Novara Safari Bike - 2012

Comments about Novara Safari Bike - 2011:

I'm riding the Northern Tier route this summer and this bike gives me a reliable work horse to get it done. Others in my group are using Surly LHTs and this bike stacks up well at a price that allows you to upgrade some things. Add a front rack and you can tour on it right away but the headset, pedals, and seat are things that you may want to upgrade early on. I love that they switched from disc to V-brakes, from aluminum to steel frame, and kept strong points like the trekking handlebars which can be flipped, raised, lowered, etc to give you a better fit. The grip shift took some getting used to but this bike is a dream to ride and my local bike shop has really helped me make some small adjustments to improve an already fantastic product. Pick one up and if you don't like it, take it back. It's a worthwhile investment.

Comments about Novara Safari Bike - 2011:

To start, the price did not kill my budget before my tour. I took this bike from Florida all the way to Maine and faced almost no problems with it. I went about 1,400 miles before I got my first flat. So, the Continental Town Ride tires lived up to their puncture protection claim. However these tires seem to be discontinued, therefore you have to look for a different type when changing them out (Tour Ride tires seem to be the next best bet).

The bike has four water bottle mounts, and I used all of them, except one was for my hand pump. The rear rack was super sturdy, but you need to check an make sure that your screws are snug otherwise they will come out on you :(. It is compatible with front racks and it also can be converted to disk brakes (neither of which I did). In addition the WTB Pure V Race saddle was super comfy. The rest of my team would talk about having sore rear ends and I barely felt a thing. Oh, and the funky "moustache" handle bars were actually really comfortable. It was nice to change up my hand positions throughout the ride and the positioning can be tweaked for your specific comfort needs.

The specs say that the bike is 29.89 pounds, but I guess that's to be expected with a Chromoly steel bike. I thought I was going to have to be waited on with most of the rest of my team riding on aluminum frames, but the Safari proved capable. It seemed like hills were just as easy to climb as with the other bikes, and the bike sped past the others on downhills. Oh, and if you get hit by a car door in New Hampshire, your frame and fork will stand strong. My wheel was bent up, but that was easily fixed at the next bike shop down the road.

Overall I think I barely did justice for this bike, but I don't want to spend any more time writing to strangers.

Comments about Novara Safari Bike - 2011:

I have a novara road bike that I love riding for fun, but it wasn't fun for commuting, so I didn't. I got this because I needed low gears for carrying a full briefcase & change of clothes to work and adding groceries on the way home, without having to stop and walk up the hills, and something that came in a short person's size. So far, it's exactly what I wanted: an easy to ride, comfortable mode of transportation for commutes that start in the hills outside of town that fits me beautifully. (I did add fenders right away and will probably add a stem raiser.)

Service and delivery comments:

The folks at REI are incredibly helpful without ever making me feel bad for not being a pro and knowing all the right words for stuff. They installed the fenders for me and gave me great advice about what other things to not buy. :-)

Comments about Novara Safari Bike - 2011:

Prior to my trip I used this bike as my commuting bike...getting me from A to Z without a problem.
I then took it this summer/fall, (which was the main purpose I bought this bike), on a solo coast to coast tour through the Northern states of U.S. and parts of Canada. WIth panniers loaded on racks in both front and back, and with a handlebar bag, the bike was easy to handle through rain, snow, dirt roads, shoulders, bike paths/trails.
I'm a 5'7" female, and the Medium size fit well.
I commuted on the saddle that comes with the bike, which was comfortable and no irritation. I began with it on the tour, but ended up swapping it with a Brooks 3/4 into the trip because of on-going discomfort. I dont know if the added gear weight, long mountain climbs, longer hours etc induced the discomfort.
The handlebar wrap did start to unravel during trip... approx. after 3000 miles of use.
The toe cages broke during the trip... approx. after 5000 miles of use. (reminder for both wrap and clips : there was a lot of shifting and standing up through the mountains and hills.)
There are 4 areas for water bottle holders. 3 work well, 1 is a very tight fit for many bottles...but could hold bear sprays or fuel cannister or pump.
I did get a flat from an abnormally sharp rock, 10miles into the very first ride after purchasing the bike. So I question the puncture protection claim on the tires... although, after patching the tube, they lasted me around 1500 miles of commuting. I should have put new tires on at the beginning of the trip, but decided to continue riding on them... the first 500 miles I changed 5 flats. Keep an eye on the tread. I wasn't able to find anywhere that would ship that same style, whether it was discontinued or I was calling the wrong places.
Rear rack is sturdy. I added front rack.
I did swap the rim breaks to disc breaks.
Added fenders.
Twist shifters were easy to use, and responsive.
Handle bars comfortable and offer many hand positions.
The bike is great. And worth the pennies.

