Hot shops

I bought my first adult bike in October 1997. It is a GT Palomar and bears a remarkable resemblance to the one in the picture in the link. I bought it at Big Shark Bicycle Co. at its original location in University City, Mo. Now a few blocks to the east, the shop has been recognized as one of the "Top 100 Retailers 2006" by Bicycle Retailer & Industry News (look for the clickable link on the right side of the page). I told the guy who sold it to me how much I wanted to spend and gave him a realistic overview of how I intended to ride. He didn't waver in his recommendation about the bike — or that I needed a helmet. The whole transaction took maybe 20 minutes. Though it's now the bike I depend on when I use my trainer, the Palomar was a huge step for me when I got it and a huge help when I needed it. Closer in time and closer to my present home, The Clean Machine (now known as The Bicycle Chain) in Carrboro also made it. It looks like I have another shop to visit.