Does it matter if you buy a bike at a bike shop or Target and Toys r Us?

My boyfriend runs a bicycle shop, so I may be a little biased, but Id always recommend buying from a bicycle shop. They have all different price ranges, and you know that people who know what they are doing are putting your bike together. Go to Target or Toys R Us and some high school kid will put your bike together, and who knows what could happen. Also if you need any warranty work done, where are you going to go? Target wont do it. You get what you paid for, and for something that you are riding on and could get hurt on, Id pay a little extra and go to a bicycle shop.

I would definitely stick to bike shop bikes. The component quality you will receive far outweighs those purchased at Target. When we say components, we're talking about shifters, derailleurs, cogs, cranks and brakes. For the type of riding you'll be doing, the frame is inconsequential. It's just a means to hang your components. A nice bike would be a Trek 7100. $439.00 Its a decent price, decent components and a quality manufacturer. There's no comparison for purchasing a bike at a bike shop versus a department store. A bike shop specializes in bikes, period. So, if you need something serviced on your bike, or need to ask questions regarding maintenance, these guys will know their business. Most of the people I know that work for a bike shop ride competitively and therefore practice what they preach.

You will be given a good quality bike at the bike shop and they will make sure you get the right one, unlike the garbage that the other non specialist shops sell.

The bicycles sold at Target, Wal Mart, K-Mart, Toy R Us and other such places use junk components. You will be lucky if the bike is still usable after a year. They're assembled by people who don't know anything about bikes. Go to a real bike shop. You'll pay a bit more, but you'll get a bike that's the right size, properly set up to fit you, properly assembled and if there are problems later, they will take care of it.

Any bike you get from a big box store is going to be JUNK. Frames are heavy and of low quality. Other parts are rock bottom end and will either break or wear out in less than a year, and that's if you take care of it. Always buy from a bike shop. That's all they sell. Would you go to a doctor who also sold Hello Kitty toys ?

It doesn't matter if it's Target or Toys r Us they are both junk. Visit the local bike shop and test drive a comfort bike, you will feel the difference as soon as you start pedaling. The Jamis Explorer 1 is a high quality bike, you wont find anything close to that in a big box store. http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/08_bikes/08explorer1.html

definatly a bike shop