would you buy an emtb without a test ride?

[flash]

4 eBikes so far without even seeing them in the flesh. Merida e160-900, Merida eBig9 hardtail, Cairn 01 Gravel eBike and I have a eZesty on order. Very happy with all of them so far. Will let you know when the eZesty arrives. The e-160 and eBig 9 have both had full cockpit upgrades and the eBig 9 a huge spec upgrade. But I knew I'd do that going in. I have a bunch of parts on the way for the eZesty when it arrives.

No regrets at all.

Gordon

 

[Levo-Lon]

No.

I bought my levo without test riding it but test rode a levo in same size yr ect

 

[MattyB]

I think it is important to have ridden the different motors in your shortlisted bikes, as they all have different characteristics. All of the motors have strengths and weaknesses and none is definitively "the best", but given it is the one part of the bike you can't change it's important you get along with the way it delivers the assistance. However it doesn't need to be in the exact bike you are considering, just the same motor.

If you've done that and know the wheel size and geometry you like I think most people will be absolutely fine to buy without a test ride. Sizing can be checked by comparing to geo charts and everything else (motor reliability, components, suspension characteristics, manufacturer support etc) can be researched via the power of t'interweb. I personally wouldn't want to restrict myself to only bikes I can source locally anyway.

 

[Forever Wild]

Yes, and I placed the order last week. This forum was very helpful in my decision to choose the TREK Rail 9.8 XT. Originally was sold on the Specialized Kenevo Comp, ultimately decided on the TREK.

Why did you choose the trek?

 

[Timmoh]

hi guys

i'm curious about buying the embt online without the test ride? have any of you experience this? any regret?

i'm looking at the decathlon stilus for £2600. its only available online so impossible to have a test ride before purchase.

i fear i may not like the geometry or any reason but face major difficulty to return. some large companies makes the returns near impossible on purpose. i have no experience with returning to decathlon online so i cannot comment.

any input/advises would be great

thanks

Trying to buy it blind myself after a loads of research. Obviously I would rather see and try before buy but, as in other posts, have compared and measured to the best of my ability due to value, current lock down and availability in stores.
Biggest problem you're gonna have is getting one ordered! I'm 3-4 weeks in and still can't catch the bugger in stock/delivery ready. They are then they are not.
Good Luck in getting one, just don't throw your phone at the wall at 11.03pm when all the delivery and stock disappears like some sort of magic??.

 

[datonetti]

Why did you choose the trek?

I chose the TREK Rail for the 29" wheels, looks, Bosch motor reliability, local dealer support and pro deal pricing. The significant other will be on a Specialized Levo, mainly for the quieter Brose motor and color.

 

[High Rock Ruti]

hi guys

i'm curious about buying the embt online without the test ride? have any of you experience this? any regret?

i'm looking at the decathlon stilus for £2600. its only available online so impossible to have a test ride before purchase.

i fear i may not like the geometry or any reason but face major difficulty to return. some large companies makes the returns near impossible on purpose. i have no experience with returning to decathlon online so i cannot comment.

any input/advises would be great

thanks

High Rock Ruti

Yes, twice. Trek Rail 9.8 and Orbea wild FS Team. Read and watch the reviews, didn't Rob just review the Stilus? I love both bikes they ride differently but not greatly, most emtb's are fun to ride.

 

[Dave_W]

Just recently got a Whyte 150RS. No option but to buy it blind as no local shops have this. I've always ridden 27.5 analogue bikes but changed to 29er when I got my Cube hardtail last year. Great bike for price but didn't get on with 29ers. Want something that reminded me of throwing my analogue around. Did my homework & checked dimensions against previous bikes. The Whyte ticked every box & I live it. Would have been a very expensive mistake if I didn't like it. It really takes a few weeks of serious riding to see whether it matches your style.
Interestingly the Bosch motor feels very different on the Whyte than the Cube. Same specs. Maybe just because it's so much smoother but while it doesn't feel as fast Strava shows I'm miles faster on every segment up & down

 

[Gavalar]

hi guys

i'm curious about buying the embt online without the test ride? have any of you experience this? any regret?

i'm looking at the decathlon stilus for £2600. its only available online so impossible to have a test ride before purchase.

i fear i may not like the geometry or any reason but face major difficulty to return. some large companies makes the returns near impossible on purpose. i have no experience with returning to decathlon online so i cannot comment.

any input/advises would be great

thanks

Maybe phone a Decathlon store and enquire if they have any in stock for you to visit and have a proper look at.

 

[mtbross]

hi guys

i'm curious about buying the embt online without the test ride? have any of you experience this? any regret?

i'm looking at the decathlon stilus for £2600. its only available online so impossible to have a test ride before purchase.

i fear i may not like the geometry or any reason but face major difficulty to return. some large companies makes the returns near impossible on purpose. i have no experience with returning to decathlon online so i cannot comment.

any input/advises would be great

thanks

Would you buy a car without a test ride? No, I would not, nor would I buy an e-bike without a test ride. There are so many differences in different bikes you really should try a few different types before choosing. And ideally, you should try to test in conditions similar to your normal riding. And repeat the same route with the different bikes. I was going to go with one bike, and ended up with another after trying them out on the same trails. Glad I did and very happy with my purchase.

