Where can you test ride.

peterlip

Hi All,
I'm looking at buying a new road bike, and I'm wondering where in Melbourne is a test ride friendly bike shop?
Have people out there had good (or bad) experiences in being able to test before they buy? I'm getting to that stage where I've researched, and I actually need to hop on a bike to make a choice between makes & models.
How comfortable are shops when people ask to take a $2000 bike for a test ride (is it like test driving a car, do you leave a licence?? do they sit in the back seat????)?


Peter.

Walrus

I bought a new bike recently and went through all of this. Here's a few comments. 90% of shops are cool with testing, you just leave a license with them.

Mascot Cycles (Bridge Road, Richmond)
Great people here. They're Bianchi specialists, so not sure if that will fit into your range? Anyway, I spoke to a really nice girl who was very knowledgable and said to ring half an hour before coming in and you could test ride anything.

The Freedom Machine (Port Melbourne)
This is where I ended up getting my bike. Service was great. I rode about $15,000 worth of bikes in an afternoon and finally settled on my Look KG451. They're open to test riding, will fit each bike to you before setting you off, and just need a driver's license. They have Giant's, Look's, Avanti's and others.

Richmond Cyclery (Bridge rd Richmond)
These guys have Trek, Lemond, Colnago and some others. I haven't bought from them, but I have a mate who says they're great.

CBD Cycles (Bourke St, City)
Steer clear of these knobs. They specialise in Giant's, and I was considering an OCR 0, so I went in there on 2 or 3 occasions, and spoke to different sales guys. They spoke to me like I knew nothing, and span crap about other manufacturers, bad mouthing Trek et al like used car salesmen. When I asked if I could test ride, they said "Sorry we don't do that, and you'll find that no shop in Melbourne will do that" What crap! Anyway, turns out they will let you ride a bike, but only on Saturday mornings. Also, they told me that they won't do deals on prices, but will look after you for aftermarket sales . Are these guys for real? They need to take a look at the great service elsewhere. I got like 25% off the ticket price of my Look.

artemidorus

What an excellent reply. Who wants to volunteer to provide the same information for each of the other capital cities?

alison_b

People could certainly give Flemington Cycles a try. They are in Racecourse Road, Flemington, Melbourne. I have bought two bikes from there, my trusty commuter bike as well as my road bike (test rode both of them up and down a nearby street, while they adjusted seats, handlebars, anything else that could move, to make sure the 'fit' was right); a friend has had similar experience, they let all of my teenage kids ride their bikes prior to purchase and all the bikes were fitted well. Numerous other family and friends have reported similar tales.

Also, the follow up servicing is always spot on, sales are competitive, advice is given generously, and just general support have been excellent.

Alison

peterlip

Thanks Walrus & Alison, this is just the sort of thing I was after..

It's been 20 years since I last rode, so it's a little intimidating stepping back into the ring, this helps a lot.

I'm going to try and get out, to test some bikes this weekend, so I'll post my experiences.

The only place I’ve really been so far is Goldcross out at Knox (killing time while the wife shopped). Well, the little boy that came over to help had NO idea about road bikes (claimed to be a mountain biker). Apparently one of key factors is colour in deciding the model. I suspected the components may have been a more important factor as to why one bike was $500 more than another.



And I agree with Artemidorus, it would be good to see similar lists from around the country.

smartie

I took Dad into Goldcross Knox when looking for a bike for him. The guy there wasn't really helpful and wouldn't even move the seat up so a bike would fit him properly. Ended up getting his from Learsport in Bayswater. Those guys were very helpful and let us do whatever we wanted.

I got my bike from Bears Bikes in Cranbourne. Paul there doesn't really stock much in the way of road bikes as no-one out there buys them. Mine (Gitane Mach 2200) was the first one over $1000 in about 2 years but he got it in for me to try out at no obligation and let me take it for a spin without any issues.

