“The reason we do it is partly to give something back to the customer and let them ride as many bikes as they want for free,” explains Steve Gill, sales manager at Rutland Cycling. “The other part is to give people more of a feel for a bike than a simple ride around the car park.”

Potential punters can trial as many rides as they want for free, either on their own or as part of a guided tour, Gill says.

The series begins with a Giant demo at Rutland Cycling’s Normanton shop on the south shore of Rutland Water on 20 April, where the Trance, Anthem and Reign ranges will be available for your delectation.

The weekend of the 10 and 11 May lets you ride a range of bikes from Cove, De-Rosa, Iron Horse, Giant, Kona, Intense, Orange, Marin, Merlin, Maverick, Litespeed, Rocky Mountain, Whyte and Yeti from the Whitwell shop on the north shore of Rutland Water.

A Scott demo weekend follows on 17 and 18 May at the Whitwell store, followed by a night ride on the Saturday and a BBQ party.

Finally in June you can sample the best of Cove, De-Rosa, Iron Horse, Giant, Kona, Orange, Marin, Rocky Mountain and Whyte at the store near Grafham Water.