Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Will a Jamis Coda Sport support a 300+ pound rider? (uber-clyde, rhinoryder, etc)

UPDATE - I have since sold this bike after getting the wheel replaced with another 32 spoke rear. It was too small and I replaced it with another Coda Sport but this time I got the 21.5" which has surprisingly similar clearance (maybe it's just me). The longer top tube made a big difference for me, no more extra long setback seatpost for me =).

I got a 2007 model from a local shop (missinglink.org) and they built me a rear wheel that can take a serious beating ...
Hub: Shimano Tiagra
Spokes: double butted 14/15 (3 cross pattern)
Rim: Rhyno Lite by Sun Rims
Tire: Soma New Express 700x35 rather than original 700x28 (had to get bigger tire to fit the Rhyno lite rim since it's substantially wider - these tires are amazing!)

Took it out for critical mass in SF (where we were attacked by zombies who had been kicked out of a mac store, weird) and it held up perfectly over many bumps and holes (ended up riding on poorly lit street with plenty of big bumps and it was great! Even took a few stairs without issue).

Ended up being $765 total:
$655 for bike (after tax)
$110 for rear wheel, tire, tube, non-QR seatpost skewer, and labor.

Plus I get 1 year warranty on everything at a very local shop who have a room set up with two sets of tools for anyone who comes in (stands and everything, even free lube, chain grease, and whatnot).

Compared with the $499 for the Coda Sport from bicycleblowout.com I'm out and extra $155 on the bike and $110 on the wheel ... but I needed the bigger wheel regardless so I don't count that against the difference in cost. Really a $155 difference for a 2007 with 1 year local free service (vs. 2005 with no service, unassembaled.)

thanks for everyone's help!

PS - weight down to 285lbs (from 333 only 6 months ago)!


Summary: will a Jamis Coda Sport (http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/07_bikes/codasport.html)support my 6'0", 310 pound body for years of paved riding?

(1)The wheels are 32h, I've heard that 36h or even 40h would be more likely to stay true given my weight (i.e., touring type wheels). Is 32h sufficient considering my weight? If it just means being a little more consistent in checking and adjusting the wheels that's not a big deal, but if it means component failure then please let me know.

(2)The tires are Hutchinson Flash, 700 x 28C - are these big enough for me?

(3)I've been assuming that the chromoly frame is not going to have a problem dealing with my weight, seems correct based on my searching of posts on here, but does anyone think that the frame itself is not going to be up to the task?

I much prefer a relatively upright riding position (my current setup has the handlebars level with the seat, maybe 1cm above the seat) though this may change as I lose a bit more weight (the adjustable angle stem on the Coda Sport is quite appealing for this reason).

I'm 310 pounds now, (lost 15 over last month from dieting and riding) and I'm looking for a new ride, something a little more like a touring/hybrid kinda thing (i.e., the Jamis Coda). My 1996 Klein Pulse Comp, 17.5" (too small, though I have short legs, long upper body) has been converted into something of a hybrid for a few years, but it's is just not holding together too well and I don't do any mountain/dirt/off-road biking any more. Glad for all the Clydesdale info, great resource here, thanks!



I'll probably just change two things:
(a) I have a brooks B67 that will definitely be replacing the stock seat.
(b) I'd like to put a trekking / touring handlebar on it ... like this one from nashbar. (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=92&subcategory=1049&brand=&sku=9756&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=) Will the components from the stock Jamis Coda fit the trekking bar?
And I might change a third component:
(c) - the stock seatpost is a suspension type ... since the brooks saddle is a sprung model, this would be a bit much in the suspension department (plus my experience with suspension posts is that they are not designed for heavier people ... some adjust up to deal with weights over 250#, but not most it seems).


