Will definitely look for the full length fenders. I didn't even know that you could get short ones. I am absolutely going for the geeky look, and staying clean and dry sounds even better.

As for suspension, I have never owned a bike with any type of suspension. I rode one once on a mtn bike trail, and found that I didn't feel as connected to the ground. I am used to using my own body as a shock absorber, so it's not a big deal.

I am a little frustrated with the bike shop, as they took three tries to figure out that the bike is just getting old and not really fixable. I am pretty sure they are right, and don't really feel like they are out to make a buck, but it was frustrating to have to keep bringing it back in.

As for a new bike, I am looking into getting a cyclocross. I like the idea of a road bike that I can take in the woods once in a while on light trails. I don't do any big trail rides anymore, and if I did, I could always take the one I have now, and use the cyclocross as my commuter and road trip bike.

Thanks so much to all of you for the great advice!

Kat

I'd say check out a touring bike instead. It'll probably have the canti brakes and the mudguards (and maybe racks) and clearance for nice size tyres - 700x28c or 700x32c - which are a nice compromise for speed and comfort and which can easily take light trail use. Take the mudguards off and you'll fit knobbly cyclocross tyres on for anything a bit more gung ho. SKS make quick release gadgets for the mudguard stays which are mainly a safety feature but which make it a doddle to take the 'guards off and on again

I have a cross check, which works great for my 8 mile-each-way commute. But Surly has a new bike, The Long Haul Trucker, which I think might do better. It's about an inch and a half longer, which will make the long rides more bearable. It has room for three water bottle mounts and can handle fatter tires. If I were buying today, I'd probably buy the Long Haul. The biggest disadvantage is cosmetic--from what I can tell, it only comes in puke green. It also appears to only come as a frame and fork, which is either good or bad depending on whether you like to build your own.

www.surlybikes.com

Cyclocross bikes are the most versatile do anything-go anywhere (within reason) bikes that are out there. Hang with the roadies & hit the trails on a whim. Check out the cyclocross forum. Lots of nice folks out there with tones of suggestions.
My CX bike (2001 Trek X01 bought used from ebay) is used as my daily commuter, weekend fun on the trails, duathlon road racing & cyclocross, of course. Not that I am any good at the racing stuff but do enjoy the commeraderie of the crowds.

I have commuted with a Specialized Rock Hopper for several years.
Lights: I prefer a helmet mounted light because I want people to see me so I stare at them before they think about pulling in front of me so the light hits them in the face and then I move my head back and forth so it flashes.

Numbness: usually due to pressure on the median nerve in teh wrist due to carpal tunnel. Best option is to see if you are cocking your wrists while you are riding. To avoid it, concentrate on keeping your wrist straight.

CaliforniaMD, how did you mount your light on your helmet? Did you have to buy a special helmet, or did you somehow attach the light to a regular helmet? I have read about a helmet that Bell makes that has a spot on the back specifically designed for a blinky rear light, and I am thinking about maybe switching to that one. I would love to find a front light for my helmet, it seems like it would be much easier to see in front of me, that way, I could just look where I want to go, and have it lit up.

As for the numbness, I change hand positions frequently, and also let my hands dangle once in a while, and they still hurt like crazy on long rides, and go numb on almost any length ride. I have been told that it is the other side of my hand from carpal tunnel. My chiropractor said that carpal tunnel is the thumb and first two fingers, and there is some other nerve bundle that attach to the middle finger and pinky that makes them go numb. I think maybe I just shouldn't ride the old clunker over 20 miles or so in one shot.

I second that. Unless the chain rings are very worn, which is hard, they should last tens of thousands of miles. If you do need to replace the shifters, try to get the "trigger" type. They work a little better.
Remember to change your chain when it "stretches" 1/16 of an inch. Most people recommend changing the chain AND cassette when the chain has "stretched" 1/8 inch, but if you change it at 1/16, it doesn't have a chance to wear out the cogs on the cassette.

Bianchi Volpe???

There are headlights sold with a harness that attaches to the head (for other outdoors activities) or to the helmet. I don't know how easy or hard it is to attach, but I'd suspect that most of these would fit on most helmets. As for helmet-mounted taillights, you could attach a small fairly omni-directional taillight such as the Vistalite Eclipse through the holes of your helmet. Or you could attach the Planet Bike helmet-mounted taillight, which is made to stay level when you ride. However, the Planet Bike is a little weak compared to the Vistalite and some have complained that it's not pothole-resistant.

Another point about using a headlight on your helmet. Where do you look normally? On the plus side, you can get noticed by looking through the eyes of a car driver, to a pothole, on a sign, etc. But on the other hand, if you like to look left and ride when you ride, drivers will wonder what happens.

I definitely like the idea of being able to look a car driver in the eyes to get them to turn the high beams down. As for where I look, don't we all look forward as we ride? I look to the side at the scenery when it is light out, but at night, I am so terrified of hitting an invisible pothole, that I look directly in front of my front wheel for most of the time. Maybe I could use both a light mounted on my handlebars and on my helmet. This seems to me to be the safest combination.
Dchiefransom, this looks like a nice bike. Not sure if any of my local bike shops carry Bianchi, but it sure is pretty!

The combo is probably the best. I know I look a lot sideways when I ride. Sometimes, it's a way to reduce wind noise, but often it's simply because I want to look at the scenery. I notice I even do that at night. Not so on busy downtown streets, but I do that a lot when I ride in quieter areas.

Just a couple of points on the lighting that you might consider....

If you are concerned about potholes and other road obstacles, I would suggest a light that is mounted on the bike down low so it casts more shadows across obstacles. Wearing a helmet light is not as effective because the shadows are much shallower. By low down, that can range from handlebars, to fork crown (my preference) to fork braze-ons.

This also allows you to look around without forward light disappearing like it would with a helmet light. By looking around, you are relaxing your neck and shoulder muscles, you are overall less tense because you don't have to concentrate on keeping your head ahead, and you won't suffer from tunnel vision.

I also have issues with helmet lights generally. On shared pathways, there is nothing worse than a rider with a helmet light looking at me -- as they invariably do -- and disturbing my night vision. I think the same applies to car drivers, and remember I might be a cyclist on the other side of the road that the driver's not going to see because of momentary glare blindness caused by a helmet light.

My experience is that with a quality light (I run a SON hub dynamo at Ovalplus light on my normal commuter/touring bike, and Cateye HL500-IIs on my go-fast bike) most drivers will dip their lights. Certainly, I find the Ovalplus with a 3W globe but very good optics, ensures that I can see and be seen in both urban and rural environments. And I never have to worry about batteries for headlights.

And, finally... whatever you get, get two of them (at least globes). Redundancy is a wonderful thing when batteries or globes give up.