I could be mistaken but from what I recall reading, there was a run of San Joses that came with the Pista wheelset. According to the website, it's not standard on the '07 model. I believe that demand for the bike was bigger than expected and they ran out of stock wheelsets; they used extra Pista wheelsets to fill the orders, but are back to the single-sided SS-only wheels. Again, I could be wrong.

I asked my LBS about that; he said Bianchi is notorious for switching parts without notice, rhyme or reason. Bianchi rep. had told him the 2007's had flip-flops and told me so. I had test ridden a Pista but wanted something more practical and the flip-flop option so he suggested the San Jose.

For grins, I test rode the Bianchi Milano, a street cafe racer with the nexus 8-speed hub. That hub is VERY nice and gives a good range for those interested in a tourer or climbing/hauling stuff.

I love the Milano. My mom has one, which I nagged her to get, so she can ride around town with the kids.

I've seen both flip-flops and SS-only hubs on '07s at my LBS.

I toyed with the idea of a San Jose, but couldn't turn down an awesome deal on a Castro Valley - same frame, but with gears and dynohub goodness...
the only complaint i have is that the fork is the most flexible thing i've ever ridden. I guess it sucks up the bumps well, but the amount of chatter I get when braking hard is really annoying.

The Bleriot is an interesting bike, and a good deal in a lugged frame, although if I were to go the 650B route I'd probably get a Kogswell ($540 for frame, fork, headset, and matching fenders).

The Bleriot is made in Taiwan by Maxway. Does anyone know if Maxway has a distributor in the US? The reason I'm asking is that Maxway makes their own lugged frames http://bicycle-frame.bicyclenet.com....rame/96R01.htm which I'm guessing would be similar in quality but cheaper than a branded Rivendell.

You can order from Maxway, but only in lots of like, 500. Maybe make a good SS/FG group project? Operation:White Belt? Just a thought.