Picking a commuter

[badgercat]

If you end up here in Tucson, I don't feel like fenders are totally essential... I don't have them on my commuter (my Trek 7.2 FX) because when it rains, it basically either isn't that big of a deal or is SO torrential that I wouldn't feel safe riding in it (i.e. monsoon).

I second (third? fourth?) Craigslist... we're a pretty bike-y city here, so there's always stuff coming up in a variety of sizes (unless you're really-really-really petite or tall, I don't recall). Of course, I can't speak to any of the other cities you're considering moving to. I used a Craigslist bike (vintage mixte, $100) as my commuter when my Trek was still my "nice" bike for long rides, but after I bought myself a "real" road bike this summer, my Trek got demoted (or maybe actually promoted, since I ride it much more often now) to commuter.

I'll keep my eye out for Giant Iguanas.