My Lust for Atlantis

I got rid of the Volvo last month as there was little reason for us to have 2 cars and I didn't want to leave it until the last minute to sell it before leaving for Finland. Cars in Finland are prohibitively priced for mere mortals which may be why they have such lush countryside and bike paths everywhere in the cities. I have a 13 year-old Specialized Sequoia I bought on sale when I was too broke to buy anything nicer or that actually fit me. It has served me well but I've been thinking that if I'm going to ride a bike instead of a car I may as well have one that fits me and has the stuff I want on it for a change.

So I'm lusting for The Atlantis with some durable fittings that will be able to survive the wet and cold of Finland Winters along with fenders, rear rack and dynamo powered lights. The thing is that shopping for a bike as a non-gearhead is like being an AOL user showing up at a hacker con since I always feel like I'm being sized up and cast off 5 feet in the door, immediately recognised as not being 'one of them'. It's true, I don't sleep next to my bike or have chain grease permanently fixed under my nails but I used to do some pretty serious touring a while back so maybe that counts for something :)