Originally Posted by Nigeyy
A couple of questions for you concerning your review though; (i) did you try other stems to see if the stem was appropriate for you? The reason I ask is that I tried 3 or 4 different ones before I got a stem I thought was just right (interestingly it was the longest stem I tried) and (ii) did you try rotating the bar to get the best position? After a bit of experimentation, I think I've found a more angled up is better (at least for me) -certainly when compared to the normal almost horizontal position of my bar ends on my mtb.
Hi Nigeyy. It took the tech a good half hour to get the stem in the highest and closest position. I didn't want to ask him to swap the stem because I wasn't really interested in the Navara Safari bike; it was the trekking bar I wanted to demo.
A bike that fits you perfectly is worth its weight in gold, don't you agree? This is the main reason I will stick with my Trek 1000. It took the shop two full weeks to customize the bike to my exact needs, with a longer adjustable stem, stem extender, mountain gears, wider handlebar, etc etc. They changed virtually everything AND DIDN'T CHARGE ME A PENNY EXTRA. I was amazed at how accommodating this shop was. Now when they see me coming up the street they put the CLOSED sign in the door. :-))))
REI wanted a lot of money to swap parts. It doesn't make sense to me to start with a bike that costs $950 without even a decent seat and then add big money to swap tires, seat, stem, gears (that implies derailleurs also and possibly crank). Not that rich myself.
Of course manufacturers must accept part of the blame. A touring bike needs a touring seat, period. And what's with not offering fenders on a $950 bike?