Nothing says you can't have two bikes down the road.


What's your bike storage situation like at work?

I like steel, and it sounds like you liked the ride of the Coda. I'd stay away from the Zealo. Nice components (and the brakes are better than the ones that came on my CX bike), but the fork is aluminum, and the ride might be uncomfortable. You might be a bit more comfortable too, with the brakes on either the Trek or Jamis.

It sounds like you want a road bike down the road anyway, so I'd buy something with some "zip" as well to carry you on a bit longer until you make the leap to a road bike. The higher-end FX series, if I remember correctly, is pretty close to a road bike, just with flat bars. I'm not familiar with Jamis except that they do a nice steel bike and give you a lot of bang for your buck.

(And that new Avail is gorgeous...)