Comments about Novara Safari Bike - 2011:

[...] Seat is firm enough and comfortable enough for all day rides W/O having to swap it out. Might want to swap out the pedals, however they will work, small complaint. Love the handlebars for a tourer, should have had one of these years ago, can be adjusted for any riding style. Have used twist grip shifters before on a touring bike, never had any problems, these are no exception. I did swap out the chainrings for 44-32-22's, probably didn't have to, but like lower gears for hauling up mountain passes on a loaded bike. Decent components for the price, should last for years. Also when the bike came, I was impressed with the way everything was assembled, nothing needed to be tweaked, shifters, brakes etc. Plenty of braze-ons,four for water bottles alone. It came down to either a Surley LHT or the Safari, the Safari gives me the versatility I was looking for.

Comments about Novara Safari Bike - 2011:

The Safari is a great all-around bicycle for touring and commuting in the City. I ride mine in Chicago, and take weekend 50-80 miles tours. The stock seat is comfortable enough for that mileage, the tires are fat enough to cushion the ride, and potholes in the city streets don't even phase this bike one bit. I also had it fully loaded for touring and carrying quite a large amount of weight. This bike handled the load extremely well- we mainly go on crushed limestone trails as well as pavement- and again, the bike handles great fully loaded. I actually enjoy this bike more than my road bike- although it isn't as fast (large tires and a bit heavy) the bike rides smoothly, even fully loaded, and responds very well. I noticed it seems better balanced than other bikes that I have tried, and that stability makes it great for when I have 4 fully loaded panniers. I have taken it camping, gotten four bags of groceries with it, and the bike is still going strong. The hubs are built for heavier loads, the tires roll over bumps smoothly, and overall, I am extremely happy and impressed by the cost to value ratio on this bicycle.

Comments about Novara Safari Bike - 2011:

This bike is something of a tank - hard to pop wheelies with, but it's a 70's Cadillac on the road. Sweet touring gears, 36 spoke wheels, great bar for hand position options. It has mounting spots for front / rear racks and 4 water bottle cages! I had a couple issues - the handlebar tape unraveled within 300 miles, and my Yak trailer won't work with the stock rear rack or stock amount of rear shift cable housing. Aside from that, the bike seems ready for me to put 20 years and untold miles on it and haul anything I care to bring.

Comments about Novara Safari Bike - 2011:

Both my brother and I bought Safaris last spring and rode them 3600 miles across country this summer. The bottom lime is they did the job without any (major) problems and we both loved them.

Some really nice features of the Safari are:
-Large tires and wide wheel base make them super stable even in gravel or when fully loaded.
-grip shifters are super easy to use/convenient.
-handlebars give a variety of hand positions and make for a comfortable ride. Additionally they have a lot of space to mount lights/mirrors/bike computers while leaving free space for your hands.
-they are affordable! We waited until their was a sale at REI to buy our bikes (I highly recommend this) and saved 20 percent on a already decently priced bike. REI often has great sales, and the nice thing is that they apply to Novara brand equipment (unlike non REI sponsored bikes).
-it has all the essential features: low gearing, good tires, decent brakes, etc

The only thing I might consider upgrading is the saddle (although that is probably personal preference).

Although nicer and lighter bikes do exist, the Novara Safari is great for it's price, and is a great bike overall.

Comments about Novara Safari Bike - 2011:

I just bought a 2012 Novara Safari. It will be my ultimate all-day comfort all-terrain bike. I'll also take it on overnight and multi-day tours; maybe cross-country or cross-continent years from now when I have the time. I wanted a bike that is capable of single-track loaded touring while still being as efficient (fast) as possible unloaded on the road, and everything in between, at the least expense. In that regard the bike is perfect.

