Quote Originally Posted by SilverBullet
Melinda,

I must say though, that you are wrong about local bike shops. Yes, there are some sales people that are new and are still learning, but there are also some that have been in the business for a long time and would be more than capable of helping you find the right bike for you.
Perhaps you have never been to many of the local bike shops in Madison, WI... There are plenty of employees (at just about every shop) who know very little. The problem is that they don't admit it and try to B.S. you (especially the "alpha" male types....and I always make it a point to call them out). They don't do their homework because many of them don't race bikes (dead give away is if the shop has Sunday hours).

Many of my friends and family are hardcore cyclists who race mountain bikes, road bikes, and time trial bikes on an extremely competitive level. We all get equally annoyed at the level of knowledge by the local bike shops in town. The only shop that I would exclude from this is Cronometro. They are a high end custom shop and are a cut above the rest. So I do most of my business with them.

http://www.cronometro.com/