Originally Posted by
RubeRad
The Volagi Viaje is an "endurance" bike, and it looks gorgeous. It's my N+1, maybe 5-10 years down the line (when they start to enter the used market?). Right now, the cheapest option for a brand-new complete bike from their
online 'builder' is $2540. But maybe you could get creative, find a frame for less than $1595 list, and cobble together a build, and assemble it yourself?
And yes, I think putting fenders on such a creature would be a crime against beauty. But maybe if you had some fenders you could slap on in 5 min on rainy days?
I actually saw one of these at a local bike shop last weekend (the one that wasn't helpful) and took a photo of the price tag with my phone. They never showed me the bike (despite the fact that it was among the few in the shop that would fit wider tires - or narrow tires with fenders). I didn't know that it wasn't an ordinary road bike at the time. I didn't check the tire clearances and didn't see the hidden fender eyelets. I just noticed that it was a nice-looking carbon fiber bike (2012 model year) marked down from ~$2900 to $2100. Still above my price bracket, despite sitting in the shop for 2 years apparently...
Maybe it would be worth going over there to see if they are willing to bring it closer to my price range ($1800). Although it's hard for me to know what a "good deal" is, given that I don't know when component groups changed (10 to 11spd or new versions, etc). If you have greater insight, let me know.
Just pulled from my phone:
