I've only bought two bikes new. One was a complete bike from a local store. One was a frame I built up from parts, 90% of which I got online. Because I like to do my own work, and had access to the tools I needed, the 2nd bike was the much more rewarding experience. I really like the guys at my LBS's, but they don't stock the kind of bikes I'm interested in. If I can't try it out first, there goes the main advantage of an LBS. If I'm doing my own work, there goes the 2nd biggest advantage. If they have to special order most of my parts and charge me a premium for doing it, and then I have to go back to the shop if there's a problem, it doesn't seem worthwhile. Like I said, I like the people there, but their business model revolves around selling fairly standard bikes to people who don't want to do their own work. When I have gone to them with repair issues, the turnaround time is about a week, which isn't great given that I'm a daily bike commuter. That is probably the biggest factor in my learning to do my own work. I'm glad they are there when I want to pick up a new chain or tube without waiting for the mailman, but I built my bike out of spare parts, old parts, ebay deals, and discount, online retailers. I would probably still be saving up for it otherwise.

Sometimes around here supporting your LBS sounds like a religion, but it's simple economics. What does your LBS provide, and how much is it worth? If your new bike is going to spend a fair amount of time at the shop, it's probably worthwhile to buy it locally, pay a little more, and cultivate a good relationship with the people who will be working on it. If you see that shop as a convenience, rather than a necessity, then you need to decide how much that convenience is worth. Personally I don't like to dicker over price, I don't like other people working on my bike, and given that a bike is my primary mode of transportation, it's generally easier when parts show up on my doorstep then when I have to fetch them. For me, the local shop is pricier, slower, and less convenient than handling things myself. I don't blame them, that's the nature of the way they run their business, and I hope business is going well, but I don't feel obligated to put money into a business model that puts me at a disadvantage.

But if it's all about feeling cheated, you need to make sure your numbers are right.

MSRP is an actual number, not one you can make up based on internet posts. If the manufacturer's website doesn't have it, you may not be be able to determine what that value is. Seems like what you'd find out on internet posts is Actual Retail Price. And if so, you'd want to know if they bought it at a bike shop or on-line, and if was set up the same as the bike you're looking at, and if it came with the same servicing deals. I don't know what your shop charges for tune ups, but around me, if I were in the habit of taking my bike in for tune-ups, $75 for lifetime tune ups would be a pretty good deal. On the other hand, when buying a bike of my own, and my wife's bike, we got significant discounts by buying last year's model. Maybe it's wrong to expect that, but that was my experience, so I'd have reservations about a shop that was charging a premium for a bike that has a more current model. If you don't trust them, then cultivating a relationship with them doesn't really seem worthwhile, but it sounds like this is a shop you already like and trust, so you might want to talk the price issue out with them.

It sounds like you're here asking for permission to shop on-line. You don't need permission. You just need to accept the fact that if you don't support your local shops, they may not be there in the future. If that's going to leave you in a lurch, you might want to head back to the shop even if it costs a little more. But if that's a situation you can live with, buy where you want. The bike shop is not a charity, so if they're not cultivating your business, maybe they don't need your business. But if you need their services, you might not want to cut them out of a sale, especially on a bike that you're only considering because you found it shopping in their store.