I remember when I purchased my mountain bike - I knew nothing about bikes and the LBS owner took one look at my overweight body and told me I needed a sturdy frame bike. He had me straddle a bike - nothing more. He let me ride it around the parking lot a couple of times and that was it. The bike was a men’s bike on top of everything else and he suggested that it would be more sturdy than a women’s bike. Like a sucker, I purchased it. I rode it for about 3 years, but I was struggling with it. Eventually I developed knee pain. Fortunately when I met my husband to be, he had owned a bike shop and took one look at my mountain bike and said that bike is not right for me. We went shopping for my new bike at a different shop and found my Giant. The guy there fitted it to me the proper way. While shopping recently for panniers and other accessories we visited at least six LBS here and every one of them was stuck up and did not want to answer questions - one of them even replying that “we are about to close, but we will be glad to take your money if you come back tomorrow!”. In disgust, we went to a bike shop near our local park and found an incredible young man who really knows and loves bikes. His shop is not the fanciest, but his attention to detail and his expertise is the best. He has made numerous adjustments to my bike and it is just about perfect for me now. I hope that you find a LBS that will work with you as well. If I knew then what I know now I would have made a smarter decision on purchasing my first bike. Good luck - post pics when you get your new bike!