 

[geehaw]

I wouldn't buy any bike without a test ride unless there was a 100% refund policy. Geometries are so different between bikes and when spending over 6K why compromise. I tested 4 ebikes before purchase. I found the Merida and Levo to have similar fit which were quite comfortable, Trek frames in any size just didn't suit me and were very uncomfortable and didn't like the Giant motor or handling. You may still be happy with your purchase but a test ride could have steered you in a different direction and made you a lot happier.

 

[Shjay]

Never test rode any of the bikes I own & they are all great bikes however with the ebike I owned the Vitus Sommet couple years ago so new the ebike version would probably be good as I like the geometry & setup of the original & yes it’s a good bike, same size geometry not changed except slightly longer reach & steeper seat tube

 

[High Rock Ruti]

Pivot Shuttle
Rail 9.8
Orbea wild fs team

All without test rides

Oddly the Turbo Levo S Works test rode........but full refund on the fourth motor failure, so much for the security of a test ride.

Love all of them wouldn't think twice about buying with riding, bikes of this caliber ride well evidently.

 

[acmcdonaldgp]

TL;DR - yes, I did. Do your research online and try to learn what size you need. Maybe by riding bikes of similar dimensions/geometry’s?

———————-

Yes, I did. And it’s quite the story of how I ended up with my Trek Rail 9.7....since others are telling their tales, I’ll add mine....

I’d never ridden an emtb. Buying one wasn’t even on my radar. Then, as my arthritic knees acted up this spring and I was off the bike for a couple weeks, I saw the new SC Heckler (which comes in XXL) and I became very intrigued with pedal assist.

I researched, read, and watched every video I could find online. I learned all about motors quickly, and was confident in the Shimano. I’m a tall rider, and almost never get to demo a bike my size.

I haven’t bought a new bike since 2011, but I rode a Heckler for 5 years a while ago and loved it. I compared the geometry of the e-Heckler to my current bike, researched other 150mm bikes, and I was sold. I did want to try a demo, because it would have been my biggest bike purchase ever, but no one had even a Bronson in my size.

When I tried to order one, nothing was in stock. I even emailed the factory and they couldn’t help me out. Very nice guys there, by the way. In the end, there literally was nothing in my size. I called/emailed every SC dealer in Canada who stocked the Heckler (that’s a great feature on your website, SC!) and there were no XXLs to be had in Canada.

My LBS is a Trek dealer, and I’ve only ever bought new from them, so I went online to see what Trek had. Found the Rail. I read a couple articles on the Rail, checked I could make the size fit, since the Trek XL is a touch smaller than the XXL SC in a few areas, sent my awesome dealer a FB message, luckily Trek Canada had one in stock, and within the hour my Rail was on its way. Showed up 3 days later.



And the day after I bought it a SC dealer emailed me to tell me they just got an XXL Heckler in. LOL. I’ll look at that again when I’m done riding my Rail.

And I’d bet money that I’ll probably buy it without riding it first....

 

[sunstoner]

I certainly bought without riding.

I liked the look of the bike, budget suited me, it was available and that was that and I love getting out on it as much as poss.

 

[High Rock Ruti]

High Rock Ruti

Last three bikes not test ridden, all three bikes fantastic riders. Read the reviews, watch the videos, spend safely, ride in the woods. I've bought four bikes that won or came in near the top of collective review, you know 15 bikes all ridden by 8 riders. Every year there are several from magazines and sites. The truth is that high end modern ebike's ride well, I'm sorry they ride better than I can.

Warm Regards Ruti

 

[The Hodge]

My previous bike was a Whyte T130rs..which I didn't test ride either ..however I did extensively test ride a Santa Cruz 5010 which I absolutely loved but couldn't justify the expense at the time ..so went for the Whyte which had identical geometry..and loved it .
I saw Guy Kesteven's video riding a 150s at Whinlatter and although you have got to take the review with a pinch of salt ..he did seem genuinely impressed ..so when I was ready to go "e" and with Whyte having just launched the 160rs ..it was a no-brainer that was going to be the bike for me..and I bloody love it !

 

[JoeBlow]

I think it depends to a large extent on how experienced you are. About 2 years ago I bought a Trek Powerfly 4 FS. I had done some cross country style riding previously but not a huge amount. Several weeks ago I managed to get hold of an Orbea Wild FS from Germany for a very good price and immediately available. My Trek had 27.5" wheels and 130mm of travel. It served me well but I wanted something a bit better specced for more downhill/trail centre riding as that is mostly what I was doing. My Orbea has 29" wheels and 160mm travel. On my first ride I thought I had made a dreadful mistake as it felt so, so different. By ride three I had somehow, subconsciously and automatically adjusted my riding style to suit and it felt great. When I got on my Trek again it felt totally inadequate and uncomfortable so I sold it to recoup some of the costs of upgrading.

The timescale is important. I typically ride 2 or 3 times a week but much less in winter so I am not all that experienced. I suspect that if I had been riding for many more years I would have been far more sensitive to small differences but to be honest I couldn't tell the difference between a 64 degree head angle and a 65 degree one . If I had test ridden my bike before buying it, in all honesty, I would probably have saved myself some money and stayed with what I had.

Al

 

[Banktramp]

I brought my Turbo Levo without a test ride, looking at spec and sizing geometry online before hand it fits perfect.

just do it!!!