Hello All - I posted a couple months ago asking if anyone had
recommendations for local bike shops that do tri fitting. The
consensus was that the Monterey-area shops are no good at tri
fitting (I share this opinion based on my experiences) and that
there are several good shops in SF-Oakland.

Wanted to let you all know I found a great shop in Santa Cruz, just
30 minutes up the coast. They sell great lines of bikes - Kestrel,
Specialized, Litespeed, Look, Fuji, and more, plus niche brands like
Seven, Orbea, and many others. Full line of accessories too. Their
website is http://spokesmanbicycles.com/site/index.cfm.

The best part is, their manager, Wade, has a great deal of
experience in tri bike fitting. After I'd been into literally a
dozen stores on the Peninsula and in the Bay area, this is the first
place I felt totally compfortable in - Wade and his staff took the
time to answer all my questions (I have never owned a tri-specific
bike so had a lot), they knew what they were talking about in
relation to tri fitting (I had done a bunch of research), and they
are relatvely nearby. I rode a bunch of bikes - then Wade spent
over an hour with me, just analyzing my position and recommending
sizing. This was even before I expressed any definite interest in
buying from them, and no mention of a fitting fee or pushy sales
tactics were ever discussed. They even loaned me a Specialized S-
Works Transition demo for a week!

The other good part - they are very competitive on price. They have
offered a 10% discount on bikes and accessories to M2T2 (as a local
tri club mostly made up of military-types). Their main brand is
Kestrel, on which they may be able to work nearer to a 15%
discount! I ended up ordering a Guru, on which they equalled the
lowest price I could find, not to mention that they're close,
knowledgable, and friendly.

If you head up there, ask for Wade, the manager. Tell him Ed sent
you, that you're a member of M2T2. He'll hook you up with great
service at a great price. I've dealt with 2-3 of their other
salesmen, too - Chris is the only name that I remember - all super-
friendly and willing to spend time with you. Let me know if you
have any questions about Spokesman.

Ed