Conference noted::bicycle

    	You might begin by looking at the following notes:
    
    	242, 288, 375, 448, 564, 619, 711, 958
    
    	I know the fellas at Goodale's do not believe in the
    	Fit Kit method of sizing a frame. I'm still stumped
    	about there method for accomplishing the sizing task.
    
    	You might also try typing DIR/TITLE="FIT KIT" at the
    	NOTES> prompt.
    
    	Scott

    
    Goodale's is not always the best place to get the best price
    in this area.  I have seen them lose a sale because they wouldn't
    throw in a water bottle.  Incredible, but true.
    
    I bought a Cilo 600 racing bike a year and a half ago from Naults
    in Manchester, and they were good on price.  I recently bought a
    TREK 520 Mnt. bike from a small bike shop in Peterborough, Spokes
    and Slopes, (or Slopes and Spokes) phone number is 924-9961.  They
    have very good prices, remember, everything is negotiable when buying
    a bike.  I've also been very impressed with their service.  It is
    a small shop.  Ask for Chris.  A nice kid who knows a good amount
    about bikes.

    	Go to as many bike shops as you possibly can...
    
    	Get as many price quotes as you possibly can, especially on
    	any particular models you happen to be interested in. Never
    	settle for less than the CORRECT size machine, even if some
    	dude offers a killer deal on last years model. Buying a new
    	bike is becoming more & more like buying a new car.  Always
    	shop hard, and try to determine if the salesperson's simply
    	trying to make a sale.

    	Of course, the best way is to buy used. But for the average
    	person, there are just too many variables to juggle. Unless
    	one possesses some advanced knowledge of bicycle  mechanics,
    	they are usually better off dealing  with retail. There are
    	far too many shamsters in this world. At least in a bicycle
    	shop, you might meet fewer "shamsters".
    
    	Price your bike EVERYWHERE.

    							Face.

    To deal with the original question. I owned a Fuji Del Rey
    for about 4 years and racked up quite a few miles on it.
    I was very happy with it (for it's purpose - touring). I
    live in Ma and wanted to let you know that the $400.00 is
    what I've seen down here. BTW, I never even had a flat with
    the thing. I recently sold it with the original cables and
    all.
    
    Be careful. I doubt that you'll do much better on the price,
    and the amount of travelling that you may end up doing may
    counter any savings. Particularly if you have to bring it
    back for some work. The ride alone might not make the $10.00
    savings worth it. Plus living near the store is a biggie.
    
    The second major point: It doesn't sound like you have any
    intentions on turning pro. You're just looking for a bike
    to some exercise and some recreation, right? Don't let all
    of the technical stuff confuse you. The dealer should have 
    all the expertise necessary to fit you properly for the type
    of riding you're looking to do.
    
    If you get the BUG a little later, then you can go crazy, spend
    a fortune and worry about micro-measurements, chromoly vs.
    aluminum vs. titanium vs. Kevlar-Carbon, C RECORD vs DURA-ACE
    gruppos, SCOTT vs. AERO bars, etc... You see, you can easily
    get overwhelmed.
    
    To sum up my two cents from my experience, you'd be happy with
    the Fuji for any bike within that price range, you're going to
    end up with quality and components that are very close to each
    other anyway.
    
    Hope this helped.
    
    Chip

Try to define more about how you are going to use the bike and what features
are important to you.  You've set a price range which is fine, but from the
sounds of it the salesman might have steared you to the top end.  Is that true,
or after being shown all the bikes in your price range did you decide that
you wanted the features/performance of a bike near the top of your range?

The Fuji makes fine bikes, but so do panasonic and univega.  All three of these
manufacturers make bikes with similar features in similar price ranges.
Personally I think the Shogun doesn't seem to give as much for the money, but
they the ones I've seen are discounted off list more than most bikes. There
are a lot more bike brands in your range. Go to more shops and make sure 
you ride all the ones you are considering. 

	-Greg (who rode quite a few this w/e and left his license at one of the 
	       bike shops)

    see note 1008