try (test ride) before you buy?

[BT444]

i go into a bike shop and wasnt interested in some of its new mountain bikes. i asked owner if i could test ride it before buying it. he said no, this is thailand. if you test ride it then it wont be new anymore. i walked out.

is this common here?

[fdimike]

In a word yes. It's even hit and miss when buying a car. Some dealers have models available for test drives others do not. I'm sure they'll let you sit on the bike to make sure it's the correct size.

[BT444]

In a word yes. It's even hit and miss when buying a car. Some dealers have models available for test drives others do not. I'm sure they'll let you sit on the bike to make sure it's the correct size.

i realize this isn't the West...but how does that make sense?

just cuz a new bike looks okay doesn't mean it is. and even if it were a super high-end bike - that doesn't mean every rider will feel comfortable riding it and paying big $ for it

[fdimike]

Making sense and common sense are concepts unknown to far too many Thais. Ask me why they like to drive on the wrong side of the road or why they think a red light at an intersection is just a suggestion to stop or why traffic signs like STOP are totally ignored. TIT

Edited July 2, 2014 by fdimike

[h90]

Buying a bike without test ride isn't good.......

[BT444]

Buying a bike without test ride isn't good.......

its not just not good, its bad business in my opinion. a vehicle isnt a painting or a book. what you see ISNT necessarily what you get. again, i know this isnt the West, but a bike shop back there wouldn't last long if they refused to let customers test ride bikes

[fdimike]

Unfortunately you're trying to compare apples and oranges. This is the way they do business here. You can either agree to buy without a test ride or not. I'm on my 4th bike, all bought here. I tested them for size and that was it. I now do long distance touring on a Surly Long Haul Trucker and am quite pleased with it even though I never tested it in advance.

[BT444]

Unfortunately you're trying to compare apples and oranges. This is the way they do business here. You can either agree to buy without a test ride or not. I'm on my 4th bike, all bought here. I tested them for size and that was it. I now do long distance touring on a Surly Long Haul Trucker and am quite pleased with it even though I never tested it in advance.

to each his/her own. on principle i would never buy any vehicle without trying it first. at the best of times, vendors are fallible and could be selling defective products without knowing it. refusing to let customers try them first is fishy to me and ill take my business elsewhere

[h90]

Unfortunately you're trying to compare apples and oranges. This is the way they do business here. You can either agree to buy without a test ride or not. I'm on my 4th bike, all bought here. I tested them for size and that was it. I now do long distance touring on a Surly Long Haul Trucker and am quite pleased with it even though I never tested it in advance.

I can still take the old frame size from before and buy the same. Would mean I am save from buying something complete wrong.

But if someone is new you are easily buy a wrong size and maybe never find it out without test rides. A test ride doesn't need to be far.....

[moonoi]

Unfortunately you're trying to compare apples and oranges. This is the way they do business here. You can either agree to buy without a test ride or not. I'm on my 4th bike, all bought here. I tested them for size and that was it. I now do long distance touring on a Surly Long Haul Trucker and am quite pleased with it even though I never tested it in advance.

I can still take the old frame size from before and buy the same. Would mean I am save from buying something complete wrong.

But if someone is new you are easily buy a wrong size and maybe never find it out without test rides. A test ride doesn't need to be far.....

Even taking the old frame size may not help, depends on whether the bike you are looking at is standard or sloping top tube etc. This all makes a big difference for fit.

Bike shops I have had a good experience with are Bike Zone in Amarin Plaza (I bought a Cervelo S5 from them, and they throw in a free 2000THB bike fitting as well). I did a lot of research online before committing, as no test ride was available, but didn't regret it.

The last bike I bought was from World Bike, a Giant TCR Advanced SL ISP to replace the S5 (I got bored with it ), they have a small area in front of the shop, where you can test the bike out before buying. They also do a bike fit, but nowhere near as good and comprehensive as the one from Bangkok Bike Fitter that I got from Bike Zone (although I did use the measurements he recorded when fitting me for the S5 to help dial in the fit quicker).

KM8 Bike on Raminthra is also very good, but again no test ride, but will fit you on a turbo, so you can get a feel for how it feels, and nearby Bike Specials also do allow test rides (sometimes).

Generally I've found that if the bike shop has a private parking area, or safe place without traffic that you can ride, they will let you test it, one shop that I didn't like the service at, but did allow a test ride was Bike RIder 9, near to Chocolate Ville, others might be ok with them

[chiangmaiexpat]

I've been allowed to test ride bikes here in Thailand as well as back in Germany, but it always depends. In Europe it's now quite common to pay a fee to take out new bikes for a demo, especially high-end bikes, just like renting it for a day. I think this makes sense. Why? Because a) you can find out all about how it fits by merely sitting on it; it's possible to judge weight, materials and components without riding it; c) if you want to explore handling and performance, a ride around the parking lot is not enough anyway; d) you probably want to compare as many bikes as you can. So, the situation is kind of all-or-nothing. For a meaningful test, you need to take the bike into the high-performance area. A casual ride in the parking lot is not going to do it.

Unfortunately, bike shops in Thailand rarely stock high-end bikes and even if they do, they don't rent them out. Few people want to pay 1000 THB++/day for a rental bike and the shops just don't have enough capital. Your best option in Thailand is probably to join clubs/groups and swap bikes with friends for a test ride.

Cheers, CM-Expat