Yes, I agree with most of what you said. They did say they anticipated selling out the first container from the start, though.
http://prioritybicycles.com/
I have a bike from these guys, the Continuum, which was just an incredible value - gates belt drive, nuvinci hub, hydraulic discs, fenders included - for $950. They've since updated it to a dynamo hub+light with a $50 price bump. The owner, Dave Weiner, used to work for Giant, and he's no doubt using a lot of these connections (Giant does OEM frames). Ordering from them was a much smoother process (no missed dates or parts surprises), but they do have some of the same small company aspects, both good (email them and Dave will personally answer within an hour) and bad (they do a significant number of preorders too, I suspect for cashflow reasons).
The reason I bring it up is because I recommend them all the time to nonenthusiasts - they have a cool niche, targeting near-zero-maintenance bikes - and I feel comfortable recommending them because I know they'll ship when they say they will. This isn't the case with Juiced - but if they got just a little better at managing their supply chain (or maybe more importantly, expectations), I would be recommending them to everyone, even though neither is as smooth an experience as driving down the street and buying a Trek bike. People respond to value (and a story), but on it's own, that's not enough, and you do have to at least pass the bar with customer service and quality.
http://prioritybicycles.com/
I have a bike from these guys, the Continuum, which was just an incredible value - gates belt drive, nuvinci hub, hydraulic discs, fenders included - for $950. They've since updated it to a dynamo hub+light with a $50 price bump. The owner, Dave Weiner, used to work for Giant, and he's no doubt using a lot of these connections (Giant does OEM frames). Ordering from them was a much smoother process (no missed dates or parts surprises), but they do have some of the same small company aspects, both good (email them and Dave will personally answer within an hour) and bad (they do a significant number of preorders too, I suspect for cashflow reasons).
The reason I bring it up is because I recommend them all the time to nonenthusiasts - they have a cool niche, targeting near-zero-maintenance bikes - and I feel comfortable recommending them because I know they'll ship when they say they will. This isn't the case with Juiced - but if they got just a little better at managing their supply chain (or maybe more importantly, expectations), I would be recommending them to everyone, even though neither is as smooth an experience as driving down the street and buying a Trek bike. People respond to value (and a story), but on it's own, that's not enough, and you do have to at least pass the bar with customer service and quality.