There's no local bike shop. All of the nearby ones are on the interstate corridor to the east. There's a whole lot of farm country between there and here (about 30 miles worth). If you picture my town as the hub of a wheel, the other towns are along the corridor from north to south at the 1-4 o'clock positions. It's pretty much the same distance no matter which LBS I choose to visit--just time wise some are farther because of two-lane highways.
Why is any of that relevant? Because when I go to the beginner's ride at the 2 o'clock shop and meet new people, they are all surprised I drove all the way from my town to ride! They all think my town is really far away because they have no reason to go there (and most of them are transplants from the north who work at Wal-Mart HQ or for Wal-Mart vendors). It is really far away in some respects--it's all a matter of perspective. It goes both ways, too. Some people never leave my town of 20,000, because they think it's too far and the traffic is bad near the interstate (they've never been to a big city with real traffic, either).
I do frequent ALL of the bike shops, and there is a new one to the north now, and they cater to women, so that's handy. But the chance of meeting someone from my town who wouldn't have to drive to meet me is really slim. (There are some guys who ride, but I can't keep up with them.) I do better meeting folks on the local trail.
I didn't get my Katy Trail ride up because it was 3 am and I couldn't get the pics to load. I'm going to try again now. :)
Karen