Bike specs:
FRAME - Reynolds 520 double-butted chromoly main tubes, reinforced head tube collars, double tapered cromo stays, forged dropouts with eyelets.
FORK - Chromoly unicrown, bulge butted steerer, low rider braze-ons, double eyelets.
HEADSET - Aheadset, steel, 1 1/8”.
WHEELSET - Alex ACE18 alloy double-wall eyeletted rims, 700c, 32H, with Shimano Road 2200 hubs, 14g stainless steel spokes.
TIRES - Hutchinson Flash, 700 x 28C .
DERAILLEURS - Shimano Deore rear, Shimano R443-A bottom pull front.
SHIFTERS - Shimano ST-R440 for flat-bar, 27-speed.
CHAIN - KMC Z9000.
FREEWHEEL - SRAM PowerGlide 950, 9-speed, 11-32.
CRANKSET - TruVativ Touro, 52/42/30, 170mm (16-17.5”), 175mm (19.5-23”).
BOTTOM BRACKET - TruVativ PowerSpline, 68 x 113mm
PEDALS - Wellgo full alloy platform type.
BRAKESET - Tektro SD3 direct pull brakes with power modulator and Tektro alloy V-brake levers.
HANDLEBAR - Ritchey flat bar, 6061 T-6, 5° bend x 580mm width.
STEM - Ritchey Pro Adjustable, 100mm (16 - 17.5”), 120mm° (19.5 - 23”).
GRIPS - WTB Street Smart with reflective end plugs.
SEATPOST - Suspension, 45mm travel, 350mm x 27.2, alloy clamp with QR seatpin.
SADDLE - Jamis Touring with SL top and satin steel rails.
SIZES - 16”, 17.5”, 19.5”, 21.5”, 23”
COLORS - Radium Blue/Gloss Black
WEIGHT - 25.50 lbs

Summary: will a Jamis Coda Sport (http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/07_bikes/codasport.html)support my 6'0", 310 pound body for years of paved riding?


Yes



(1)The wheels are 32h, I've heard that 36h or even 40h would be more likely to stay true given my weight (i.e., touring type wheels). Is 32h sufficient considering my weight? If it just means being a little more consistent in checking and adjusting the wheels that's not a big deal, but if it means component failure then please let me know.


32's should be fine. Take them back to the shop where you bought it and get the wheels retensioned after a few hundred miles. That'll help. If they fail eventually, so be it, you'll be a lighter man for it.




(2)The tires are Hutchinson Flash, 700 x 28C - are these big enough for me?


Definitely, I rode 28's when I was around 280 and doing loaded tournig. I dropped to 23's when stopped touring.




(3)I've been assuming that the chromoly frame is not going to have a problem dealing with my weight, seems correct based on my searching of posts on here, but does anyone think that the frame itself is not going to be up to the task?


I have no experience that would say it shouldn't hold up. I used to have a trek 520 that was chromoly, it held up no problem. (someone can correct if the frame strenghts are notably different).

(1)The wheels are 32h, I've heard that 36h or even 40h would be more likely to stay true given my weight (i.e., touring type wheels). Is 32h sufficient considering my weight? If it just means being a little more consistent in checking and adjusting the wheels that's not a big deal, but if it means component failure then please let me know.

Probably not. I rode my sequoia with 32h alex rims, and they didn't hold up(spoke failure at 600miles). I had to swap them for 36h velocity deep Vs.



(2)The tires are Hutchinson Flash, 700 x 28C - are these big enough for me?

Probably fine. I ride 700X25s, and they are fine. Just keep them properly inflated.



(3)I've been assuming that the chromoly frame is not going to have a problem dealing with my weight, seems correct based on my searching of posts on here, but does anyone think that the frame itself is not going to be up to the task?

The frame should not be a problem at all. If you are going to spend money, do it on the wheels.

Thanks for the REALLY fast feedback ronjon10 and john bono. I agree that any money beyond the purchase will be put into at least a new rear wheel, maybe 36h or 40h. Weight of the bike really isn't the issue for me, I can lose more weight than any 10 components on the bike =)

However, there were conflicting answers to wheels question:

32's should be fine. Take them back to the shop where you bought it and get the wheels retensioned after a few hundred miles. That'll help. If they fail eventually, so be it, you'll be a lighter man for it. and

Probably not. I rode my sequoia with 32h alex rims, and they didn't hold up(spoke failure at 600miles). I had to swap them for 36h velocity deep Vs.
So I'll count this as a "maybe" ... though I suppose as long as the failure is not catestrophic that I can just replace the wheel when it begins to fail.
Anyone else who can give me some advice or share your experiences on this subject (and for any of the other questions) would be really appreciated!

