I test rode one of these a few weeks ago. The reviews are right the brakes are low quality. I am surprised Trek put something like that on this bike even at the pricepoint it is. The rest of the bike seemed fine in general, but at teh time I was looking at it bare;y used for less than $300. It is geared pretty low so thats good for commuting IMO. I am not sure what you mean by customizing it, but if you wanted to add gears you would probably want to just buy another bike. What price is the Gritty in your area? If its near $500 then I think its an overpriced bike for what it is. The redeeming quality is the lower gearing out of the box, but not everyone will agree with that. I do think its a cool looking bike also. If you want more questions abut the bike I would be willing to answer them.