I would suggest absolutely avoiding test rides as a way to chose bikes.
My personal opinion is that there is virtually no value in test riding a bike and, on the contrary, it can be very misleading.
A test ride will not tell you much about your fit either and if you already have a bike, there are much better ways!
Why do I say test rides are pointless?
Because you're not really testing the bike frame. You are actually just testing the setup the bike shop has it configured with. You could ride the perfect frame for you but if the saddle type, height, fore/aft position or tilt are wrong you will not enjoy it. The same goes for the stem/bars and hoods. If you're just having a bad day, you will not enjoy it. If the weather is bad or the roads available for the test ride aren't great, you may not enjoy it. If the gears or brakes are poorly set up, you will be irritated. If the tyre type and especially the tyre pressure is inappropriate this can utterly change the feel of a bike. For all these reasons, and others, a test ride does not really test the frame, it tests a whole bundle of variables that would likely be very different if you were to have the same bike model yourself. I came to this conclusion when I was shopping for my last road bike a few years ago. After doing a few test rides I decided they were a waste of time and in the end I bought a Canyon Ultimate, having never even seen one in person. If the geometry is right, and the equipment spec is good, and the manufacturer is trustworthy, it all comes down to how you set it up. In my opinion the frame is rarely the most critical element even if it's the biggest, most obvious and most expensive. It does matter, but mostly in terms of what it allows you do with fit and setup. Actual ride experience is all about fit, saddle, tyres, bar (and maybe even bar tape!)....and all the non bike related variables like your fitness, mood and the environment.
I would suggest spending some time getting your fit right on your current bike, or figuring out why you can't, before even considering pulling the trigger on a new bike. If the reach on your current bike is too long and thus your saddle position is wrong, I'd prioritise figuring this out.
This sounds very similar to some of the issues I dealt with when I bought my Ultimate. My previous bike was heavy and I'd bought it used when i was pretty new to cycling. Now I wanted something new and shiny since I'd decided I was going to stick with cycling for the long term.
I'd messed around with the fit of the original bike a bit over the previous year or two but had gotten things a bit out of whack. When I was tryingto figure out my geometry needs and looked at my existing setup critically, I realised my saddle was too far forward and a bit high and my stem was too long. It was now clear to me that the reach of the bike combined with the original 110mm stem had been too long and had caused me to set up the saddle in a very forward position. I'd become used to that position. I had fairly regular hand numbness issues on long rides but thought that was normal (I'd only been riding a couple of years). After riding the bike a while in it's original setup, I'd changed the handlebar for something a little narrower and shorter reach, which should have helped but instead, thinking the saddle position was okay, I'd put on a 120mm stem to maintain the reach. So before I bought a new bike, I bought a 100mm Specialised stem that also allowed me try a big range of bar heights. They do range of stems that use inserts in the stem clamp to provide 2 or 4 degree adjustments in stem angle. I bought a 100mm 20degree stem for about €40. That allowed me try anything from -16deg to -24deg on the stem. That was probably my best ever cycling purchase.
I put my saddle where conventional wisdom suggested it should be. I put on the shorter stem, moved the hoods up a bit on the bars and dropped the bar a little via spacers and the stem angle. It took a few rides to get used to but comfort definitely improved and perhaps handling too.
Next I looked at what bikes were available. I liked the price, spec and appearance of the Canyon Ultimate. When I looked at a size M, the reach seemed perfect but the stack height looked quite low compared to what I was used to. With the max 25mm of spacers I would be just below where I currently had the bars. Ideally I wanted my current position which now seemed good, to sit in the middle of the adjustability range for whatever I bought, so I'd have scope to tweak further if needed. So I went back to my existing bike, which now had lots of scope for height adjustment at the front end with the new stem. Over the next few rides I experimented to see how much saddle to bar drop was too much for me. I progressively dropped the bars by removing any remaining spacers and tilting the stem to max drop. After a week or two I was very comfortable about 15mm lower at the front and had tried going even lower without major difficulty.
Next, just to be absolutely certain, I got an independent bike fit. He reckoned I had things about right and made only minor adjustments, (I think he moved the saddle even further back and dropped it a couple more millimeters, plus tilted the bars slightly in the clamp, nothing dramatic). So I bought the Canyon in confidence, sight unseen, based on my new setup on the existing bike. It had cost me about €160 between the stem and a fit, but I'd probably have gotten the fit anyway once I changed bikes. When the bike arrived I set it up to match my fit and knew I'd have some adjustability available if I ever wanted it. Nearly 4 years later I still have a very similar setup. I've changed the saddle but it's position is much the same. I've also dropped the bars a little more. I think I originally had 20mm of spacers and now I have 10mm. I got the geometry right and never regretted buying the bike without a test ride. I would have liked to see one before I bought but as it turned out the bike looked even better in person than in the pictures so I was very satisfied!
Sorry for the long post!
In summary: - Figure out the fit first. Use your existing bike as a tool for this and don't be afraid to start from scratch and buy some cheap parts especially a stem if you need to facilitate this.
- Don't put much stock in a test ride. I recommend skipping them entirely. They can be very misleading.
- Buy something that allows a little adjustability in either direction. e.g. Don't start with a very long or short stem, it leaves you nowhere to go. A 100mm or 110mm stem seems best for starters since 80-130mm is the typical range available.