So I'll count this as a "maybe" ... though I suppose as long as the failure is not catestrophic that I can just replace the wheel when it begins to fail.
Anyone else who can give me some advice or share your experiences on this subject (and for any of the other questions) would be really appreciated!

I'll admit my advice is jaded as I've never had wheel problems (except when I ran the rear wheel through a grate, but that was my bad) so I can't say for sure. Many around here have had wheel problems. No matter what you do with the wheels, definitely get them retensioned after a few hundred miles. If you do get another set of wheels, keep the first set just in case. My extra wheel was handy when I bent my rim on the grate, no down time.

Any one else willing to weigh in on whether or not the 32h wheel in the rear is going to hold up under a 300+ body doing strictly pavement riding?

Also, I was 313lbs when I wrote this thread, 327 one month ago (Jan 3) ... now I'm 308lbs.

Here's my fitday chart:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/379984705_9e2f1b675d_o.jpg

Any one else willing to weigh in on whether or not the 32h wheel in the rear is going to hold up under a 300+ body doing strictly pavement riding? Sure...I'm game.

I started riding my Mavic CXP33, 32h, wheels at ~300lbs. They had 14/15ga. butted spokes single cross pattern. I kept rubbing the rims on the brake pads. So I took them to local shop, had 'em put 14ga. straight spokes on in a 3x pattern. No problems with rubbing anymore. But, one of the spokes consistently came loose. I had to re-tighten it every 50 miles or so. Took back to the shop, they fixed it up with some spoke prep. No more problems coming loose. A little wobbly, but I trued that up quickly.

After ~1,000 miles on the wheel (rear) and down to about 280 lbs, I was coming down a mountain ride (about 4,000 feet loss over 25 miles). I noticed it was out of true again. Would have to fix later. Next day, I was going to go for a ride so went to true up. Noticed some serious spoke pull-through around two neighboring spokes. 3 weeks later, I have the wheel back from the shop after the local Mavic sales rep (out of Boston!--I'm in California!) inspected and replaced the rim (I did have to pay $40 labor, though :rolleyes: ).

My working theory: I weigh alot. With only 32 spokes, my weight was less spread out than it would have been with an extra 2 spokes on that side of the rim. Then, coming down hills blasting through curves at 35-40mph, I put alot of centifugal force on the wheels and the spokes holding the hub off the ground. This didn't help with the eventual pull-through.

However, to take a little salt with this, I'm thinking that with my constant problem of keeping the wheel true, it might have been a weak spot in the rim itself, aggravated by me and that ride. Evidence to support this: shouldn't the spoke have broken before the rim?

I last had 36h touring rims (Matrix Titans) many years ago and had absolutely no problems with them at all. But, Mavic has a pretty good rep.

Go figure.

Buy the bike and ride the wheels it comes with. When/if it fails, it will probably just be a broken spoke. You can usually limp home with a broken spoke and get the LBS to replace the spoke. After you break 2 or 3, order a handbuilt rear wheel with 36 spokes. I've done this a number of times, until I wised up and ordered a handbuilt wheel.

I rode 3,000 miles last year weighing 270-290 and didn't break a spoke on a handbuilt ultegra/open pro combo.

Bob

I probably did near 1000 this summer with a pre-busted rear wheel, 32h. I had no idea, but when I took it in to the LBS after a second spoke broke, the pointed out the first one (VERY hard to notice) and the rust on the break. Oops. And at that point I was 430+.

Don't worry about it. Like others said, just ride it until it breaks, then order a better one. That's my plan with my latest purchase, I agonized too much over it and finally just took the shop's advice.

Thanks bdinger, that sounds like a solid plan and reasonable financially.

