It's interesting how every time Bikes Direct name gets mentioned, there are detractors who don't talk about the bike, but the company instead. I get it if someone had a bad experience with a bike (almost every manufacturer has their lemons, so you're bound to find a disgruntled customer for pretty much any company and any retailer out there).

Personally, I wouldn't want disc brakes for a daily commute bike. The ones on my MTB took some breaking in and tweaking to get right (although they've always stopped well, they were just making some squeaking noises), I wouldn't want to be mucking around with them on a daily basis, but that's just me.

I'm still all over the place in my mind about what to get next (and that includes where to get it). I just had a small budgetary setback, so it will take a little longer for me to accumulate enough money.