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03-08-2005, 06:04 PM

On Tue, 8 Mar 2005 12:20:16 -0800, tomk2003@hotmail.com (Tom Keats)
wrote:
>
>When you look at the remark to which Zoot was speaking: "Nobody on
>this message board can help you anywhere NEAR as much as a good,
>local bike shop" and read it literally, /that's/ a pretty harsh
>dissing of a number of extremely knowledgable and helpful
>contributors here -- Mike, Mark, Jobst, and others.
>
>At first blush it looks as if Bill H. is saying absolutely nobody
>in r.b.m is as qualified to offer advice, suggestions or
>recommendations as any bike shop staff whippersnapper (remember
>the "you have to be kidding" thread?) But I think Bill was
>actually speaking in terms of matching customer to purchase in
>an in-person venue.

Of course, that's true if your LBS is a good shop and knows road
bikes. Varies by area, of course; there are some places where there's
almost zero interest in road bikes, either by the local riders or by
the staff of the local bike shops. If the OP is from one of those, it
would be a good idea to check out the web and usenet resources first.
Not a bad idea if you don't know the local bike scene, since it helps
decide if the shops know what they're talking about, or just pushing
what is in stock.

Has anybody suggested Mike's article on test driving road bikes yet?
http://www.chainreaction.com/roadbiketestrides.htm is worth reading
before venturing forth into the wilds of bicycle retailing.

Pat

Email address works as is.

03-08-2005, 06:04 PM	#29 (permalink)
Patrick Lamb Posts: n/a	Re: Recommendations for a road bike newbie On Tue, 8 Mar 2005 12:20:16 -0800, tomk2003@hotmail.com (Tom Keats) wrote: > >When you look at the remark to which Zoot was speaking: "Nobody on >this message board can help you anywhere NEAR as much as a good, >local bike shop" and read it literally, /that's/ a pretty harsh >dissing of a number of extremely knowledgable and helpful >contributors here -- Mike, Mark, Jobst, and others. > >At first blush it looks as if Bill H. is saying absolutely nobody >in r.b.m is as qualified to offer advice, suggestions or >recommendations as any bike shop staff whippersnapper (remember >the "you have to be kidding" thread?) But I think Bill was >actually speaking in terms of matching customer to purchase in >an in-person venue. Of course, that's true if your LBS is a good shop and knows road bikes. Varies by area, of course; there are some places where there's almost zero interest in road bikes, either by the local riders or by the staff of the local bike shops. If the OP is from one of those, it would be a good idea to check out the web and usenet resources first. Not a bad idea if you don't know the local bike scene, since it helps decide if the shops know what they're talking about, or just pushing what is in stock. Has anybody suggested Mike's article on test driving road bikes yet? http://www.chainreaction.com/roadbiketestrides.htm is worth reading before venturing forth into the wilds of bicycle retailing. Pat Email address works as is.