Originally Posted by bjkeen
You may want to consider a Rivendell. Maybe not a custom, as their lead time is rather long, but even the 'production' ones are made with great quality. I just took my A. Homer Hilsen out for its maiden voyage, and it was everything I was expecting.
Rivendell?!? he said his average speed is 17.5mph...there are lots of fast steel bikes out there. the thing about the Rivendell is that its a very upright riding position...it just feels slow. IFab builds a nice steel bike and yes, there are lots of options out there. if your body is such that you need custom, you should definitely get it. but for most of us, off the rack with the right stem fits like a glove.
2k is might get you into a new lemond and a few other steel bikes, but you will need to spend about a little more for custom.