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Rich Clark wrote:
> "Zix" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>> Can anybody offer any experiences / insights / advice
>> on whether this might be a good bike to get? It's on sale
>> locally is why I ask.
>
> My experience with Novara is getting old, but fwiw it's this:
>
> The bikes are competitive and comparable to other name-brand bikes that come
> from Asian factories. The prices can be attractive, especially when on sale.
> REI's warranty is excellent.
>
> What colors the decision (other than your compatibility with the bike
> itself) is the quality of the bike department in your local REI. Some seem
> to be as good as many an LBS (and in some locales, they function as such).
> Others seem to be little better than mass-market stores. This will
> principally affect how well the bike is assembled and prepped, how flexible
> they are with matters like stem-swapping and other custom setup issues, and
> what you can expect from the wheels.
Good point. We have an excellent REI bicycle department at the store
near me. Actually I've only purchased a Marin brand mountain bicycle
from them (a good deal on a steel frame mountain bike), but they did a
good job on the assembly. The first one that they got from their
warehouse was damaged, and rather than try to pass it off on me, they
contacted me to tell me about the problem and the reason for the delay.
I've also been impressed with the various weird littleparts they carry,
that I would more expect to find at a shop that's been around a lot longer.
One thing about REI is that they have good hours, unlike some bicycle
shops that seem to have hours to suit the needs of the staff, rather
than that of the customers.
> "Zix" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>> Can anybody offer any experiences / insights / advice
>> on whether this might be a good bike to get? It's on sale
>> locally is why I ask.
>
> My experience with Novara is getting old, but fwiw it's this:
>
> The bikes are competitive and comparable to other name-brand bikes that come
> from Asian factories. The prices can be attractive, especially when on sale.
> REI's warranty is excellent.
>
> What colors the decision (other than your compatibility with the bike
> itself) is the quality of the bike department in your local REI. Some seem
> to be as good as many an LBS (and in some locales, they function as such).
> Others seem to be little better than mass-market stores. This will
> principally affect how well the bike is assembled and prepped, how flexible
> they are with matters like stem-swapping and other custom setup issues, and
> what you can expect from the wheels.
Good point. We have an excellent REI bicycle department at the store
near me. Actually I've only purchased a Marin brand mountain bicycle
from them (a good deal on a steel frame mountain bike), but they did a
good job on the assembly. The first one that they got from their
warehouse was damaged, and rather than try to pass it off on me, they
contacted me to tell me about the problem and the reason for the delay.
I've also been impressed with the various weird littleparts they carry,
that I would more expect to find at a shop that's been around a lot longer.
One thing about REI is that they have good hours, unlike some bicycle
shops that seem to have hours to suit the needs of the staff, rather
than that of the customers.