I have an '02 Nova, and I love it...for me, it may be the perfect commuter. It doesn't have the carbon fiber fork, and it does have mounting points for a rack on the front as well as the back (I only use a rack on the back). If you don't want to spend the $$ for a new Nova (I totally forgot the "doesn't go" thing...and I'm a spanish speaker!), try to find a used or leftover one. I bought mine a year and a half ago as a leftover, and paid considerably less than I would have for an '04. I can't give you any comparison, as I have no experience with the satellite, so I'm just giving the benefit of my experience with the Nova. Good luck!