Novara Matador 29er Bike - 2012

Comments about Novara Matador 29er Bike - 2012:

I live in Austin Texas and weigh about 245lb. I took the bike out on a beginner course with my wife. The beginner course went well but I wanted something a little more technical once my wife was done riding. The next day I went out to walnut creek park and enjoyed the more technical trails and this really took my bike into prospective. This bike climbs well and I made it to the top of every hill without a problem except for one. So I would say it climbed very well. Might have been the huge 29in wheels that helped me out. I was riding with a few others and they all had 26in wheels and it seemed I was just costing more while they were peddling because the large wheels gave me more bang for every peddle rotation. This bike can get going fast in a hurry. Pretty nice if you are into the racing. Not saying this bike is good for racing just the large wheels are great for speed.
I would say I am a rider that takes more chances than a recreational rider and I like to go fast and do some light - medium drops and probably harder on a bike than others. If you weigh close to what I do and like to be hard on bikes with drops and log hopping then this bike is probably not for you.

PROBLEM: I was bottoming out the 80mm shock on sharp descents to inclines. This may be due to my heavy stature. This issue almost caused me to fall a few times and at age 30 it might be better to invest in a better bike and keep from falling and missing work due to injuries.

I really enjoyed the 29in wheels. The handling was a 3 out of 5 and I really didn't have any issues with sharp turns. Just make sure to lean the bike.

I am about 6 foot and had to get the small frame. I have a longer torso and about a 30in inseam so the larger tires called for a smaller frame. I just thought "well it is less weight". Have to sacrifice something sometimes.

I would say stick to light grade single tracks and jeep roads with this bike. Taking drops and little heavier riding will push this bike to the limits. '

If you are lighter say 200lb or less then it shouldn't be a problem for you to take light drops and such. I ended up spending the money on a different bike. I got the GT force 2.0 SRAM.
This is a totally different bike but I thought the way I ride would be better for me and keep me from crashing when I want to do crazy stunts on intermediate level mountain bike trails.

Comments about Novara Matador 29er Bike - 2012:

I have been riding a road bike for the last few years (nice carbon fiber multi thousand dollar race bike). I haven't had a mountain bike in so long it was a joy to get on this bike. Very comfortable. The salesman said he likes this 29er better than many he has ridden. I tried the Bonanza out and liked it but then I got on this bike. It's like my road bike on steroids! It flies because of the large diameter tires and feel closer to my road bike but with all the attributes of a mountain bike.

Most of the components are top notch. The brakes are reliable Avid BB5's which you can't find on some of the other name brands at this price. The rear derailleur is a SRAM X5 (middle of the road) and the front derailleur is a shimano deore (middle of the road). All of the components are solid and price restricted for this range of bike but Novara does a good job of specifying a good value for the price, especially when you get it 20% off for members.

My concerns are that the tires are not the best at shedding mud or dealing with the wet stuff. They are more for dry, packed ground. The rims are spec'd for novara by weinmann which is an off brand of chinese rims but they are very good quality considering this. The fork is fair for the price range, I would have liked one with rebound control but that might have cost them $20 in the production of the bike. I'd have also liked a 100mm travel fork but that would have upped weight.

Overall the bike does not feel like the 29.3lbs it is listed at. I fly on this thing! I've thrown it over some small stuff so far but the fork is not meant to do serious downhill. I have done as technical stuff as I can find in my area it has handled it marvelously.

The thing that killed me about the tires is that I got a bunch of goathead thorns in them and I flatted both front and rear. It might have been avoided with a thicker more durable tire so the tubes would have more protection but it's partly my fault.

I like the bike and would recommend it. If you want lighter with more pricier components look at the other name brands. This one is built by Pacific (from the salesman). They are the same ones that build a bunch of the name brands but especially GT, Schwinn, Marin(another bike carried by REI) I think Mongoose still, and maybe the Kona brand among others. Because this is a house brand they have the best value especially on sale in this price point. You can't really go wrong unless you want the best of the best and/or carbon fiber. I figure it's a mountain bike and you are going to destroy it so why waste your money on the expensive bikes. I'd be mad if I broke a 2k plus bike... it happens more with MTB's....

