Originally Posted by
mwayne5
Thanks guys. Here's where I luck out a bit more than others. My roommate and his dad both work at a bike shop up in Maryland and we're still living together next year, so I'm not to sure I'll need to worry about the maintenance from the LBS.
You can also consider getting a good deal from that Maryland bike shope where they work, new or used. As far as components, there's a thing called "mediocrity" when retailers put on nice components on a not so good bike frame just to make it sell. This appeals to buyers who think that components make the bike.