Project Demo days / Demo Program

Would you pay money for a multi-day demo ... shipped to you? Partially built.

  • Nah ... too much hassle

  • Yes, Whatever is fair re price and rebates for as long as possible

  • Yes, for 2 weekends and under $400

  • Yes, for whatever time and under $300

  • Yes, for whatever time and under $200

  • Nah, if they want my money demos should be for free. Economics is your problem


Results are only viewable after voting.

puffmoike

Likes Dirt
As a buyer, I'd use the experience only once I was 99% sure it was the bike I wanted (within spec differences) and I needed to be sure about sizing.

So I'd likely buy a bike but it might not be the demo bike.

Makes it all a bit tricky.
Genuine question from somebody who’s only ridden a couple of bikes: shouldn’t sizing be the easy bit of picking a bike without actually having ridden it?

Seems like measuring your current bike and comparing with the geometry spec charts should identify the right-sized bike pretty easily most of the time.

Surely it’s harder to understand whether the particular model will suit you (kinematics, playfulness, etc) in the abstract, and that’s where a long-term test ride would be particularly useful.

Or are the differences between bikes really only noticeable to a small proportion of riders (eg reviewers who have ridden hundreds of different bikes)? And thus is bike buying typically really more about picking the bike you like the look of/got good reviews/mate recommended/ridden by your favourite rider? (Which in all honesty is pretty much what I did. Mate and I rode a Remedy and Fuel EX back-to-back for three days, and both bought the one we preferred, but it was hardly a big pool of bikes we were choosing from, and I’d hope I’d make a more considered decision next time by riding more bikes first).
 

hifiandmtb

Sphincter beanie
I'm a betweener (large & extra-large) for modern geo bikes. For some, it's easy(er) to choose the size.

But yeah, the difference between bikes is profound, at least to me!
 

Dales Cannon

lightbrain about 4pm
Staff member
Of all the bikes I have bought for me I have test ridden all bar one. All were rides around the carpark or street. The only big ride was my nephew's 5010 where I found I liked the geometry except head angle and thus bought a Bronson though this was series 1, reckon I would get a 5010 now. My second and third bike were very similar in geometry despite one being a hardtail while the other was dual suspension and I thence compared the spec sheets before I rode anything. I think we all have a sweet spot and stick with that within limits. Then it comes down to equipment and dealer. I was going to buy a Stumpy years ago but the dealer wouldn't do any changes or upgrades whereas the bike I bought had the brakes and shifters changed and as the wholesale price was similar didnt cost anything.

Demo days are a great idea and you can compare notes with others on the day to maybe pick up something you missed. Though I realise the logistics of this are difficult. Next best would be extended demo rides to get a proper feel for the bike.

My best car test drives have been weekend demos...
 

puffmoike

Likes Dirt
I'm a betweener (large & extra-large) for modern geo bikes. For some, it's easy(er) to choose the size.

But yeah, the difference between bikes is profound, at least to me!
So at the risk of derailing the topic a bit (but hopefully not entirely), if you find the difference between bikes can be profound, how could you be 99% sure you’d want to buy a particular bike (as you posted earlier) before you’d even ridden it?

I’m not trying to sound facetious.

I’m assuming the next time I buy a bike I’m going to try and demo a few more bikes, and thus trust my own judgment a bit more rather than simply rely on positive reviews like I did last time (which are obviously written by riders who are much better than me). That might include the OP’s operation. But if I’m genuinely “demoing” a bike then the whole point is finding out if I like riding it (with the implicit possibility that I might not, in which case I’d want to return it). Hence my earlier post about whether this was really meant to be a genuine demo or something more akin to Polygon’s no questions asked 14-day return policy (and implicitly how the answer to that should affect his pricing and marketing).
 

hifiandmtb

Sphincter beanie
Reviews & experience with other bikes in the same range of bikes.

Recently I've ridden:

. Yeti SB5.5
. Yeti SB130
. Yeti SB150
. Ibis Ripmo
. DeVinci Django
. Transition Scout
. Ibis Ripley
. Pivot Mach429

Nothing in that list surprised me - they rode like I expected them to ride. Front centre roominess, agility, sprightliness, stability. I know what I'm looking for - nimbleness over downhill prowess, acceleration over comfort.

Well, aside from the SB130 which rode like it was running in treacle (likely the wheel/tyre spec).

For me, a demo would affirm the sizing & allow me to be 100% sure.
 

99_FGT

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I'm happy to be wrong here, but in the good old days of mountain bikes didn't Need ship out Santa Cruz demo bikes for free? I know I received a demo bike for free during the process of the one time I purchased from them.
That was usually because they couldn't deliver. I had a demo trc for months before mine actually came.
Perhaps consider agents (fellow burners) who can build and repack the bikes at destination for minimal $
 

safreek

*******
Nar, test ride should be free if you can get to the dealers. Had the Cannondale dealer here offer me a free test ride on a Cannondale e-bike, didn't take it up but the offer was there. I don't pay if I want to test a car so I don't understand why I should pay to test a bike
 

puffmoike

Likes Dirt
Nar, test ride should be free if you can get to the dealers. Had the Cannondale dealer here offer me a free test ride on a Cannondale e-bike, didn't take it up but the offer was there. I don't pay if I want to test a car so I don't understand why I should pay to test a bike
To my mind a test ride in the car park is the equivalent of a regular car test.