Comments about Novara Matador 29er Bike - 2012:

I'll start off by saying that as a guy coming from a 2002 [...] Schwinn, I'm not hard to impress. I don't use my bike competitively, and until I started tackling trails that actually required working brakes, my old junk bike worked fine for a workout. I decided on a 29er after a few test rides at REI here in Austin. The Matador seemed to be the best value (especially with the 20% discount) as far as components go. I took the bike home and had a blast on it for about two weeks. Yes, the fork is a little short for some downhill stuff. At 210-215, I'm on the edge of what it can handle, but it suited me just fine. I really appreciated the lockout since I ride my bike on the streets about 2 miles to a trailhead, do a few routes and then ride home. The mechanical disc brakes worked great and had no problem locking up the rear tire for tight, fast corners. 29 inch tires were new to me, and the difference was phenomenal! I just continued to pop over roots, rocks and small ledges that surely would have stopped me on my 26 inch wheels. The bike was fast, light, comfortable and sturdy until my 260 pound friend took it for a spin.When cranking up a fairly steep hill in my apartment complex, the cassette shattered under the added weight of its bigger burden. Now given that "weight limit 250lbs" is clearly printed on the frame, I can't be completely surprised. However, it left me wandering what might happen (even at my weight) when powering up a technical trail incline if this happened on smooth pavement. I took the bike back to REI and told to the bike shop staff about what happened. They said they had never heard of an entire cassette being ripped apart like mine had, and that it was most likely a defective unit. The sales guy was extremely accommodating and gave me the option to fix it, return it or trade it. In the end, I opted to trade it in and pay the difference for the GT Karakoram 1.0. Hydraulic disc brakes and a better RockShox fork convinced me it was worth it. I'm giving the Matador four stars because my only complaint is limited to one (most likely defective) component. This problem, and the 80mm fork make it a bike that may not be the best choice for big guys, but at 210-215 lbs, it worked just fine for me. Any heavier than that, and you might be pushing it.

Comments about Novara Matador 29er Bike - 2012:

I had never ridden a 29er before, but I'm glad I did. Originally, I was leaning towards a hybrid, but the features on the Matador convinced me otherwise. The locking, front shock and larger tire circumference made this bike ride smoother (on roads) than any hybrid I tested. The larger tires generate a tremendous amount of power for short commuting in town as well adding a substantial amount of power for single-track and trail riding.

If you like having a high center-of-balance, like me, then take out this bike for a spin (obviously before you buy it). The shock and larger tire cushion larger obstacles extremely well. I am about 6'00'' and 165 lbs. and have not experienced any trouble with bottoming out the 80mm shock.

The bike seems to handle more sluggishly than I remember my previous mountain bike (a GT Timberline) handling, but it is not terrible for me and better suits my measured, aggressive riding style. The components work as well as you can expect for the price point. I am sure there are much better components out there, but they seem to be a good bargain when all things are considered. I am very happy with it and would recommend it for sure. I would also recommend you do your homework and test ride different 29ers to make sure this is the bike for you.

Comments about Novara Matador 29er Bike - 2012:

I haven't had a bike sense I was a kid and was looking to get back into mountain biking. After quite a bit of research I determined that the Matador had pretty decent components for the price point. This is my first 29er and I'm loving it, it's noticeably harder to turn but the larger wheels eat up small bumps and you can power through loose dirt and sand that stops 26ers in their tracks. Having the ability to lock out the front shock is great, I'm very happy I didn't go with some of the other bikes I was looking at that didn't offer this. I've managed to crash twice and so far the bike has fared better than I have, nothing a spoke wrench and a little time couldn't fix.

