bc Test Bikes: Stop by – Grab a bike – Go ride
At our bc store in Aachen, you can demo premium brand test bikes and E-Bikes from Liteville, Yeti, Santa Cruz and 3T on local trails and in the bike park.
We all know the feeling, you fall for a bike and you need to own it. However, deep inside you have doubts. You wonder whether the bike really performs the way the reviews say it does. You might have questions about the wheelbase, the suspension, you name it. Even if everything seems perfect on paper, nothing can beat a real test ride. In our bike-components store in Aachen you have the chance to do just that. All year round, we maintain a fleet of bicycles from Liteville, Santa Cruz, Yeti, 3T and also a few Scott and Conway E-MTBs, ready to be taken on a serious ride by you.
Benny welcomes a customer for a scheduled test ride.
Set an appointment and come by
Simply visit our website and set an appointment for the demo ride. You can choose to ride with a member of the bc crew, go by yourself or with a friend.
If you opt for a guided ride, allow for 3 to 4 hours in your schedule. The itinerary for a test ride is as follows:
- Paperwork (liability waiver)
- 500.00 € deposit (EC debit card, you will be reimbursed after the ride)
- 50.00 € charge for the test ride
- Bike set-up
- Warm-up ride
- Test ride in the Aachen Bike Park or on local Aachen trails
- Post-ride analysis (coffee & cake)
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To get the most out of the test bike experience, the test rider receives a thorough briefing of the bike.
Getting started – ride preparations
Our bc staff are all certified trail guides and work in the many different departments at bike-components. To go for a ride with a customer is a great opportunity for us to change up the daily routine and besides the technical talk about the bike, you might actually learn some interesting things about bike-components.
After your guide has greeted you, he will then show you the test bike you selected. It’s important to understand the bike and we will explain all the technical details.
Adjusting the bike’s SAG is an essential step during the set-up.
The individual set-up is key
It’s our goal to paint a smile on your face when you demo one of our bikes. That’s why we will carefully set the bike up with you and adjust everything from the saddle height to the brake lever distance. You are also welcome to bring your own pedals.
We will mount the pedals of your choice, be it clipless, platform or you can bring your own.
Once we have found the right position for you on the bike, we move on to the suspension. Based on your style of riding and your body weight, we will set the air-pressure, compression and rebound.
Setting the SAG in the fork requires air-pressure adjustment.
Final touches
The last step is setting the tyre pressure. Again, this depends on your weight, outside conditions and the type of riding we will do. Now, we are almost ready to go.
Compression and rebound require individual adjustments as well.
The correct tyre pressure determines how much grip you have on the trail.
A ride with a customer is a welcome distraction from my normal job at bike-components. I enjoy meeting new people and it’s a great way to get to know our customers. Every ride provides new insights and inspirations for my job as social media manager.
There should always be time for a quick espresso boost.
We set off on paved roads. A great way to get a feel for the new bike before hitting the trails.
Let’s ride
Although it sounds like much, the ride preparations should not take longer than 30 minutes. As the last thing, we have to get the paperwork out of the way, collect the deposit and the test ride fee.
Then we are done. We switch into our riding gear, have a quick espresso and head out.
The length of the ride depends completely on you. Anything between two and four hours is fine. From the bc store, we usually head out towards the Aachen Forest and then the Aachen Bike Park. The first few minutes are on paved road and provide ample opportunity to get used to the bike and make adjustments if needed.
The one-on-one with the guide allows for enough time to answer all the questions.
There is a shortcut that takes you straight to the bike park.
Test-riding
Once we arrive at the bike park, we step back and let the bike do the talking. There are trails for every skill level, be it flow and berms, jumps or rough Downhill. It’s an ideal setting to test a new bike. If requested, we can also teach you some riding techniques.
The bike park offers flow and berms…
...roots...
...more roots...
...opportunities to get some air...
...and technical landings.
There is always time for feedback.
Q&A
During the ride, we will answer all the questions you might have about the bike and make small adjustments to the set-up if needed. You should be able to get a good idea of the test bike and its abilities and find answers to your doubts.
Afterwards we sit down once more to talk the test ride through while enjoying a cappuccino.
Post-ride analysis
After we are done, we will make one last stop at a cafe to analyse the test ride and evaluate the bike while having a cappuccino and refuelling on cake.
Sound enticing? Here is the link to schedule your test ride:
https://www.bike-components.de/en/service/our-retail-store/test-bikes/
