Was wandering what people thought about buying a bike on line then taking it to a bike shop to set up the correct geometry? Don't get me wrong I'd much prefer to get it from a LBS but I have neither a decent bike shop near me or one that sells any of the five or so bikes that I am interested in?
Ask on here about who owns bikes like the ones you want and give your height etc. That'll give you a rough idea of the size you need.
Check with manufacturers size advice. Ask the retailer for size advice.
Have a go at setting it up yourself - plenty of vid's around. Not really that difficult.
Ride bike a bit.
Fine tune as time goes by - worst that will prob' happen is that you may need a new stem, might need the steerer chopping, might need a different seatpost.
Many people buy online and are perfectly happy with the fit of their bike once they have made a few basic adjustments.
Companies like Rose are more flexible than others and you can make some fit decisions prior to ordering eg different stem, layback/inline seatpost stuff like that.
I think many bike manufacturers are very inflexible.
