Better listen to this guy...he's been in all of the tens of thousands of LBS's in the world,so he knows that "MOST" of them purposely put you on ill fitting bikes because they don't give a crap about the bread and butter of their business...just the Lance wannabe's
I appreciate the endoresement.
Still a fail though -- I don't think they purposely midlead, I just think they're mostly idiots.
Note that you offered
no advice to the OP and just replied to my post. Nicely done.
OP: Road bikes are probably the most common bike I see going back and forth around here as commuters. They work fine and a lot of people love them -- just not me. I like fenders, super-low gears for pulling a cargo trailer, wider tires, and racks....all of which road bikes really suck at....well, gearing can be done with a parts swap.
It's just a matter of how to like to ride and how obsessed you want to get. Another thing I would encourage you to do is to learn how to do your own work. This is a great way to save money, make your own modifications, and it's great to be able to fix your stuff on the road.