Well, I would never expect to get a discount on installation of a part I bought elsewhere, but I won't feel bad about buying from Performance or other places on the Net. My husband isn't a certified mechanic, but close enough. He does all of our work. We bought our road bikes from a local shop that sells lots of high end stuff, along with Giants and other "cruiser" type bikes. They do a good job helping casual riders, but they mostly cater to racers and serious riders. The owner lives in our town, but this is his "branch" office. His other shop has been open for several years. The only time we had them do work on one of our bikes is when the brake on Steve's mountain bike broke last summer. We don't ride the mountain bikes that often and we bought them at another shop, before this one was open. We don't have the tools to work on hydraulic brakes. Once in awhile if we run out of something and need it "now," we will buy it at the shop, but that doesn't happen very often. Why should we pay full price on parts, when we are doing the work ourselves? When my son was racing and Steve was riding 4,000 miles a year, we spent thousands of dollars on-line for parts, etc. I shudder to think what it would have been at a local shop. The cost of the clothing is outrageous there! I buy only from Terry, because that is the only brand that consistently fits me in everything, and from TE once in awhile. Those prices aren't always cheap, but I am not going to pay 185.00 for a pair of shorts!
The owner is very nice to us, as we bought expensive bikes from him, after going in "just for a fit," on our Treks. He dissed the Treks quite a bit, but didn't hard sell us on his bikes. He also made a shim for my cleat when I went back and told him about the pain I was having (for free). So even though I wouldn't buy a part elsewhere and expect the labor for free (which is crazy), I feel like I can buy parts anywhere;I don't "owe" him because I bought my bike there.