Yeah, I moved here from Ogden, Utah (Where one of QBP's offices/warehouses is) to Arcata, California.
The amount of skill and effort I am finding from bike shop employees here is much more impressive. Back in Utah all the local shops had a bunch of either old and disenchanted, Or young and ignorant employees that were simply unwilling to provide customer service. I eventually got down to finding the specific PEOPLE in shops that actually didn't suck (to do a positive name drop, I've found Nate at The Bike Shoppe and Ben at the Ogden Binghams to be skilled, friendly professionals.)
the reason I make that long winded point is that, as good as the shops are here, I am hard pressed to get any answers from any of them. they read the same blogs I do. so they have as much inside info as I do. I generally know more about repair, construction and fit of bicycles than they do; So it gets hard to keep the local shop in the loop. Even when I get good customer service for a bike shop, I'm not getting good customer service. I adore my local shops here in Arcata, but I fight to need them. When the time comes that I have enough money, I'll just buy myself the tools I need to have a bike shop in my garage.
$550, Why is that a question 3 local shops couldn't answer? why can't any of them order it yet?
now that my whining is out of the way...
My initial build will probably have an alfine 8, Deore hydraulics and a Soma Clarence bar.
that is until drop bar hydraulics become more affordable.