We have boatloads of bike shops in my small city. Only the Trek dealer, who has three shops, is bad. Of the remaining seven I only use three. The primary one is owned and operated by a sweet guy in his mid-sixties who returned to riding when he opened the shop thirteen years ago. As expected, he is super supportive of older riders; he's also great with everyone else. As I said, he's a sweetheart. When he doesn't have something in stock and I need it right away, I mosey over to shop number two. The manager of that one is in his late fifties and is an encyclopedia of cycling product history. His staff is also very good if one can get past their fixation on Specialized and the company line.

Shop number three would be my primary if shop number one ever goes out of business. The owner is young and he and his staff are really into racing, particularly off-road. However, they don't dis any other formats and really go the extra mile. When my wife needed shoes, the owner made his best guess based on what didn't fit her, ordered a pair, and told her to take them home, put her cleats on and go for some rides. If she decided she didn't like them after some use, he would take them back no questions asked. They fit fantastically, but it was his willingness to stand behind his estimate of what would work that impressed me.

I feel lucky that I have always lived near excellent bike shops.