Just ask RC.
Buying a brand new bike/frame before trying it
- Thread starter I Are Baboon
- Start date
I would prefer to ride before buy, but that can't always happen, like with my Joker.
I also tend to whale the tar out of my bikes - fall down a lot, bounce off rocks, etc. A real demo ride would take four hours or so...
I also tend to whale the tar out of my bikes - fall down a lot, bounce off rocks, etc. A real demo ride would take four hours or so...
the nice people at Titus emailed me and said they have an XS moto lite on the demo truck headed for Pedro's Fest at the end of July - now.... is it worth the $40 entrance fee to Pedro's to try it? LOL!
Westy said:
johnbryanpeters said:
Definitely...Pedro's is always a fun time!!!MtnBikerChk said:
how is that different than any other day?McGRP01 said:
MtnBikerChk said:
isnt it $75 ?
You wanna walk to MF?! :eviltongudouglas said:
douglas said:
1 day is $40. $75 is for the weekend.
My Kona and Jamis I bought with only parking lot, down the street and back rides. My Giant DH (complete) and my Steelhead (frame) I bought without riding at all.
fluff said:
The seat angle is as important to me as the HA and TT length. I like Steep SA for my trail bike which is one of the reasons I purchased a Turner.
I disagree... Bikes ARE black magic. I'm sure most of us have riddin bikes that, even though on paper they looked good, just didn't feel right. Riding a bike in a parking lot tells you nothing about how it will perform 10 miles into the trail on a super tight and steep switchback that you have to nose pick your way around.binary visions said:
That said, I generally buy all my bikes both USED and untested. Mainly because I can't afford a new frame, and where the heck am I going to be able to try a bike out in a real world situation? Personally I don't know if a bike fits, or is right, or if I like it till I have ridden in a few months. The bike and I have to spend time together and see if we're a good match.
Hippie....Ciaran said:
Lets see.
bighit
Gemini
Ventana
IH Porter
Azonic Steelhead
C-Dale Super-v 500
Speci. P.1
bighit
Gemini
Ventana
IH Porter
Azonic Steelhead
C-Dale Super-v 500
Speci. P.1
And? You bought them with or without testing them?ThePriceSeliger said:
Without testing them. Sorry. I'm a little slow... sometimes.... most of the time... SHUTUP!DRB said:
Yo Boon ... you may be interested in this .. being a fellow Titus guy.
I broke my Locomoto frame last week. Rear triangle hit a rock hard and "bang" clean break at the weld. Tears .. whole 9 yards.
Good people at Titus we're will to send me out a replacement no charge. Trouble was the replacement was gold and it was the the last of 2 on the shelf ... They stop making the Loco few years ago. My bike is an 2002
The other option was the crash replacement to an 07 Motolite for $750. I will have to wait until Sept\Oct, but gives me a chance to go up a size and the Motolite looks real nice. They resolved the issues I had with my Loco. I appreciate Titus caring about keeping a customer loyal ... I'm going that route.
Oh and I also buy without trying ... It doesn't make sense, but I keep doing it. Shame there is no Titus dealer in all of New England.
I broke my Locomoto frame last week. Rear triangle hit a rock hard and "bang" clean break at the weld. Tears .. whole 9 yards.
Good people at Titus we're will to send me out a replacement no charge. Trouble was the replacement was gold and it was the the last of 2 on the shelf ... They stop making the Loco few years ago. My bike is an 2002
The other option was the crash replacement to an 07 Motolite for $750. I will have to wait until Sept\Oct, but gives me a chance to go up a size and the Motolite looks real nice. They resolved the issues I had with my Loco. I appreciate Titus caring about keeping a customer loyal ... I'm going that route.
Oh and I also buy without trying ... It doesn't make sense, but I keep doing it. Shame there is no Titus dealer in all of New England.
SloMo, Belmont Wheelworks no longer carries Titus? That's where I tested a Switchblade back in the day.
$750 for a new Motolite frame sounds like a hell of a price.
$750 for a new Motolite frame sounds like a hell of a price.
perhaps they can win us back...... perhaps.....I Are Baboon said:
well we are planning on going! the whole family ! I may not even bring a bike ! Last timew I went I demo'ed an Intense 5.5 for a day and and a Jecyl for a day , plus 2 L&M HID'sMtnBikerChk said:
so This year sounds like I can demo a titus!
I hear ya ... no doubt it's a challenge dealing with a bike mfg with no distributors in the area. Belmont no longer carries Titus. I just called em.The Titus website lists no distributors in NE.
If they did not offer a discount I would not get another Titus for that reason. Yet ... the Loco has been great ...so the discount and quaility product will keep me on board.
Best wishes on your purchase tho.
If they did not offer a discount I would not get another Titus for that reason. Yet ... the Loco has been great ...so the discount and quaility product will keep me on board.
Best wishes on your purchase tho.
they gave them to you for the day??splat said:
how early did you have to get there for that?
so maybe we'll see ya there!
I would say about half the bikes I have purchase were prior to trying.
Well the Intense I had for about 4 hours , and I blew the front tire , so i took it back them , and the Jekyl, I had for most of the day too.MtnBikerChk said:they gave them to you for the day??
how early did you have to get there for that?
so maybe we'll see ya there!
I got the idea from one of the guys who was campming near us , shows up with no bike. He said , why get my own bike dirty I Just ride demo bikes while I'm here. So I followed suit.
