need to buy my wife a bike

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I know this is done, our LBS's know it; the customer who tries bike after bike, jots down sizes and models .... gets it on Craigs or E-bay.

I've always objected to this because it takes advantage of the shops time and expertise.

It just balances out the far more frequent occurrence of people going into an LBS and walking out with a bike that they didn't intend to buy and that perhaps isn't the most appropriate bike for them.
I think jotting things down on a notepad is a bit too obvious, but we all SHOULD be shopping around trying many bikes well before we buy anyway.

[Starfish]

I think jotting things down on a notepad is a bit too obvious, but we all SHOULD be shopping around trying many bikes well before we buy anyway.

How on earth does one bike shop and compare lots of bikes without jotting down the particulars, in order to compare likes/dislikes, as well as bang-for-buck?

So...I'm going to be driving a few hours to a larger metro area where I can test a bunch of bikes, and hope to come home and have the small, rural-ish LBS (who can't stock many) order it for me. Curious to know how you all feel about that? I want to support the LBS, but it will mean taking the time of shops and staff elsewhere, when I don't intend to buy from them.

ETA: I also did not see anything too "off" about this guy's last threads...but here is one more vote for (1) gifting the wife with the support for bike buying, and then letting her run the buying show and try them all out, and (2) strongly encouraging her to get her own account, with her own password, here on TE and introducing herself.

[Geonz]

I'd want to buy something at a shop where I used their services... a spare blinky or something.
Buying a bike is like buying shoes... I'd neve rpresume to get one for somebody else. Now, a surprise trip *to* the bike shop where you'd previewed some likely prospects and knew there was a good sales crew? ... Especially since the previous bike is a self-admitted POS...

[Starfish]

I'd want to buy something at a shop where I used their services... a spare blinky or something.

Good idea. I'll make a little list of stuff I am going to need and spread it around when trying out bikes.