Hey man, I found this by searching for the novara online, so this is my first post here. Basicly, I'm looking at this bike too. I did a lot of shoping around last summer when I was considering buying a bike. I decided to wait back then because I couldn't justify the expense (I'm a poor engineering student at Oklahoma State University), but now I've got a job coming up with a nice sign on bonus, so I'm looking again.
This bike was my main choice back in 05. Basicly, it kicks the **** out of the other bikes mentioned (IMHO) for one reason: Components. The thing that sets novara apart is that they focus totally on making a great all around bike. They don't skimp on any portion of the bike, and no section is better than any other. The Novara is race ready and won't need any upgrades, and in the end that will save you money (I've learned that lesson the hard way with my mountain bike). The time I was really close to buying this bike was when it hit clearance last year (mid-August). It dropped to 999. Two months later it hit 899. Keep in mind that the sizes were limited, but my size was available. Anyway, for less than a grand that is an amazing price. I plan to wait till August and then snag one just as they hit clearance.
The only downside that I see right now is that this year they uped the retail from 1200 to 1249.
Anyway, that's my rant, hope it helped.
Zach
