[Jim Bremner]

some of the smaller companies have some great bikes in that price range.
Felt, Marin and other smaller companies are working hard to beat the big guys.

Buying a Bike from a REAL bike shop is worth the $$$ some shops will spend a good deal of time with you to make sure that you and your bike works well together. some brands don't work well with some riders. Try to find out about the shop first. In many ways if the shop isn't worthy it won't matter what the brand you buy is.

Next thing about a bike shop is first the bike comes in a box and will require time to put it together and tune it. a good shop will have a good staff-member build the bike for you. A poorly assembled bike will not perform as well as a fine tuned bike should. Don't "grind" them down on the price that their offering....there's not much profit in the bike and the shop guys are really tired of it.

Instead, grind them on having their best guy build it for you like he would build it for himself.

Bring baked goods or BEER for a tip. Over time you'll get better service and prices than Joe Grinder.

I worked for more than a few years in the shops and I'm a wholesaler to the shops today.