Meridian Bicycle Works 2001 Ascension

Price Paid:  $747.00 at Ebay from Meridian b

Favorite Ride:
Monster Cruiser

Summary:
I recently bought a bike from this company at an Ebay auction. The site demanded payment within 48 hours. This was a 747.00 bike, I made a 500.00 paypal payment within a few hours. I then called and asked Jim Leis if I could make the next payment 1 day beyond the 48 hour deadline. He said fine but he had another buyer who wanted the bike and was willing to pay more. After we hung he emailed and said he was selling to the other person who had offered more. This is a serious Ebay violation and he has been reported. Ebay encourages traders to try and straighten out their differences, I tried to reason with this guy but his greed was too overpowering. He has been reported to Ebay and they are investigating. Ebay will basically do very little since he has his little 48 hour loop hole. Because he accepted my payment and then refunded it, my 500.00 was tied up for 7 days. This is a very disappointing and dishonest person to deal with. Be very careful when dealing with jim leis, I think he's a crook and a liar and can't be trusted.

Strengths:
None

Weaknesses:
Plenty

Price Paid:  $3900.00 at Meridian Bicycle Wor

Favorite Ride:
Any

Summary:
For some reason my review below got cut with regards to bike setup. Ultegra cranks and rings, king headset, xtr rear derailer, 105 front derailer (could of had ultegra for no added cost but Jim recommended the 105 due to a stronger spring with negligable increase in weight), phil wood hubs, 40 spoke dyad velocity rim wheels, arai drum brake, sele italia flite ti saddle (captain), serfas deep groove design saddle (stoker), speedplay frog pedals, xt cogset, and panaracer pasela tires.

Strengths:
None

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
None

Price Paid:  $3900.00 at Meridian Bicycle Wor

Favorite Ride:
Any

Bike Setup:
Ultegra cranks and rings, king headset, xtr rear derailer, shimano 105 front derailer (could of had

Summary:
The first Ascension I received was damaged during shipping. Shippers fault, but without having to make a claim, Jim over at Meridian offered to pay for shipping back to the shop to access damage. Once confirmed, he replaced the frame and swapped components. This could of been a very bad situation because I failed to notice the damage to the box and the frame until several days had passed. This frame rides laterally stiffer than the Santana Sovereigns I test rode but has similar ride characteristics.

Strengths:
Customer Service!!! Laterally stiff with some vertical compliance for comfort. Light. Beautiful candy apple red paint. job.

Weaknesses:
None!!!

Similar Products Used:
Cannondale RT 3000, Santana Sovereign SE