[Closed] Paying for demo rides

fair comment but you have answered your own question, they do it to prevent all and sundry trying out top end bikes. Also to try and stop folk trying at our shop and then you go buy online. The refund is also in place hoping you will show that shop some loyalty for providing you with a demo in a first place

I can see the point in shops charging for demo rides. As has been said on here lots of times even with stuff like helmets/shoes etc, people go to a shop to try stuff on, find what suits/fits then go online to buy cheaper.
Why should a shop let you test a bike & not get a sale on the one you like & they sell?
Can you 'virtually test' a bike?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I had a woman on a demo day argue for half an hour that she shouldn't have to give any details at all, much less credit card details before we allowed her 15 year old son to demo a £4995 Spicy 916 for free.

She then pissed off with her friend for four hours leaving her son alone. I had to take the bike off him after watching him fail to wheelie for half an hour. We ended up taking pity on him and giving him some sandwiches as his mum neglected to leave him any food. In fairness she was a fat ignorant **** rag and not everyone is so obstinate or stupid, but that might give you some idea of just how much of a frustrating waste of time demos can be.

Another punter who was present on the same day ended up buying a previous year model of one of the bikes he demo'd which was on sale online.

Demos are an expensive, time consuming, resource draining process for most lbs' and regardless of what "you" might be like, most people who demo bikes just want to rag around on someone elses new bike so they can tell their mates how crap the latest (insert brand) is.

Well said both of you!!!!

make that 3 of you!!!!

I completely get the concern about trying in a shop and then buying online, and I guess it's a difficult one of address. But as a customer it's just frustrating that I'm basically writing off cube and nukeproof, both of which look sweet bikes, because I can't test ride them. I'm also having to decide if it's worth test riding a banshee for £60 if I already can try a santa cruz and a spesh for nothing.

Actually, and apologies for the cliché, but this has changed my view on one of our local bike shops as the guy couldn't have been more helpful both in terms of pricing up a spec and sorting a (free) demo. Whereas in another shop they just seemed determined to make it really difficult to find out the info I wanted and to organise a test ride.

I guess I'm just frustrated as I thought people would be eager to take my money!

Some of the distributors have a test fleet that the shop can access. That can influence the shops decision to provide demos too.

I've also had customers demo a brand new bike, decide to buy one - but not the actual one they rode.... because it's been used now 🙄

Santa Cruz & Specialized over the other 2....,

Have you felt how heavy a Nukeproof is! 🙄

No, because I can't bloody get hold of one to test!

😉

I've also had customers demo a brand new bike, decide to buy one - but not the actual one they rode.... because it's been used now

Without knowing what 'demo' entails for above - it may be impossible to tell who is being a dick here 😛

It's a bit of a filter to remove the tyre kickers from the equation. It also means the shop has more chance of you buying the bike from them as you have invested with them. Especially with nuke proof when you can just wait till crc run them out cheap.

It's a bit of a filter to remove the tyre kickers from the equation

Whilst partly true, there's a lot more to it than that...

Firstly, not every bike shop has a demo fleet. In fact, many don't, so to get hold of a demo bike often involves costs (delivery charges both ways to and from distributor usually) which can easily top £50... Just for you to try out a bike that you might not buy!

Then there's the fact that a Bike Shop needs public liability insurance. If some random punter goes out, snaps the bike in half or worse still, damages themselves and sues, the average bike shop wouldn't be able to deal with it without having insurance. I know from experience (I own a bike shop) that our insurance company require us to take a £50 swipe of a customer's card before they are covered on a demo ride... Bet you didn't see that one coming!

Lastly, there's also the fact that a demo bike is going to be subject to wear and tear, and invariably the person borrowing it isn't going to look after it as if it was their own!

Think about it from the other side of the counter next time you're getting het up about paying for a demo ride! Personally, I think £50 for a demo ride is FAR cheaper than shelling out several grand on the wrong bike, and to have it refunded against the purchase of a new bike is a pretty good deal!

Just saying of course... 🙄

Perfectly reasonable in my book. I would personally appreciate it that the charge would allow me to demo more than one bike, or if it's multiple charges they all are deducted from what I buy. Or maybe the charges could be put toward a discount on other stuff you might buy?

At least you have some choices in life. I had to go to Little Rock, Arkansas to test ride a bike AND pay for the pleasure!

We used to do guided test rides, rather than charge. A bit more faff to organise, but it avoided the tyre kickers, no one felt hard done by and you could 'sell' the bike to people as you rode - I went out with people on a Stumpjumper, who would clearly prefer an Epic and such!

