Are you forgoing a test ride when shopping for ebikes these days?
- Thread starter Dallant
- Start date
Dallant
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Hell, I’m not sure there are Trek dealers within 5 hrs from me with the specific Allant+7 lowstep small frame size In stock.
Some shops let you test ride and some don't here in northern california. A specialized dealer let me test ride while the trek shop didn't allow me to test ride. After riding the specialized i realized it wasn't for me and ended up buying the 8S knowing that i can return it if i wasn't satisfied with it.
ElevenAD
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Ringoes New Jersey
i only purchase E-Bikes from online dealers so its never been an option for me, i just have to make up for it with research and hope for the best,
it is imo the biggest drawback of buying online, most companies have a trial period but you will still sometimes get slammed with a restock fee when returning a bike.
it is imo the biggest drawback of buying online, most companies have a trial period but you will still sometimes get slammed with a restock fee when returning a bike.
Trek not allowing test rides kinda blows my mind!
it was just a trek dealer not a official trek store, and due to city/county restrictions they weren't allowed to give test rides or so they say. I purchased the bike in June right when bike shops were starting to reopen up again.
ElevenAD
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Ringoes New Jersey
oh ok, this is understandable.
Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
I wonder if your closest bike shop that deals in Trek could - for a nonrefundable fee - get in the bike you want so that your wife could try it. Have you asked?
Last edited:
6zfshdb
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Northeast Pennsylvania
This is unfortunate indeed. E-bikes are expensive and test riding is the single best way to know if it's the right one.
antboy
Well-Known Member
I was lucky in that I was able to test ride a bunch of mid-drive bikes at the Toronto Bike Expo on their indoor track (a week before COVID lockdown), but none were exactly what I was looking for from a ride-stance POV.
At least the show gave me a chance to try different motors, so I could boil my choices down, then find a bike that would accommodate my sizing needs with component changes - I'm statistically way on the outlier edge of the long-torso body type (5'8" with 29" inseam), so I've never ridden a bike (or pair of jeans!) that fit me well without alterations.
reed scott
Well-Known Member
Really no alternative for me. Nearest city is 4 hours away and they don't have bikes anyway. Do not want a Euro-style bike. So it's Bafang asian bike or nada. I know I need a large frame and with that I can make pretty much any decent bike fit me. I understand ( having been biking 65 of my 70 years ) that no bike is perfect and the body tends to accommodate itself to a bike with time. So ... I'm not worried about it.
Well the nearest place that even sold one (Pedico) was a 40 mile drive and they were closed this spring (when I was looking) due to covid so a test ride was not possible. Plus their least expensive bike was a few hundred more than the Rad Rover I did buy and it didn't seem to be as nice a bike.
I have 2 ebike stores in my area so I guess I'm lucky. Plus they offer test rides. But I put the offer out for anyone who wants to test ride my RadRunner because there are no dealers you can test ride one. I normally don't buy 2 wheel vehicles I can't see in person first and/or test ride but the blind leap on the Rad Power has paid off.
CdnShaun
Active Member
I'm one step further removed from test riding...as I enjoy building my own DIY ebikes...it's a little heart stopping the first time I get out for even an around the block ride on the next bike I have built...but when everything works and fine tuning is complete - so worth the stress. 
Coolbob
Well-Known Member
We drove about an hour to the nearest Trek/Specialized and Giant bike shops with bikes in stock. Rode one Trek, one Specialized, one Giant and one Townie. Giant was my favorite, but what I rode was a $4,500 mountain bike, so I ordered a Momentum (division of Giant) Transend E+ based on how I liked the drive system on the Giant. Thankfully, it turned out to be exactly what I want in an eBike.
ChezCheese:)
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Kitsap Co, WA
I test rode maybe a dozen different bikes. I bought the one that felt the best, the most solid (no rattles) and the most like riding a regular bike. It was not one I had heard of/read about. The bike I originally thought I would want, after all my review reviewing and spec-comparing, turned out to be the one I liked least. I would not forego test-riding: it is essential.
Of course, that was in the Before Time.
Of course, that was in the Before Time.
DouglasB
Active Member
My wife and I were very excited about the look and build of a particular ebike and were certain was the one for us. Fortunately we were able to test ride it at a local bike shop. We found quickly that it wasn't the bike for us. We aren't new to biking either. We both ride mountain bikes and road bikes but the bike we were looking at, athough it looked fast and was a class 3, was difficult to ride at anything over 20 mph. That was because the manufacturer had only changed the motor programing to get the extra speed and did nothing with the gearing. When you got up over 20 mph your knees were going so fast it was uncomfortable and hard to keep up.
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