Originally Posted by
djpfine
My LBS has a Masi Speciale Commuter on clearance for $630. It seems like a very versatile bike, with room for fenders and a horizontal drop out. Plus, despite not having canti-brakes, it's able to fit 32c tires. Are there any downsides to this bike that I'm missing?
32 mm is decent but still potentially limiting depending on how/where you plan to ride. It's sometimes practical and/or insanely fun to ride 35 or 37 mm widths and up. But maybe it can go even higher than 32? Regardless, the bike is well thought out feature- and geometry-wise, and you can actually try it out at your LBS to see how you like it. fwiw, Google shopping turns up the 2010 model for ~$500 shipped, which may be worth mentioning to the lbs.