The Volae is such a beautiful thing! Just wanted to let you know how pleased I have become with the Volae. The choice was definitely the right one. My rides have averaged 22 miles. My speed has averaged about 15.20 mph. While that may seem a bit slow, considering they have been done in hilly country I think that is a great start. If these rides were on flats I think my average speed would be 18 - 19 mph or more. Not too bad for a 66+ year old guy! This would be at least as fast if not faster than on my GT. The comfort and the view are added benefits. I can not say enough about the pleasure of riding the Volae.

When I first started riding I had to walk up some hills. Now I am now riding all of them with a good turn of speed. I was very wobbly in the begining. This is gone now and the thrill of riding has taken over.

Thank you for all you and your staff have provided with help and support during the purchase process. The support after purchase was also outstanding. I will look forward to doing business with the Hostel Shoppe for a very long time. And oh yes, I am going to get better and faster still as I work and tune the engine a bit more. It's a little old but is still capable, perhaps, of some amazing things.

Thanks so much for designing and building the Volae!

Just wanted to say thank you for a very nice product and very nice service. I purchased the Alpha Q EX carbon fork for my Volae Club. It went on fine and the service I received from your sales, shipping and mechanics was unmatched by anything I have available around here. Thanks a lot, see you at the Rally.

I received the Volae Sport last Monday. I would have written earlier, but honestly, I've been having too much fun ripping around on my new speed demon. Alot of "uprights" have fallen to the wayside in the wake of the Volae you've crafted for me. I'm so glad I found your shop. I'm not sure I would have had it as easy as with you dealing with any other place. Thank you.

The attention to detail is first rate and the service is great. My Volae has totally rejuvenated my 22 year cycling hobby. My riding has been missing that passion the last few years that I used to get every time I went out the door. Bents, and my Volae Team in particular, have put that zing back in my riding.

The group I ride with usually breaks into a "fast" group and a "leisure" group. After riding to the ride start and seeing what this bike could do, I decided to go with the fast guys. Being on a new type of bike, I hung out back. I stayed well out of their draft and I could keep up quite easily! This really blew me away. If I was on the upright in the paceline, it would nearly kill me to keep up. Now I can stay out the draft and keep up with them, with only moderate effort!

Needless to say, I am pleased. God willing I will put thousands and thousands of miles on this remarkable machine.

I have been riding recumbents for 4 years and was already sold on the concept when I ordered my new Team this past summer. I have had my Team for about 6 weeks and wow, what a ride. I love the smooth power transmission to the road. For a first iteration model you have certainly done your home work because it has exceeded my expectations. One suggestion would be for braze ons on the riser bar so you wouldn't have to use the friction bottle cage, but hey that's pretty minor. The integral bag on the seat is also a great design, looks sharp as well.

I've been riding my Volae Club and I simply love it. It gets a lot of looks, questions, and 'where can I get one'. I am getting used to the riding position and getting my recumbent muscles all over again. It is very comfortable and it feels fast. I know a bike is as fast as it's rider but this bike does feel fast. In fact I did pass and leave in the dust an upright rider on a LeMond in very nice colors. I did notice in my mirror that the upright bent over the front wheel rider was trying to catch me but did not. I'm not a Lance or a Lance wannabe, but I was so surprised at how this bike handles and how well it performs. Thanks for such a great bike, I am really enjoying it.

I just wanted to email to thank you for putting together one of the best, if not the best, bike I have ever ridden (that includes a Klein, Lightning P38, an old Colnago and assorted others over the years). Today I went on a ride that according to the Lightning's computer is 16.4 miles and according to the Cateye wireless that I put on the Volae Team is 16.5 miles so they are roughly correctly calibrated.

On the Lightning my best average speed this year (I am not in peak shape by any means) is 15.5 mph. There are a couple of steep but not too long hills that kill the average speed. On the Volae Team today my average speed without straining was 16 mph. My average speed going up hills is 2-3 mph faster on the Team than on the Lightning. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't experienced it.

The reason I think is just just great ergonomics, at least for me. I can literally feel that I am getting more power out of my muscles because I am better positioned on the pedals. It just feels great.

Team arrived... and it's great! I actually enjoyed putting it together. Been a long time since I built a bike basically from scratch. Gave me a chance to really check out all of the details. Waterford does a REALLY good job. The dark blue contrasts really well with the carbon bits. I only had a chance to ride it up and down the street a few times to make sure that everything works but I plan on taking it for some more serious rides this week when I'm off. One long flat 110km out and back and my semi-usual 50km climbing loop. I have a Radical Alfa Solo seat bag that will work great with it. So far it feels just as good as the Club that I was raving about at the 'BentRide.

My Volae Team is only in its second day. But IMHO, Hostel Shoppe has done a magnificent job of designing and building this extremely competitive two-650c-wheel, state-of-the-art recumbent. AND WOW, IS IT FAST!

