I tried a lot of LBS around LA.

My favorites were:

1) Wheel World in Culver City
2) Just Ride LA in Downtown
3) Performance Bike in SM (I bought there because I wanted a Fuji at the end and they had a great deal and was always treated well)
4) Helen in Santa Monica (super competent clearly but very busy and a little snarky I thought. I am sure they wouldn't be if you were trying to buy a Trek Madone...)

Did not try Cinergi in SM, but I had a great conversation on the phone.

Other LBS went downhill after those 5...

I cannot judge how high end their bikes are however (my budget was $500 for a hybrid), except maybe for Helen who seems to have super expensive stuff. There were some seemingly serious riders hanging out at "Just Ride LA" in downtown...