REI Bikes

[Tourista829]

Neil-When I opened up my email this morning the Friday REI advertisement was there. Since I want to provide you with accurate information, and want to try to help you, I went online with REI and chatted with Sabine S. To highlight the conversation, which I have in an email transcript, which I would be glad to send to you, if you provide me with an email address. It looks like you may have hit "pay dirt." The prices are very good. If you have a couple of friends, who are members, they could help you purchase a few larger ticket accessories. Hope this helps. Wishing you the best. Bob

Sabine S: The Novara Safari Touring Bike, Item # 775749 sells for $849.00. The cost with the coupon of 20% is $679.20.
Sabine S: The Novara Randonee Touring Bike, Item # 776887 is already on sale for $799.93. That is a savings of 23% from the original price of $1049.00.

Robert Schneck: If the bike is not in stock...due to say size, and you have to ship one in, will you still honor the price?
Sabine S: The coupon also applies to orders that are backorderable
Sabine S: A star will appear by the 'color and size'. You can still order it and apply the coupon

Robert Schneck: Finally, say he joins the Coop during the sale, will that work and how much is it now to join?
Sabine S: He can join and take advantage of the coupon at the same time.
Sabine S: Have a look at this link:
Please click the link to view http://www.rei.com/help/membership_join.html
Sabine S: It is only a one time fee of $20.00.
Sabine S: There is no annual fee and it is for a life time

Neil, Please make sure you print the coupon out, online and bring it with you, even if you are not yet a coop member.

[NEIL FROM BROOKLINE]

Hi Tourista,
Sorry for my delayed response. Thanks for going the extra mile to provide additional information. That was very helpful. I went to visit my local REI today. I test rode a large Safari and a medium Randonee. Both were all that was in stock. Both felt small to me. I liked the feel of the Safari but it seemed very heavy & the tires too bulky for a bike to ride long distances by paved road. I did like the gearing.  The Randonee was a comfortable weight but the handling seemed a little too shakey for me (I am currently doing all of my riding by mountain bike). The gearing seemed weak when climbing. I might get used to do that over time. I asked REI about whether I could buy the Randonee and buy the drive train & handlebars of the Safari for it. They were fine with changing out the handlebars but drew the line at the drive train. They will build a size large Randonee for me this week & I will ride it when ready. I will try & press them to at least change the rear cogs to the dimensions you specified in your earlier post. Thanks again!
Neil

[Tourista829]

Neil you are welcome. Did you ever find out if you could take a tire wider than a 700X32?
I can see why they drew the line. If you go to the handle bar of the Safari, they would have to change the brake levers and shifters. I wish they could change out your rear derailleur, front crank, and rear cassette. Regarding the handle bars, check the width. I went to a 44c wide anatomic designed drop handlebar and my bike felt more stable.

Another thought, can you get to Watertown, Mass? There is a very good bike shop called Harris Cycles. (the home of the late great Sheldon Brown) They are off of the Mass Pike. They may have a Surly or maybe another option. It may be worth the extra money. Then you would get a bike with 26" tires and a drive train that is better suited for loaded touring. Call them first
If your budget was a little higher, there is a company, in the UK that you can order a touring bike with either straight or drop handlebars at no extra charge. They even give you a choice of short and long top tubes. The name of the bike is Thorn and the model is the Club or the Sherpa. In the March Adventure Cycling Magazine, John Schubert wrote an article on my girlfriends Thorn MK3 Audax, a light touring bike. I wish more American bicycle companies would allow one to buy a stock bike and let you customize it the way you would like. Let me know how you make out. Bob

[NEIL FROM BROOKLINE]

Hi Tourista,
Thanks again for the information. I had no idea Sheldon Brown was a Mass. local. You are well-informed! I will pay a visit to Harris Cycle as well as Belmont Wheelworks, both of which sell Surly Long Hauls. Thorn looks to be beyond my budget. I will ask REI what the maximum tire width is for the Safari & Randonee next time I visit.
Best,
Neil.

[Tourista829]

Neil, glad I could help. As you may be aware, Sheldon Brown died in 2008 of a heart attack. I believe he was 63. He was a very good guy and helped me a lot. His legacy lives on in his website, which I am not sure how well maintained it is. You can get valuable information from it by either going to Harris Cycles website or sheldonbrown.com. Let us know how you make out. Bob

[NEIL FROM BROOKLINE]

Hi Tourista,
You asked a few days back about Safari & Randonee tire sizes. I contacted REI. Here is their reply:
"The Novara Randonee will accept tires 28 to 47mm in width.
The Novara Safari will vary depending on which size bike you go with, as the small/medium will have a 26" wheel, and the large/x-large sizes will have a 700c wheel. The small/medium Safari frames will have a 26x1.75 tire on them. You should be able to fit up to a 2.1 and go down to a 1.5. For the large/x-large size frames, the bike has a 700x48 tire and you should be able to put a 700x35 on. I would be leery of going lower though, especially if you plan to carry heavy loads on the bike."

