UPDATE: Talked it over with my husband and the Soma Buena Vista build up was a non starter. I straight up, legitimately cried on the ride home from a taco shop. Not really about the bike so much as being suddenly overwhelmed by the consequences of our life choices. On one level, I've always been very thrifty, pragmatic, and not in the least bit acquisitive. Most of our home furnishings are care of Craigslist, my wedding dress was used, hell I wash ziploc bags and tin foil for reuse. But suddenly I was overtaken by the urge to have something new, nice, and uniquely mine, maybe because the possibility of having anything like that in the future seems so remote. I'm over it now, but wow... I guess it was a mid pregnancy crisis. Technically the baby will be new and uniquely mine/ours, so I'll have to settle for that.

Upwards and onwards, I decided to order a Civia Twin City from my favorite local bicycle shop and will stop by there later today. Now I'm just waffling between the 5 and 7 speed internal hub. I spoke to a fellow at the shop about it and he described the difference as such: the 5 speed has 80% of the gearing of the 7 speed, losing 10% at the low and high ends. Unfortunately, they don't have any Civias built at the store and the other 5/7 speeds they do carry don't use the same hubs, but he said I could try what they have, and he'd check the gear ratios to give me a better idea of what I could expect. Why did I ever doubt buying new from a bike shop? When they're good, they're great.

So, any advice on the 5/7 issue? I ride the Capital Bikeshares beasts frequently and NEVER use the 1st gear, it's like clown college. I do fine with 2nd/3rd, so would 5 be plenty?

Also, does anyone know if the integrated (welded on) rack on the Civia Twin City would be compatible with a child seat, if I ever wanted to put one on?

ALSO, people on here have noted the odd rear "roller" brakes on the Civias, and my husband pointed that out in the specs as well. Someone also noted that it's possible to switch them out if desired. Probably my husband could do that and he gets parts wholesale. Furthermore, the geometry as I've seen it pictured is not quite as upright as I'd like it at the moment, though I will probably prefer it in the long term. Do you think I could add a different stem to raise the handlebars a bit? Any other thoughts on the practicality of such upgrades would be welcome. I'm already getting a different saddle, grips and kickstand. Don't want the little fixes to put me up in Soma territory. OR DO I? It would make a good O'Henry story.

Thanks everyone!