would you buy an emtb without a test ride?

uk125

uk125

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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
 
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I did just that. I wanted a Levo SL but there were none within 200 miles so I test rode a Stumpjumper, liked it, and ordered the SL based on that. It all worked out well but it is a gamble.
 
How easy is it to remove the wheels of a Stilus compared to other bikes? Does it have quick release?
 
To beat the expected rush, I bought my Haibike Flyon without a test ride based upon reviews and manufacturer’s specs. It was a gamble but it paid off. However, during the long saga of Flyon delays it become apparent to me that few, if any, magazines will criticise a manufacturer. So if buying blind again I would ponder the reviews very carefully.
 
uk125 said:
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
Click to expand...

My 2 cents here...
it depends if it's your first emtb or not.

If first emtb definitely needs a try. If you already have experience then I would be much more confident buying online.
 
I bought mine without test riding. No regrets. Compare geometry to your old bike for sizing and you shouldn't go far wrong.
 
only if in a kind of porn deal. Otherwise it´s an expensive item to jump into a blind buy in normal circunstances. I usually deal with local shops that have the support to have stock and/or test material. Nacional importers supose to have test bikes and support theyr retrail network.
 
Yup. Bought Levo SL without trying one. Helps that I never have any debate over frame size (as XL as they go).
 
I tried 8 different bikes and fell in love with the 7th one. The others were all OK and some were very good, but all had something about them that I didn't like or wasn't comfortable with. But make any one of them a gift and I'd be riding it today! There is something about parting with my hard earned cash that makes me a bit picky.

I tested the 2018 Jam2 6.7 Plus (alloy frame 27.5 x 2.8, 140mm travel). It was the first emtb where I forgot I was riding an ebike and just had fun.

What I bought was a 2019 Jam2 9.6 NINE (carbon frame, 29 x 2.6, 150mm travel). It was every bit as good as I expected it to be.
 
I brought my Decathlon stilus without a test ride. Did lots of research on the sizing charts, reviews and the comments on this forum. Very happy with the bik but had to adjust the sizing by changing the Stem which is very simple and cheap. Decathlon returns policy is probably better than any bike shop out there in you can take it back up to a year later for a full refund assuming you haven't damaged it.

Yes Beekeeper, the wheels are quick release.
 
I've bought 2 eBikes without test riding them and rejected half a dozen or more after a test ride. Work that one out.
 
PhilBaker said:
I brought my Decathlon stilus without a test ride. Did lots of research on the sizing charts, reviews and the comments on this forum. Very happy with the bik but had to adjust the sizing by changing the Stem which is very simple and cheap. Decathlon returns policy is probably better than any bike shop out there in you can take it back up to a year later for a full refund assuming you haven't damaged it.

Yes Beekeeper, the wheels are quick release.
Click to expand...

Same here, bought my Thok MIG without a test ride, also changed stem and bars for a better fit. It's perfect now.
 
We not only didn't test ride ours....we never even saw one in person before they arrived. We were limited to what brands we had access to. Our best deal with the Habit 2 Neo. Our only reservation was going from the 27.5 from our Triggers to 29 wheels.
 
I bought a emtb that I knew wasn't quite right for me after a test ride - nothing else was available at the time and I figured I'd be upgrading after a few months. The price was right, what could possibly go wrong?

Wellll....I fell in live with the fugly thing, that's what went wrong! 2.5 years later and I still lust after all these sexy new bikes with modern geometry and names that don't make me cringe...but still riding not quite right
 
No, I wouldn't. Old-school and modern bike geometry and sizing is so vastly different these days and not necessarily comparable (old medium and new medium is not the same). Motor characteristics also vary from brand to brand.

In saying that, I don't need a long trip out in the forest. Just a short 'tu-tu' around the LBS car park is more than enough for me to know... if I'm gonna marry her or not... ??
 
I did! It was a gamble that paid off. I’ve ridden long enough that I thought the geometry look very similar to what I was used to and took advantage of a good deal. Would really rather do a honest demo on the single track, but it all worked out.
 
I forgot to add. I googled the Geometry of my existing non EMTB which I had ridden for years, I then compared this to the geometry of the new EMTB. I found that key areas like Top Tube length (or ideally Reach if they show it) and Seat Tube length on my Medium Giant where much closer to the Stilus Large frame size. I still didn't know for sure, but at least I had a good idea what to expect.

Most existing bikes geometry can be found from a google search so if you have a bike yourself or a friends bike you can ride, you can then compare.

FYI The Decathlon Stilus geometry is here: Decathlon Stilus Electric Mountain Bike Review | eBike Choices
 
All the bikes I have owned I have never test ridden, normal & ebike I did ride some ebikes but I bought an E-Sommet however I did have the analog version 2017 & geo hadn’t changed & I liked the bike so knew would be good geometry although hadn’t ridden shimano motor only Haibike & Scott before wasn’t a fan
 
uk125 said:
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
Click to expand...
I purchased 3 ebikes in the span of two months. The first one was bought without a test ride (Trek Powerfly 9.7). I loved it. Still do. I liked it so much that I bought an exact copy for my wife. Two months later I decided I also needed another EMTB for my other home. This time I did several test rides. ( Giant, Pivot, Levo, HaiBike and Kenevo). I thought the Kenevo was hands down the better bike. Now that I’ve put several hundred miles on both the trek and my Kenevo... I think the Kenevo is a way better bike than my trek. I still love the trek but it rides like a tank and the Kenevo rides like a humvee. I find myself really liking the geometry and power delivery of the specialized brand.
 
CBSTD said:
No, I was told 30 day delivery when I ordered it no email update as yet ?
Click to expand...

I think I read that they build that one to order, so sounds reasonable.
Thok are really good, I ordered my MIG on a Thursday and it came the next Tuesday. I also ordered a spare mech hanger and it came next day, from Italy.
 
I have put a deposit down on a Whyte E150 RS without a test ride and never seen one in the flesh. Just buying it from doing a lot of research, talking to peaple, reading reviews and looking at recommendations on here. So if I don’t like it it’s all your fault. ? (y)
 
routrax said:
I think I read that they build that one to order, so sounds reasonable.
Thok are really good, I ordered my MIG on a Thursday and it came the next Tuesday. I also ordered a spare mech hanger and it came next day, from Italy.
Click to expand...
Ok you are better informed than me, I was going to by a flag edition but then saw the build up to the launch and waited to see what was coming and couldn't resist just went on the reviews of the Migs And a wing and a praryer so here's hoping ?‍♂️
 
uk125 said:
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
Click to expand...
If you get it wrong, every time you ride that bike it will haunt you. Go and test ride some different bikes emtbs or mtbs, see what fits, then compare the geometry to the one online. It will give you a better idea. I fitted very well on my boys £700 mountain bike. So I over-layed the geometry onto the Giant Trance Trance Pro 3 +. Geometry. Lining up the cranks. I knew the cockpit would be tighter.... and yes it is!
 
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.
 
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