Carbon Test Ride #2 - Er, Aborted.

I found myself in London on Wednesday and popped into "my" CycleSurgery store.

I say "my" because, before I started cycling again as an adult and even before I started window shopping for a bicycle, I shopped around for a bike shop first. And the CycleSurgery ("CS") on Procter Street (near Holborn tube station) was where I felt more welcome, best listened to. I bought my first adult bike there. I bought a few more bikes elsewhere in the year that followed, but then went back to CS for a second Brompton. And very nearly bought my first light road bike there -- a 2012 Specialized Ruby Comp -- only to be scuppered by my finance application being rejected.

On the strength of the relationship with CS, I popped in and asked if they happened to have a 51cm Ruby in stock available for a test ride. They didn't. However, they have a close partnership with the Specialized Concept Store ("SCS") just down the road near Seven Dials, so they picked up the phone and found that, yes, the SCS had a 51cm Ruby on the shop floor. I was told it was being set aside for me, available for a test ride anytime before 7pm that day.

I turned up at the SCS around 5.45pm. The three people I chatted with were friendly and helpful. But it all began to go wrong when the young sales assistant said to me, as he knelt down to remove my pedals from my Pacer for fitting to the Ruby --

"Oh and you'll have to have your credit card swiped for a deposit while you're out on the Ruby".

No problem, getting prior authorisation on a token sum (up to £50) is typical, so that the store knows your card is valid.

"Fine, how much?" I asked.

"The full value of the bike," he answered.

A trifle shocked, my reply was nonetheless calm and firm:

"While I do have that kind of money -- thank you very much -- and wouldn't be here otherwise, you've just closed the door to a possible sale, because I am not having £2,500 effectively removed from my account for 7-10 days" (as that's how long it can take for an unclaimed authorisation to drop away).

So -- no test ride.

I've still not ridden a Specialized carbon bicycle. Now it looks like I never will.

Meanwhile, however, my investigations into titanium continue and indeed are looking rather hopeful...