After visiting 6 other bicycle shops, I finally chose to do business with Tailwind for their…read morecombination of service, selection, and price. I was recently in the market for a carbon road bike. I was pretty weary from visiting one bike shop after another that only carried Trek bikes, or had limited bikes in stock, or had terrible customer service. But I decided to try one more dealer, Tailwind, because I saw that they carried Scott and Jamis bikes, two bikes that I hadn't tried yet.
When I entered the shop, I was immediately greeted by a salesperson, who showed me around and explained their selection. After asking me a few questions, he introduced me to Chad, who showed me the custom made Cinelli Pro Estrada. What a gorgeous bike. So much prettier than the Trek bikes I rode.
I took the Cinelli for a test ride around the streets of Schwenksville. For the most part, the surrounding streets are safe for test rides, although I had to cross busy Rt. 29. The area is very hilly, if you like to test out a bike on hills. The shop is also adjacent to the Perkiomen Trail, if you prefer to test a bike on flat terrain.
I loved the Cinelli, and at the sale price, it was right in my price range. Once Chad threw in a free bike fitting, I couldn't resist. I had to endure a lot of shopping to get to this point, but in the end I got a lot more bike for my money than I would have gotten anywhere else.
They weren't yet available at the time I was shopping, but Tailwind has since added Pinarello bikes to their selection. Pinarello is another brand that was high on my list, and I haven't seen it offered anywhere else.
As a follow-up note, I was having some shifting issues with the Cinelli, but I brought it back to the shop, explained the problem, and the owner, Joe, corrected the problem within a few minutes, free of charge. Joe also fitted me to my bike, and now I am one happy rider.