October 4th, 2025
To Whom It May Concern:
I recently received a Bandito steel-framed bike from R+E Cycles (Rodriguez Bicycle Company), and, man, I cannot stop smiling!
Some background: I’ve had a custom-fitted titanium frame road bicycle for 25 years, and have absolutely loved that bicycle. But two factors prompted me to buy a new bicycle: I wanted disc brakes (never been a great descender and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become even more cautious) and I wanted a bicycle with couplers that I could travel with that would avoid excess baggage fees.
Experience with R&E: Any concern I had with moving over to steel evaporated with the first pedal strokes on the new bicycle. Who knew that a steel bike could ride like that?! It rides just as well as my beloved titanium frame - maybe even better! Regarding fit, Smiley absolutely nailed it! The new bicycle fits perfectly, notable as we did this completely remotely by email and by phone. I had some trepidation about assembly and disassembly, but all of that was remarkably intuitive and straight forward. R&E provides great instructions (video and pdf documents), and both Smiley and Alder were available and on the phone the couple of times I needed some reassurance. The overall guidance Smiley provided was just perfect. I’m an experienced cyclist, but I don’t follow equipment and tech trends. I explained to Smiley what type of riding I do, and, again, he nailed it in terms of picking components and frame type and dimensions.
I can’t recommend R&E highly enough, and particularly so if you are a remote buyer, need guidance on exactly what type of bicycle and components to get, and/or want a bicycle you can easily travel with. I now understand why they say steel is real, and R&E are clearly masters of steel.
Thank you and the crew for the great service and wonderful work!
Sincerely,
Jay R
Bellaire TX
