I'm inclined to agree with this. I may have overstated my concern about the dirt stripe on cream tires. I'd prefer the tires to stay minty but it's no biggie if they don't, and in fact I may even end up liking them more as they "break in." Such has been the case in the past with other items.

For now, I think we're going to stick with the cream tires and see how it feels for the first few months. Then maybe fenders. We were very much on the fence about the whole thing, but everyone's input has helped assuage doubts, for now at least. Thanks, folks!