He even knocked a heap off the retail price for me. I think a sale at a lower margin is better than none at all as i wasn't his usual type of customer (i.e. not looking for a mountain bike or BMX)

peterlip

Well, I went back to Goldcross at Knox last Friday night (only local store open at that time), but this time spoke to someone much more knowledgable. He was quite helpful until I asked if I could test ride a bike. The best they could do was to set up a trainer in store to try.
Ended up going to the Bicycle Superstore in Ferntree Gully (Mountain Gate shops). They were very helpfull, and more importantly could leave my licence, and test ride.
I went with the Felt F70, and picked it up today. Will ride tomorrow to work, which should be interesting, as I've never used clipless pedals before, and have only experimented tonight in the back yard (only fell down twice!! (grass is quite soft here)).

raymondf59

I had exactly the same experience with clipless pedals some weeks ago the 1st time I used them. Unfortunately, I didn't have your good sense to practise on soft grass. I can till replay the scene clearly in my mind......... falling sideways in slow motion whilst desperately trying to remove my foot from the right pedal......... amazingly it pops out quite easily after you hit the ground. I'm certain the drivers at the lights were appreciative of the light entertainment. I now know why riders always seem to look for props when they stop at traffic lights.

What was the final damage on the F7?

I ride to work every day (only 6K) in the Baysy area (obviously not far from you) and am just starting to consider winter gloves.......... It's starting to get colder in the mornings.

peterlip

Yes, I was talking to my son (aged 22) while slowly riding around the back. Clip in, clip out, clip in, clip out, etc... Then exactly the same as you, I just fell down in slow motion. Of course I was out of the clips just after I hit the ground. My son showed the appropriate sympathy, by pointing and laughing.

The Felt F70 cost me $1799, including shoes, bag, 2 x tubes, pump, bottle cage & tyre levers. I was very happy with the price. As I was leaving, he threw in a bell (probably uncool, but I do a lot of bike paths).

Not far from me at all, I ride Rowville to Knox (10.3 km), although it's getting harder as the days get shorter. I might have to invest in lights soon. Actually, I'm glad I got such a light bike, so that I can weigh it down with lots of equipment.

gclark8

Hi Peter,

Most well done on the Felt!!

You will master the shoes, it just takes a little forward planning in traffic, but great once you are crusing.

I picked up semi-slicks for my new Felt Trevisa today, so its all go for me with the new bike tomorrow. Yes, there is nothing like the feel of a new bike.

__________________
Cheers,
George.

artemidorus

I thought all bikes had to be sold with a bell, by law? Or is that just NSW?

peterlip

Interesting, from memory I can't remember seeing a single road bike in a shop with a bell.
So, I just checked the vic roads web site:
And I quote:

What is the law regarding equipment on bicycles?

Under the law, a person must not ride a bicycle that does not have:

• a. at least one effective brake; and
  b. a bell, horn or similar warning device that is in working order.

What is the law regarding cyclists riding at night?

Under the law, the rider of a bicycle must not ride at night, or in hazardous weather conditions causing reduced visibility, unless the bicycle or the rider displays:

• a. a flashing or steady white light that is clearly visible for at least 200 metres from the front of the bicycle; and
  b. a flashing or steady red light that is clearly visible for at least 200 metres from the rear of the vehicle; and
  c. a red reflector that is clearly visible for at least 50 metres from the rear of the bicycle when light is projected onto it by a vehicle's headlight on low beam.

smartie

Mine cane with the front and rear reflectors on it. One of the wheel reflectors was hooked under the brake cable as a joke as i would have pulled them offanyway. And the bell in a box with the pedal reflectors, instructions and manuals. Of course the front and rear reflectors came off immediately as they looked silly sitting at various angles on the frame.

Congrats on the Felt, I wandered into the Bicycle Superstore in FTG and had a look around. They seemed pretty switched on.

__________________
"I'm most dangerous when i'm cornered. I fall to pieces so quickly people get hit by the shrapnel." - Zaphod Beeblebrox, Galactic President.

Warwick2x

The guy who ran the bike shop on the Nepean Highway Brighton (13 years ago when I bought my first bike) wouldnt let me ride one.
Stupidly, I bought it anyway then bought it back a week or so later complaining that the steering felt funny.
He complained that he had three stores to run, and he didnt have time to deal with time wasters or people who just turned up expecting things to get fixed on the spot. This is almost word for word accurate.
Anyway, turned out the head stem etc was completely loose(never been tightened up from new), and I had averted a terrible accident just in time as it was all about to start falling apart. (I was too stupid to realise that things were loose myself.)
I was terribly gratified to see his store shrink, then disappear with time. What a complete turd he was. Darren Gellie was his name. He had the wonderful John Trevorrow working for him. I remember these things like it was yesterday. But in matters of service, it's always like that isn't it.