Yeah, I really had a hard time with that one. Toward the end yesterday it was between the Redline Monocog 29er (so, so, so much stupid fun and impractical, but impossible to resist), Bianchi Volpe, and Trek FX 7.3. The Volpe was pushing the upper limit of my budget very hard, but they come with a bombproof wheelset/setup right out of the door. Heck, I know that for a fact, I hit a friend's rear wheel doing about 10mph on a bike path. My front was ridiculously out of true after, but his was negligible. Talk about a tough wheelset :)

Anyway, I kept going back to the wheelset. The sales person kept assuring me that the 32h 700c wheels on the FX 7.3 would be just fine, and if I had problems with them down the road they'd give me credit towards a new set. Finally I just up and took his advice :). I figured I could go off technical stuff and various other stuff I read online, or take the advice of a place that sells quite a few bikes, a place steering me towards the lesser-expensive item that I was looking at that day.

But yeah, my plan is just to ride it and enjoy it. If I have problems, I'll get Open Pros laced up to XT hubs, then never worry again :D.

And now you are stuck with that Bianchi Volpe with its "leopard fur" saddle!!

Just joking. The 2006 model had this fancy saddle. But I have no clue what the designers at Bianchi are thinking.

The difference between the 32h and 36h rims is far less than the difference between a head up your ass rider and a paying attention rider. It seems really obvious but follow five different riders and you'll understand why some are replacing tires every 1,000 miles and some are going 5,000. Wheels are the same. It is like drivers. IF you accelerate to the red light then jam on the brakes, you are going to get wrose gas mileage and need brake shoes more often.

I've said it before here -- I'll say it again. Riding light is every bit as important as buying strong equipment.

All that said, looks like a good bike. Buy it, ride it, come back to BF and tell us about it.

I'll try one out at the LBS tomorrow evening if I can get out of work and on to BART before they get to close to closing time.

thanks everyone, the idea of riding light is very helpful in my attempts to train beyond just trying to get more and more miles in shorter and shorter times. Core training, etc. Someone suggested a pilates/aerobics move called the "plank" and crunchies. Been doing these daily, easy even when there's rain out =(

thanks again, I'll get back once I get on the bike.

Have you tried or looked at the Jamis Quest? Looking for one in my area to test ride, but no luck. Seems like a nice bike and a has a very good rep.

You might find 35's help with wheel longevity.

The quest looks great, but it's not really like the Coda b/c not a hybrid/touring/commuter thing and it's between 2 and 3 times as expensive (way out of my price range).

I have been considering whether it's worth getting the Coda Sport over the Coda base model. the differences:
(1) 24 vs. 27 speed
(2) better (eyeletted) wheelset on the sport (more durable?)
(3) ritchey adjustable stem on the sport (vs. oem generic alloy adjustable stem)
(4) Sport is 0.5lbs lighter (25.5)
(5) MSRP $450 vs. $600 (LBS has sport marked down $25 to $575).
(6) the Truvativ Power Spline BB on the Sport is not an industry standard and could result in having to buy a whole new crankset if and when the BB fails

So is the Sport worth $150 more?

Well, I bought the bike today from bicycleblowout.com (the website of a shop in Nevada, they sell locally and online - they are directly connected with Jamis somehow and get some of their new old-stock, i.e., last year's models).

No one seems to have these Jamis Coda's or Coda Sports in stock locally (and even not so locally). And the one shop I was able to find one in was a 2007 Sport in 19.5" which is too big for me.

Bicycleblowout had the 2005 Jamis Coda Sport for $479.99 in 17.5" ... last Coda or Coda sport they had in this size, they have some others in 19.5 or 21.5 and something in 16".