Neil you are welcome. Did you ever find out if you could take a tire wider than a 700X32?
I can see why they drew the line. If you go to the handle bar of the Safari, they would have to change the brake levers and shifters. I wish they could change out your rear derailleur, front crank, and rear cassette. Regarding the handle bars, check the width. I went to a 44c wide anatomic designed drop handlebar and my bike felt more stable.

Another thought, can you get to Watertown, Mass? There is a very good bike shop called Harris Cycles. (the home of the late great Sheldon Brown) They are off of the Mass Pike. They may have a Surly or maybe another option. It may be worth the extra money. Then you would get a bike with 26" tires and a drive train that is better suited for loaded touring. Call them first
If your budget was a little higher, there is a company, in the UK that you can order a touring bike with either straight or drop handlebars at no extra charge. They even give you a choice of short and long top tubes. The name of the bike is Thorn and the model is the Club or the Sherpa. In the March Adventure Cycling Magazine, John Schubert wrote an article on my girlfriends Thorn MK3 Audax, a light touring bike. I wish more American bicycle companies would allow one to buy a stock bike and let you customize it the way you would like. Let me know how you make out. Bob

[Tourista829]

Thanks for the info. If you go with the Randonee, set the fenders for 47mm and ride with a 37mm tires. Perfect for Boston. Hey, did you ever get out to Harris Cycles and get to ride the Surly? 

[NEIL FROM BROOKLINE]

Hi Tourista,
I have not had a chance to try out the Surly. I have been swamped at work. Hopefully, I can visit the shop soon.
Thanks,
Neil.

Thanks for the info. If you go with the Randonee, set the fenders for 47mm and ride with a 37mm tires. Perfect for Boston. Hey, did you ever get out to Harris Cycles and get to ride the Surly? 

[Tourista829]

Neil-in my youth I lived in West Newton off of Cherry street on Wrangley Rd. So I did not live far from, Harris Cycles. Then I was transfered to St. Louis, Mo.

[brad]

There are a lot of factors, as many here have pointed out, to consider for touring but I would also think about where you are going to be touring. Do you plan to use it in the US? Europe? Africa? etc.

I first got into touring using a Nova Jamis i racked and fendered when I lived in Oklahoma. When I moved to Europe I had the Jamis and eventually I bought a Trek 520 for touring/commuting but when I returned to the US three years ago I sold it and bought a Safari. I have been very happy with the Safari. I have an 07, the one with a tan frame. Also, I have commuted on it daily for the past three years.  I am moving to Tanzania this July and it will be going with me where I plan to tour on it as well.

For me the main reason I went with the Safari was that like the poster above a Koga is my dream bike but since I have a garage full of fly fishing rods, rock climbing, gear, etc my gear budget remains maxed - and most of my tours are within two weeks or so of duration. I found that in Europe the 520 was not ideal because I thought the drop bars kept me crouched over too much and I missed a lot of scenery. Plus, unlike crossing the US and Canada with extremely long distances in between civilization in some areas Europe is the exact opposite. I found myself riding slower, getting off the bike more often for pictures, etc. Also, because of the higher population density and number of urban paths the upright position was much friendlier for city riding.

Just my two cents...the bottom line is that people were riding around the world way before we were all born on bikes less reliable than what we find at wal-mart...

[NEIL FROM BROOKLINE]

Hi Brad,
Thanks for your recommendations & also for sharing your touring history. You have certainly seen a lot of the world from two wheels. I expect that my initial long distance rides would be in North America.  That having been said, I prefer an upright riding position both to enjoy scenery & to take strain off my neck.
Best,
Neil.

[waynemyer]

"Look at the big brain on Brad!" Sorry, couldn't resist.   

I agree; it is quite impressive to see the bicycles people used for touring and randonneuring in the past, long before bicycles were refined and perfected.

[johnsondasw]

That's exactly how I do it now.  It's a good idea to carry extra spokes if you don't change out to wheels with a higher spoke count.  Also, a chain whip (or the smaller substitutes) is a good idea, so you can change rear spokes.

[Tourista829]

Neil, did you ever get over to Harris Cycles? Have you purchase a bike yet ? If, so which one?