I bought a San Jose a week ago. 140 commuting miles on it now and I'm getting its groove down. I used to commute on a Giant Bowery (fixed) but got tired of ghetto fenders. I wanted full front & rears for the winter. I have a LeMond Poprad, and I appreciate the versatility of a 'cross bike, so the San Jose is a natural. I also wanted (required) a steel frame this time 'round.
less than $600 (the cheaper the better) yep, street price
fender eyelets yep, Freddy fenders fit right on w/no zipties. That felt good.
wide tire clearance yep, not sure how wide, but easily 38s. 32's w/fenders leave tons of room.
decent or good components they seem so, although my cog slipped at first so we'll see about the new for '07 hub
no braze-ons (water bottle mounts are okay) bottle mounts
120 mm rear spacing haven't measured
classic styling (no sloping top tube or funky graphics) the San Jose does have a slight slope to the top tube. Still looks classic, though. Love the flat spot for resting on my shoulder as I carry it up the steps at work.
My '07 San Jose came with the new Pista Alex Solo wheelset, and actually had a fixed cog installed on the flipflop. No freewheel. Apparently, this was a mistake (in my favor) at Bianchi. I am told the '07s will all come with the Pista Alex Solo wheelset, which means they will have a flipflop installed already for you. Bonus. I'm going to shove on a bigger freewheel and use this thing offroad, too.
It's a nice little commuter. Negatives? 42x17 is low, IMO, I might go with 42x16 to regain some speed. And we'll see about the hub: both my Pista and my San Jose have had cog slipping issues (the Pista more, the San Jose once and not again), so even though Bianchi "upgraded" the wheelset for '07, the hubs might not be wonderful. I'll see as I pile the miles on. IMO the ride isn't as nice as my Pista. It's softer, yet less lively. Still way better than alu. The brakes are powerful as heck, but the Kool Stop silver's aren't stellar in the rain. I'll wear 'em out and go with Salmon's.
The rest has been quite positive. I have had some serious fun so far, although I've been fiddling like crazy with positioning on the bike, it's been a hoot. Bombing across broken pavement/dirt on a knobby 32c fixed is quite addictive, it seems.
HTH