I've got a 08 Soho 1.0 and I'm very pleased. Purchased it in June and have several hundred miles on it and zero issues to date. I use it for everything... short trips to friends, local watering holes, grocery shopping with Jandd rack and paniers, and rec riding.

I can't comment on the pedal problem, I changed mine out to some barefoot friendly platforms before I ever put a mile on it (lived close to the beach at the beginning of summer). I also replaced the stock stem and handlebar with a shorter RaceFace stem, RF grips, and Mary bars.