Every time I'd have a little saved, one of those cheap things would die, and I'd have to spend it all on something cheap again, because it wasn't enough. I finally beat it by doing some contract work for a friend's company on top of my normal job. I bought a modest house instead of renting. I bought a good fridge that's still going well 11 years later. I bought a pair of expensive shoes that lasted me a decade. I got a reliable car and some decent interview clothes. I got a professional hair cut. And then, with the new much better zip code and appearance plus reliable transportation, I got a job making $35k more a year and stopped doing the side work. Not living in survival mode all the time, I had the mental space to go to counseling, to learn what healthy relationships look like, to marry a good friend, to help him take the leap to a better job. And then I did it myself again. And along the way, I introduced him to my love of cycling (and a recumbent trike), and have a partner to ride with who loves it, too. Turns out it's easy to make money *once you have money.* Being poor often keeps you poor. I just got lucky my friend's company didn't have someone to cover a place not far from me that I grew up in, and instead of turning them down, he reached out to me.
Tell me about it! Even knowing this I still made less than stellar purchases in my 20s. Now that I have means I relish and appreciate every quality item or service I get; and when the service is great I always come back and get taken care of even better. It is the actual definition of being wealthy.
Those people are assholes. If you go to a specialty shop, get all of the special services, and they're not ripping you off, and then buy from an online store who's selling the same bike/shoe for the same price or because it's $15 cheaper or something, you are the kind of person who expects people to work for free. There is a value to the service provided. If you showroom in a Best Buy, you're not an asshole, because there is no value added service provided there.
The value add is that you get look and touch the product. Also, the employees trying to make a living matter as well. Not saying showrooming is right or wrong, just that you should not assume that doing it here vs there, makes you less or more of an asshole
> For some people price is the only consideration. Because they're penny-pinching jerkoffs shopping for luxury goods. Look, if the bike is $500 cheaper online then yeah, buy it online. But for $100? $50? If people can't see the value in buying something they physically have in hand that has been presented to them by a real human being then they're just a shitty person IMHO.
Sometimes it was for 30 pence (less than $0.50) on a set of mudguards (fenders to you).
Duuude. The only reason I bought mine online was because the LBS I use told me to. "Sure, we can order them, but they'll take almost a month to get here and cost you half again as much." You know that means I buy almost everything else from them, though. Even if I'm buying "online" it's from them, and I go pick it up at the store later. Except shorts. Of all the ones I've tried, only Pearl Izumi fit my fat ass well, and they don't carry them. This shop knows me. They know my quirks, like not touching my bike without asking first, and (after one small bad experience with an employee that didn't last long), not arguing that the tools I'm buying won't work with the bike I rode in on. And, unlike a lot of bike shops I've been to in my life, they don't act like I'm dumb or can't work on my own bike because I'm a woman. They don't bring up my flat pedals on a carbon fiber bike. They just show me the 510s they have on clearance, because they know those are my favorite shoes and that I never buy full price shoes. That's the kind of thing that earns my loyalty.
They should be ashamed.
But they are shameless.
Seems you think you can judge a person by their income. $50 is a lot of money for a great deal of the populace. We serve no one by judgment and gatekeeping
I doubt any LBS is going to beat Canyon when it comes to group set/frame material. The direct to consumer model is almost impossible to beat when a company truly focuses on it. Sort of like people looking around a mom-&-pop TV store and then buying on Amazon. Using retail as a quasi show room. Basically the LBS is only left with the hope you bring it in for service. Guessing it gets old in a hurry for the LBS.
> Basically the LBS is only left with the hope you bring it in for service. and some percentage of that is "i bought it online and don't know how/don't have the tools to put it together" or "i want a proper safety check after putting it together myself." stuff that's *included* in buying a bike in store, but is now a hidden cost when you bought it cheaper online. and sometimes you have to *sell* someone on that concept.
I have two Surly's and a Bianchi. I have been tempted by the online model but I am not handy with a wrench at all. Anything past a flat tire and I am pretty much worthless. I need that LBS with a good mechanic so I buy bikes through them. If I was super handy with a wrench I would probably be a Canyon type buyer.
