Novara Safari vs Novara Randonee

[davestuartjr]

I am going on an East to West Transam + Western Express charity ride this summer, and potential sponsorship has led me to REI's Novara bikes. I'm considering either the Safari or the Randonee. I like the Safari for its lower price-point and it's increased durability, but the guys at the shop look at me like I'm crazy considering a cross-country road trip on a mountain bike frame.

Anyone able to offer pros/cons of taking the Novara over the Randonee would help me out a lot!

[TwoWheeledExplorer]

I rode my Safari on a 30 mile charity/social ride with no problems. Tim and Cindy Travis have been riding Koga World Travellers for 5 years and 10s of thousands of miles, and the geometry and construction are almost identical. Erich Kubal rode a Safari from Prudhoe Bay to Tierra Del Fuego a few years back, and when he did have problems with the frame in AZ, REI replaced it with no problems. The butterfly bars are almost as versatile as drop bars, and much better than MTB bars with bar-ends. Only drawback I can tell you: The disc brakes are excellent, but very hard to find a front rack to fit around them.

The Randonee is also an excellent bike. I have a Bianchi Volpe, which is very similar to the Randonee and is my "other favorite" bike. With the Conti T&Cs on the Safari, it actually goes faster on pavement than the Volpe's WTB Allterrainasaurus tires.

Read up on Dan Buettner's SovietTrek, John Siegall-Boettner's Corps of Re-Discovery and the Travis' trip and you will see that modified MTBs make GREAT touring bikes, and that is what the Safari is.

Ride safe,
Hans

National Mountain Bike Patrol-MN
www.trailpatrol.org

[davestuartjr]

Thanks for your help and your point towards people who have done long self-supported tours on bikes lke the Safari, trailpatrol. I am leaning towards the Safari at this point but am training on a friend's bike (similar to the Safari) while waiting for potential sponsors to get back to me (this is a charity ride).