Last year, I took a foray into biking by taking advantage of the rental program my university has. It was really cheap ($20/semester) and I really enjoyed having the bike, but I absolutely hated the one they rent out. It was
this Kona bike, and it just never seemed to fit me. This was only used as an around campus bike, as I lived too far away to commute on it (probably an excuse, as I really just didn't like that bike for more than a mile or two ride)
This semester I'm moving only 4-7 miles from campus (depending on which side of campus) and want to take the plunge into getting a good bike to commute on. Since I know absolutely nothing about what makes a bike "fit", I plan to buy local and take advantage of a bike shop's knowledge. As much as I love the prices on Nashbar and BikesDirect, it's not worth saving a few bucks and never riding it because it didn't really fit me.
However, as a student, I'm fairly price sensitive and only want to pay local markup on items where it counts and buy the rest online. But I don't want to skimp out and end up getting a setup that doesn't fit, as then I'll never ride the thing.
My question is: What gear should I purchase locally with the frame, taking advantage of the expertise of the bike shop, and what can I safely buy online on my own? I'll be starting completely from scratch, so I'll need everything from the bike itself to a lock, multitool, another lock (don't want to lose my bike on campus), etc.