Basically, here were the prices after tax I was looking at (keeping in mind I was willing to pay more to buy locally):

Locally:
2007 Coda - $487 (on order, 1+ month)
2007 Coda Sport - $623 (only 19.5", for 17.5 on order, 1+ month)

Bicycleblowout:
2006 Coda: $379.99 (ran out of 17.5" a day ago)
2006 Coda sport: $519.99 (ran out of 17.5" recently)
2005 Coda sport: $479.99 (I bought the last 17.5")

Essentially the decision was made for me because the LBS couldn't get these models any time soon and no guarantee that they'd get them at all (Jamis, like most companies, gives first preference in ordering to those shops which pre-purchase more bikes earlier in the season, no LBS who does that so they all can only order and hope). Bicycleblowout ran out of my size in the 2006 models, so the last 2005 was the only option left in my size. It's $7 less than the 2007 Coda and comes with some substantial improvements and some things that are not as good at the 2006 or 2007:

2005 Coda sport vs. ...
(1) The 2005 Sport has 36h eyeletted wheels, which is good b/c I'm heavy, vs. 32h non-eyeletted wheels on the 2007 Coda or 32h eyeletted wheels on the 2007 Sport. 2005 Sport best meets my needs.
(2) Ritchey adjustible stem vs. generic adjustible stem on the Coda (same Ritchey stem on the 2007 Sport). Prefer the Ritchey stem, probably would work just the same as the generic one though, a wash.
(3) 2005 Sport has 24 speed. 2007 Coda has 24 speed but lower end components. 2007 Sport has 27 speed, similar level components. This is a wash as far as I'm concerned.
(4) 2005 Sport 25lbs, 2007 Coda 26.25lbs, 2007 Sport 25.75 ... the 2005 Sport is the lightest!
(5) $480, $487, $623. 2005 Sport is the cheapest!

I think this worked out great, thanks for the help everyone!

Congrats, sounds like a well thought out purchase! Make sure to post some pics ;D

Thanks Bdinger. There are four things I'm thinking about changing (in this order actually):
(1) replace the saddle with my brooks b67 (no brainer)
(2) replace the handlebars with something kinda like a north road bar ... we'll see how the flat bars work out.
(3) replace the low front gear ... 30 is a bit high for my purposes, I'd like to have something of a granny range ... maybe a 26 would do the trick.
(4) replace the tires with 35's (stock is 28) ... little bigger for more comfort and to reduce some of the shock to the wheels (probably the weakest component given my weight, though definitely enough to keep me going for a long time ... I'll have a friend who's more gifted with the wrench and the torque-o-meter gadget make sure they're all properly adjusted initially).

Thanks again for the helpful replies! I'll post pics as soon as I get the bike.

So I got the 2005 Coda Sport and I love it!

BUT today I got a VERY loose spoke

The wheel is quite out of true and I'll be taking it in to the shop to see if there's any long term problems I've caused. The spokes are unbranded and probably machine built wheelset. Put about 250 miles on them so far. Only the one went super loose though ... not super well built wheels.

I'm going in to my LBS, The Missing Link, in Berkeley, ca to have it looked at ... maybe to Montano Velo if it looks like I'll need to have anything rebuilt (i.e., ruined rims, okay hubs = new options?).

Any tips, thoughts, advice?

^^^

Have the LBS retension the wheel.

If you continue to break spokes get a new hand built wheel with a 36H XT hub, good quality double butted spokes, and a decent rim. If you go the new wheel route, which probably isn't a bad idea, remember that it's spokes that you are breaking and not rims; but that extra bit of money on the spokes.

Not just retension, have them just rebuild it. It's going to cost you a little bit, but it will ensure fewer problems in the future. In fact, even have them rebuild the wheels with some high quality spokes while they are at it.

What should a rebuild cost? The last time I was in the shop they mentioned that my 32h shimano hubs would be a good base for a wheelset upgrade, but I'm a little nervous about the cost. Can a good wheel be built on my 32h hub for under $125? (i.e., upgraded spokes, new rim, build cost)

They can't be used for 36h wheels, right?

Also, I have heard (even above) that after a couple hundred miles most new wheels should be inspected and adjusted ... I assume this problem is worse for heavy riders (now down to 288.6 from 326.6 about five months ago) ... could it be that the stock wheelset is good, but just needed retensioning/checking by LBS?

Thanks again for all your help folks!
Abe

Any one else willing to weigh in on whether or not the 32h wheel in the rear is going to hold up under a 300+ body doing strictly pavement riding?

