JeffS

Please stay out of Cycle Logic. Ed is a worthless pr!ck. His standard response when someone tries to buy a Raleigh is to overprice it, criticize it, and then try to sell you a Fuji. He did the same thing to me when I inquired about an RX two years ago, and has done the same thing to several others I know. He quoted me $200 over retail then went into a rant about how spending any more than $6xx on some Fuji he had was stupid.

Really... a shop that's been around for decades tells you that they won't warranty a bike because they're ignorant and undertrained?

I can only conclude that a steady flow of fresh college faces and super-cheap rent are all that keep his head above water. I've liked a number of Raleigh's offerings, but as long as he's the only dealer I'll never own one. The one I do own came from ebay. That said, all of the local shops have issues.

JeffS

Out of curiosity, what are you riding now?

I'm just wondering if you have experience with the parts you're wanting, or if you've just fallen victim to the BF "ideal bike" group think. I don't mean that as a criticism, although it definitely reads negatively. I guess I'm just more curious since you're a local.

mikepwagner

I could try to pretend that the desire for a the level of technology I want is purely functional, but it's probably mostly aesthetic. They are a more elegant solution to the problem than a cable.

I am not that worried about an occasional horror story. I was riding motorcycles in the mid 70s, when they were beginning to make the transition from cable'd drum brakes to to hydraulic disk brakes. There were lots of horror stories about hydraulic disc brakes in those days, too. But it's been a long time since I have even seen a motorcycle without a hydraulic disc or two on the front wheel.

Hydraulic disc brakes, once set up correctly, should be very low maintenance, and very snappy - fluids don't compress.

It sounds like you got a bad set of hydraulic disc brakes, but a lot of folks seem to have working sets. Weight seems to be more of an issue - but as you can tell from the rest of the (dream) specs, I am not looking for a featherweight.

At any rate, it's a dream bike, and I like high tech.

Malachi292

I guess I found this thread a little late but I still wanted to give my own experience. I recently had built a custom bike based on a Cross Check frame. Basically, I took a box of parts to my LBS and asked them to build me a bike. They charged $100 for assembling the bike. I also had them hand build both wheels and they charged $30 for each wheel. So I paid a total of $160 labor to have the bike built.

And I love the bike. It's awesome! It's my main commuter, around town bike. Basically, it's a working bike.

Now I'm working on building a bike based on a Long Haul Trucker. I'm going to build this one. But, the bike shop has my back. They've been there every step of the way.

mikepwagner

Our experiences seem to be very similar.

mikepwagner

I am riding a 1988 GT Tequesta right now.

I have grease stains from the chain rings on my shorts right now - which is why I like the idea of an belt drive and an IGH.

I also like the idea of hydraulic disc brakes because they make more sense to me.

It's interesting that you find the BF "group think" would lead someone to the specs that I mentioned. From what I can tell, the BF "group think" is very much in favor of derailleurs, and cable based rim brakes of some kind.