Novara Safari Touring Bike

Comments about Novara Safari Touring Bike:

I owned a 2005 Safari, before it was stolen in Tacoma in summer of 2009. I had just finished a tour of SE Alaska. I purchased a new model in April of 2010 in Denver. I test drove it on the Cherry Creek path outside the store. I would ride the bike on the White Rim Trail in Utah.
But it wasn't until I returned to the flatlands of Iowa that I noticed the shimmy. It was most pronounced when I would coast downhill, sitting up in the saddle, and removed my hands from the handlebars. The handlebars would begin to shimmy violently. I had never experienced anything like it before. Then I would notice the shake if I would take one hand off to get a drink. I called Customer Service, and they had me take to a local bike shop. I had checked the rim, spokes and the set of the wheel. Nothing could be found by either myself or the mechanic. I had mounted a box on the rack, removal of which lessen, but did not eliminate the shimmy.
I returned to Colorado in Sept, and after having the mechanic's there look it over, they could find no reason for the problem. I rode other Safari bikes, but found that all of the Large frame bikes had the same problem.
So I sadly returned the bike. I loved my 2005 model and it tracked beautifully, and was very stable. Which a touring bike should be. I don't know if the shimmy is due to the new frame geometry, or the addition of the disc brakes, in any case I found it to be very unstable.

Comments about Novara Safari Touring Bike:

I love this bike, I have put on about 300 miles on it so far and it has been great! All I have done so far is commuting, some light trails, and a couple 30-40 mile rides on both road and gravel, handled all amazingly. This bike is a little sluggish with the handling, but that's because it's a touring bike and it has a wide wheel base. It is great with any weight on it. I have yet to take it out on any tours but I plan on doing some next spring/summer and i'm sure it will be a perfect fit for what i do.

Comments about Novara Safari Touring Bike:

I've had my Safari for about a year now and I,e put around 2000 miles on it. I don't think my assessment has changed that much. I commute 16 miles a day half of which is on a rough gravel/fire road. The pros are that it is big and stable, I've carried 80-85 pounds on it with no fuss, I carry 20 pounds on it too and from work. (and my wife for about 15 min.) It feels like it can take it. The derailers and shifter have been flawless. The brakes have needed to be adjusted a couple of times and its about time for new pads. I've got the 29'er version and it is awesome. As an aside I put WTB Vulpine tires on it as the stock ones were for road use, and the Vulpines are GREAT! Very low drag and traction when I need it.
Cons: I don't like the handlebars at all. Some people really do but I can't raise them enough to make them comfortable ( not enough cable. I replaced the front brake cable and that helped but I've got new Titec Jeff Jones H-bar ready to go on so I'll need a couple new cables and hopefully get it set up comfortably.
It's heavy but thats good in some ways, I'm not in a hurry.

Comments about Novara Safari Touring Bike:

I'm not sure if this bike was uncomfortable because of the fitting or not. Perhaps it was too small. [...]

Service and delivery comments:

I took a test ride on the Safari today. Found the size too small and quite uncomfortable. Attempted to ask to ride a larger version. Unfortunately, I ended up standing around while the sales staff ignored me. The service was unfriendly to begin and I found the man helping me too distracted by trying to help another customer who approached him while I was asking questions. Would have loved to of tried the larger version of this bicycle as I'm very enthusiastic about purchasing a touring bicycle. I was truly disappointed.

Comments about Novara Safari Touring Bike:

I bought mine for 6 months and have been using it since. This is a great bike, not the greatest because of its weight... a little heavier than other bikes but I guess it is meant to be that way for being sturdy. I haven't needed to have it tuned up yet. Reliable, durable is what I looked for and I got it. My commute to work is a little over 15 miles per day (someday if want to get lost, I biked to the mountain paved road for some exercise). So, I'm happy with this bike.

Comments about Novara Safari Touring Bike:

This bike is fantastic in the size L with the 700c wheels. The frame is solid and the gearing is excellent for touring/commuting. The disc brakes are fantastic, but the stock pads wear out quickly. Overall this bike is great, but it does have some downfalls. The handlebar tape is cheap and was replaced within the first week along with the twist shifters. I went with SRAM attack trigger shifters (which cost the same as the twist shifters) and they work WAY better for this bike if you live in the hills and shift frequently. The rear rack on the 2009 model is about as beefy as you can get and I am really satisfied with its quality. The only other thing I am going to replace is the saddle. The stock saddle is almost unbearable on any ride longer than 10 miles.

