Hi Emily!

Thanks again for your quick reply and explanations. I think I'm understanding the shoe thing now. Sounds like I'm gonna look into road shoes w/ cleats now!! Yes, I'll definitely try them out in-store. I could never buy shoes online/catalog b/c my feet are so freaky. Wow, you must have a great image of what I look like!

The two different sided pedal sounds good. I talked to my Terry LBS and he said the pedals are the easiest things to swap out. phew.

I also talked to the LBS that sold me the Marin and he confirmed I can't change from 700 to 650 tires. When I first talked to them about returning the Marin, I was told store credit only. I was so po'd at myself for not checking about the return policy before I bought, which I otherwise *always* do. I was also not too concerned, though, since I planned to make a huge fit in the store tomorrow (on a Saturday) about them selling me a bike that didn't fit, etc. It's a really shi-shi (sp?) store in a nice neighborhood with "high maintenance" customers so I figured it would work. I'd also report to the BBB and let everyone on every message board know about them. Fortunately, I talked to a manager and he said it would be okay (he also got the name of the salesman who sold me a bike with negative clearance).

Anyway! I'll definitely keep you posted. Thanks again!!!

~Christine