Over the years I've always brought bikes from bike shops. Sometimes this has been a great experience and others the "experts" have failed to deliver. The bike buying choices have changed a lot from when I first bought my own bikes you had no choice but to use bike stores and your choices were restricted to the brands that your local store provided. The internet has helped consumers have greater choice but undermined the bike shops ability to function profitably. I feel a sense of loyalty to my local bike stores but I often wonder if the feeling is mutual. The attention to detail and personal service seems to evaporate the moment the bike is wheeled out of the store. I bought a Specialized road bike two years ago from a local store and had a minor gear shift problem I popped back into the store and the problem was resolved. Roll forward a couple of months and I kept getting what appeared to be nylon stuck on the gear cable. I took the bike to another local store and th......