I have been seeing where this thread goes, but I have a couple of thoughts.

The VO frames definately target a niche market. Their closest competitors are the likes of Rivendell in terms of their 650B bikes. To argue that you are tageting the same market as Soma/Surly simply becasue the price point is similar and they are both steel is not entirely correct because once you look past the steel frame, they are different bikes (including the paint). With respect to VO's 700C frame, the lines are indeed much more blurred becasue I think you could make the argument that Soma, Surly and other's offerings are indeed quite similar.

That said, it all boils down to marketing. Surly's "thing" is inexpensive, sturdy bikes which are both useful and flexible. They have really defined the market in the US. While I do not think any of their bikes would be one the top 10 list of all times for specific purposes (except the Big Dummy for which there are really on 3-5 in that entire catagory), I belive they provide very good value for the money. Soma, in certain areas, is basically Surly with Pinache'. You get lugs in most cases, and more sporty paint, mayby less flexible in use than Surly, but still quite useful in the end.

VO is selling something else. Where Surly shows hipster/street-smart 20-somethings tooling through urban environs, VO shows their bikes with wine, window boxes of flowers outside old buildings. Surly and Soma plugs alley cats, VO evows randonneering. This difference transistions to suble differences in geometry, brase-on placement and others which frankly most of use would not really notice. They are indeed filling a market where Hearse, Rivendell, and the like are above the budgets of many people.

I also disagree with the assertion that any old 80's Japansese frame provides the same thing as a fraction of the price. Where that may be true for people on this list, it is not true for the majority of people out there wanting a new (to them at least) bike. I cannot even fathom the number of people who have walked into the shop with a bike which would is more than suited for what they use it for, but want a NEW bike. They have all the excuses in the world, but most of the time, they simply want a new bike. If they want to change their drop-bar sport tour Centurion (or equivilent) to tourist bars, fenders, thumb shifters, etc., suddenly they are into the thing a few hundred dollars assuming they want the shop to do the work. You can only sell that may 1 out of 10 times, and yes I have been trying for years.

So. I do not take exception to VO's frames. While Surly, Soma, Raleigh, others offer similar bikes at a similar price, you will be getting different bikes in the end and the choice is nice to have. I might also add that VO is getting more and more local dealers. WE tend to eat the shipping costs in those instances which for a frame is more than insignificant.