Originally Posted by halfspeed

AE Bike is a local bike shop in michigan. Like most LBS, they can sell anything from the QBP catalog and do so online as well as in the shop. Unusually, AE Bike sells out ot the online QBP catalog at a substantial discount which is why they are a popular internet retailer. The catch? Shimano is very protective of the perceived value of their products so they are very careful about who they authorize to sell their products on the internet. They have not given that authorization to AE Bike and if AE Bike were to defy them, they would have their brick and mortar Shimano dealership pulled.