New Bike, Test Riding/Fitting Question

for what its worth, those are some very diff fitting bikes.


find someone you trust with the the fitting, and they will point you to which bike fits you. if you hav e a good fit done, you should never need to try the bike out before you get it. all of those are good bikes, so finding one in the right size is the goal.

I'm gonna disagree with you on that. Yesterday, I spent the day test-riding a few road bikes. Now granted...road bikes are different than tri bikes...but without the actual on-the-road test ride, I would have had a hard time weeding the list down. My first test ride was a 54cm Cervelo Soloist Team, which the fitter put on the trainer first to adjust everything to my size. He then had me take the bike on a 3 mile jaunt around downtown Chicago in lunch hour traffic(YIKES!). Next bike was a 51cm Cervelo Soloist Carbon (a $5k bike!)...same deal, he put me on the trainer with it, made the necessary adjustments, then had me take it for the same 3 mile spin. HUGE difference...sure the carbon bike rode and handled nicer than the Team version, but it was the frame size that was the most noticeable difference. Something I did NOT pick up on, while on the trainer. So now I know, without a doubt...that if I ever do decide on getting myself a Cervelo Soloist...it has to be a 51cm. I also test rode a GURU Venio...nice bike, comparable to the Soloist Team...but just didn't do much for me.

Bottom line is...the OP should most certainly get out and test ride the bikes he is considering. If I'm spending that kind of coin on a bike...you better damn well believe that I'm gonna ride the thing before I walk out the door with it.

Edited by nscrbug 2008-07-30 11:54 AM

if you have a fit done for a tri/TT bike, it wont be on the bike. you will do it on a fit bike that can be adjusted in more ways than you can imagine, so there wont be the issues of whether a 51 or 54 would fit best, the fitter will simply keep adjusting the fit bike till you are comforatable and happy with your fit and then they will give you the size/mesurments and which bike(s) fit that range.


if you are put on a bike on the trainer and "fit" to it by adjusting the bike you are not having a proper fit done.

that said i am not sure how road bike fits work, so i cant comment there.


for what its worth my last 4 bikes have all come from non-local shops based simply on my fit numbers and all have fit well.

Ok...well based on your explanation, a tri bike fitting is much different than a road bike fitting. However, I would still want to test ride ANY bike that I was seriously considering as a purchase...it's just a matter of principle with me.

wanting to ride a bike before getting it is completely understandble. i was more pointing out that if a proper fit is done, there would be no need to get on one to see if it fits right, the fit numbers would eleminate that step.


for what its worth, and this is jsut my experince, but as far as riding a bike before i buy it, the quick tool around the parking lot for has never done much, as i will have diff bars, wheels, tires and saddle on the bike once i get it, thus i am learning basically nothing by that first ride. often you will be able to tell little in the first few rides/week or two on a new bike, and only once you have gotten comfortable will you start to know what you like and dislike.

and i know somepeople will claim wild diff in carbon and alum in a test ride, but the small diff you will notice in those come LONG into a ride after you have been bouncing aorund and hitting potholes for a few hours.

tire, saddle, and wheel choice will have a much bigger effect on feel.