I’d always like to try first but it’s not always possible. Bought my Soul and Kraken based on a testride but the Hemlock- which’s been my best buy so far- was on a whim, pretty much (and also on the basis that I was confident I could resell it on here for more than I paid!)

my favorite bike to ride and the one i grab first was bought blind …. never ridden a 29er nor SS…..

i bought a gary fisher rig because it was the same price as the inbred 29ere – but with disks and rebas …. still love it 5 years on – best 400 quid i ever spent

Yup, the only bike I ever test rode was a dog (I didnt have much to compare it too), since then I’ve bought blind and never been dissapointed, everythings always been better in one way or another.

Actually, I don’t think I’ve test ridden any of mine. Apart from a Ti that was one size too large.

Made some mistakes along the way. 🙄

After all I said earlier about buying blind and having some success, there is one bike I was very glad to have test ridden before buying.

In 2003, after having sold my S-Works Enduro frame cos I wanted something slightly beefier, I was dead set on getting a Cove G Spot cos they looked awesome. Anyway, got a demo on one in my size, it fitted perfectly, the geometry felt spot on, the bike was gorgeous… But it was without doubt, the single worst full suspension design I have ever ridden, because the pivot around the BB totally isolates the suspension from any feedback at all, and so the bike just wallows constantly. Every pedal stroke uphill it would dive through more than half its travel! IT WAS HORRID!

Ended up buying a Santa Cruz Bullit instead (a blind purchase), after having previously ridiculed the high forward single pivot suspension design, and it ended up being one of my favourite bikes ever!

i’ve never test ridden a bike. not had a stinker yet, just one 2nd hand bike that was too wee for me.

I bought two off the peg/blind and they didn’t stay long.
I’ve always built my bikes so I know exactly what frames will work, and I can pick the exact ratios, widths, diameters,lengths everything.
The off the peg bikes went in fairness probably because of the sum of their parts not being quite right.

Got one of the new ST4 frames coming as a warranty replacement. Only know a couple of people who’ve ridden one, but the angles + effective top tube look spot on. If its not all that, I’ll be bunging it on here + trying one of them Cannondales Ben was raving about in the mag.

I’m 6’6″, so not a chance. Through the years, I’ve learned what geometry and sizing works for me. Not that many of the importers actually bother bringing XXL sizes into the UK anyway.

I often feel the geometry on XXL frames is wrong as it’s just a copy of a 17″ frame scaled up, but that’s a whole other story.

If you choose the right bike for the type of riding you do (you don’t need a long travel bike in Dorset) and you can work with the geometry charts, especially the effective top tube – it’s very hard to go wrong.
BUT no all bikes are standard format MTBs and so our demo quiver is stuffed full of “I wonder what that bike is like” bikes;
Surly big dummy cargo bike
Surly ss cross check
Surly steamroller fixie
Salsa dos niner 29er soft tail
Niner sir9 853 ss 29er
Salsa vaya adventure road bike
And coming soon:
Salsa Fargo 29er adventure bike

Not a single regular FSR clone in there! These are all bikes that are difficult to judge on paper and a test ride tends to confirm they are as good or better than you hoped at doing there unique jobs.

I only wish there were a big catapult to allow quick access to your demo bikes, charlie.

Incidentally, have you ever wheelied your BD? Perhaps it’d only be possible if you had your freeloaders rammed with other bike exotica.

sponging machine – for the most part youd be right – but with things like headangles tucked in a degree or 2 to compensate for silly long wheel bases …

was an article on it in one of the mags

only test ride i had was on a spesh fsr, out of the other bikes ive bought without testing, only my first mtb could be counted as a mistake – shop sold me a 19″ Dawes, which was similar in feel to a five bar gate!

if the opportunity presents itself a test ride is a great idea. I cant let a mate get a new bike without having a quick spin on it, they all feel different, roadies, shoppers, bmx, kids bikes, all of them are good and you know very quickly if you can adapt to it or not.