I checked out the Redline as well as others I didn't mention - just so many bikes out there. The 925 seems alright, but not for me.

I've decided to stay away from BD for my first bike. No knock on anyone who's bought from BD and likes his bike, but I think I want to stick with my lbs if possible.

As for the Sputnik, it looks like a great bike, but I can't find one anywhere. I went to 3 Jamis dealers near me, and not one has a Sputnik or a Beatnik in stock. CL and ebay are bare too. I'm going to expand my search a little bit, because I really want to try one out. There are a couple of Raleigh dealers close by, though, so I should have no trouble finding a Rush Hour to try.