New Bike.........Test Rides.......not as simple as it sounds :)

[Dave7]

[QUOTE="vickster, post: 4234545, member: 10217
In my experience, Evans are pretty much happy for you to take the bike for as long as needed, I can't imagine they'd have an issue with an hour, you'd get a good idea
[/QUOTE]
As I said..............who wants to do a mile test ride in the middle of Manchester or Liverpool ?

 

[Andrew_P]

Well that raises a few more questions.
I have a Giant Defy 1 Advanced carbon.
One dealer stated (and this is truthful)......."this £800 Whyte gravel bike will out perform your Defy on the road.
Another dealer said pretty much what you say............"if you are planning your 100 miler you will not do it on a gravel bike"
MTBs.............yes.......from experience I can agree with you 100%.

My CX experience was that not only was it a bit lifeless on the road but it also was a tad uncomfortable on it as well. My Gravel bike is anything but uncomfortable not a fantastic climber, nor sprinter but neither is the rider. I can't get it to be as fast as the Supersix but it is not that far off. If I wanted to do a 100 miler or go on family holiday with a bike I would probably choose the Gravel bike.

The GT is much better than my 2010 Roubaix was at doing what the Rouvaix marketing said it could do, but they might have come on a bit in 5/6 years.

It really comes down ot what is making you uncomfortable on the Defy - If its postion the easiest way of seeing the difference is to put the geometries together of the Defy and the bike you are looking at. IMO a Roubaix will not be a great deal different to a Defy, or Synapse or any other sportive bike.

 

[vickster]

Go to a different outlet? And why only a mile, unless you ride really slowly...they don't restrict the time from my experience...just go early in the day when it's dry and avoid busy weekends
...maybe they would even let you take the bike somewhere in the car?

 

[Milkfloat]

I doubt you will find much a huge amount more comfortable than a Defy over 100 road miles.

 

[Dave7]

Go to a different outlet? And why only a mile, unless you ride really slowly...they don't restrict the time from my experience...just go early in the day when it's dry and avoid busy weekends
...maybe they would even let you take the bike somewhere in the car?

In order................
The nearest outlet is 15 miles away.............the 2nd nearest is 20 miles away.
A mile ?............because that's what the guy said on the phone.
I wouldn't cycles in the middle of Manchester or Liverpool at any time of day (or night for that matter)
Re' taking the bike on the car..............no! I asked the question and it's a definite no.

 

[vickster]

Have you considered gong to Dolan (Preston way IIRC), from what folks have said, you'll get individualised advice from very knowledgeable staff. Call in advance, let them know what you want and arrange to go when they aren't busy

 

[vickster]

In order................
The nearest outlet is 15 miles away.............the 2nd nearest is 20 miles away.
A mile ?............because that's what the guy said on the phone.
I wouldn't cycles in the middle of Manchester or Liverpool at any time of day (or night for that matter)
Re' taking the bike on the car..............no! I asked the question and it's a definite no.

Sounds like they are less flexible than the folks down here, ah well, worth a try. I've never had any timings or distance limits, they hand over the bike in return for ID, a swiped bank card and a signature And say have fun!

 

[SpokeyDokey]

@Dave7

You have my sympathies - it is really hard in my experience to get a decent test ride. Most are around the block or adjacent parking lot.

It makes a mockery of the industry banging on (and many forum members on this and other forums) about the importance of decent test rides. To my mind test rides are important and whilst it is easy to say that a few grand is not a lot in the world of bike purchases to a lot of people that is a) a huge amount to spend on a bike per se and b) a big chunk of their income - and they want to make sure that they get it right first time.

Imo it is not the customers problem re 'second hand bikes' etc. That is the supplier/retailer simply passing the buck and copping out. Either the product they supply needs to be a proper fit or it doesn't. It's up to them to find a sensible solution.

As an aside I was looking at the Ridley X Trail - nice bike. Not sure if the alloy one has thru axles at the back as well as the front though?

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I've never been in the position to buy a new car. How long do they let you have one to drive around before you decide to buy it?

Depends on the dealer, we were offered a 24hr loan, when the dealer was trying to persuade us to update/change a car