I ordered my new bike (first road bike) after having a so-so experience buying my hybrid at one LBS and not really getting the kind of treatment I was looking for at multiple LBS when looking for the road bike, most not even offering test rides, or just trying push me on a special sale only good today on a bike that wasn't the right size. It kinda put me off. I did find a couple shops that I liked, but they are Trek and Specialized dealers and although my hybrid is a Specialized, I wanted something a little less ubiquitous for my road bike. I was able to glean from those shops though what my preferences are and what geometry would suit my needs. After doing much research and review reading online, I browsed several of the major online retailers, including some in the U.K. looking at bikes that met my criteria and evaluating spec vs price as several levels. I decided to hit the Chat Now button on the CC website to ask some additional questions and get more info. I ended up chatting with Trevor Jackson, who first listened to everything I told him, answered my questions, gave some insights on the bikes and components, and then gave me a few other bikes to consider in my price range. I had gleaned over the Boardman brand anytime I browsed the site, not being familiar with their bikes at all. Once Trevor pointed the SLS 9.2 out and I started to check it out, it seemed like a contender. I spent the next couple days reviewing specs and measurements and felt pretty confident that this bike was exactly what I had been looking for. I called up Trevor and we had a bit of a discussion, including the value of Di2 vs manual Ultegra.

I ultimately ordered the mechanical Ultegra bike, which was delivered last Friday. It was packaged in the same manner of the pictures earlier in the thread, which pretty well guaranteed it would arrive in the same condition it was assembled. All I had to do was secure the bars, seat and wheels. It came with a completed assembly checklist including the torque specs on everything (which I verified a few of). The only thing I adjusted was about a half turn of the barrel adjuster for the front derailleur to get it perfect. Not bad for a bike that traveled a couple thousand miles to me via UPS. Trevor has been in contact since I got my bike, and I feel truly enjoys helping people find the right bike. So for me, it was a great experience with CC and I plan to purchase other items from them in the future. I also did develop a relationship with one of the LBS owners, who fully supported me buying online if I was confident the bike would be a good fit. Based on that experience I've bought several apparel items, a saddle bag and some nutritional items from him. I'll probably also pay him for a fitting once I get myself fully acclimated to riding a road bike. So all in all, I think that both online and brick and mortar bike retailers have their place and I'll continue to support both. As others have mentioned, you'll find good and bad in every form of every business type out there. Find the good ones and support them.