Originally Posted by
nhluhr
Mail order is for experienced cyclists who already know exactly what they want. End of story.
REI is for people who are not willing to obtain expert help and don't really care what they end up with. There are some very nice and/or intelligent people at REI, but largely it's a wasteland of mediocracy.
Go to an LBS, tell them what you want, give them a chance to earn the extra margin in their prices.
+1, find a local shop that treats you well, and buy a good entry level bike from them that fits you. The Sora/Tiagra level components work fine, and will last plenty long enough to give you time to figure out what you want from your next bike. Plus most bikes from the LBS have at least 1 year of maintenance included, and when I bought mine, swaps on stems, etc for fit for the first 60 days with no extra charge. BD will get you more bike for your money, but not necessarily the best bike for you as a new person to the sport.