For whatever it's worth, I purchased a Velo Vie 300 SE in late May, and because the frame was back-ordered, it is just now being built to my specs. The fact that Velo Vie did not mention the backorder immediately was a little bit annoying, I admit. It should ship next week though, and I'll be dragging this ultra light bike out to all the hilly Cat3 road races in my district very soon. I did a lot of research on this frame and on this company, and I'm hoping to come out of it with a stiff, light frame that climbs and descends well.
This small company is growing rapidly, and I can definitely picture them someday being "the next Cervello" or something similar years down the road. They have their frames custom built to their specs. They are not knockoffs. And talking with the owners, they seem to really be taking a serious, diligent approach into making this something special.
Even though my team is sponsored by Cannondale, and we get some pretty great deals, I still thought that the Velo Vie might be a better option for me. Being able to customize every part was a big selling point. I can run a Force rear derailleur and a Red front derailleur for example. Red cassette, but Force cranks. Every part on this bike is built to my specifications unlike with Cannondale where you get what you get. I also took a chance and am going with the new Bontrager x-lite wheels with white spokes. I know how bad the old version of these failed the last many years, and even my mechanic recommended steering clear of them, but the new version is a complete redesign, and I have high hopes that they've gotten it right this time around.
I know that Amore and Vita/McDonalds has been having plenty of success lately on these frames. They started out on the 300, but now all their riders ride the 300 SE. This frams won a mountain top finish in a big race in Canada under the direction of Miguel Martinez, and a couple high congestion sprints in North America under the direction of Ukranian uber sprinter, Yuriy METLUSHENKO. Why they decided to run baby blue tires on this bike, however, still remains a mystery. Ugly.
In any case, my Red/Force 300 SE will be here soon, and I'll give a full report. Hoping I don't have to eat all my words and it turns out that the bike just plain sucks.