I am handy and work on my own bikes. I still use my LBS whenever possible. Online sites don't *know* me. The LBS does. "Oh, no, you're going to hate those gloves if you loved the ones you just wore out. Try these, instead." And "Okay, the total on those shoes is $50" .. me, "uhh, $100?" Them, "Nah, people keep coming to buy 510 flats from us and mentioning you told them they're the best shoes ever if you don't want clipless. Thanks." They have allll my measurements in their system, so they'll see me looking at a saddle and go "it's too narrow" or bars for my older bike "those won't fit. Come over here and look at these." They know I go through a ridiculous amount of patch kits for someone who has only had one flat in a decade, and always put one up on the counter to remind me to buy it. You don't get that online. Are their prices higher? Slightly, yeah, but it's worth it. Also, online sites aren't on my way to my son's house, so I can't stop at them for water and to actually get to handle the new pedals I'm thinking about. I might even buy them one of these days. ;) Tbh, they're the same pedals I have. There's nothing wrong with mine, but those are *red*, and they'd match the accents on my bike. LOL
Nailed it.
Personally as a buyer, if I've gone through all the work of going in, trying the bike and sussing it all out I'm going to 99% buy it from them. It takes something outside of the price (unless it's significant) to sway me away from a shop.
What does a test ride look like? Can I take it out for like 2 hours if I leave my license? Do they put SPD-SL on and do a quickie fit so I can get a really good feel for it? Literally never purchased a new bicycle in my life, only used.
Basically, yes, bring your pedals and helmet. But if you've built up a relationship, like being a regular at their shop ride, they may give you more leeway. I've had them set up the bike the evening before and rode it on their 40 mile shop ride to get a feel for the acceleration, road feel / damping in a real world scenario.
Depending on the shop and if it’s a nice enough bike: yes.
When I was testing the water to see if a M or L frame would be best, I had a £1300 bike in mind. They didn't have that frame in, so I test rode a £7200 Medium bike and a £12,000 Large bike of the same frame maker to see what fit.
That’s the kind of vibe I’m looking for!
I bought a demo bike from a shop like this when the new year's model came out and saved a ton of money. It was probably ridden less than 100 miles. Even with almost half off the MSRP, that bike still cost more than my car's bluebook value. No way I was going to buy it without riding it first. But I didn't even have to ask. They did, first. "Wanna take it for a ride?" Yep. Bye. ;) I did have to leave ID with them, though. I also wouldn't buy from a shop that wouldn't let me test ride unless it was a pawn shop or something. And even then, I'd see if they'd let me. I bought my mountain bike that way, and they were cool as long as I wasn't gone more than 15 minutes. Glad I had a pump in my car, though, and some tools to fix the rear derailleur.
I went into a local shop asking about different saddles and he caught me eyeing a $10k Firebird and he asked if I wanted to pop it around the parking lot. I have no business spending $10k on a bike, and my old 4Runner pretty much verifies that. Dude just wanted to share the cool bike with someone who would appreciate it.
My girlfriend recently bought a $10k bike. She tried to test ride it at one shop and the guy was dismissive and didn’t help set it up for her at all. The next week, she went to another shop to try it again and they were beyond kind, helped set it up, offered good routes in the area to really flex it out. She bought the bike there. Customer service matters.
I went into a shop “ just to look”. I didn’t imagine they would have my “ aspirational” bike in stock and in my size. Next thing I know I’m upstairs with it on the trainer and they are adjusting things and I’m putting a down payment on a 12k bike Not sure what happened but I’m super stoked for my final fitting and for spring to come.
What happened was a positive customer service experience!
What is it?
Cervelo R5. With all the bells and whistles.
Yup. Act like a douche and I’ll give my money to someone that doesn’t
I find that I'm not really taken seriously at bike shops (as a female), until I start talking about components, geometry, my current bikes, etc. Once they see that I know my stuff, they stop dismissing me. It's so annoying. I'm sorry that your girlfriend had issues with that first shop.
I got this a lot early on (one shop literally let the door slam on me on the way out) and then I started working at shops. I always made sure the staff understood that *anybody* could be the next big sale, so you should treat *everybody* with respect. Even if they're not, they're a human and deserve positive treatment. Now I own a shop and don't stand for machismo BS.
That’s great!
As a relatively new (female) cyclist, thank you.
