I’ve demo’d a couple of bikes, one of which I really liked and felt at home on and one that I didn’t get on with. I could just buy the one I like but keep thinking I should ride some more bikes to be sure. However I do find it hard to make comparisons from one bike to another unless I’m riding them back to back on the same trail and same conditions. Am I better taking the one I like out for another demo but on different trails, to make sure it is still good? Should I confuse matters by demo’ing some different bikes?

My reasoning is that I could demo another bike and find it as good as the one I like. Where does that leave me? Granted if it’s not as good I buy the first bike, but maybe it wasn’t as good for some other reason such as wrong size, bad trail conditions, too much ale the night before blah blah blah.

Am I just wasting my time demo’ing any more if I’ve found something I like? Where do I stop?

Sorry to those I’ve already bored with my bike buying questions. I realise this reads more like a stream of consciousness 😆

It’s possible you may find something you like more…

but for me, if i’d found something i’d liked… i’d be taking it home.

You need to prioritize fun higher, was it fun to ride? was the price right?

There will always be a better bike, you’ll find it just after you buy one. That’s life.

n+1

there will always be a bike you want more than the one you’ve got

see women and handbags/shoes for an example

You need to prioritize fun higher, was it fun to ride? was the price right?

Yes, it was fun. It felt “right”. The other part of this conundrum is that it is an insurance jobbie, and due to the way my insurance works I can get some bikes through them (e.g. the one I like) but if I take a cash settlement it’s 20% less. So, if I like another bike that I can’t get direct through the insurance, I’ll effectively only be able to afford a lower spec.