Buying a bicycle online -- article

[pericat]

Buying a second-hand bicycle is not really shunting aside the LBS, though. On the contrary, it can be ensuring an extended life for a bike that might otherwise deteriorate quietly in the back of someone's shed.

I'm onboard with supporting the local shops, but if they don't have and can't get the thing I want, and said thing is to found online, I have no problem with clickclickclick over an order page. I'm not so sure I'd buy a bike online, but I don't have a good sense of what would suit me just by looking at a picture and a list of components and measurements.

(also: I'm new here, and hope I'm not butting in.)