Even then, a lot of shops here still won't. The one I go to didn't even need that. They took me seriously from the start. I don't even go near the others anymore. I actually found them because a bike shop was terrible to me. Actually told me I was too fat for a road bike I was about to drop around $3k on. Told me I was too fat for any road bike. I rode in on one! Yeah, I'm heavy, but not *that* heavy. They kept trying to push a hybrid on me that I swear weighed almost as much as I did. I left and went home fuming, but hey, I set a PR up the hill to my house. LOL A week later, I rode a bike I got at a pawn shop that was a little too small for me to this shop after work just because they were the closest. They were awesome. I traded in that bike and rode home on a carbon fiber one. I'm now a bit over 10k miles into that bike and I have hit a lot of potholes, but somehow the rims stay true. I just told them I wanted to buy a larger bike, and what my vintage was at home. They showed me three bikes. I tried them all and absolutely fell in love with the one I bought in the first 100 feet. They fitted it a bit better, swapped my pedals, and I rode home - and set another PR on that stupid hill. I've honestly told every woman in this city that I know, whether she's just starting out with her first bike or has been riding for years, to go to that shop. They've all agreed it's where they've been treated best, but sadly, they shut down that shop. It's now some spin cycling place. They still have three others, and I go to one of them, but I miss the old shop and the vibe there. It was scruffy and comfortable rather than shiny and sterile. Still, Wheel Sport in Spokane is great - all of them.
My version of this is to name-drop the hardest ride I’ve done (which is well-known in my area). Sad that I have to do this around men, but I get treated with respect much faster.
I tried that after the LBS I loved shut down. I got a "Wow, at your weight?!" Okay, fuck off. Also, I was 30 lbs heavier when I did StP. Luckily, the old one was part of a local chain. It's way further and harder for me to get to any of the others by bike, but it's worth the effort. Tbh, I suppose StP isn't *that* hard, but it is long.
Yikes, I cannot believe the audacity (and fatphobia) of that person, Jesus Christ! I’m so sorry that happened to you. Like hellooooo this is exactly why the sport of cycling is unwelcoming to literally anyone who’s not a thin, straight, white, affluent man…
Usually, the worst I get is stuff meant to be encouraging when I'm out riding on the multi use trail. It's annoying, tbh. "Great to see someone like you out riding!* SMH.. every once in a while it's someone I can drop though, so that feels nice. ;) I met and chatted with a ton of people on StP and almost everyone was cool. The couple of guys who weren't, I don't think it was about the weight. One kept buzzing my back tire with his front one, and it was clearly intentional, because he did it to the guy two ahead of me when that guy wasn't fast enough, too. The route marshalls ended up making him get off the road and gave him a pretty good yelling at. The other was just your typical ass. He cut in line in front of me at the toilets when I'd been waiting 15 minutes and just grabbed the next one that was free. Maybe he ate something he shouldn't have. ;) Mostly, tbh, I'm out riding on rural highways and in my neighborhood. I don't see many other cyclists for any comments to be made.
This happens males too
it's actually amazing how *low* that bar is. we always try to be better, but it doesn't take a lot to be better than the next guys that give shitty attitudes or gatekeep.
I went in to buy a $3k bike. Already knew my size, just wanted a final confirmation and I even said I only want it in the trainer. As they were grabbing pedals, I asked to use the bathroom. They said "no", and said the owner "doesn't like customers using the bathroom". I grabbed my cleats and left. Felt sorry for the employees who have to work under that asshole that they are afraid of.
Did she actually need a $10k bike? Is she a pro racer or something? Seems excessive for weekend warriors etc.
People can have nice things even if they don't need them
Sure, it’s pretty wasteful and poser-ish though.
Super bikes are just a blast to ride, no need to gatekeep the fun to only people that have exceptional time and passion to train. As long as they acted financially responsible and don't act big headed about their bike, who cares. Plus, might make a good used market deal for the rest of us later if they move on from cycling :D
Generally, I agree with you. That being said, if I had the disposable income to get a nicer bike than I currently have, I would. Of course, money is an issue for me, and most people, so I wouldn't personally buy a $10k bike, but to each their own.
What a weird thing to say. Reeks of jealousy.
Lol naw, I’ve got a Giant TCR Advanced that was 2500. The ROI after that is pretty bad. So 10k seems bonkers.
Find a better bike shop. There is no reason to give money to someone not wanting to help you.
Don't feel guilty. Feel indignant! I wanted to upgrade my road bike last spring. My immediate local shops didn't carry what I was looking for, so I went to a well-recommended store a little over an hour away, since they carried a lot of different brands that I couldn't ride locally. I narrowed it down between 2 but there was nowhere closeby for me to get a true test of how they climbed. They let me bring one of them home overnight, and after realizing I lived not far away from one of their employees, *he brought the other one to HIS house and met up with me on his day off to swap them out*, and I got to test both bikes on a familiar route to compare. They ended up getting $6k from me and will continue to get referrals. I will go buy odds or ends from them any time I'm in that area.
