Comments for BikeCycleBikeCycle

Comment on 2007 REI NOVARA SAFARI TOURING BICYCLE by Markus451

Markus451 — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:07:16 +0000

Thank U, gentlemen. Most interesting. -MH, Kobe, Japan

Comment on 2007 REI NOVARA SAFARI TOURING BICYCLE by jrox007

jrox007 — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:55:19 +0000

Nice review. Hope the bike is still treating you well!

Comment on 2007 REI NOVARA SAFARI TOURING BICYCLE by Gunner1x

Gunner1x — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:04:20 +0000

Thanks guys…this is exactly what I was looking for!

Comment on 2007 REI NOVARA SAFARI TOURING BICYCLE by edudrepus

edudrepus — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:28:29 +0000

Nice review.

Comment on 2007 REI NOVARA SAFARI TOURING BICYCLE by Gunner1x

Gunner1x — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:58:11 +0000

OK, after reading your review I went to REI and rode the Safari (with money in hand). Sadly, I was very disappointed. I love the idea behind the Safari bike because I prefer mountain bike geometry over road bikes, but it felt very clumsy to me. In addition, the twist shifters felt like they were full of sand and the brakes felt really bad…what a disappointment. I ended up buying a Specialized Rockhopper Comp Disc (you can lock out the fork) and added a rack & a pair Schwalbe Marathon XR tires.

Comment on 2007 REI NOVARA SAFARI TOURING BICYCLE by theridersofoz

theridersofoz — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:38:20 +0000

Gunner. I am sorry to hear that. As far as the shifters and brakes I can only assume that they were installed improperly (unless the 08′ components are grossly different than the 07′). After 3800 miles I had ZERO problems with both the shifters and the brakes (I had to replace the pads at around 3000 miles). Disc brakes can be a little tricky and unless they adjusted properly they can be very “squishy.” I hope you enjoy the Rockhopper though, it’s a very good bike.

Comment on 2007 REI NOVARA SAFARI TOURING BICYCLE by Gunner1x

Gunner1x — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:57:09 +0000

Yeah, I’m sorry it didn’t work out as well, but I did get a lot from your review…the Schwalbe Marathon XR tires are awesome. I wish I were riding with you guys. I spent a bit of time down under while in the military. I hope to do the REI Vietnam ride this year. Take care and be safe!

Jeff

Comment on 2007 REI NOVARA SAFARI TOURING BICYCLE by fustah

fustah — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:42:52 +0000

How does it compare to the Giant Transport LX?? Thanks.

Comment on 2007 REI NOVARA SAFARI TOURING BICYCLE by elgeneralsv

elgeneralsv — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:19:07 +0000

I seem to hear that from alot of Safari rider reviews that say it’s a good bike… I have had major problems with Novara products in the past and don’t intend to in the foreseeable future… for my touring bike I did a 56cm LHT with DT Swiss rims XT rear dyno in front and Nice Racks the bike I was looking to get for touring was the De Vinci Caribou it looks like the LHT but is disc brake ready and seems you can get decent speeds on it cheers

Comment on 2007 REI NOVARA SAFARI TOURING BICYCLE by YearOfTheDog82

YearOfTheDog82 — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:30:52 +0000

Keep in mind that disc brakes need to be broken in before they will give you full power, just like a cars brakes.

As for the twist shifters go, that sounds like an improper installation, maybe the cable was rubbing somewhere on the housing. Anyhow, good luck on your tours!