Best time to buy a bike?

Fall and winter is when the LBS will need to be clearing out their stock at the end of the season.  The longer you hold out, the cheaper the last-year's-model bikes will be, but it also becomes more likely that you'll have a hard time finding one in your size.  Be warned if you need to get an extremely small or large bike -- at least around here, most bike shops don't really stock very many bikes in the smallest and largest frame sizes available, so if I want to test-ride a couple bikes before choosing one, I need to buy fairly early during the regular season.  (I am a short lady and I ride a 47cm road bike...)

I'll be looking for a 54-56cm bike depending on fit.  Is that a fairly common size that would be easier to find?  I'm in northern IL so winters are cold and snowy.

From my experience it's when my wife is either really drunk or out of town.

There is actually a last years model trek madone 5.1? I think at Turin in Evanston. I think it was 2500 down from I think 4 thousand something. I was going to buy it but decided against it. It should still be there if you wanted to check it out.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  See, that's why you ALWAYS marry another triathlete.

"I'm going to miss you!" - My boyfriend upon learning I'm aiming for IM Lake Placid 2012.

In my experience that is the most common size for tri-bikes.

just like cars.  sept - oct the new line year of bikes enters the stores so the last line year bikes are sold for discounted price.

the discount increases over time.  if you can make it to late oct / nov even dec sometimes you can get pretty nice deal...