Dear CRs:
My thanks to Garth Libre for posting his nearly-unbelievable description of Miami's Boutique Bicycle Shops.
On my ride yesterday evening (Sunday April 9) I saw some unfortunate results of Boutique Bicycle Buying:
A 50ish year old mother and her 20ish year old son were out for a ride on matching Specialized road bikes: full carbon fiber frames and components, aero wheels, etc. ... except that the pedals on both bikes were $20 rat-trap mountain bike cheapies without even toe clips or straps.
Both riders wore street clothes (baggy hiking shorts and hiking boots). Their baggy nylon windbreaker jackets more than negated the advantage of aero wheels.
Neither rider carried a pump or any sort of tire repair accessories.
They had much more technology than necessary for a look-at-the-sunset bike ride.
In the meantime, I rode my 2001 Mercian with Campy NR-SR-Victory. I wore a wool jersey and tights. A Silca pump and a small seat bag completed my 'kit'.
I had a better looking bike, better looking clothes, and I had a better ride, too!
Unfortunately, I find most bike shops today to be rather uninspiring, and often depressing, venues. Iit seems that for a lot of shops, it's more about making money (customer = consumer!) instead of selling the right bike (product).
Andrew Gillis
(expecting rain in Long Beach, CA)