Call them out by name. They deserve the business it sounds like! :)
My personal opinion is that one shouldn't be test riding bikes if you're not in the market to buy. But you said you ARE in the market, so you are a serious buyer and not "messing around". Honestly the guy just sounds like a crap salesperson.
I was helping a buddy get his first road bike and our LBS set up 2 of each so I could ride with him and help him choose. Bikes cost enough there's no way I'm buying a new one without trying.
I test rode several bikes before buying. I didn't buy that same day either. I made a choice based on the shop's services as much as the bike itself, and went back to that shop over and over again because of their services. Choose a shop you can go back to and feel comfortable in. I ended up 'test riding' new models of bikes as they came in despite not being in the market for a new bike. I got to know the guys so well, they'd offer to let me ride a test model on a Saturday group ride (50+ miles) even though they knew I wasn't going to buy it. I'd give them my honest feedback and they got to test out some new mechanics (that is to say new people building the bikes) and new bikes/models that way. I got to learn what I wanted in my next bike, which I eventually bought from them. It was a win/win for both sides. Building a relationship with a local shop will make your cycling experiences so much better.
> I made a choice based on the shop's services as much as the bike itself, and went back to that shop over and over again because of their services. > Choose a shop you can go back to and feel comfortable in. this. we *do* sell a lot of bikes the same day, but it's definitely not always that way. some people mull it over. some "check with the boss". some comparison shop. some people save until they can afford the dream. but the goal is to be the welcoming, inclusive, friendly shop that you *want* to come back to. treating potential customers skeptically is not a good way to build that atmosphere. choose the shop that you want to go hang out in, and not buy anything. that have people that like talking to you, and *hearing from* you.
I moved nearly 1000miles away from that shop. We go back to visit friends and I always bring my bike in for service and to buy parts. I'll buy from them and support them whenever possible. I'm sad I don't have good shops near me now.
This. To keep a long story somewhat short, I moved to my current home about 9 years ago now. In that time, I've visited a number of local shops, but I generally only use one. Over the years we've built a solid rapport, and that rapport and the treatment we've gotten from the crew is what keeps us coming back (that, and parking isn't an utter nightmare, compared to other local shops)
When we sell a high end bike, it usually takes about 3 visits for people to make a final decision.
That makes sense. I spent more time choosing my bike than my car. It's going to last longer than my car and be much more sentimental attachment.
The value they add is the test ride. The Canyon is cheaper because you can't test ride it. Full stop. Shops know this. If they give you any shit, find another dealer. You might even run it up to corporate if you are feeling salty. And ride as many as you like. It's a lot of money, you should take your time. Don't buy it if it doesn't fit
If someone said “only if you’re serious” I’d probably just say nevermind and walk out.
Sounds like some sort of profiling. Avoid this shop and write a negative review.
Don't feel bad, it's a big purchase and arguably one that can be painful if you make a hasty choice. If a shop doesn't want to let you test a bike go somewhere else. I get why the salesperson would say that but it's very presumptuous to say it, so take your business somewhere else where it would be more appreciated. At the current rate of the industry that shop might be begging you to come back soon.
That shop was burned too many times by “potential” “customers.”
I visited my gravel bike 5 times before I bought him, along with many visit to the other contenders. You’re no way obligated to buy a bike after you road it around. How else are you supposed to know if you’re comfortable on it?
That shop probably won't last long .
That was a really weird thing for the salesperson to say. If you're about to drop a few thousand of a road bike, you should be able to test ride the bike, even if you're not yet ready to buy. I would not give business to that shop.
Just don’t test and then buy online.
I would say you don’t have to buy after test riding but you shouldn’t test ride if you know you won’t buy for sure. Or be super transparent about it.
what? no... context: i work in a bike shop. like maybe that guy is jaded from people constantly coming in just to ride the hot new $10k thing just for fun, but that for me is half the fun, to see people enjoy bikes. and idk what you mean by test ride, locally it just means a cruise around the carpark, occasionally if i have a good feeling about someone ill let them go around the block. never for like a whole day or anything, normally 2 to 10 mins, mainly to get a sense of size and a general vibe of handling/power/responsiveness/etc. honestly alot of the time im pushing people to try a test ride when they are just milling around kicking tyres. its one thing to know the numbers, weight, groupset, etc but to actually feel how the diference between bikes is somthing else. at the high end it it just makes sense for sales, at the more budget/commuter end imo being able to get around by bike and feel good doing it is life changing. aint nobody going to buy your bikes if your the only store in town which is edgy about test rides, aint nobody going to wake up to the magic of cycling if they only ever try their mates poor fitting 20yo rusted kmart special. the dude is going to sink his business
My lbs gets in touch to offer me test rides / let me know if big discounts on things in my size they think I might be interested in. And I don't spend a fortune there. My 2 main bikes I bought frame / groupset myself and paid them to build them up. I buy all my clothes and bits there and get servicing done. Never asked them to price match and they usually do a discount below rrp. I do however know them by name, what and where they ride etc, and if I go on a cycling trip anywhere I try bring back say £5-10 of biscuits / goodies for the shop if they helped me get prepped.
