Originally Posted by MacCruiskeen

We are lucky that there are a lot of bike shops around here, but after I went bike shopping recently, there's a couple of shops that will probably get preferential treatment from me in the future just because of the level of customer service I got in the process. But it's not as if every shop has exactly the same stock, and there is something to be said for convenience of location--part of the reason of going to a local shop in the first place. So I will use multiple shops, depending on what I need and where I am, and some will see me more frequently than others.

When I am out riding, I always note the locations of any bike shop I pass, too, just in case I need something on the way.