I've had my Richard Sachs bike for a little more than 2 1/2 years, and it has accumulated almost exactly 8000 miles in that time.  I have several other bikes, some of which are custom steel frames from other builders of high reputation.  I have ridden about 14K total miles in that period, so it's pretty obvious which bike is my favorite.

I had wanted a Richard Sachs bike for many years, probably close to two decades.  My only regret is that I waited so long.  I was first attracted to RS because of the sheer quality of his work.  The perfect alignment, the elegantly simple lugwork, the JB paint, all caught my eye.  I've read every review written and expected the bike to ride well, but the purchase was really—I sheepishly admit—based as much on aesthetics as performance.  I have the "anniversary" paint, pearl white with red panels, and it is truly gorgeous.  It actually exceeded my extremely high expectations, and there wasn't a flaw anywhere to be found.

To my absolute delight, the bike is a marvelous ride.  The fit is perfect, and the miles just melt away.  It's the only bike I ever ride for more than a 50 mile ride, unless it's going to be a mountain-fest. Even then...  In past years, I've ridden my 17.5 lb. Litespeed for a local mountain century with 9000 feet of climbing.  This year, for the first time, I decided to take the RS instead.  To my surprise, I beat my previous best time by about 15 minutes.  I never really noticed the additional weight on the climbs -- about two pounds extra -- but the additional comfort and downhill stability really stood out.  I maxed out around 45 mph, and the RS remained rock steady.

As I live in Southern California, about as far away from Chester as you can get in the continental US, my bike is the only Richard Sachs that most people around here have ever seen.  Of course, the Philistines just mutter in wonder that I didn't get the latest Al/Ti/carbon 16 lb. disposable wonder.  But I've also had lots of double-takes, lots of people circling back around me, saying things like "I've always heard about those bikes, that's even more gorgeous than I imagined."

Via the Internet, I've spoken to quite a few prospective RS purchasers. I'm happy to say that many of them have gone ahead with the purchase. They have all made a point of contacting me to let me know how happy they are with their bikes, and how glad they are that they took the leap.

Best damn bike I've ever owned!