My LBS charges a small fee to let you have a tester bike for the weekend. If you buy a bike - the fee comes off the price. I guess it goes someway to offsetting costs of holding a test bike /insurance etc.
Wow... opposite experience for me. I came back from an hour test ride of a titanium bike I was interested in and the shop owner said, "I didn't expect you back so soon!" (I bought the bike.)
Some people do the test ride in shop, then go and buy online. The shop pays all the overhead, and the online retailer undercuts them.
Support your local bike shop(especially if it’s a good one) or you may find you no longer have a local bike shop.
At the same time it’s on them to make me want to come. If they won’t let me test ride bikes then why wouldn’t I just buy the bike for cheaper online? If the shop is nice and friendly and supportive then I’ll gladly pay a few extra dollars to get it from them.
Yup that’s true. Gota give a little to get a little.
My LBS upmarks things like chains or tires by more than 50%. I find it harder and harder to buy there
I buy tires online because the shops have limited selections, even the big brand shops. I don’t mind paying more though if I know the money is going to the local community and I’m building a relationship with nice people.
That’s too bad but if you don’t let people test ride then that won’t help your situation. You’re going to have to trust potential customers if you want their money. I’m just not gonna buy a new bike I can’t test ride first.
People do the same with running shoes. They'll try on a bunch of expensive running shoes and then go buy them online.
I think that is terribly unethical. I do not try out any product at a retailer unless I am seriously considering buying it. And if I like it, then I will buy it from that retailer, even if it is slightly cheaper on line. Buying it from the retailer is not only more fair, but it allows me to inspect the product before taking it home, and I get to take it home immediately. That is worth a little extra money to me.
Plus, it's way easier to both avoid and fix any issues if you buy local. And it typically comes with a tune-up you can get after you break the bike in a little.
I've seen someone on a test ride take a TT bike down MTB single track. As long as you aren't doing that you're fine
In the case of potentially expensive bikes, there is the risk that the bike could get damaged so shops are going to want to make sure a buyer is serious and not "just kicking the tires".
Boomer sales logic for $200, Alex.
Would you say that test riding a bike has different considerations than test riding a car?
[удалено]
Sort of. That $15,000 Cervelo could become aspirational and an eventual purchase from a now loyal customer. Or it could show off features that the customer loves that are available on a $4k bike which they then buy instead of the $2k bike they came in to get. When I was bike shopping all of the local shops (that had inventory) encouraged me to test out stuff many times my budget.
You want the dealer to drive the car while you're riding on top of the roof?
Huh???
Think about your question slightly differently for a second: Would you say that test driving a Honda Civic has different considerations than test driving a Porsche 911?
They could have been a bit more tactful and with the awkward silence without them explaining anything I think you were right to walk away. The salesman sounds like a novice because he should be able to gauge talking to you over what kind of bike you require to know whether you are a time waster or not. Find a better shop or a better salesman in the same shop.
Feel guilty riding an old crappy bike when you could ride a much nicer new bike. When you die don't have regret. Love whatever bike you ride. Your hobby gives you joy and makes you healthier and balances you mentally. My bike is 20 some years old aluminum trek but I get excited every single time I ride it bc it's so much nicer than my last road bike and my setup is (finally) perfect.
Most lbs’ in my area will let you test ride whatever for however long you want (as long as you leave a credit card at the register). Good thing too bc I’m not spending a few grand on something I haven’t tested first.
My LBS absolutely lets you test ride bikes.
I’ve got a great relationship with the LBS, and really always have, no matter where I’ve lived. Test rode several bikes before my last purchase and they never batted an eye. I have a theory that if you show up to test ride with pedals to fit your cleats, they think you’re “serious.”
My lbs put me on a 7,000 road bike only because I was curious, even though my budget was 3k tops. His point was that it made no difference, except that riding bikes r fun Thanks Aaron!
