LBS continued

The Local Bike Shop is key to the bike purchase experience. Bikes are expensive, and they are much less forgiving than even a new car. They are a mechanical expression of you as a racer. It's like saying... "I'm not predjudice, but." As soon as somebody says that, you know they're about to say something extremely predjudice. So here it goes... I'm not superficial... but. You CAN tell a lot about somebody just by taking a quick look at their bike. If it is meticulously cleaned on race day, it's probably a sign that that person has truely prepared for the race. If the bike is brand new, has all the bells and whistles, and obviously cost a wad of cash, pay attention to that racer, you will either be impressed or entertained. If that person looks in shape but is riding on an old street bike, watch out... that person obviously has the confidence to compete no matter what he's riding, so no matter how prepared he is for the race on that day, he just might have what it takes to gut anything out for an hour or two.

Anyway, the best thing the LBS does for you is give you confidence in your new purchase. One, you've seen the bike... Two, you've ridden the bike... Three, you've met the people who will be servicing your bike... Four, you've been inspired by the others you see walking in and out of the store parading their 5K & 6K dollar bikes like proud parents. So when a LBS does the exact opposite, and removes all the buyers confidence in purchasing a new bike, the patron is better off purchasing on the internet.

I am the biggest fan of supporting your LBS, but I refuse to faithfully dole out money to an establishment of snobs who make you feel like they are counting down the seconds until you let them get back to what they were doing before you walked in the door. From the grey haired lady that hasn't cracked a smile in 15 years, to the creepy blank stares from the bike guru himself, all the way down to the young girl behind the counter who actually has to be told that you're ready to check out before she makes her way to the register to help the patron standing at the glass counter with his arms full of gear.

But I digress... on a related note, I've purchased no less then 6 bikes from my favorite LBS over the past 15 years... driving as far as 50-60 miles for service during a period of time when i lived a bit further away. Presently, living closer in proximity to my beloved LBS (in the Woodlands, TX) than ever before, have decided to purchase a bike from a new store about an hour and a half drive away. Specifically because of the reasons detailed above. I have put up with the akwardness, the frustration, the inconvenience for all these years out of compulsion to support a retailer that i desperately wanted to believe in. Now that I'm ready to make that big purchase, and I truely want to have the complete buying experience, I actually feel a sense of liberation. The sheer sense of excitement that was received after the very first phone conversation with Webster Bicycle in Webster, TX has been worth the whole process, and they haven't even seen one red cent from me yet. But I can tell you this... I placed a call, they called me back, we had an actual conversation, I hung up the phone with confidence. So thank you Terry, at Webster Bicycle. I will be comming to see you soon to place my down payment and secure the delivery of my brand new tri bike.

I will discuss the bike I chose tomorrow, but for now here are some links to the final three I was reviewing up until this past weekend. I will discuss everything from aluminum to carbon as it relates to Clydesdales, and everything from colors to components as it relates to your investment.

the Felt B16
The Quintana Roo Seduza
The Cannondale Slice 5