We also have a steel daVinci going on 4+ years. While we didn't do an Al test ride, the Al version isn't much lighter (1.5 lbs as I recall) and we're not a lightweight team. We were novices when we purchased and test rode CoMotion, Santana and daVinci. We would have been very satisfied with any of these brands, but somehow the uniqueness of the daVinci call to "us" (actually, "me"). We've got the quad chainrings and sometimes cross-chain our way to using all 40 combinations (36 in a stock bike). The long chain line is nice that way and works even when abused. Our lowest gear is 24-36 and we're not too proud to use it when needed although our normal cassette is an 11-32.

The Campy shifters are a personal preference. I only had Shimano brifter experience prior to the daVinci, but I really like the up/down multi-shift capability particularly on the tandem. YMMV. We put about 9000 miles on the original wheels without touching them. I bought a second set of daVinci wheels so I'd have a spare set, but the stock wheels seem incredibly strong so my spares may sit for a long time. The newer wheels are a bit nicer since the machined brake track gives a bit more bite.