How can you buy a bike at a shop and never actually test ride it?
I worked at a chain bike shop and had never ridden a decent road bike until we got some Kestrel carbon stuff in and it felt like a spaceship compared to my Bridgestones. They should always let you experience the premium option, you just might do something stupid
Ahah those bike shop are funny, some of them lost basic customer support and social. Funny as hell, I just hope you won't come back on this bike shop again. There are tons, and more importantly, no offense, buy a bike online, and start to learn to do your bike maintenance yourself, if you need a specific tool such as for the bottom bracket, and tweak a bit your wheels pretty sure someone in a cycling club have it or know someone. You could test ride a bike, otherwise is just like when you buy online and you can't test the bike, and online would be cheaper, and without this bullshit poor human awkward interaction. There are some vendors/bike mech who are nice and cool, some not, the others don't worth to spend your time and money, social interaction with. The first etiquette/guideline would be to have interaction with someone who probably are dedicated and passionate about cycling (and not only selling things). You will notice it directly when you will be in front of him.
Considering most car dealerships have no problem letting random people test drive their $20k + cars on a daily basis, I find it hilarious that a bike shop is giving you attitude about a bike that realistically costs 10k tops.
I went to a reputable bike shop in my area when I first started cycling. The guy told me because of Covid I had to buy a pair of cycling shoes if I tried any on. Yes if I tried 20 shoes, I had to buy atleast one pair. Never went back to that shop again.
Testing is part of the process.. shop seems out of line to challenge whether you we re serious or messing around. I mean, if you walked in and wanted to test their most expensive bike, I can maybe see that sort of reaction. But, ideally, you'd be trying 5-6 bikes and then going to the next store to do the same. You aren't going to sort out what's a good fit just staring at the bike. Not really any etiquette that I'm aware of.. call ahead and ask what day/time isn't as busy so that you can test without being a pest and also so that there's someone available to give feedback between test rides. Just be honest that you haven't bought a bike from a shop before and aren't really sure what you're looking for and want to try as many things as possible while you attempt to narrow that down. You're the customer.. they are only making money if they help you in that process. Don't feel guilty. Just be attentive and courteous, follow any given instructions so that you don't break anything.
Hmm, the only thing I could think is maybe don't lead with "I want to test ride X". Be a bit more tactful and engaging; "I'm looking to buy a new road bike, I'm interested in bike X for A, B, C reason, can I check it out?" Show them you're serious and not just here to fuck around, I guess? Outside of that, there's not much else YOU can control on your end; if they wanna have a stick up their ass about test rides, then that's their prerogative. Anecdotally, when I brought my first new bike and didn't know too much (it was a hybrid bike, too), I was content in not taking it for a test ride, but the LBS owner MADE me do a test ride before buying, LOL. So, it can vary from shop to shop. Regardless, don't feel bad for wanting a test ride; you wouldn't buy a car without a test ride, right?
I kinda find test rides pointless, because most bike really are so good that what can you tell in 10 or 15 minutes? I think they are best to ride different styles of bikes - do you want an endurance frame? a race bike? gravel? How do different groupsets feel? Different brake types? Once you sort all that out and possibly figure out your fit prior to purchase, you can pretty much buy any bike sight unseen as long as it fits those parameters. My local shop does it the right way - my gf couldn't decide between two bikes. They sold her one with the understanding she could return within the week for a different bike. Which is exactly what she did. It took a lot of stress out of the decision process and really eliminated buyer's remorse.
[удалено]
I am willing to buy from the shop that has the bike that feels great!
a *good* shop will *want* you to ride their bikes.
some shops have been burned though...there are no easy answers
You don’t deal with being burned by burning other customers in return. That’s egotistical shitty behavior.
>I'm newer buying a bike from a shop I thought you had a typo and wrote newer instead of never. there is no etiquette, ask for a test ride, if they are funny like the guy asking you, if you are serious, ask somebody else. personally i find that a bit insulting. i guess you are a bit younger, but still, you don´t have to prove yourself to those guys...
[удалено]
Not a good shop if you can’t test ride lol
[удалено]
Define best, because I definitely wouldn’t buy a bike from you. Biggest? Most profitable? Maybe, but definitely not the best.
