I'm going to have to disagree with Kodama... internet research works fine for the first pass in the selection process, but anything you are going to have to physically interact with, you probably want to try out in person.

My sister bought a bike that looks perfect on paper for the geometry, is a touring specific model by a highly respected touring bike mfr., has tons of people that swear by it as a loaded tourer, fits her perfectly in terms of ride position.... and handles horribly. I rode it last weekend (we are exactly the same size) and it's not the rider's fault. It's swoopy and wierd. You can barely reach for a water bottle, it's so bad.

This might apply more to folks at the small end of the size range (which we are) but I would try really hard to test ride the bike before you buy. If you can't, you might be able to find a shop that will take a return (good luck) or just buy it, but with the understanding that you might be re-selling it soon.

I really really wanted a Bruce Gordon BLT, and I even visited his shop in person, but he didn't have one built up, so I ended up getting a bike that I could test ride. I'm very happy with my bike - and I knew I would be as soon as I rode it. I bet the BLT would have been even better... but I wasn't willing to take the chance on making such an expensive mistake.

Anyway.... good luck finding a shop to test ride at. And if you can't there's always ebay.

Cheers,
Anna