Comments about Novara Matador 29er Bike - 2012:

I consider Marin Bolinas Ridge 29er and and few others at REI. The Matador had a higher price but with the dividend 20% it brought the price down to these other bike's price range. I know I wanted a 29er because, to me, it provided more conferrable ride and was easier to peddle. Oh and it's very fast.

When I compared the different bike in the $600 to $700 to the Matador, it definitely had better components. With the discount I ended up with a better bike with better components at the price of good bike.

When I took it out for an test ride it was very clear that the 29er was different then my old bike. A Marin mountain bike w/o shocks. It handled and the ride was so much better. Also being a bigger bike I though it would be a lot heavier but it's actually under 30 pounds.
I know its only 80mm travel on the fork but the 20mm is not much of a difference unless you are doing hard core mountain biking.

Over all I think this is a well built bike with very carefully chosen very good components.

Comments about Novara Matador 29er Bike - 2012:

I have ridden this bike several times, and I like it more each and every time. It has a very smooth ride and the larger wheels really soak up the bumps.

Comments about Novara Matador 29er Bike - 2012:

I wanted this bike to perform well as a commuter with the option to take it camping/trail riding/off road. It seems the only disappointment I have is the downshifting issues, and until I see this remedied, I would not recommend this bike to a friend.Such high hopes initially! First of all, many of the drivetrain components on the Matador can be found on bikes as expensive as 2k dollars! However, it seems the x5 shifters are a real weak link, or the tech who built the bike did not set up the rear derailleur properly! When downshifting with any amount of serious force on the crank, I have experienced serious slipping/missing to the point where I will lose momentum and have to get off the bike. Most of the time, when shifting down 2 or more gears with moderate to heavy pressure on the crank, the crank will slip a half turn at least. This happens on intense and moderate inclines, and even can even be recreated on level pavement. Now, I have asked serious bikers if this is common and I had a friend (a lifelong mountain biker) ride the bike, and they told me that while cranking hard and downshifting at the same time can cause some issues, what is happening here is not common. REI shop mechanics have looked at it and said it is 'fine,' which left me very disappointed. I have ordered shifter upgrades to alleviate the problem (I hope), but feel like a bike priced in this range should perform quite well.If the downshifting issue is remedied, I will repost with updated comments. I am otherwise happy with the feel of the bike. Light, maneuverable, responsive, it feels like a real workhorse capable of technical single track and commuting. I have taken it on the best single track course in Indianapolis and it performed well (other than the horrible downshifting issues). The brakes provide enough finesse, the front shock is decent when I dial up the preload all of the way, the 29" tires are quite nice - not too aggressive a tread to use as a road/commuter bike but plenty of grip for off road, rugged trails. Not sure how they perform in mud, but I will likely not take it through a lot of mud. I put 14 miles on the bike one day commuting to work and was quite comfortable.I found buying the smallest frame size gave me the most comfortable feel. I am 5'9", but have shorter legs. Did not have a lot of room for error on the medium frame, if you know what I mean, so I opted for the smallest frame and feel like I made a great choice. The Torero, Matador, and Ponderosa are all based on the same frame, so if I do decide to upgrade to the Ponderosa, I will go with the smaller frame again.And it looks really sharp in the green color . . . a great looking bike with a lot of promise, just not happy at the moment. If they sold the Ponderosa in a small frame size, I would not hesitate to take this bike in and give it back.

Comments about Novara Matador 29er Bike - 2012:

Love this bike! Solid ride, light weight and can't beat the 29ers. Being able to adjust the front suspension with the flick of a switch is a plus. The bike shifts nicely, now if this rider can only stay on the bike over rough terrain. I'm very happy with this bike.

Comments about Novara Matador 29er Bike - 2012:

I love this bike! I road and test drove all the mountain bikes REI had in the 800-900 dollar price range and the matador is the best! It was the best all around in suspention, braking, and comfort.Put over sixty road miles, and 15 downhill in the first two weeks and I was more than happy with it! GREAT BIKE!