>>971337There are only four kinds of shops:
1. Chain bike shops with massive sales floors - these tend to have large numbers of polite staff but can feel less personable, a good place for beginners since they have lots of bikes to try.
2. Independent LBS - these tend to be smaller, often focus on 1-2 kinds of riding, and make a smaller share of their income from new bike sales. Quality is less predictable and depends on who's working when you visit.
3. Speciality/boutique shops dedicated to specific riding disciplines, usually sell the most expensive products. Great if you've got the funds and are looking for the kinds of bikes they sell/work on, otherwise you can expect snobbery.
4. Co-ops/charitable/community bike shops - inexpensive shops that help out disadvantaged populations, a good place to meet people with hearts of gold or learn new skills by volunteering your time, or get a very inexpensive but basic bike - but definitely not the place to take your race bike for service.
>>971346 Drop bar mountain bikes are cool, but you should know that it can be complicated to make one work well: MTB and road geometry are different enough that drop bar mountain bikes often require a very tall/long stem and/or a frame that's larger than you'd want for typical MTB use. And putting drops on a MTB can lead to shift/brake lever compatibility issues, depending on what parts you want to use - as a rule, older mountain bikes are easier to put drop bars on.
