So anyway just to wrap up this story, I visited a tri shop 50 miles away from my home.
http://www.nytro.com
This time I was in street clothes but had my shoes and pedals in the car.
Greg, the guy who helped me was very patient (as an aside he was a former pro rider but no it wasn't THAT Greg). We had it down to two bikes, a QR and a Dale. I made several requests to remove spacers, adjust saddles and did several 1 mile long road tests on HWY 101 before I made my choice and Greg cheerfully accommodated all these. After the bike purchase was done I decided to get a wetsuit as well and Greg helped me fit and try it on too. I can't wait to pickup the bike next week!