As we have stressed on many occasions, Demobike test rides are a very important, strategic initiative for brands taking part in modern-day cycling festivals. Brands are taking increasingly larger fleets of bicycles covering a greater variety of cycling disciplines to such events, in search of maximum rotation, as more test rides means more potential future buyers.

Taking stock of the Demobike programme shows very positive results, far exceeding expectations. Over 40 brands and more than 500 bicycles covering all the disciplines made for a great deal of test rides. From the Friday when the festival opened all the way through to the end, the stands of participating brands and the Demobike registration tents were a hive of activity with users wanting to try out as many models as possible.

100% increase in Demobike test rides compared to last year’s edition

In terms of completed test rides, in 2018 a total of 1,500 were carried out, whilst this year, the figure was close to 3,000. This means double the number of test rides were performed, proving Demobike’s success.

New brands added to Sea Otter Europe’s Demobike

BRANDS WITH PLATFORM: ANDABIKE (new!); BERGAMONT (new!); BIRD (new! ); BERRIA; BH; BULLS; CANNONDALE; CANYON; CORRATEC (new!); CUBE; FACTOR (new!); FELT (new!); FINNA (new!); FOCUS; GHOST; GT (new!); HAIBIKE; INTENSE (new!); KTM; LAPIERRE; LITTUM; LOOK; MASSI; MEGAMO; MERIDA; MMR; MONDRAKER (new!); MOUSTACHE; NINER (new!); NORTHWAVE (new!); OLYMPIA; ORBEA (nova!); PEUGEOT; RIESE AND MUELLER; RITCHEY; ROTOR (new!); SHIMANO (new!); SPECIALIZED; STEVENS; SWIFT CARBON (new!); SCOTT; TITICI; TREK; WHISTLE ***

***The figures reflect the results of both brands that used the Demobike reservation platform and those that did not.

The five most requested bicycles

Out of over 40 brands and more than 500 bikes covering all the disciplines, which were the five most requested bikes at Sea Otter Europe’s Demobike programme? Below is the answer in order of popularity.

  1. Canyon
  2. Specialized
  3. Orbea
  4. Trek
  5. Merida

The five most reserved models

  1. Levo Expert by Specialized
  2. Checkpoint SL6 by Trek
  3. Wild FS 150 10 29 by Orbea
  4. Powerfly LT 9 by Trek
  5. LYNX Race RC Carbon by BH

Sea Otter Europe: an international festival

Sea Otter Europe Demobike users are a very international bunch, including 32 different nationalities from four different continents. The international visitors who came to Sea Otter Europe and took part in the Demobike programme were from the main European cycling powerhouses such as France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and the United Kingdom, as well as cyclists from further afield from countries as diverse as Saudi Arabia, Australia, Cuba, South Africa, Russia, Taiwan, Chile, the United States, Norway, Morocco, Israel, Costa Rica, Canada and Denmark, among many others, all of whom didn’t want to miss out on the festival and the chance to test ride a wide range of bikes.

Data provided by the TESTPASS booking company