Since I'm a early riser anyway i just went down early and got it.
I bought my Rotec via MTBR back "before" and barely knew the brand(Pre Sully even).....
I had some emotion/confirming good deal-type support from my college buddy and and I dropped some change on a complete DH bike. It was from some kid in southern CA after talking to his father and he helped solidify things/details. Had it delivered to my office in a big old bike box.....the UPS guy waited until I opened it. He wanted to see what the heck was in that thing he had been hauling aroudn all day. lol It had zero miles...not a scratch anywhere.
Not something I would do all the time, but the bike was clean and the kid(and father) was upfront with the deal.
All other bikes I atleast swung a leg over before buying. I haven't bought alot of bikes....5 total over a decade.
I had some emotion/confirming good deal-type support from my college buddy and and I dropped some change on a complete DH bike. It was from some kid in southern CA after talking to his father and he helped solidify things/details. Had it delivered to my office in a big old bike box.....the UPS guy waited until I opened it. He wanted to see what the heck was in that thing he had been hauling aroudn all day. lol It had zero miles...not a scratch anywhere.
Not something I would do all the time, but the bike was clean and the kid(and father) was upfront with the deal.
All other bikes I atleast swung a leg over before buying. I haven't bought alot of bikes....5 total over a decade.
A bikes a bikes a bike, but if you're gonna blow a wad of cash why not be confident you're dialed.
I Are Baboon said:
Yeah i brought both of my current bikes unridden and sight unseen.
But both have been awesome bikes.... I've had the Keewee 4.5 for 7 years now and I still love riding it!
The Cove Hummer is pretty new (6 months or so) And is a really inspiring bike to ride.
MBC - there is a shop in Western Mass that carries (or did) carry Titus. Can't remember the name of the shop but I think it it in Lenox, MA - could be worth a call.MtnBikerChk said:
Also, Wheelworks in Boston carries Titus - you could do a road trip for a test ride and then swing over and ride Nam or something.
neither one do anymore.MMcG said:
I rode a TON of bikes before I decide on mine. The ride was EXACTLY what I wanted and then I tweaked it to make it better.
Let's see...
My first bike, brand new Specialized Enduro for $650 at bike swap. Never test rode it.
My second bike (and current ride), Yeti 575 for 20% off an already low retail (REI anniversary sale). Never test rode it.
My third and final bike (and current DH ride), GT DHi used through RM classifieds. Never test rode it.
But I must admit that I'm a late comer to biking and my opinion was that I wouldn't really notice a difference between different bikes. I'm now starting to feel differences though and likely will demo different rides if and when I opt to turnover the rides.
My first bike, brand new Specialized Enduro for $650 at bike swap. Never test rode it.
My second bike (and current ride), Yeti 575 for 20% off an already low retail (REI anniversary sale). Never test rode it.
My third and final bike (and current DH ride), GT DHi used through RM classifieds. Never test rode it.
But I must admit that I'm a late comer to biking and my opinion was that I wouldn't really notice a difference between different bikes. I'm now starting to feel differences though and likely will demo different rides if and when I opt to turnover the rides.
I test rode a women's stumpjumper FSR today.
Anyway…. It went down like this:
“Hi, I’m looking to try an fsr type frame – maybe a stumpjumper.”
Guy helping me started looking at what they had on the racks and I said “Obviously, a small”
And he said “Oh, for you? I have a Julianna for you.”
ROLLEYES
I snapped at him and said “No, I want to try an FSR.” SO that set the tone for the test ride LOL
I tried a women’s specific Stumpjumper in a MEDIUM and it felt better (size wise) than my small blur. The suspension was stiffer but that’s all I could really tell. Now that I'm back home looking at the numbers on Specialized's website, they don't really make sense - ie: the top tube on a medium stumpy is almost 2" longer than the small blur? It didn't feel that way. It felt smaller. I have to go there with a tape measure, I guess LOL
Bottom line is the size did feel better.
Then I tried the Juliana for ha has. It only has 3.5” of travel. Um, no thanks! I don't want LESS than I have now LOL
Then he tried to sell me and FSR Sworks – but they’d have to order it. I think he finally figured out I’m not a moron as the whole thing went on. I told him I wanted the frame only and would build it myself. He offered me a job LOL!
That’s it.
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Anyway…. It went down like this:
“Hi, I’m looking to try an fsr type frame – maybe a stumpjumper.”
Guy helping me started looking at what they had on the racks and I said “Obviously, a small”
And he said “Oh, for you? I have a Julianna for you.”
ROLLEYES
I snapped at him and said “No, I want to try an FSR.” SO that set the tone for the test ride LOL
I tried a women’s specific Stumpjumper in a MEDIUM and it felt better (size wise) than my small blur. The suspension was stiffer but that’s all I could really tell. Now that I'm back home looking at the numbers on Specialized's website, they don't really make sense - ie: the top tube on a medium stumpy is almost 2" longer than the small blur? It didn't feel that way. It felt smaller. I have to go there with a tape measure, I guess LOL
Bottom line is the size did feel better.
Then I tried the Juliana for ha has. It only has 3.5” of travel. Um, no thanks! I don't want LESS than I have now LOL
Then he tried to sell me and FSR Sworks – but they’d have to order it. I think he finally figured out I’m not a moron as the whole thing went on. I told him I wanted the frame only and would build it myself. He offered me a job LOL!
That’s it.
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