This is a really great bike and with just a few more tweeks, REI can easily beat out Surly's LHT.

Comments about Novara Safari Touring Bike:

I've had my Safari since February, 2009, and have been using it as my everyday commuter. I ride about 18 miles (one way), all on pavement, much of it in bad shape. Here in northern California we don't have much in the way of severe weather, unless you count scorching summers. However, I've ridden in winter rainstorms with gusty winds and hail, and the Safari handled beautifully, tires and disk brakes up to the job.

With its wide tires and sturdy frame the Safari goes right over bumps, cracks, and potholes that would take skill and constant attention to tackle on a light, narrow-tired road bike. Not a zippy, nimble bike, but very comfortable to ride. Its ruggedness and relaxed geometry make it track straight over rough pavement without a lot of steering effort, so it's easier on the arms and shoulders. With my bad back the upright riding position is a huge plus, and the figure-eight handlebars offer a wide choice of hand positions. I've experimented with a lot of different kinds of handlebars, and the Safari's are probably the most comfortable I've tried.

In short, for my style of riding, lots of pros and no serious cons. A "mule", as a friend put it, and not a gazelle.

Comments about Novara Safari Touring Bike:

Ok I been on a Bicycle Expidition Since I bout this Bicycle. I'm 500 miles from getting 10,000 mile in the year and couple of months. It took some upgrades to get it the way I wanted it, all within 1,000 miles. It holds the weight I carry, I will be heading into other countries in the next month or 2 for my self supported around the world. It's a great all around expidition Bicycle. I keep reading about fitting a front rack. With some help of some spacers I put on the Jandd expidition rack. I really wish REI would make this a steal frame, better rims, XT components and then it would be perfict. Other than that it's a great Bicycle for the price.

Comments about Novara Safari Touring Bike:

Best deal on a touring bike out there. This bike stays remarkably stable when loaded up with gear. Great stock tires. They're very fat (even for a touring bike!) but make for a cushy ride that can handle bad surfaces. The butterfly/trekking bars are the most comfortable I've ever used on a bicycle. I now prefer them to drop bars. The wrap is cruddy, however. It started coming apart real quick and doesn't seem to do a very good job of covering up road noise.

The Shimano chain completely broke within a month. I replaced that with an SRAM chain. That was a minor annoyance.

When the grip shifters are wet you need gloves or your wrists will suffer. They plain don't want to move when wet. I will be replacing them with trigger shifters at some point.

It'd be nice if the Safari came with fenders, but REI had some planet bike ones that worked with a little bit of effort. The included rear-rack is just okay. It gets scuffed up but so far no problems with up to forty pounds of weight.

Basically I have some complaints, but comparable bikes were at least an extra $300 over the MSRP, and I got this during a 20% sale, which makes it kind of a ridiculous steal.

Comments about Novara Safari Touring Bike:

I use the Safari to commute and for long-distance touring. I like the versatility of the frame and the overall performance of the bike. However, I recently had to replace my '08 version with the new '10 version. Sadly the new bike is not equipped as well as the previous version. The main drawbacks are:

1-Front fork almost too narrow for 45mm fenders
2-No hole in chain stay bridge for rear fender
3-Slotted steering tube sleeve and non-adjustable stem make custom fit hard and replacement with aftermarket products more expensive
4-Tires difficult to manipulate; trying to replace a blown tube I snapped two bead tools.
5-Medium frame went from 3 bottle attachment points to one!

Pros:
1-much better rear rack included stock
2-better saddle
3-better grip tape
4-sustained good drivetrain

I am a very experienced racing and touring cyclist who has toured on three continents self-supported for long distances. I understand that any stock bike will have to be customized to fit a particular niche use but I think REI really took two steps back with the new Safari compared to its antecedents. However, overall, it is still a good bike and I would recommend it but I also would rather just buy the frame!