Have you been to Bicycles Inc.? They have have several locations in and around Fort Worth, have a wide variety of bikes, and do a decent job of informing without over-selling. They aren't my favorite bike shop, but my wife (as a beginner) really likes them. You might also look into Trinity Bicycles downtown.
Originally Posted by
Mark.from.Texas
Thanks for all the replies. After reading all of them we found an LBS that sells the Vita and she'll try that and a few more sometime this week and will be riding together this coming weekend!
I'm curious about the LBS bias though. Is this more of a 'I want to ride it, not wrench on it' or are the bikes from BD.com and other online vendors simply crappy and should be avoided? I am new to bikes, but coming from a car culture, saving 10% on something only because it needs to be lubricated and assembled was kind of a no-brainer when buying parts for my cars.
EDIT: Ah... looks like that's what you did.
One benefit of buying from a shop is that they will assemble and set up the bike for you, and offer service and tuneups (usually free for basic stuff for the first year). If you buy a bike online and then take it to a shop for adjustments, wheel truing, etc., they will probably charge you $60-100. So when considering buying online, think of that. Also, consider the shipping and handling you pay for an online transaction.
If you're interested in finding group rides, let me know; there are a lot of groups in Fort Worth that vary from very relaxed social rides to hard training rides and everything in between. And depending on what part of town you live in, I might be able to recommend some rides not far from where you live; my wife and I have been doing a lot of exploring since this spring when she really started to get into cycling.
As far as the paying a premium for cycle stuff at a shop versus buying online, to me, saving 10% isn't worth it; I will gladly pay that much at a shop that can give me good advice. To me, it is money well spent.