Things you wish someone had told you

[indysteel]

Do the shops let you take longer rides? When I tried out my Trek the guy stood outside and watched me while I rode it around for about 10 minutes.

It depends on the shop and, even then, sometimes on their relationship with you. I've had it both ways. It never hurts to ask.

I had good luck with my first road bike, but in general, I'd steer you toward shops that employ a trained fitter. Now, even with that, most won't do a comprehensive fitting unless and until you buy a bike, but you should at least be able to converse with them about any fit issues or concerns. I'm wary of shops who just eyeball you and then ask you to stand over a bike before declaring "yep, it fits."

Beyond that, just take your time in looking at bikes. Now's not a bad time because you might get a 2012 bike for a good deal and new 2013s are starting to hit the shops.

Try not to pay too much attention to anything that sounds like marketing hype or hyperbole. Some shops will try to convince you that you need to spend more than you've budgeted to get a bike worth riding. I don't think that's true.

[ny biker]

I was able to do a 30-mile test ride when I got my new bike. But I shop so much at that LBS that I know most of the people there by name, and they know me too. So they could have tracked me down if I had not come back and paid for the bike.

I agree that working with a good fitter is important.

[Owlie]

Agreed. I tested a Giant FCR out at one shop, and the guy watched me pedal around the parking lot for five minutes. Two years later, same shop: I tried out a Dolce and a CAAD10. They let me do as long a test ride as I wanted (provided I stayed in the general area of the shop, of course), and pretty much said "Have fun!" Of course, it helped that I left everything there except my wallet (I don't compromise on having ID with me on the road!).

[ny biker]

I should add that the reason I went for the long test ride was because the bike had a compact double and I wanted to make sure it would work for me on hills. I told the LBS manager I'd like to try it on a specific hill that he includes on his weekly shop rides, and he said yes.

I got my first road bike from the same people but at their original store location (they have two now) and I didn't ride it for that long but they did encourage me to ride in a nearby residential neighborhood that had some hills.

I think having some variety in terrain is important, so you can see if the gears shift well and if they are sufficient for your needs. (Unless you live in a really flat area, in which case I guess you test riding in a headwind vs a tailwind??)

[girlontheroad]

I would second all of that. When I bought my Lexa SLX I should have ridden it longer. Interestingly I think the shop was more than willing to let me ride as long as I wanted and pointed me in the direction of a hill to try it on. He seemed surprised that I came back so soon. However, I didn't know what the expectations were--so that might be something you want to ask before you take the bike out. I think my bike may be too big for me, but for now it feels fine so I'm going with it, so definitely take time to make a decision and don't buy the first one you try, but you sound like you are already on that road...good luck!!

[Owlie]

-Don't listen to your SO. He/she is not the same person as you, so their recommendations won't necessarily work for you.
-Buy the nice bike. Entry-level bikes are fine...until you outgrow them.
-Cycling is addictive.

[deanywalker21]

Spend time listening to how the shop folks talk with the customers. I had done a test ride while on vacation and then ordered the bike from the local Trek dealer. I will never buy another bike from them. Found the folks to be rude and not very helpful. I also had one of their sales people insult my Giant FCR 1 (which has been the love of my life). When I picked up my MTB they pretty much pushed me out the door with it. Never unlocked the shocks, etc. I will likely never buy another Trek because of my experience with that shop. Lucky for me we have two other bike shops that I love to visit and have found to be very helpful.