Plus I find it very light, responsive, comfortable and easy to ride. I am very impressed and frankly, surprised at how much I like it and how quickly I seem to be adapting to it from my ride of the last two years, a LWB, low bottom bracket, Ti Rush. The Rush is a magnificent recumbent ... but at circa-35 pounds, it is 10 pounds heavier and a bit longer than the Volae Team. Although I love the Rush's comfort and feel, it does not have the incredible lightness and quickness of the Volae Team. It's just possible I'll keep both. There are some laid back, touring type rides on which the Rush could prove a little less demanding of the rider's attention and possibly prove to be more comfortable over many hours. And the Rush is an unmatched sight-seeing platform.

HOLY SMOKES! Grin equals rush equals freedom! Speed and comfort with the responsiveness of a skateboard. I rode ten miles around my neighborhood in sneakers before staying up all night to install accessories and dial in the fit. Like my aerobatic airplane, you wear this bike. But honest, not twitchy. Ride is firm but not jarring, softer than I expected.

I'm writing a book, "The Rail Gun Chronicles" about this bike and my experiences with it. Be calling you soon for an interview with the makers - if you don't mind. This bike has made cycling possible for me again and the experience of buying and riding it has exceeded my wildest expectations in every way!

Hi Folks,

Just a note to let you know how pleased I am with the Volae Century you just sent me.

As a 25 year year team mechanic and high end bicycle shop owner, I had high standards when it came to choosing my first recumbent for myself. With so many brands on the market, research was lengthy and extensive, but I knew enough to focus in on the few truly well designed and well equipped bikes out there. I am so lucky to have found your website and the Volae information. It was clear to me, that your company means business when it comes to recumbents, and your years of experience with multiple brands has allowed you to take the best features, design and components, and distill them into a line of bikes that are as good as you can get.

As a novice recumbent customer, my expertise with bicycles could only take me so far. Sure, I could see the high quality workmanship of the frame, and the excellent choice of components on the Volae, but I was unaware of how crucial sizing of the bike is. I am so lucky to have found your website which made it clear that the key to having a great experience with a recumbent is ultimately the fit of the bike to your body. I am sure there are thousands of people every year who make the mistake of buying a recumbent on the internet or on Ebay, that end up with a bike that does not fit them, and thus it makes their cycling experience virtual torture. With the variety of frame and seat sizes you offer, and with the specific measurements you require from the customer, the perfect fit is assured. The fact that your set up each bike specifically to the customer's personal measurements, means that right out of the box, the bike is perfect for that individual. My Century fit me like a glove, and my first ride ever on a recumbent was one of the greatest cycling experiences of my life.

I did not know what to expect from my first time on a recumbent, and with your generous offer of a trial period with each bike, I sure as heck was not going to throw out the packing materials and box until I knew what I was getting into. I think I had gone about 100 yards before I made the decision to fold up the bike box and put it in the recycling container. In a lifetime of cycling, I had never had a bike fit me so well. I had also never had a bike that was totally free from any discomfort. The carbon seat is so well designed, that there is absolutely no stress or pressure on any part of your back or tail. The position of the bars is such that just the lightest touch on the grips is needed, so there is no palm or wrist pain. The pedal stroke and position is totally natural, and if you closed your eyes, and did not know you were in a horizontal position, you would swear you were pedaling vertically. On my first ride, I was able to go further with much less effort than on my traditional bike. I noticed that headwinds are much less of a concern since the recumbent position does not cause nearly as much drag. I have suffered with asthma my entire life, and for the first time, I have a bike that allows me to keep up with other riders, and does not trigger my asthma by over exertion. Maybe it has something to do with the position I am riding in, but I think it must just take a lot less effort to ride at speed. Whatever it is, it in my opinion is the best benefit of the recumbent for me. Of course the 100% pain free ride is a close second!

I admit that at the age of 43, my motivation for researching recumbents was brought on by a need to find a bicycle that was comfortable. Your company has opened my eyes to a whole new world of cycling that I only wish I had discovered years ago. The two pieces of advice I have to pass on to riders, are that you should get a quality recumbent now, and not wait until your body asks for it, and that you make sure that it is one that fits you perfectly. The experience will be so great, that you will find your enthusiasm for cycling boosted 1000%. I can't wait to hit the road again today... I never used to say that!

Over fifteen years as an adult recreational cyclist I've owned more bikes than I care to admit. I've dabbled in racing, participated in fast club riding, toured, and ridden for plain old fun and fitness. I've had some fancy racing bikes and some high-end mountain bikes. The Volae is my third recumbent. I wanted a simple recumbent with a sporty feel for recreational and fitness riding. The Volae is everything I wanted. It's my favorite of all the bikes I've ever owned of any type.