Originally Posted by
Phil_gretz
Let's boil things down to the practical. @
zappy007 - you don't know anything about bicycles. That's a given at this point.
If you walk into a big box chain store and buy a bike, it will be from another person who knows absolutely nothing about bicycles. So, there's a transaction where the sum total of your knowledge cannot fill a thimble. Sound like a good plan to you?
Walk into a bike shop, and at least one of you (the seller) will know something about the bicycle models that are available, their correct sizing, and how to set you up to begin successfully. That person will know what questions to ask you to match the bike to your particular needs. So, what is that input worth to you?
Also, you did not give your budget for the bike purchase. That's an important data point. Without it, the bike shop cannot narrow down your alternatives.
Information asymmetry doesn't always work to the advantage of the buyer. If OP has a friend who knows something about bikes and can get that friend to accompany OP to at least one LBS, that could help a lot. Not all LBS salespeople are as scrupulous and knowledgeable as you're implying.
It might also help if OP could narrow down which type of bike he/she is looking for. Sounds like a choice between mountain/hybrid/gravel, and those really do have very different price ranges.