is it usual...to pay prior to testing bicycle

[mjr]

Dealing in cash is sometimes a sign of instability with a business . . . not saying that's why in this case - but if the bank has stopped their account/card processing then beware.

I wouldn't take lack of card processing as being a big warning sign: there's only about six card processors in the country (OTTOMH Barclays/ePDQ, NatWest/Streamline, HSBC, HBoS, Lloyds/Cardnet and Santander/Girobank) and it doesn't take much for them to withdraw service and flag the retailer so none of the others will deal with them until they get the flag removed and appeals can be pretty slow going. It's a pretty poor market, given there are six dominant providers instead of the usual four that signifies market failure.

[scottg]

One local shop does weekend test rides, pickup friday, return monday.
He doesn't charge, does get credit card info.
Know as the puppy dog sales technique.
Also owns his own building, some bike shop
owners are just smarter. Nice guy too.

[drossall]

I got into difficulties with Evans because they wanted payment to take a bike on a test ride. Problem was, I had one of their gift cards loaded with the money (because I can get a discount on those through work). In the end they agreed to my leaving the card with them. Seemed pretty obvious to me, but they had to think about it.

[horizon]

You often hear the advice on here to test ride a bike or even lots of bikes to find the one that's right for you. I've never really seen the point. Apart from the fact that it's often impossible to find a local shop with the bike you want (unless you're very mainstream and have the right LBS to hand), I just don't know what you're going to find out. If you've never ridden a bike before then it's surely OK to invest £200 or borrow one until you get used to it. By then size should also not be an issue. Riding round the block will tell you very little anyway. And when you are experienced I don't think it's unreasonable to take a risk on the basis of what bike you have already and what you are able to glean from the new spec. I bought my latest folder (£530) completely unseen (not having seen it in a shop let alone ridden it) but on the basis of some testing out on a very cheap folder and lots of reading. It's exactly as I thought it might be (and I'm as pleased as I hoped I would be - what I really needed to know was how well it fitted on a train). A specification should tell you most of what you need to know (and what to look for in the spec will be based on your prior knowledge). How do you buy a frame without riding it or new tyres? Yes, you can make a mistake but you could take a risk on a second hand bike or you can sell the new one on. Getting the right bike is a process of learning, adapting it and riding. I would just do the research, buy it and go from there. It's not a marriage for heaven's sake.

[531colin]

Most bikes are bought to ride, not to fit on the train.

[Vorpal]

I have never bought a bike without a test ride, and I don't know if I would. I think I would at least like to ride a similar bike (the same model a size bigger?) before investing significant amounts of money.

An important part for me of bike selection is how it 'feels'. I can tell something about it from geometry, etc. and maybe if I was a pro, like Colin, I'd be happy to know that a bike of a given geometry would suit me, but as it stands, unless it is very like one I already have, I can't.

A test ride doesn't necessarily tell me if it's the perfect bike. It might take me a while to work that out. It will tell me if it's about the right size, and whether I like the way it rides, handles, and feels.

Anyway, test rides are fun

[pete75]

I bought my latest folder (£530) completely unseen (not having seen it in a shop let alone ridden it) but on the basis of some testing out on a very cheap folder and lots of reading. It's exactly as I thought it might be (and I'm as pleased as I hoped I would be - what I really needed to know was how well it fitted on a train).

yeah but most folders are one size fits all aren't they?

[fastpedaller]

I bought my Spa steel tourer frame without seeing or trying. To me it made sense........ I couldn't find one locally, the geometry I could see was suitable (I'm Mr Average) and furthermore there weren't other frames with the spec/features that suited me. Thanks Colin!
A trip to Spa Cycles (although I'm sure it would have been enjoyable), with overnight etc would have been costly, so it made sense just to order it. If i was really not suitable I'd have had to try to sell on and the loss would have been similar to the expenses incurred to view it had I gone.
As it is I like the frame!

[700c]

OK, but for a second hand bike made in the late 70s ... how would one find specs.
Not being allowed to even sit on it (in the shop) I was loathe to just buy it.

[horizon]

Decided to test ride a Spa frame:

Cost of return rail fare Cornwall to Harrogate: £188.40
Estimated cost of overnight stay: £35.00
Evening meal: £12.00
(price of frame £330.00)
Request to transfer all my bits onto the frame etc etc etc

So, no it isn't going to happen. Whereas the excellent reviews on here (and I mean the reviews were excellent not just the frame) give me a fair indication of what to expect. Even then it will my own needs/limitations that will be the issue, not the frame. And for frame read bike. It is a bit of a shot in the dark I will agree but that's the only way it's going to happen.

[horizon]

OK, but for a second hand bike made in the late 70s ... how would one find specs.
Not being allowed to even sit on it (in the shop) I was loathe to just buy it.

Well, you'll know it's a bike, it's (let's say) drops etc etc. And the price? £200? And the loss if you sell t? £50? And will you know when you sit on it or take it for test ride? I think you have to take a punt as they say. Though if I were the seller I would get you on the bike and not let you get off.

[mjr]

A trip to Spa Cycles (although I'm sure it would have been enjoyable), with overnight etc would have been costly, so it made sense just to order it. If i was really not suitable I'd have had to try to sell on and the loss would have been similar to the expenses incurred to view it had I gone.

That might be a good rule of thumb for whether it's worth a test ride. Lots of people buying new bikes are buying ones which incur bigger losses between new and nearly-new.

OK, but for a second hand bike made in the late 70s ... how would one find specs.
Not being allowed to even sit on it (in the shop) I was loathe to just buy it.

Specs might be on velobase if it was a popular bike but not being allowed to even sit on it makes me rather suspicious. At best, it seems like the shop doesn't like customers much or is suspicious of you for some reason, so it might be a pig if there are any problems. At worst, it might make a death creak when you sit on it.

Even the local second-hand agents here (the sort that pay the owner less a commission only once the bike sells) will let you ride a bike up and down a little if you hand them a deposit and some people say the town's got plenty of thieves. Not sure what they do if someone rides off then, beyond keep the deposit and report the theft... at least one has motorcycles near the second-hand bikes, so giving chase might be possible

[horizon]

I have never bought a bike without a test ride, and I don't know if I would.

An important part for me of bike selection is how it 'feels'. I can tell something about it from geometry, etc. and maybe if I was a pro, like Colin, I'd be happy to know that a bike of a given geometry would suit me, but as it stands, unless it is very like one I already have, I can't.

A test ride doesn't necessarily tell me if it's the perfect bike. It might take me a while to work that out. It will tell me if it's about the right size, and whether I like the way it rides, handles, and feels.

Anyway, test rides are fun

Your last point i agree with 100%. But despite my very high estimation of your knowledge of bikes, I'm not sure I understand what you will find out that you won't already know from the type of bike, your own previous experience, the specs, the reviews and what lots of other people have already discovered. If I were to buy a carbon road bike, would I have to test ride it to find out whether it is light or not unless I had never ridden one before?

[700c]

Last time I rode a (what we called a) "racer" was approx 1978.

I couldn't even gauge standover size!

Couldn't look at the older gears, brakes, tyres - could not work out how much fettling was needed to bring it up to a legal and rideable state.

Surely all that makes sense to check out prior to purchase...

[Vorpal]

If I were to buy a carbon road bike, would I have to test ride it to find out whether it is light or not unless I had never ridden one before?

No, but I wouldn't ride a carbon road bike to find out it's light. I would ride it to see if the weight, handling , etc. of that particular bike suited me.

It's as much about what I like as anything else, and the closer it is to something familiar to me, the less likely I am to need a test ride before I buy. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't have one, if it was possible.