Strengths: It's a great buy for the money. This bike should be on the wish list for touring bikes,custom mae for the long hall
Weaknesses: You need to upgrade the components, Pait chips really easy
Bottom Line:
This bike was purchased for a touring bike. It's a nice solid frame with all the brase-ons for racks. It's a bit twichy but loaded it should be fine. Factory componets where low end tiagra, Swiched to Ultegra Triple, FSA Headset,Race face Stem, Open Pro wheels. Kore seatpost.Ultegra STI shifters. It's
Bike Setup: Full Ultergra triple,FSA Pig headset,Mavic open Pro wheels with Conti 2000 rubber,Kore red anodized seatpost-Sweet,WTB Lazed saddle,Kore road bars 46c, Race Face Stem 120/6 rise.
Strengths: Solid, easy going steel frame and cyclocross set-up handles everything from city streets, to canal towpath, and fast road laps. Everything stock works fine, but changing tires to Kevlar road gives good durability and smooth ride.
Weaknesses: Paint seems to chip pretty easily -- much worse than my 10 y.o.'s Trek KDR, though it gets gentler treatment. Stock pedals degraded in about 12 months; upgraded to higher-end Shimano SPD mountain bike pedals (c. $100).
Bottom Line:
Bike is versatile, fine -- a wonderful commuter set-up, with some occassional Cat 5 racing and a few centuries/year. Have ridden about 5,000 mi. on the Nova. Will tour Route Verte (Quebec) this August. I've upgraded it to suit road commuting and fit my 6'1", 200# body. Overall, a great bike to get fit with and fall in love with cycling again (I'm 40+).
Similar Products Used: Will start riding a Cannondale CAAD for road races. Get on some Marin and Trek (5200) products from time to time.
Bike Setup: Replaced seat and stem for comfort; swapped drive train for Ultegra/Dura Ace combo, Ultegra Flight Deck shifters/brakes. Upgraded to Shimano M959 pedals when stock SPDs were damaged. Will probably swap out bottom bracket and crank (then, when done, migrate to new road frame ... maybe something like the Eclipse, or a Cannondale CAAD).
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
crispx
a Recreational Rider
from Powder Springs, GA
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2003
Strengths: General design, cantilever brakes, front & rear rack mounts. A rain/tour/brevet bike.
Weaknesses: Paint, handling, components, geometry way too tight for my intended rain bike.
Bottom Line:
Try the 2003 model, I didn't like this bike. The bars always seemed to bother my hands, the handling was twichy and frame just didn't seem to "work". BB&crank assembley is way-to-heavy, can you say steel. I wanted to make it a rain bike, but it just didn't work. I've allready stripped it and sent the frameset to Bilenky to see if he can cut it up and make it work for me, or it will be my new trainer bike to replace the Truk. HTH
Weaknesses: Geometry is the same is their road racing bikes with a bit extra rake in the fork to compensate for the steep head/seat. Handling is twitchy. Most cross designed bikes have much slacker geometry. Frame itself rather stiff and beefy. Sizing sticker on bike didn't correspond to actual size.
Bottom Line:
Bike is a good value; however the handling is too road like.
Strengths: The frame rules.Reynolds 631.Not 853 but
good weight/feel/etc.
STEEL IS REAL.
Great in the woods, a bit sluggish on the road, but these are NH roads. So it's a lot like the woods anyway.
With the onset of early dark, a 'cross bike is the only way to go for commuting.
I will race it this fall/winter.
Weaknesses: None worth noting.
Bottom Line:
This bike is, for the money as nice a cyclocross machine as you could want.
Race-worthy
Commuter perfect.
Mine was a frame personally spec'ed out, though for the ching, stock spec will do you right.
Similar Products Used: Years worth of cyclocross bikes.
Early '90s Fisher (that's right Fisher)
Mid '90s Bianchi Axis
Peugeot 'cross
Various other winter commuter/'cross bike over the years
Bike Setup: Older XTR front & rear derailleurs
Last year's Ultegra crankset & splined bottom bracket
52/39 fro
I love The Onion.
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