[Finnucane]

My current bike I did buy at a local shop partly because I wanted to be able to test-ride before I made the purchase. And I'm glad a did. I tried a few different models, and have been pretty pleased with the choice I made. But most of the subsequent maintenance has been done by shops that are primarily service shops, and not dealers. They sell bits and supplies, of course, but their bread & butter is repair work. My experience is that I get better service from them than from dealers that just want to get your bike out of the shop as quickly as possible.