Although I live in the boonies, most of my bikes are not found around here. Unfortunately, most of the bikes in my area are entry level, maybe a step up from entry level at best. So to find the "good" stuff, I either have to get really lucky, or drive.

My last six bikes (including the two Paramounts), all came out of Charlotte. While Charlotte may not be Chicago, its not exactly Hooterville either. Many of my best bikes have come out of either Charlotte, or Atlanta. Charlotte prices are usually pretty typical, not great deals, but not red hot like Portland either.

In my case, I am either stupid enough, or crazy enough, to be willing to drive quite a distance to get a bike. Charlotte is 140 miles one way from here, Atlanta is over 200 miles one way. I do try to pick up several bikes in one trip. Picked up six on my last trip to Atlanta, picked up three each on my last two trips to Charlotte, plus some tools, wheels, saddles, and misc parts. But of course, sometimes you can make a trip like that and come back with nothing....