# Novara Divano or Novara Strada



## spaladugu (Jul 25, 2013)

Hey guys I am new to biking in general and I thought my First bike should be a road bike. I have looked around for some entry level road bikes like the Cannondale CAAD8, Trek 1.1, Giant Defy series etc. But I have only had the chance to test out the two Novara Bikes. The Novara Divano and the Novara Strada. The Strada is on sale for $878. About 220 dollars less than its actual price. Which puts it right in the range of the Novara Divano I was looking into as well. 

I guess my Question is which one do you guys think is a better bike? 

The Strada has better components than the Divano but I like the wider range of gearing the Divano offers. The Strada is lighter by about 2 pounds but has lesser gears but I like the 3rd front gear the Divano has which makes it easier for climbing hills. I really cant make up my mind on which one i want to get...:mad2:

For the most part I will be using the bike for regular commute to school and go on rides in San Francisco which has a lot of hills . Also what your opinion on Novara bikes in general? 

Here are the specs for Novara Strada: Novara Strada Bike - 2013 at REI.com

Specs for Novara Divano: Novara Strada Bike - 2013 at REI.com

Thank you.


----------



## DrAstro (Jul 24, 2013)

I'll offer my limited noob knowledge.

The Strada looks like a good deal and has better components. However, I can't really notice the difference among components at this point. I've ridden a Sora that felt good and a Tiagra that felt aweful. I don't think us new riders can tell too much difference, but that's just me.

I need to actually go ride that Strada as its a good deal imho. I've seen nothing but good reviews of it and I don't really care what brand my bike is.

As for the triple or compact double:
I'm torn by this myself. I like my triple a lot on my hybrid. I can climb anything around here easily. I've noticed when I tested compact doubles though, I can climb hills easier even without that granny gear. The road bike is just so much lighter and easier to climb on. I'm not sure I would miss the granny gear, although its definitely nice to have. That being said, i'm finding it hard to find road bikes with triples on them. Everyone is switching to compact doubles. I miss the smoothness of the triple shifting (since I just stay in the middle ring up front most of the time).

I think you'd be fine with either. The Strada is technically "better" but I wouldn't let components that I don't really notice sway me. 

Test them both. If you love one, then get it!
If don't like either, then definitely wait and try others.
Deals are cropping up on 2013 bikes with the 2014's emerging.
I suspect there will be more deals on more name brand bikes coming up in the coming months if you don't mind waiting.

Cheers and best of luck!


----------



## Alfonsina (Aug 26, 2012)

You are going to test ride other bikes though, no? why just look at REI? I bought my bikes from Bikes Direct so I wasn't store shopping at all but if I was going to look in REI, I sure as heck would look in a real bike shop too. Limiting yourself to 2 rei bikes seems strange to me? Go ride your other options, and if you are looking at box stores like REI then look online too, if you don't need support or hand holding. That is where the real savings lie because my REI experiences wouldn't lead me to believe in them as any kind of specialty store or discount store, REI seems to me as the worst of both worlds. .


----------



## Alfonsina (Aug 26, 2012)

And google rei novara, I am sure there is **** out there about everything but the first few google hits are interesting reading.


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

Novara's REI's 'brand' and does appear to have its share of problems.
Novara (bicycles) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'd suggest branching out some, searching out reputable LBS's (San Francisco should have many), discuss your intended uses/ goals, cycling experiences, budget, get sized/ fitted to bikes of interest and head out (on the roads) for test rides. 

Re: gearing, simply put, compacts are compromises between triples and standards. I would think someone would have to be in pretty good shape to push a standard on SF's hills, so (depending on your fitness level) either a compact or triple would be the way to go. When in doubt, a triples 30T chainring offers a little extra...


----------



## Zeet (Mar 24, 2013)

Sometimes noteworthy and respectable bicycle companies suffer recalls and subsequent lawsuits. Specialized, Trek, Felt, Cervelo, Raleigh, and others, have all fallen to the curse of the dreaded recall. However, I'd say, that Novara is a pretty good bicycle company overall. Of course, I'd say the same for all the others, as well. At any rate, IMHO, it's always best to have a granny gear, than not to have one. Therefore, I always opt for a triple crankset. Since I'm a retired touring cyclist and I live in the Bay Area (adjacent to San Francisco), I automatically tend to gravitate towards the triple, by default.


----------



## spaladugu (Jul 25, 2013)

hey guys thanks for all your input. I ended up choosing the strada! I went to rei today and this really nice man that works there helped me out and explained to me everything I need to know about the gears of these bikes and the shifters. he told me that both the divano and strada have the same frame, fork and wheels. but only the shifting components are different. I test rode them both back to back and found that the divano felt more direct and it changed direction fast. much faster than the strada. But the shifts on the Strada were just beautiful. I felt like the range of the gears are actually pretty good as well. though I hesitated a bit abt the color I ended up choosing the strada anyway. 

thank you very much for your help guys!!!. this is the first time I ever reached out to a forum for help and you guys are awesome!


