I read about Richard Sachs 16 years ago and thought about getting one of his frames for the next 14 years while trying various recipes of aluminum (Trek 1500), carbon (Trek 5200), aluminum again (Klein Quantum), titanium (Merlin Extralight), titanium again (Seven Axiom), and a steel restoration (81 Masi Gran Criterium, Dave Moulton built frame). I finally placed a deposit two years ago and got my Signature frame last January after a visit to Richard's shop in July 2005.

I remember driving into Chester and immediately spotting Richard's logo above his shop. As I walked into the front door, I got to take a look at Richard's personal ride and like so many have written, the appearance is stunning (and it just must be built up with Campy, Shimano is just not right for this bike). After a couple of hours seeing the history of the shop and getting measured, I left feeling really impatient to wait out the final six months.

My life turned upside down for awhile as the eye wall of Hurricane Katrina passed within 30 miles of my house. For a week I did not know if I had a home left but luckily I had relatively minor damage and was able to get back to a sense of normalcy 6 weeks after the storm. So as Thanksgiving approached, it was a new sense of anticipation as I learned my frame had been sent to Joe Bell's for painting. After a month, the frame returned to Chester and finally shipped to me. The curse of Katrina got one final slap as a still overwhelmed Federal Express lost the bike for three days before finally dropping it on my doorstep on a Saturday morning.

Many have written about the rapture of opening a box and unwrapping a Sachs frame. My experience was no different and I savored the entire building experience with a mix of Record and Chorus components and Richard's recommendation for Joe Young wheels built on DT components (nice color match Richard!). Mine is of course red and the transition from indoor lighting to a sunny day is incredible as the Joe Bell paint just lights up.

How can I describe the ride? The best bikes I had ridden to date were the Merlin (which I sold), the Seven (which I still own), and the Masi (built up with 1980's vintage Campy). All are excellent road bikes and the difference between the Sachs and these bikes is subtle. First, I think Richard did a slightly better job fitting me to the frame. The bike has the classic European racing look which means only a fist and a half of seat post is showing and the handlebars are within 4 centimeters of the seat height. Needless to say, the fit is very comfortable, just what I wanted. The second thing I expected and got was superb handling. The lower bottom bracket on this bike just makes it handle like it is on rails very similar to the Masi. The Seven handles great also but just seems slightly twitchy in a comparative sense. Lastly, steel is still the most comfortable riding frame material, bar none. This bike just soaks up every rough road surface.

Around my area, not many riders are familiar with Richard's name or work. It's amusing to see their looks when they see my bike. They love the beautiful aesthetics but just can't come to grips with the bike not being carbon or at least having a carbon fork! Some even kidded me about owning a "vintage" frame.

Last March, I went to the four day long Skinny Tire Festival in Moab, UT. There were 800 roadies in attendance that raised over $200,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I raised enough money to be a "yellow jersey" fundraiser and was treated to a private ride with 30 other yellow jersey fundraisers on the first day. We were joined by Chris Carmicheal and Bob Roll for a 50 mile ride in Canyonlands National Park on robins egg blue sunny day. After we finished the ride, my bike was leaning up against our transport van with several other quite expensive road bikes. I turned around to see 4-5 riders just staring at it. Finally connoisseurs who appreciated what Richard does. No real conversations, just a look and knowing nods that this bike is still something special. Over the next three days, the same thing happened every day. The funniest was a fellow who rolled past me on a Rivendell and nearly crashed turning around to come back to look at the Sachs. Turns out he had read Richard's interview in the Rivendell Reader and had to take a look at the real deal!

This is simply the finest bike I have ever owned. If you have the patience, you will not be disappointed.