Opinions on RIPEMD vs SHA?

[Brian Mearns]

I'm considering making my default hash RIPEMD160: does anyone have any
opinions on how this compares to SHA-2 algorithms in terms of both
security and availability? I like the idea that RIPEMD was developed
in an academic community instead of the NSA, but if there are genuine
benefits to using SHA, I have no problem looking past this bit of
romanticism. I'm especially curious if RIPEMD160 is commonly available
in popular PGP clients.

Thanks,
-Brian

-- 
Feel free to contact me using PGP Encryption:
Key Id: 0x3AA70848
Available from: http://keys.gnupg.net