Hi CR gang,
Seems like there is a bit of Ray bashing going on - but lets look at the facts. Ray sold many goodies to us that were unobtainable anywhere else - at any price!. He also produces a great frame for a reasonable price. Ray also led a crazy life - he was driving all around Europe and going to numerous swaps on the weekends (jumbles). For anybody this is a nearly unsustainable existence.
Now, Ray did make lots of mistakes - and right now I'm dealing with the mother of all mistakes that happened a few days ago. But, Ray has always in the end made good - he always makes sure that the end result is that your made whole and satisfied - and sometimes he goes overboard making it up! That is the price that we pay for his services. At Bicycle Classics we bought a lot from him, but we had to screen the stuff and "make it right" - but in the end we're very pleased with what transpired over the years. I hope others can appreciate his efforts.
Regarding the Bates frame liability issue, it is quite possible that a conversation I had with him regarding US liability law made him nervous. It isn't that he did anything devious - he just wanted to act with reasonable caution to protect himself and his family.
As a seller of vintage goods that has been around a bit, I know how rough it is. Ray chose to run his business in a way that maximized effort and minimized profit. Please cut him some slack - he tried hard and when things went wrong he did his best to keep folks happy. In this modern information era we expect and in most cases deserve more efficiency - but for goodness sakes, Ray used to type his list with a typwriter! Lets try to be nice.
Mike Kone - grinning while sitting on a pile of "wrong stuff" next to an NOS 1955 Brooks Swallow saddle and unobtanium 1st generation Campy hubs - all from Ray.