My LBS is a Seven dealer and they have 2 Sevens in the shop for test rides that are my size, so I'm test-riding them tomorrow - I'm so excited! One is the Ti Alaris and the other is a steel Elium.

I've never test-ridden a bike before (I didn't even test ride my current bike before I bought it - too self-conscious! ). My current bike is a Specialized Sequoia Elite with 24-38-52/11-37 (yikes! But it gets me up the hills!) - aluminum frame, carbon fork, Mavic Ksyrium wheels.

The LBS will swap my saddle and pedals over, and make a few quick adjustments for basic fit, and I'm going to ask them to put my current front wheel on the test bikes also.

Melissam sent me a link to a site about test riding and they suggested climbing and descending, standing up on a climb, and riding on some rough roads, so I'll definitely do all these things.

I'm going to get there early and ride my bike around to try and "lock in" what it feels like. And I'll try the hill on my bike in the gear equivalent to the Seven's granny gear.

I've heard people say that as soon as they got on their bike they "knew" it was the right one for them. I'm hoping for the "Eureka!" experience, but I'd also like to have a slightly more methodical approach.

Any other things I should be thinking of and feeling for on these test rides?

Seven-owners in particular - any tips?

Thanks!