Novara Safari?

[TwoWheeledExplorer]

I am considering a Novara Safari for my next touring bike, to take the place of my Trek 930SHX mountain bike (which is set up for off-pavement touring) I ride more on dirt roads and x-c ski trails than on pavement, and I also have a road bike for pavement and a heavy-duty mountain bike for singletrack riding. I have both panniers and a BoB trailer to use as the ride dictates. Anyone have much experience with the Safari that you could tell me about?

Ride safe,
Hans

Hans Erdman, WEMT
Backcountry Trail Patrol-MN
www.trailpatrol.org

[mtnroads]

I also have a Trek mtn bike converted to do some "all-terrain" touring - it is a rigid-fork 970 (1993) that I swapped tires on, as well as some mods to riding position and HD Jandd racks. It is rugged but not particularly comfortable so I looked at the Safari as a possible alternative. I was not impressed with the component level - the discs were fairly low end and the crankset, hubs, wheels, etc, were not to the level of my Trek, so I decided to stay with what I have.

~john

[roadrunner]

I have a 2005 Safari and have been very satisfied with it.  This "oldie" has V-brakes, which work well.  Most of the components are Deore LX, which have worked great, with no problems, on many tours with my 10-year old Bruce Gordon BLT.  I use a BoB trailer for tours. I'll be taking the Safari on a Chesapeake Bay to Mississippi River tour this summer, half of which is on rail or canal trails.  The only fault I found with the Safari is the handlebars are too low for comfortable touring.  I ended up putting two stem risers on it to put the bars in a comfortable position for me.