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Submitted by
Jeremy Silcox
a Racer
from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | jeremysilcox@yahoo.com | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Lifesport | | Strengths: | The great ride of a steel bike, but still light. The "prestige" of a hard-to-get Ritchey Plexus. | | Weaknesses: | It broke. Customer service was absolutely terrible. | | Similar Products Used: | Lots (see previous post) | | Bottom Line: | I raced and rode this bike for several years happily, until one day when I was honestly "just riding along", the chainstay broke. Not at a weld, mind you, but the tube itself sheared about 3" behind the BB. Unfortunate and inconvenient, true, but I'll just send it back and get it fixed in no time, right? WRONG!
The only contact info on the Ritchey sight is an email address, so I sent an email an waited. And waited. Eventually I got fed up, and used my bike shop connections to get track down a phone number. Got an RA#, sent the bike back, and all was well. (Almost a week after I sent it back, I finally got a reply to my email.)
Apparently, Tom Ritchey does ALL warranty work, so I had to wait for him to find the time. I understand that he's a busy guy, but it still took him two months. Then, off to the painter...for another TWO AND A HALF MONTHS?? How long does it take to paint a frame one colour? In the end, it took me just over 4.5 months (i.e. all the good weather of summer) to get my frame back, and it was quite a frustrating experience. They didn't charge me anything (which I appreciate) and I do love my Ritchey bike, but based on this experience, I would look elsewhere if buying another hardtail.
Performance rating is still a 5, but the extreme frustration drops the 'value' a lot.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeremy Silcox
a Racer
from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 20, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Lifesport | | Strengths: | Amazing ride. Very light for steel. Beautiful paint job. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Breezer Jet Stream. Plus, I've demoed dozens of bikes (one of the perks of working at a bike shop). | | Bike Setup: | Dream bike: SID's. XTR. Avid Ultimate brakes. Race Face Next LP's. Titec titanium stem and bar, carbon bar ends. Hugi hubs custom laced to 517's. Flight Deck. Etc. | | Bottom Line: | Steel is real! Anyone who promotes anything else has never ridden a GOOD steel bike. There's nothing like it.
With it's curved seat stays, the Plexus gets something like 3/8 inch of "travel" through flex. Which basically means that this is THE smoothest hardtail you will EVER ride.
I built this up as my spare-no-expense dream bike, and it certainly is! It was hard to get (4 month wait for the frame), but it was SO worth it. Depending on tire choices, I can get this baby down to about 21 pounds. Sure, I could save another half pound with an aluminum frame, but I never would...the ride is just too sweet. Tom Ritchey knows what he's doing, and after having the pleasure of riding one of his masterpieces, I have that much more respect for the man.
If you can afford it, get one. Don't hestitate. Don't question. Just do it. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
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