To be fair, I got a Banshee Spitfire demo for free when I had my Ghost serviced at Pedals in Edinburgh 🙂
I did then buy one...

My old LBS did this - yes, initially it feels wrong (as in you can demo a car easily) but once you see the 'mechanics' of it I could accept why.

Demo-Day.

Our LBS has a few of demo bikes in the medium size of their most popular models.

But actually this weekend my other half is testing an XS whyte t-130 (mostly to see if she'll fit on it!) & there's a £35.00 charge for this - which will be refunded. The shop has had to order this bike in & so the cost goes to cover the couriers, also to be fair - £35.00 to hire a bike for a couple of days to ride how & where you want to seems a pretty good deal to me.

Surely this needs to be addressed by the manufacturer or importer??? Why are lbs demoing bikes that they may have to sell??

What I'm saying is that manufacturer and distro should get together and do demo days up and down the country. They're the one making the money (if any) so they should be the ones taking the hit on demo days. Then the punter could pop along to his nearest X dealer and buy what they want.

If you could have a word with them,that would be splendid.Thanks in advance.

We should get Angela Rippon and her team onto it 😉

I know someone who intended "demoing" a bike recently by taking part in a local race!!

If you're in the market for a brand new bike from an LBS then you can afford the demo charge.

Lol, yeah I guess that is the major problem, sorting the people who actually do want to buy from people looking for a free rental of an expensive bike.

I would personally appreciate it that the charge would allow me to demo more than one bike, or if it's multiple charges they all are deducted from what I buy. Or maybe the charges could be put toward a discount on other stuff you might buy?

The problem here is that being awkward I've managed to pick frame choices that require me to test at several different shops so no matter how serious I am about each bike, some one isn't going to get a sale. And as they'll only refund against a bike purchase I'm not going to see my "refundable" deposit again!

I know someone who intended "demoing" a bike recently by taking part in a local race!!

This is what happens, some people take the piss. We had people taking demo bikes to Wales (from Surrey) and absolutely trashing them.

For me there's an additional issue that tootall alludes too in sizing.

Personally for the price of what frames /full bikes are I think at the very least the distributors should have some sort of system allowing dealors to send them out for demo.

I have several possibilities in mind for my next bike/ frame but I'm not gambling that amount of money. Plus by the time I've paid several hire costs to test sizes as well as models I've thrown even more into the mix.

I understand it helps avoid tyre kickers but sadly that's the buisness of sales. Offer the carrot in other ways?

Quick edit on above post- if the bikes intended use and area it'll be ridden in is in Wales whats wrong with taking it there to demo rather than leafy Surrey?

Agreed on that, I'm planning on taking my demo to Cannock, can't see the point in taking it for a pootle around the block, you won't learn anything about a trail bike that way! It'll come back cleaned and obviously I'll leave a deposit so if I trash it, it's my own fault.

Was asked to pay to demo a bike by an LBS where I've spent quite a bit of cash in the past.
They knew I'd buy the bike if I liked it, no question of me going online and buying.

Simple solution - I've never bought anything from them since and never will do again.

I was about to say that's a bit harsh. But actually I guess that's what's happening with me too, although I'm only doing it in the case of this purchase rather than every subsequent purchase!

Ironically it's looking increasingly likely I'll end up with the santa cruz if it rides well, even though it's right right at the top of what I wanted to spend, as it's the only bike I seem to be able to sort a demo on. The cube shop have admitted defeat, and can't source a demo even if I'm prepared to pay, same with the nuke proof unless I wait until jan.

I think its fair enough to charge. If £200 is 10% (5%?) of your budget is that bad value to avoid an expensive mistake. From memory a days bike hire in Morzine is upto 100 Euros

The really scary question is for a high end bike if was yours how much does one solid days riding cost

Having read on here that some on destroyed on of those posh 10-42 11 speed cassettes in 600 miles. £50 a ride might well be what it costs some people for a days riding any way

I do however have sympathy with the likes of Rusty Spanner. Very different if you have a relationship with the shop

PS my personal solution was to buy second hand. On the basis if I didn't like it I could move it on with minimal loss

Demo cost, money well spent

I think its fair enough to charge. If £200 is 10% (5%?) of your budget is that bad value to avoid an expensive mistake.

you could have 5 bikes on your shortlist spending £1000 for 5 hrs riding seems a tad excessive, obviously for some on here it's merely pocket change 🙄

I've never had to pay for test rides on motorcycles or test drives in cars, we even got free test rides on mobility scooters for my father in law. What's different about the bicycle industry?

