Some initial thoughts on the bike:
It rides very comfortably on both tarmac and forest roads. My previous point of reference is an aluminium frame mountainbike with a suspension fork. From what I can tell, the Raven rides a lot smoother. I guess that's what people are saying about steel having built in suspension, it seems to soak up vibrations. Because of the stability, I can also go downhill faster with confidence. So that's one important aspect of a do-everything-bike fulfilled.
The Nitto Randonneur handlebars are very comfortable with lots of hand positions. I had never ridden drops before, so I was all set on getting a straight handlebar with a pair of cane creek barends. I've tried those too but since it's just one hand position they don't even compare to the drop handlebar imo. I'm really happy I got talked into trying it. The position of the Rohloff shifter fits well, since I seem to be riding more and more in the drops.
The Rohloff is a no-brainer. As expected, the lower range of gears generates some noise. Doesn't bother me at all, because I know it's normal and doesn't affects the hub. A reason why you notice this sound is because the upper range is dead quiet. It really isn't a problem at all, but perhaps important to be aware of as on a non-Rohloff bike that sound would mean you're doing something wrong or that it's time for maintenance.
The bike is lighter and faster than I expected.