But can’t imagine my local Range Rover dealer happily letting me demo a new car in the high country for the weekend.
 

Nerf Herder

Wheel size expert
The new bike demo/sale is the perfect outcome of course ... but I can see it quickly changing to a standard, ‘used’ but maintained experience ... purely due to likely sales volume. So it’s a demo program fully expecting a small sell thru, high return rate ... which again is the reasoning around the hire / rebate model.

I also expect to be selling frames initially ... although completes offer better value for these guys ... but I see the target consumer will either have existing build and or will want it their way ... phase 2 or 3 maybe more about completes as a critical mass of bikes on trail allows for ‘mates car park bounce ‘ tests.

Any who ... thanks for the comments ... some insights I hadn’t put enough thought into so cheers
 

SF Trailboy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Reviews & experience with other bikes in the same range of bikes.

Recently I've ridden:

. Yeti SB5.5
. Yeti SB130
. Yeti SB150
. Ibis Ripmo
. DeVinci Django
. Transition Scout
. Ibis Ripley
. Pivot Mach429

Nothing in that list surprised me - they rode like I expected them to ride. Front centre roominess, agility, sprightliness, stability. I know what I'm looking for - nimbleness over downhill prowess, acceleration over comfort.

Well, aside from the SB130 which rode like it was running in treacle (likely the wheel/tyre spec).

For me, a demo would affirm the sizing & allow me to be 100% sure.
Was all or most of these demos through summit in Sydney? Was it at a cost? If my suspicions are correct on @Nerf Herder side game Im really trying to demo a Ripley and a Rascal...
 

rextheute

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I purchased the Bike i Demo'd - it was New with 20km when i picked it up - I did a 100km demo over the course of day or so - and it was Great !
Super Discount as well as it was 'last years model'
- As October is a good time to Buy ?

If i was spending a similar amount - and to be honest a mid range bike costs as much as a pre-loved car .....id like a test - Kool with paying for the privilege too .
If the bike was around $10k + - id like a really good ride and the understanding that the 'pay to play ' was a part discount ?

( I have previously to do this with a product we manufactured and built to order- rental fees were deducted from purchase price . )
 

SF Trailboy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Yep ... if you arent in a rush and I can get free of KS servicing ... ORBO will be running a demo day ... likely at Menai ... otherwise they have a 2 week rental scheme setup and can be booked online.
all I need is about an hour Or 2 on the rascal - So will be happy to wait...
 

Calvin27

Eats Squid
Done demo days at local trails (or local enough) none really translated to a sale though. The only 'booked' private demos I've done are when I am 95% sure I'm going to buy the bike and just want to test ride it to make sure there isn't something that makes it feel off.

The problem with demos is that you realise how much maintenance you need on your current bikes lol.
 

Ky1e

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I'm old school. I'll never pay to hire a demo bike i was planning to purchase. That shit should be free when you're buying $10k bikes.
 

Nerf Herder

Wheel size expert
I'm old school. I'll never pay to hire a demo bike i was planning to purchase. That shit should be free when you're buying $10k bikes.
Respect ... And my assumption is you are the lions share of the market.

some questions if you don’t mind

  • have you demo’d every bike you’ve purchased? What rough % guesstimate is fine.
  • have you always bought new? What rough %
  • thinking of your last new purchase. What was it? Did you demo it?
  • have you purchased consumer direct to date? How did you demo that?

thanks
 

Isildur

The Real Pedant
Respect ... And my assumption is you are the lions share of the market.

some questions if you don’t mind

  • have you demo’d every bike you’ve purchased? What rough % guesstimate is fine.
  • have you always bought new? What rough %
  • thinking of your last new purchase. What was it? Did you demo it?
  • have you purchased consumer direct to date? How did you demo that?
thanks
This is fairly applicable to me, as I've demo'd a fair few bikes but never paid for a demo on the way to buying a new bike/frame. Answers in order:

  • I've demoed roughly 75% of the bikes/frames I've bought in the last decade. Certainly all of the duallies*. I will say I've also demoed a few bikes I've not bought, as it didn't fit with the way I thought or wanted it to ride.
  • All my stable of bikes has either been a new bike complete, or Frame and approx 50% new parts, 50% carried over.
  • Last bike was the Ripmo and yep, demo'd that in two versions - one from the LBS for a gentle weekend, another from a mate for a longer period.
  • No consumer direct bikes/frames bought.

*Bar the old Glory DH frame I bought last year to transfer the gear over to, keeping with 26" but increasing frame size.

Hope that helps mate :)
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
This is fairly applicable to me, as I've demo'd a fair few bikes but never paid for a demo on the way to buying a new bike/frame. Answers in order:

  • I've demoed roughly 75% of the bikes/frames I've bought. I will say I've also demoed a few bikes I've not bought, as it didn't fit with the way I thought or wanted it to ride.
  • All my stable of bikes has either been a new bike complete, or Frame and approx 50% new parts, 50% carried over. Bar the old Glory DH frame I bought last year to transfer the gear over to, keeping with 26" but increasing frame size, and the DJ for sporadic use bought last year.
  • Last bike was the Ripmo and yep, demo'd that in two versions - one from the LBS for a gentle weekend, another from a mate for a longer period.
  • No consumer direct bikes/frames bought.
Hope that helps mate :)
Which shop demo'd you a Ripmo?
 
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