I borrowed me one of them Jenisis Vagrant contraptions of late and soon as my leg was over it made I fall hard fer’ it. Haven’t felt that way about a bike since 1990. Weird, sometimes it just feels perfect. Which bike bit you unawares? And did the feeling last?

Transition Smuggler…did the feeling last no….it got better! 😆

Cotic Soul… I was happy with my Scandal til I rode the Soul, I never enjoyed riding the Scandal again after. Feeling never faded in the slightest.

Cannondale slate, just way better than I imagined it would be at almost everything. Bit I can’t afford one so getting a specialized diverge instead as it is very nearly as good.

Santa cruz nomad… nothing else felt anywhere near as good as it. Not a cheap day..

Cotic Solaris. I had a soul and had ridden a few 29ers and wasn’t overly convinced of the merits of 29″. I then got an email from Cy telling me he was holding a demo day so I booked on a Solaris and took my own soul along to ride the same loop back to back. I now own a Solaris.

Pivot Mach 4. I have been testing everything I can in preparation for a new bike purchase this year and nothing has really shone until I rode this bike. I have tested a SC 5010 twice now as the the first time I thought I must have missed set up for it to feel that uninspiring, the Mach 4 felt fantastic without doing anything other that set sag.

VPP

Demoed a 5010 (v1), declared that all other manufacturers should stop trying, as it was perfect.

Bought 4 mtbs since (inc a Newmad) but none have bettered it.

Demoed a Nukeproof Mega the other week. Really liked it. Didn’t try out a Vitus sommet which was also there as I was only interested in the Mega.

Bought a Vitus sommet….yesterday….a plastic one 😳

Gary Fisher Paragon in about 2003. It was the first 29er I ever rode and the first time I ever really felt at home on a mountain bike – it just felt so much more in proportion. From there I bought a Rig, which I designed a rigid fork for. Since that it’s been Singulars all the way…

Demo’d a Trek VRX whenever they came out (99?), stepping off a rigid alu bike onto the VRX felt like riding a motorbike, at the time we couldn’t believe how plush it was to ride 😀 Also demo’d a Y22 in the late nineties, horrible.

Zesty in about 2009.

Light, responsive, capable and fun. Bought one shortly after and then another a couple of years after that – so I suppose the feeling lasted. Would have kept it longer if I hadn’t gone 29er.

Geometry on the new ones looks quite good, but I’m very happy with my current bikes now so I’m unlikely to try one again.

Never, not once. I’ve disliked every bike I’ve ever demo’d.

Worse still, I haven’t liked any of the bikes I’ve bought from the off, I’ve always had to learn to love them (Bar the Spicy 516 which was a disappointment from the moment it arrived and just got worse).

The best I can hope for is for them to be a lot better than the previous one in the one aspect that annoyed me about the last one. Case in point, my new Tracer 275, had a Cove G-Spot before, which weighed a tonne and bobbed like mad even with a good CTD shock, hated climbing. My Tracer FLIES up hills in comparison – knocking 25%-40% off my times on Strava almost instantly. It’s also much kinder on the body, a lot less fatiguing to ride, I used to finish a ride on my arse just wanting to get home and lay down – now it’s a lot easier.

But I do miss the way it destroyed descents though, the Tracer is very fast, according to Strava I was 10%ish off on the first ride and very close now, but it just doesn’t feel as fun, I’m just not confident enough to really grab a handful and throw it about yet, just needs more saddle time I think.

Fell in love with the Aeris as soon as I took it out. This was the day after I’d fallen in love with a Carbon Enduro. I prefer the Aeris.

Sam – Member

Gary Fisher Paragon in about 2003. It was the first 29er I ever rode and the first time I ever really felt at home on a mountain bike – it just felt so much more in proportion. From there I bought a Rig, which I designed a rigid fork for. Since that it’s been Singulars all the way…

Now that is a holy grail moment 😆

Yeti 575 back in 2006. Thought it was some long travel monster, so had a ASR booked. Rep bloke suggested trying the 575 and I couldn’t believe how perfect it was. Still got the one I bought subsequently, although its just hung up in the garage… replaced by a newer 575.

Cotic Soul…

I still reminisce fondly about a demo Soul I took around Whinlatter many years ago now. Was a joy to ride. Looking back I really don’t know why I didn’t buy one 😕

Oh and a Specialized Crux too… was a hoot to ride and I’d love to make it my next +1.

Happened to me with my current Spitfire. I had a Ghost AMR at the time, decided that it was time for an upgrade and had essentially decided that I would be buying a Bronson but thought I might as well demo a couple of others as well. The Spitfire demo was an absolute revelation. I demoed the Bronson anyway as I had it arranged then ordered the Spitfire pretty much the next morning!! Even now, the best part of two years later, it still feels perfect every time I get on.

Yup.

Giant – didn’t expect much, it was fantastic (anthem, trance and reign) but then they got ugly so I never bought one!

Lapiere – rode fantastically, if an entirely different feel to the giant, but the reputation preceded them by that point.

