Well, I finally made it down to Halter's today. Jason was good enough to send a set of killer sidis up to the 24hoa for me, and i had to settle my debt with the man.
i've got to say, i was floored by the amount of product that he has in that shop - almost every square inch of floor and wall space was covered. Looking for a set of ergons? check. looking for a some nice shoes? check. looking for any combination of bike racks? check. shorts, high end wheel sets, sewn road tires, '08 haro mary, xc or ridigid? check check check check check check.
my schedule didn't allow for me to spend that much to chat with jay, and the shop phone didn't help either. at any one point, jason had two phones in his hands fielding calls, including some from other shops picking his brain for some technical advice.
this is a true bike shop. i said to jason that i can see why the guys like to hang out there so much. i could have easily spent a couple of hours just looking through the merchandise and bikes. this shop is worth the drive, and it is the type of shop that other lbs' should strive to be like when they grow up.
btw - i also got a sneak peak at the new halter's web site, and it has about as much personality as the shop, stay tuned!