1. Yes, it will have to be shipped if from some sources. From some sources I can test ride, but not all.
2. Long time cyclist, never fast or talented but at 75 I still ride about 100 miles a week. Never had a top tier bike, Specialized Roubaix was my most expensive, an old steel Pinarello my best, but I will be buying a cheap bike under $2500 I hope, and want at least a 105 groupset, so that means mostly used bikes.
3. My current bike is a GiantContendAR4, which is a relaxed geometry entry level bike and at my point in life I do not want to get more aggressive in geometry than that bike. "My problem is I have an unusual build with very long torso and arms, and very, very short legs. When I try to use a size calculator online it gets confused. The one on the Trek website says something like "sorry, there must be some problem, there is no size for these measurements". Had two bike fittings in the past and the results were less helpful than my own trial and error. So, I am trying to figure it out with geometry specs.
My two LBS within an hour drive do not have anything in stock at this time that I want to test ride but while I keep looking, I wanted to check out internet possibilities. One bike I like is the Canyon Endurace 8 Disc at under 2k, but it is not available in any size that could work for me. So, trying to do this remotely, without handling the bike in person, I figure the more I can use figures (i.e., geometry specs) the better my chance of success.