Never ridden a SC VPP I liked, all way too tall/short.

Not so much test ridden, but the two bikes i have instantly bonded with are my Old Banshee Spitfire. Just an instantly awesome bike, never felt so confident on a bike before. Still gutted I sold it, would of bought another had I not bought the orange Five which is still a bit Meh in comparrison. My latest purchase a Salsa Spearfish is just a beautiful bike, just feels so effortless to ride! Still early days with it but I am in love!

My Pugsley. Had it for a weekend but knew within 30 minutes(ish) I wanted one.

I tested a Bronson, hated every minute of riding and didn’t buy one.
Bought a nomad instead.

Whyte 29CS. Best bike I’d ridden (first 29er, carbon wheels etc.)
Came back gushing and they gently pointed out it was even better if you unlocked the fork!

Only “moments” i’ve had (many identical moments) is “WTF were they thinking?”

I’ll give “X” technology a few more years before i spend my own money on it……..

Did a demo weekend a few years ago where I rode an SC Blur and a Bionicon of some sort back-to-back on the Black at Laggan. I was DEFINITELY going to buy one of the two as they made me feel like a GOD.

Bought a stumpjumper instead and spent the change on an engagement ring. Don’t regret it for a second.

TBH though, the way I do it is most bikes I buy are a demo. If I don’t like one, I’ll knock it around for a month, and if it doesn’t work out I’ll tart it up or split it up and sell it on, it’s usually not much more expensive than hiring out a demo bike for a day. Of all my bikes, I only testrode the Soul and Remedy before buying, now I think about it.

Commencal Meta – felt brilliant, so brilliant in fact that I slightly overdid it on one corner and smashed the derailleur on something. Walked the bike back. It was brand new, I was the first user. Oops.

Reminds me of when my brother demo’d a Trance and some idiot tried to overtake us in a stupid place on the singletrack – they touched bars or something and both crashed off the track, bro hit a tree stump.. The gears were screwed on the demo bike. Took it home and found he’d bent the mech hanger… I straightened it with pliers best I could and handed it back to the shop 😆 Naughty, I know.

TBH I dont demo I just buy, best bike I have ever felt settled on was my V1 Bronson with a pushed Float X, since then Ive had loads of bikes and none have felt quite as good. I’m hoping the V2 5010 I have not ridden much will feel similar. I must use it more!

Worst bike I wanted the most from was a Mojo HD140, totally underwhelming and dull ride.

Solaris. Had a Niner MCR and didn’t think the Solaris could better it. I was amazed that it was better. Now on the Solaris MK2 and again I’m amazed at the difference the slight tweaks in geo have made to the ride.

This is the first bike I’ve demoed, and it makes me wish I’d always demoed. Been down the ‘ buy used-bike if don’t like it sell it on’ road for many years now. This was a much better experience. Thanks Carb Cycles, Barnstaple – you made my decade.

More bike shops/mfrs should demo more, IMO.

More bike shops/mfrs should demo more, IMO

The Distributors need to sort there shit out and do far more demo days. Why should I pay a shop £50 deposit for a demo only refundable if I buy a bike from them? What if it rides like a snaky turd?!!

A Blur 4x years ago, prob ten. The Bike Shed, I think, in Exeter had a demo day on Haldon, loved riding the 4x for xc. Bought one years later and it’s a keeper.

Whyte g160. About 3 weeks ago. Rode it uphill and it felt ok if a bit long, first corner on the way down sold me. Must have that bike

2009. Little Rock, Arkansas. Turner Sultan. First (and last so far) bike I ever managed to test ride. Yes, I had to go to Little Rock, Arkansas to get a test ride.
Everything about it felt amazing, bought one, ridden it ever since. Rode it back to back with a new Specialized FS. Still find the Sultan a more capable bike.

Worst bike I wanted the most from was a Mojo HD140, totally underwhelming and dull ride.

I rode a Mojo back to back with the Zesty mentioned in my previous comment. Felt capable but very neutral and uninvolving by comparison.

Helped to sell me the Zesty I’m sure.

By contrast I owned a Mojo HD for 5 years and absolutely loved it. Sure it needed an angleset and was a smidge small, but on it’s day few bikes could live with it, to the point where I rode dozens of others in the period I owned and it wasn’t until I rode a Foxy that was I willing to part with it. The foxy runs rings round everywhere pretty much, except maybe in super, super tight trails.

Not many bikes have blown me away on demo days, as with other I generally buy blind, but the Foxy blew me away, and was thoroughly impressed by the T-130, but then I kind of knew it would be superb ride really. One that truly blew all my expectations out of the window was the Yeti Sb4.5c, I’ve never ridden a 29er I would consider buying, they all felt good speed wise, but pretty dull. The Yeti was an absolute animal, didn’t want to stay on the ground, super poppy, agile, great uphill, awesome fun downhill and made a relatively conservative rider like myself feel like they could slide, whip and scrub everything in sight. I want one, but then I’m also thinking there are a lot of short travel, burly 29ers out there for a lot less… more testing needed me thinks!!