I got one of the RLE 1.8s, which was in my price range at the time, a heck a bang for the buck, and (for me at least) a better feeling ride than the Trek 1000 and Giant OCRs which were in the same price neighborhood.

So far, the only complaints I have about it are with the Hutchinson tires which have zero defense against the goatheads that are everywhere here (though I guess shipping with gatorskins or armadillos is a bit silly though); the handlebars, which I swapped out for a pair of mustache bars (and a shorter stem); and for some reason, a couple of the cables came without crimp-caps on the ends (grabbed a couple at my lbs and popped em on myself). I also swapped out the saddle, which it wasn't too bad -- I just didn't think it was quite right for a 50 mile ride, and I swapped the pedals for a set of SPD-SLs and so I could eventually move the SPDs to my old warhorse Univega.

So what's the word on the Caddy AV8? I've got to say, I'm quite intrigued by a bike with a backrest...