Also, I was 313lbs when I wrote this thread, 327 one month ago (Jan 3) ... now I'm 308lbs.

Here's my fitday chart:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/379984705_9e2f1b675d_o.jpg

I was 365 and im still in the 3s and my trek 820 has 32 on it and i have about 500 miles on the bike and ive never heard a wimper out of them. I have done regular maitenance and take it to the shop for adjustments a couple times a year. Im looking at the Jamis Venture comp myself but i have a long list of test rides i need to get done before my final purchase.

Seems like the bike will hold up fine to me.

I can't tell exactly how much it will cost, but I know that local shops here charge $25-45 in labor for a build. Ironically the cheapest shop is probably the best in town, and the highest I'd have less faith in. Go figure :).

My total wheel build would cost $125 for the rear. That's for a Sun RhynoLite, Deore hub, some skewer I don't even remember, DT spokes, and the "handbuild". The spokes alone are going to run nearly $50, because I'm a dork and I want black spokes :). However, thanks to the shop being awesome, the total I'm paying is less than the cost of the spokes :).

I would imagine that for new spokes and a handbuild, if you went with decent spokes, you could get in under $75, probably even under $50. If you keep your current rim and hub, that is, and there's no reason not to. The only reason I'm upgrading is that my rim is warped from riding 20 miles with a busted spoke to get back to the shop... oops. While they are doing the entire build, I figured I may as well just get a new hub, and for the price the "regular" Deore is just fine.

But yeah, even better would be if your shop would let you purchase the parts online and build them up for you at the cost of labor. I was going to do this, but it ended up that the shop got the parts for less than I could have gotten them, and threw in a hefty discount and credit for the existing (and busted) rear wheel :).

Did you upgrade to the 35 tires...and if so, how did it work out. I am looking at the Coda Sport also but want the wider tires.

Thanks

Yes rode a Coda at 368,keep your eye on tire pressure, at recomened,I went 5lbs higher. Air gets lost when youremove the valve and/or check the pressure anyway.I road a Giant Hybrid even more at over 340 lbs.

Oh yeah,stockwheels 32 size tires on both.

Stock wheels 700c x 28, 32 spoke on my 2005 (don't know what they 2007's have).

I never switched to 35 tires ... maybe I should have ...

I do like the tires though! I was nealry 300 lbs when I started, now 280.

I'm riding 32's and am quite happy with them.

HOWEVER I'd really like to have something wider that rides a little softer for long rides. As such, I'm considering putting Big Apples on my MTB, and adding a brooks for some long rides. The geometry isn't as favorable as my Hot Hybrid, but comfort on long rides is key.

Summary, I'd go with 35's for comfort reasons.

Thanks for the information.

My LBS is not sure 35mm tires will fit on the Coda Sport or Coda Comp (and does not have andy Coda's in stock). Does anyone know whether they will fit or not?

Thanks again.

definitely has clearance for 35mm tires.

Abe

a Coda Sport from bicycleblowout.com. My questions is did you have to do anything else besides installing the seat,handelbar,pedals& front wheel? The are supposed to be test ridden and tuned before shipping. I do not want spend $$ to go to a LBS to tune up the bike out of the box.

TIA -Whitehare-






Well, I bought the bike today from bicycleblowout.com (the website of a shop in Nevada, they sell locally and online - they are directly connected with Jamis somehow and get some of their new old-stock, i.e., last year's models).

No one seems to have these Jamis Coda's or Coda Sports in stock locally (and even not so locally). And the one shop I was able to find one in was a 2007 Sport in 19.5" which is too big for me.

Bicycleblowout had the 2005 Jamis Coda Sport for $479.99 in 17.5" ... last Coda or Coda sport they had in this size, they have some others in 19.5 or 21.5 and something in 16".

