Quote Originally Posted by Cyclesome
How do I go about trying out bikes? When I bought my hybrid, I spent about 10 minutes riding it in the parking lot. Not enough time to really know if it is the correct bike for me. I did go to a LBS an hour away from my home for the better service. The LBS near my home (15 minutes away) has an owner and manager who come across as very aloof.
Hmmm... the LBS should offer to let you ride the bike as long as you want. I would go back to the local place and ask to take the bikes out on long test rides. This is standard, so "Mr/Ms Aloof" should know this.

Do both shops carry the same brands? I would narrow it down as much as possible at the local place, to make the best use of your time, and maybe take my business somewhere else if I thought they would handle the fitting and advice better. In fact, this is exactly what I did. The local places were good, but the bikes they put me on felt too big. I felt like I was stretching my arms too much. Then I went to a place near work, which is about an hour away from home, and chatted about the situation with them. They said "You probably need a smaller size frame." They also said more "female positive" things that made me feel like plunking down my $$ there. For maintenance work, now I'm building a relationship with one of the local places that carries Bianchi.

On the fitting, I think (could be wrong) that the full-blown fitting is offered after you buy the bike. This is when they put you and the bike on a trainer and spend an hour looking at all the angles and measurements. They may recommend changing one or more parts as a result of this. I learned a lot from this while chatting with the fitter. I had a pair of shorts to wear during this, which helped because he could see what my knees were doing. So my sequence was, test-ride bikes all over town, narrowed it down to the Bianchi, decided I like the LBS near work, rode the Bianchi there. Slept on it. Paid for the bike, made the fitting appt for 2 days later, then did the fitting and brought the bike home. Somewhere in there I bought a helmet & shorts.

During the test phase, they lined me up against a wall and took a couple of measurements, to get in the ballpark. So if they don't mention doing a full fitting, ask them if it's included in the price of the bike. If they say "we already fitted you", well, maybe they don't do the more involved fitting.