Quote Originally Posted by thekarens View Post
Do the shops let you take longer rides? When I tried out my Trek the guy stood outside and watched me while I rode it around for about 10 minutes.
It depends on the shop and, even then, sometimes on their relationship with you. I've had it both ways. It never hurts to ask.

I had good luck with my first road bike, but in general, I'd steer you toward shops that employ a trained fitter. Now, even with that, most won't do a comprehensive fitting unless and until you buy a bike, but you should at least be able to converse with them about any fit issues or concerns. I'm wary of shops who just eyeball you and then ask you to stand over a bike before declaring "yep, it fits."

Beyond that, just take your time in looking at bikes. Now's not a bad time because you might get a 2012 bike for a good deal and new 2013s are starting to hit the shops.

Try not to pay too much attention to anything that sounds like marketing hype or hyperbole. Some shops will try to convince you that you need to spend more than you've budgeted to get a bike worth riding. I don't think that's true.