The good: Frame design and component selection are impeccable.
• Four water bottle mounts rock! I love being able to ride all day without having to worry about where to fill bottles.
• Great wheels: high-strength touring rims, 36 quality 2mm spokes, laced to quality mtb hubs with great seals and ubiquitous cup and cone bearings.
• Great tire choice – 42mm is enough for most single tracks but is still fast on pavement and is awesomely comfortable.
• Super stable no-hands riding
• High-quality, durable, inexpensive brakes, brake leavers, shifters, derailleurs, bottom bracket, and crank set. Everything here is quality. No down specs. My one component semi-complaint would be the saddle. I think REI spec'ed it to keep the price down and appeal to soft-tushed commuters, knowing that touring riders would replace it with a leather saddle – which costs substantially more. Honestly the saddle was a smart move on their part and no big deal to me since I knew what I was getting into.
• The rear rack is expedition-sturdy and aluminum-light. From what I know of the rack market commuter grade aluminum racks and heavy tubular steel touring racks are readily available but touring-strength aluminum (light) racks are unusual.
• The frame, rack, hubs, and even brake leavers are all set for the switch to disc brakes, which shows substantial forethought.

The bad: Assembly quality is poor
• My front wheel was out of dish by 3mm and ~40 kgf under-tensioned. In my opinion the assembly mechanic at REI should have caught this and fixed it. Not a big deal if you can fix it yourself but well beyond the capacity of the average buyer. Thankfully the rear wheel was dished and tensioned properly.
• The rivets that attach the toe straps to the buckles were not closed. They came apart mid-way through the second ride. Weird, like someone forgot that step at the factory. Luckily I had a spare pair in my parts bin so I didn't have to go back to REI for replacements.
• The bar tape, while perfectly neat, needs to be wrapped much more tightly near the shifters. You're going to end up putting rotational force on the tape when shifting, especially on rough terrain. My tape came loose halfway through the second ride.
• My seat post binder clamp was a royal pain. I was still tinkering with seat height +/- a couple of mm and noticed the post was slipping. I went incrementally tighter to try to stop the slip, then POP, the threads came out of the nut. My maiden voyage aborted, I return home standing the entire way. The nut felt like a good steel unit and I did not put that much force on it (more on this later). I also had a replacement nut and bolt in my parts bin that just happened to fit the original clamp. I was still tinkering with seat height and being super-careful not to over torque the bolt. The nut from my parts bin is a lightweight aluminum unit. When I finally got the post to stop sliding I got out my torque wrench and measured 100 in-lb, 20 more than Park Tool recommends for that fastener. I figure I must have a seat post on the small side of the tolerance and a seat tube on the large side, which explains the need for a high clamping force. My bike was on the sales floor when I bought it. I'm guessing that an REI mechanic or some other test rider over tensioned the bolt and weakened the original threads to keep the post from slipping. Again, no big deal except that it truncated my maiden voyage and would have sent me back to REI had the part not been in my bin.

The bike is a blast to ride. I love being able to leave from my door and go anywhere I want to go, pavement, gravel, single-track, and just go all day in as much comfort as can be had on a bicycle. It's opened up dozens of new routes in my area and really reinvigorated my passion for riding. I can't wait to get out on tour.

I expect to get many years of trouble free service from this bicycle and even to forget about the minor issues in this review; however, I do have to give only four out of five stars because any of these problems could cause a significant issue for a non-mechanical person or someone out on tour far from a bike shop.

Comments about Novara Safari Bike - 2011:

After 50 plus years working it is soon time to play and I have chosen to take to the roads on two wheels. Having committed to bicycle commuting more than two years ago on my '86 Schwinn High Sierra mountain bike turned daily ride, I knew long distance travel required an updated, but sturdy upgrade. Maybe it was the handlebars that captured my attention initially, [...] Now, a month and a half later and more than 700 miles on the clock, I know I have the bike I wanted.At 6'4" and 245, I needed the XL. I also soon recognized the need to raise the handlebars and switch to my well broken-in saddle. The handle bar wrap began to unravel within the first 24 hours, but was easily put back in place with tape. I can now justify Ortliebs and Schwalbes (though the OEM Continentals seem like a fine tire) and a timetable to take on the East Coast in Spring '12. Since it was shipped to me, [...], my friendly neighborhood bike shop, has taken care of all the necessary adjustments with Head Mechanic Dave observing that "it's a nice ride."While averaging more than 85 miles a week commuting and making weekend pleasure rides the Safari is a delight, especially with the adjustments to accommodate my size. I could have spent more and gotten less and a Surly or Salsa might have been more recognizable, but I doubt I could be more satisfied. The SRAM twisty shifters were a little odd at first, but have become second nature. It stops and goes and turns with no surprises, handles rough roads easily and is probably more fit for a 1000 mile tour than I am right now.Oh, and everyone thinks the handlebars are cool.