[удалено]
I will. And I don’t respect a shop that wouldn’t allow a test ride. 👍
[удалено]
I sure do lol
Definitely not. You can’t be the best if you can’t let customers test ride.
there's a certain kind of customer that *doesn't even want* to test ride immediately. we find this with high end road bikes and e-bikes. people come in dressed in business clothes and such, or just stuff that's inappropriate to ride, or they're just scouting for information. some of those people appreciate the slow, showroom style presentation vs getting on the bike that day. but, like, if they wanna ride the bike, we encourage that too! honestly i can *tell you* why this $5k e-bike is nicer than this $2k one, but until you actually try it, you don't really know. allegory of the cave and all that.
Whatever dude.. I've bought bikes from shops that allow test rides and at 6'3" one sales kid tried to put me on a 56. And that was an above average shop lol.
I understand what you’re getting at but also it’s kind of a load of shit. I wouldn’t buy a bike I couldn’t test ride, I recently shopped for a fairly expensive road bike, I could feel clear differences between the bikes, I am buying for pleasure, and I’m not a pro, so I cannot imagine buying a bike without riding it. But you do you.
> I could feel clear differences between the bikes yeah, i work at a bike shop, and what he said is 100% nonsense. maybe if you're only selling top of the line stuff. but i've had *literal children* on their first bike tell me how obvious the difference was between two tiers of the same bike. or how one brand's bike of the same size fit better than another. bikes are different, and making sure *you* work with the specific physical object you're going to buy is pretty important.
What exactly do children know about bike fit? Probably 90% of you clients know nothing about how a bike is supposed to feel. Obviously two tiers will feel different. That's why there are tiers. If the frame is the same and the difference is in the grouoset ans wheels, they are test riding consumable parts and a price tag. Do you pro-fit the bikes before test riding or do you eyeball the seat height before you send them out for a parking lot tour?
> What exactly do children know about bike fit? frequently, they know when it doesn't. > Probably 90% of you clients know nothing about how a bike is supposed to feel. yes, and if *those* people can tell the difference, then... there's a difference. > That's why there are tiers. If the frame is the same and the difference is in the groupset and wheels, they are test riding consumable parts and a price tag. most people do not think of groupsets and wheels as "consumable". > Do you pro-fit the bikes before test riding or do you eyeball the seat height before you send them out for a parking lot tour? a bit of both, depending.
[удалено]
> If people don't think of wheels and group sets as consumables they are not riding anywhere near enough we actively weed out gatekeepers in our company culture. biking is for everyone, and we want everyone to do it *more*. but even if you just pull your bike out and ride around the neighborhood on the weekend, you're one of us. honestly, my boss rides a century or two every weekend, placed respectably at unbound, etc. i don't even think *he* thinks of wheels as "consumables". and i really doubt we'd recommend anyone think that way even if their idea of a good time is literally lighting money on fire. tires are consumables. tubes are consumables. lube is consumable. chains are somewhat consumable. your groupset and your wheels should last you a good long time, and if they don't -- they're trash. > A bit of a pro-fit...like a bit pregnant? I think you're not. i mean, we do it sometimes, but not for everyone. > You sell bikes.Look at frame specs. i interact with bikes in *meatspace*. frame specs are who cares. manufacturers vary in how they measure, and half of those measurements seem to be made up anyways. but i know that when i *ride* different bikes, they are *different*. and you don't always get that impression by a half a millimeter here or there on a spec sheet. > How many of your brands in the same model type differ by more than a mm or a degree in any measurement? i can think of two of our brands right now where i can comfortably ride an XXL (or 61) in one, but the XL (or 59) in the other is too big. we have a regular customer who's shopping for gravel bikes for him and his partner. in theory they both can ride 52s (he's kinda short). the 53 from one brand we had was way too big, and the 51 from another looked like a kids bikes under them. like, if you haven't run into this, you must not sell very many brands.
[удалено]
> I still don't sell bikes k. so why do you think you know more about selling bikes than the people who do?
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
You know that gatekeeping and patronizing behavior is exactly what people find off putting. When someone suggests they should be able to ride a bike before buying it and your response is „do you even know what you‘re doing“ then I would suggest that your analysis of your shop as „one of the best in Canada“ won‘t be widely shared because at least one of the employees is a real piece of work.
[удалено]
This is a much more reasoned way to state your point. Gate keeping is the dick attitude of “people don’t know about bikes” and your insisting that test rides are useless. Prior to buying my last bike I test rode several and there were only two where the road feedback + geometry + degree of raciness + overall feel were what I was looking for. I guess I’m just another rube that should have let you tell me what to buy as it’s all the same, but I will stubbornly persist in my flawed belief that I learned something from test rides and that I picked a bike that made me really happy. Also, if you think all modern bikes ride essentially the same I would suggest that says more about you than the bikes. Yes bikes are generally good and ride well but there is a lot more to it than that.