I certainly wouldn't pay for bicycle test rides, I've had many in the past and never asked to pay

5hrs riding for £1000, who's suggested that? the OP said

"4 or 5 bikes on my shortlist so I'm potentially dropping £200+ on demos"

I've ridden 5 bikes this year on demo days, aprox 1 hr, and then borrowed a demo bike for 3 proper rides at home, from a very understanding LBS. I'm not convinced the demo days were that great, as it was rushed affair, on tracks I didn't really know, with suspension settings (other than sag) that were at the mercy of previous riders. Only having the bike for 3 rides, did I really get a good feel for the bike but then the weather was against me, so they were wet rides after weeks of dryness (annoying and off putting). For me the ability to try the bike on my home tracks, with time to mess with suspension setting is the way ahead, if it cost £50 then it's a small price to pay

At least you have some choices in life. I had to go to Little Rock, Arkansas to test ride a bike AND pay for the pleasure!

my heart bleeds...

... lucky git

Which ampthill has quoted

😳 see what happens when you come in on the end of a thread after drinking too much 🙂 £50 a demo, still rather do a hora and risk it and flog it on here if i bought a lemon.

We'll forgive you.. but when the common quote for the price of a 2nd hand bike is 50% of new once out of the shop, unless your buying 2nd hand initally, then your gunna lose much more than £50/£200.

then your gunna lose much more than £50/£200.

I'm hoping Hora rides his bikes for more than an hour before he decides they are [s]crap[/s] not for him 😉 though I may be wrong.

I tried 2 bikes at my lbs which is owned by a mate i ride with, he charged me £50 for the demo, 2 weeks later i was riding at GT and there was an Orange demo day and Alpine bikes were knocking 15% off, + other freebies, I rang my mate up to see if he could come anywhere near the price but he couldn't so i bought the bike from Alpine bikes, i felt really really bad for not buying from my mate but it was a no brainer for the price, the only thing that made me feel a little less guilty was the fact he charged me for the demo, ps we're still mates

Lol, imagine charging people £50 to test drive a car.

Something that really grinds my gears is retailers complaining about 'idiot customers'.
**** you - get out of the game if you don't like it.

Same as a guy at my work complaining how stupid the people using our website are because they email questions in instead of finding the answers on the site.
No, it means our site needs altered.

Lol, imagine charging people £50 to test drive a car.

It's not the same game though, is it? Do people try cars out as free rentals and/or then buy them online?

If people only demo'd bikes they would buy then we wouldn't charge. But people will ring and ask if we have demo bikes available because they only have a hard tail and are going to bpw for the weekend and want something else to use and openly say no when you ask if they are looking to buy a new bike.

Or bring them back plastered in mud and it takes an hours cleaning to get it back in a condition where we can put it in the shop.

I've taken £16K motorbikes out for 4 hours or more without having to pay for anything, including fuel! I've been buying bikes from my local bike store for 15+ years both for myself and for the school I teach in. we've spent thousands, may be 20K over the years, when they asked me to pay £40 to demo a Crush, it was the last time I went in, no more money from me or the school.

Yeah yeah yeah, every customer's a twunt.
Change your model, react to the market. If you've got all these hardtail owners looking to rent a a full susser then maybe offer a bike rental service instead? Try and innovate instead of wasting your time asking about the new VAG diesel's MPG on STW.

Like this codswallop:
http://themetapicture.com/people-kept-complaining-this-restaurant-sucked-look-what-they-found-out/

Guess what, the world's changed!!! Find your USP and work it instead of giving up on life and complaining that people are stupid. If they're that stupid then surely it should be easy to make money off of them. Work it out Mr Businessman.

The only constant in the world is change. React to it.

I had a shortlist of 8 bikes that I wanted to try.
It was going to be expensive, but also fun and worth it to feel like I would be really confident in my purchase.

Fortunately, I was patient and managed to fit 4 of them in on proper demo days (Dalby Forest and NWMTB) which were free.
Then I rode another bike belonging to a friend.

The last 3 I rode with very helpful distributor from Knolly and very helpful manufacturers in the case of Bird and Cotic.
All ended up free other than a lengthy car trip. They were also great days out.

So after expecting to pay £1xx on demos, I got them all free over a period of 4 months.

I think it's fairly obvious that many shops can't afford to run a demo fleet with all the models and sizes people expect, so visiting organised demo days and trips to distributor/manufacturer's local trails seems fair enough to me.