It's a void not a pricing error.
Kungfuguy,
What you feeling is a void in the line up; not an over pricing of the Silvio. You are correct about the void, but not about the Silivio being too expensive. Hopefully I can make that case to you without being insulting..... If I fail please assume I trying; because I think others might share you conclusion. I fail blame the internet.
Apple computers had this problem for years and always got beat up about it. Simply put when you compete against a broad spectrum of products in multiple classes at multiple levels of function; there are going to be gaps in your product line card. That's business and that's life with limited resources especially for a startup company.
The Quest competes with a solid commuter bike; and the folder market. The softrider competes with the $900 "giant" brand cross bike you buy either for your 16 - 18 year old because you are bike snob and you won't let them ride crap, or because you are a casual biker who can afford "nice". They are priced correctly, and I can see why they completely don't interest you.
The Silvio competes head on with the $5-9k bikes; and the V is going up against $6-12k bikes. I've ridden so called high end bikes for 30+ years and I have a good feel for how the Silvio compares and I'm very confident in my assessment. My last road bike cost $8k in 2003 and by todays standard would be $11k. My Silvio which, I am still learning to ride, is already more comfortable and is as fast or faster, after I've acclimated I'll have a winner for the dollar spent.
Now in my experience People buy an expensive carbon bike so that they can go fast and be comfortable, or to fit in with the crowd by doing what is expected. We'll discount those that buy to "fit in" as irrelevant to this discussion since buying a recumbent isn't "fitting in". We can hope, but that's not today's market.
Comparing bikes in the "very good" quality range..... I can get a fully setup Silvio on the road for $2700 if I wanted to and it's still going to be a better ride than: a Trek Domane , a Focus Cayo Evo 4.0, a Storck Scenero G2, or a Boardman SLR. If you don't know those bikes by name, they where all in the running for bike of the year last year and have prices ranging from $2350-3150 with 105 class components and what I would classify as basic (aka slow) wheels. When you drop out of that price range build quality is going to be less; ride quality is going to be less, and you are going to get "suspect" parts.
It's always going to be a function of "good, fast, cheap" pick two.
So back to the void, there is no bike in the Cruzbike line up that's competing with a Carbon DF from Bikes direct; there simply isn't a back stock of 2010 models sitting in a warehouse that have to be sold at a loss so you don't have to warehouse them any longer. If you want to compete at the sub $2k price point then you pretty much need to get the v2k frame and the kit; and start building.
So the question that was at the heart of this wonderfully open thread was is Cruzbike spending their time developing the right bikes. Some of use have said "heck yeah build the high end and advance the bread". I take you as to be saying "whoa dudes you're like 10 years ahead, stop and fill in the gaps".
Ok both have their merits; we don't know what they will do next. I applaud them having this discussion, but it's tea leave man, just tea leaves.
What I do know that is far more certain, IF you want a cool fast Cruzbike for $2k; there are a bunch of people here that would find it fun to start another thread about how to build a wicked cool v2k build; with fast tires; cheap 105 class component or microshift; and a boom like steering system instead of the vertical pipe that the conversion kit pushes us toward. That's on my summer project list. If we did a good job they might start offering that as a standard kit in the store. Now if we just had a really nice carbon/aluminum hybrid fork for such a project... hmmmm.
Anyways you keep pushing for that 2k equivalent bike; i'll keep hoping for the zockra killer carbon Vendetta and we'll see where John and company go, as long as they stay in business and keep making bikes, it will be a good direction.
Oh an I'm serious about the 2k build anyone that wants to co-design/solve that problem with me; my 10 year son is really itching for me to get started on that project....
-Bob
