Originally Posted by
icemilkcoffee
Your local bike shop has a very limited floor space. Of course they are not going to stock the entire Shimano line-up. Why is that surprising?
And it's a $25 pair of brake levers. You don't have to buy from an 'authorized dealer'.
Correct but no need to mention the bike shop then you could just made your buy it from a random seller comment without denigrating bike shops.
The cost of the item has nothing to do with anything. Buying from an authorized dealer ensures if you actually have a problem you get support from in this case Shimano. It may not be needed but I would rather have to pay $25 for the levers and then get them warrantied if there is a problem rather than spending $50 for two levers.
dedhed A road bike generally has poor tire clearance so while you can get a little more upright the comfort is not going to be able to improve greatly but wider tires help a huge amount. It was not a value proposition it was about getting someone more comfortable.