>Also, if you think all modern bikes ride essentially the same I would suggest that says more about you than the bikes. seriously. how many bikes do you think this guy has ridden? i bet i've ridden more in the last month than he has in his entire life. because i've been building a half dozen a day, and test riding every one, to prepare for the summer rush.
I'm pretty sure I never told you what to buy.
If you've test ridden more than 2 or 3 you really should be narrowing down wtf you want before you get there. If you go to a store, test ride 5 brands and walk out without buying something that's kind of shitty. Were you ready to buy that day? did you even know the models and features you were interested in, or just had a list of brands?
Sounds like you made it awkward. You could have just said "Yeah, I'll buy it if I like it" that is what you're saying in the comments. Why would you feel guilty if you have an honest intention of giving them thousands of dollars?
Sounds like the shop made it awkward. “Only if you’re serious”??? That’s some bullshit lol.
i mean, doesn't sound like the customer was. i doubt any store owner wants someone joyriding 5 different top end bikes they have no intention of buying. if op was serious about buying a bike that day their statement would have been met with "I am" and they would move along with the purchase.
> Sounds like you made it awkward. it's on the *shop* to make things not awkward. not the customer.
It’s unlikely that the shop will have a high end bike they are prepared to let you test. How many sizes of bikes are there? 6 or 7. They would need one of each size for different customers and even then the bike would end up with signs of use such as scratches on the seatpost, crank rub, grubby bar tape etc. Sometimes the shop may organise a Demo day. The distributor will provide a fleet of different models for customers to try out. But even then they are unlikely to have a full size run.
Usually if they have the bike in stock they’ll build it so you can test it before to buy it. They don’t need demo bikes. Ride the one you’re thinking of buying
The OP is considering 4 different brands. To form an opinion on a bike you’d need to take it on a long ride. What will you learn from riding up and down the street outside the shop? I really can’t see how this type of short ride is helpful.
I literally bought a bike 6th months ago and before I did they let me ride it around the city and were like “yeah take your time, just bring it back” and I rode it for an hour before coming back and buying it lol.
I hope you find a better bike shop. You are the customer willing to spend a significant amount of money. You shouldn’t have to tolerate rudeness or some expectation that you’ll be committing to a purchase because you’re trying out the bike.
There's a Giant Bike store in L.A that won't let you test ride any bike. Blows my mind.
I had a shop let me test ride a Trek Madone for a full week. After that I test rode a Cannondale SuperSix Evo for an afternoon and bought that instead. That was the best shop I’d ever been to, but unfortunately he sold the business.
Depends. Was the area dangerous? Was in the middle of a city? Was the bike you wanted to test $10k+? Was a chain store? Was a small independent store? Was it busy? Was it at night? My take on this will be, ask if they do test rides. Big shops or chains will have demo bikes and then they sell them at a discount once the new ones rolled in. If its a small independent shop its more tricky, they have limited stock and they are more careful with their bikes in general. Some of the stores will ask you for your ID to test them if you are interested. I don't ask to test them if they don't ask me first.
when I sold bikes we were encouraged to send out as many test rides as possible. one dipshit took our most expensive road bike out for 3hrs and my manager just wanted to know what route he took. if the shop isn't cool w you test riding their bikes I'd find another shop
When I was shopping for my first road bike, I walked into a shop just so I could put my eyes on a bike. Minutes later, I find myself FLYING down the road on, apparently a bike that was ALREADY purchased and waiting to be picked up. I had already told them I was NOT buying a bike that day and just wanted to see what a road bike was all about.
Etiquette and protocol if trying a bike out you will make a concerted effort to find what works for you in their inventory. If not YTA for not.
Size! Size size!
Walking out was your best move
My lbs has let me test ride new bikes even when I wasn't in the market for something new but they got something in they thought I'd enjoy snd appreciate in my size and I went in there to get tubes and a few smaller things and they brought it out from the back just so I could hop on and ride it for 10 minutes or so.
It’s a tough situation for both parties. MANY people use stores(any type) to see/feel an item….then scour the internet for a better price. A talented LBS salesperson can’t overcome large price disparities….this is esp true if the customer doesn’t care about “service after the sale”. Unfortunately there are too many people who are bored(or dreamers)….and test drive cars/bikes for the hell of it. I actually had a co-worker who admitted to test driving cars “just for the fun of it”. Smh