----------



## spaladugu (Jul 25, 2013)

I tried bikes direct but couldnt find a single bike in my size Haha. and I wanted to test other bikes but I couldn't because I called about 20 bike stores in the area and non of them had a bike under 1k. And i really wanted to test out my bike before I bought it so I defaulted to rei. thank you for your help


----------



## Zeet (Mar 24, 2013)

Congrats!....IMO, the Strada was actually the better choice, due to the upgraded quality of the 10 speed 105 gruppo over the 9 speed Sora gruppo. That's despite the granny gear on the Divano.


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

spaladugu said:


> hey guys thanks for all your input. I ended up choosing the strada!


Congrats! Here's hoping you have many miles of smiles with your new bike! 

Post pics and update us on your riding impressions.


----------



## SGMDWK (Jul 22, 2012)

Alfonsina said:


> You are going to test ride other bikes though, no? why just look at REI? I bought my bikes from Bikes Direct so I wasn't store shopping at all but if I was going to look in REI, I sure as heck would look in a real bike shop too. Limiting yourself to 2 rei bikes seems strange to me? Go ride your other options, and if you are looking at box stores like REI then look online too, if you don't need support or hand holding. That is where the real savings lie because my REI experiences wouldn't lead me to believe in them as any kind of specialty store or discount store, REI seems to me as the worst of both worlds. .


The OP made his decision, and I think it was a good one. But your characterization of REI is a load of crap. My local REI store has a bicycling staff that provides all the same services as any local bike store. REI stands behind its sales with a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. If you aren't happy, for any reason, return it and they will give your money back, no questions asked. To top it off, REI is a cooperative. Members of the co-op get a dividend back on all their purchases - averaging 10 percent. I have no idea how much I have gotten back over the years: well into the thousands of dollars, I am sure. REI sells quality outdoor gear and is staffed by enthusiastic, knowledgeable people who use the equipment they are selling. It is not discount store or a big box store. I think REI should get the same sort of consideration you would give to a LBS when shopping for bikes and gear.
My 2 cents.


----------



## Zeet (Mar 24, 2013)

SGMDWK said:


> The OP made his decision, and I think it was a good one. But your characterization of REI is a load of crap. My local REI store has a bicycling staff that provides all the same services as any local bike store. REI stands behind its sales with a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. If you aren't happy, for any reason, return it and they will give your money back, no questions asked. To top it off, REI is a cooperative. Members of the co-op get a dividend back on all their purchases - averaging 10 percent. I have no idea how much I have gotten back over the years: well into the thousands of dollars, I am sure. REI sells quality outdoor gear and is staffed by enthusiastic, knowledgeable people who use the equipment they are selling. It is not discount store or a big box store. I think REI should get the same sort of consideration you would give to a LBS when shopping for bikes and gear.
> My 2 cents.


+1 Also, let's bear in mind that there are quite a few local bike shops, who would think nothing of selling you two left shoes of the wrong size, as long as it will gain them a profit. Leave that fact alone, and there are still some of those same bike shops, that have incompetent salespeople on the floor. Just like the average LBS exists, so do those who fall far below standard. I've personally found that most REI stores maintain a very high standard. However, there are those few REI outliers, who exist and do fail to maintain those same high standards.


----------



## spaladugu (Jul 25, 2013)

View attachment 284826

Excuse the photo quality guys, I ran out of battery in my DSLR so I used my old phone camera. 

So far I have done about 15 miles since i got it. I took a ride up some mountains near my house with my friends. The bike is AMAZING! I did not expect this at all. I have always underestimated myself and also bike but today the bike helped me have a lot of fun going up those hills and back down as well. And this bike Picks up speed very fast. I found the Low gear to be low enough for the hills I did today. Over all the bike is very comfortable. I found the stem to be a little too high for my taste so I fliped the stem upside down so the the handle bars are a little lower. I love how responsive this bike is at speed and how stable it feels. I have hit about 40ish mph today maybe more. I got my self red and white LEDs to go on the bike and match the color of the frame. I am still looking to add a water bottle holder and i still need to buy a lock before my school starts. Also I am planning on getting a bike computer so i can accurately see the speeds I hit and the distance I travel. So far I love this bike! Probably the best choice I ever made. The gears are very smooth and the Shimano 105 shifters make it effortless to shift. I think this bike is going to convert me into a good biker.

Thank you guys for helping me choose this awsome bike!:thumbsup:


----------



## areFish (Jun 10, 2013)

Glad to hear your enjoying your new bike. I bought a new bike in May and the Novara Strada was on my short list of bikes I test rode. Have fun and be safe.


----------

