I just posted thisin the Intro subforum, but I thought this would be an appropriate place as well. This is my commuter, and a llittle bit of background.
I use to ride a bike every day after school when I was growing up. My friends and I would just circle our neighborhood constantly and talk. You always knew who's house we were at by the driveway filled with bikes. I joined the Navy and moved around, CT, HI for 7 years, back to CT...
I got back into bike riding last year when I moved to the Washington and started living close enough to work for it to be practical for me to ride to work. Right after I started looking for a bike, REI had their 20% deal come up and I went in to test a few models out. I didn't
need the Novara Gotham, but after taking it for a test ride, I was smitten. On the last day of the sale,I went in and picked it up. I've been able to ride it year round, any time I've not been deployed or working on the submarine as the ride would be too far for me at this point.
I've made a few, non-mechanical upgrades since getting it, bottle holder, bike bag, Serfas RX seat, Shimano Saint pedels, Fenix BC30, and most recently Ergon GP5 grips (not pictured).
The real stars of the bike are the Nuvinci N360 infinitely variable internal hub and the Gates Carbon Belt drive.
They make for a super smooth, maintence free ride perfectly suited for the rainy Pacific Northwest.