With this thread in mind: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/how-many-bikes-did-you-test-ride

…if you didn’t test ride many bikes what was it that motivated you to buy the one you did? Was it price, reviews, looks or something else?

The last 3 bikes I bought (cross, road and hardtail) were all bought on the basis that, at the time I wanted them, they were the best bargains around. Next time I’ll be testing loads.

Cost. 😳 Then performance.

I have learned that cheap, old bikes are not always bargains.

Shallow as heck but I just fell in love with how it looked.

eta. If the reviews had said it was a bag of spanners I wouldn’t have bought it just for the aesthetics.

Liked the look of it years ago in magazines – way out of my price range back then (even new ones are today…).

When one came along in the classifieds, for pocket change, I snapped it up 🙂

‘Performance’ of such an old frame is no different from the 2013 equivalent model….

both.

I’ve bought 3 frames off here.
1 of which I should have loved, because it looks cool and everyone says they’re great, but I hated the way it rode, so flogged it.
the other two look a bit ordinary, but ride great… so I guess the emotions can hook you in, but if it doesn’t work as a bike, then logic is going to kick in…

Both. For the posh bike I narrowed it down to a few, Yeti ASR-C, Trek Top Fuel, Kona Hei-Hei, Scott Spark then test rode them and chose the one which felt the best.
Didn’t consider testing an Anthem, people have said they are really good and they get good reviews but something just doesn’t do it for me, can’t explain it but I just didn’t feel like I wanted one.
.
Winter road bike was just bought on cost. made a list of things it must have, like STI shifter and mudguard mounts and then got the cheapest i could that did those things.

My current bike buying process is as follows:

1) Do I want another bike?
2) Can I sneak it past the wife?
3) Is it green?

I’m going to need a bigger garage at this rate.

I just didn’t feel like I wanted one

I’m like that with Trek bikes – no reason why, but I’m just not interested.

For the next bike my head says carbon but I really like the idea of a Burls ti…

At a certain point, when you know what spec level and cost you’re after/can afford, its got to be emotional.

I need a bike that I like riding, and that’s more than the best price, or the most functional. I’ve got to want to ride it, when I’m tired, when its cold, when it rains.

Having said that, they are just tools rather than pieces of my soul, but I always buy the one I want from a selection of the ones that will do.

Spicy based on reviews, local availablilty, good deal, and loads nerding about on specs and geometry.

Soul based on an avalanche of good reviews and feedback on here and elsewhere (all justifued)

Makulu based on reviews, and hours wasted trying to compare geometry charts for DH bikes before eventually giving up and taking the punt on a discounted medium frame.

Delighted with all three. I might just be easy to please, though.

TranceX: head
Sov: heart
*Mystery* New Bike: lust

I normally over research things, but I have also been known to make impulse buys and these are normally not the best of moves.
I once went in a shop to buy an Orange Five the shop didn’t seem to bothered in trying to help me so I walked out and bought a Marin FS in another shop which wasn’t want I wanted and didn’t even fit me properly.

I once followed my mates down a rocky trail, them on FS, me on a hardtail. Was shaken to bits by the time I got to the bottom. We went for a bit to eat after, I wandered into a shop next door, came out with a Blur 4x frame. Was a bit small for me as an all rounder, tbh, but I had years of fun on that bike.

I let my head rule my heart and bought a Canyon. It was too much cheaper and better specced to ignore.

I’m a prevaricator. I always try to work out what sort of riding I really want to be doing and then home in on a bike (or, more likely, frame) from there. My last purchase was the El Mariachi and I’d only really got switched on to the 29er idea as I’d been taking my “Cross” bike out on some rougher tracks and seeing how well it coped. The El Mar has now replaced my old Ti hardtail for bikepacking duties, so I guess it was one-in/one-out (though I’ll be keeping the old frame as I’m quite attached to it).

The only major exception to this process that I can remember was buying my carbon road bike. I already had a Focus Cayo but I had to take a customers Cube GTC Agree out for a test spin and it just knocked my socks off – I couldn’t believe the difference in comfort and just knew I’d have to have one. I guess it’s just as well I never attend demo days 😆

I have not bought a complete ‘NEW’ bike in years,tend to buy a frame and build from there.

All the bikes I own have been built like this and they all seem to ride nice escpecially my Prince Albert with a Lefty conversion.

Logic for me really. I prefer 29ers and the Spearfish frames were discounted to silly money. At the same time i’d decided that just having the XTC29er wasn’t really ideal if we went anywhere more bumpy than the local stuff, so the more bouncy Spearfish made perfect sense.

The intense – looks, liked the idea of it (a slack 6.6), ignored the wonky welding stories. (Mine seems ok….)
The On-one (frame), was on here one night, I’ve always fancied a ss, impulse (alright, I may have been hammered 😳 ) took over…. Just waiting for a wheel to arrive now
Trek 1.5 roadie, function/cost ratio was very favourable 🙂 and it looks ok.
Next road bike. Seen in shop. Can’t not have it in my life. Saving up.

Curtis 26″ custom, lusted after one for ages, Mrs C helped with monies
Curtis 29″ custom, got Gary to build one and it is just fantastic.
2souls QH, lusted for over a year undecided, flogged the Nicolai to get the money, best bike deal ever for me.
New shiny toy on its way from US of A, head said no heart said balls to it, PPI coughed up for it.