Basically, here were the prices after tax I was looking at (keeping in mind I was willing to pay more to buy locally):

Locally:
2007 Coda - $487 (on order, 1+ month)
2007 Coda Sport - $623 (only 19.5", for 17.5 on order, 1+ month)

Bicycleblowout:
2006 Coda: $379.99 (ran out of 17.5" a day ago)
2006 Coda sport: $519.99 (ran out of 17.5" recently)
2005 Coda sport: $479.99 (I bought the last 17.5")

Essentially the decision was made for me because the LBS couldn't get these models any time soon and no guarantee that they'd get them at all (Jamis, like most companies, gives first preference in ordering to those shops which pre-purchase more bikes earlier in the season, no LBS who does that so they all can only order and hope). Bicycleblowout ran out of my size in the 2006 models, so the last 2005 was the only option left in my size. It's $7 less than the 2007 Coda and comes with some substantial improvements and some things that are not as good at the 2006 or 2007:

2005 Coda sport vs. ...
(1) The 2005 Sport has 36h eyeletted wheels, which is good b/c I'm heavy, vs. 32h non-eyeletted wheels on the 2007 Coda or 32h eyeletted wheels on the 2007 Sport. 2005 Sport best meets my needs.
(2) Ritchey adjustible stem vs. generic adjustible stem on the Coda (same Ritchey stem on the 2007 Sport). Prefer the Ritchey stem, probably would work just the same as the generic one though, a wash.
(3) 2005 Sport has 24 speed. 2007 Coda has 24 speed but lower end components. 2007 Sport has 27 speed, similar level components. This is a wash as far as I'm concerned.
(4) 2005 Sport 25lbs, 2007 Coda 26.25lbs, 2007 Sport 25.75 ... the 2005 Sport is the lightest!
(5) $480, $487, $623. 2005 Sport is the cheapest!

I think this worked out great, thanks for the help everyone!

It was pretty well assembeled, I can't recall exactly what else I did but your list sounds about right.

Be careful with the cable housing off the handlebars ... it can get twisted b/c the bars are not connected when it ships.

It didn't seem to have any signs of being test riden, but they probably took it out into a parking lot where there wasn't much dirt/gravel/pebbles and just made sure the shifting was accurate and the brakes didn't squeal/chatter. This shifting arrived fairly accurate too, only minor adjustments with the quick adjusters at the shifter controls, didn't need to adjust the cables at the derailuers.

One thing that was off - the bottom bracket needed to be tightened, I didn't notice until after a couple rides. And the upper and lower limits for the front derailuer had to be adjusted too, but this was kinda expected.

These little issues won't be so much of a problem for someone smaller than me, big guys tend to stress each components' failure limits as it takes more pressure to get us moving.

UPDATE - I have since sold this bike after getting the wheel replaced with another 32 spoke rear. It was too small and I replaced it with another Coda Sport but this time I got the 21.5" which has surprisingly similar clearance (maybe it's just me). The longer top tube made a big difference for me, no more extra long setback seatpost for me =).

I got a 2007 model from a local shop (missinglink.org) and they built me a rear wheel that can take a serious beating ...
Hub: Shimano Tiagra
Spokes: double butted 14/15 (3 cross pattern)
Rim: Rhyno Lite by Sun Rims
Tire: Soma New Express 35 (had to get bigger tire to fit the Rhyno lite rim since it's substantially wider).

Took it out for critical mass in SF (where we were attacked by zombies who had been kicked out of a mac store, weird) and it held up perfectly over many bumps and holes (ended up riding on poorly lit street with plenty of big bumps and it was great! Even took a few stairs without issue).

Ended up being $765 total:
$655 for bike (after tax)
$110 for rear wheel, tire, tube, non-QR seatpost skewer, and labor.

Plus I get 1 year warranty on everything at a very local shop who have a room set up with two sets of tools for anyone who comes in (stands and everything, even free lube, chain grease, and whatnot).

Compared with the $499 for the Coda Sport from bicycleblowout.com I'm out and extra $155 on the bike and $110 on the wheel ... but I needed the bigger wheel regardless so I don't count that against the difference in cost. Really a $155 difference for a 2007 with 1 year local free service (vs. 2005 with no service, unassembaled.)

thanks for everyone's help!