Build a Nova out of a Coda?

[rosswords]

My LBS tried to get me a Jamis Nova but they're all sold out of the larger sizes. He says he's going to build me an equivalent bike from a Coda frame with drop handlebars, carbon fork and 105 components. Does this make sense? The geometry on these two bikes looks different, but I'm not clear what effect that will have on the ride.

Otherwise, the alternative will probably be a Bianchi Volpe. Someone on these boards called it a "tank," but I'm not sure why. It has Reynolds 520 steel instead of the Nova's 631, but so do a lot of other good bikes.

Any advice?

[bkrownd]

If the shoe...uh, the bike fits, ride it! Frankenbike! :D

[bsyptak]

You can check the geometry of the 2 frames on the Jamisbikes.com web site. The equivalent Coda model is the Elite in terms of steel quality (Reynolds 631). The two lower models (Sport, Comp) are Reynolds 520 steel. The geometry is definitely different, the only way to know if you'll like it is to have it built up. But I wouldn't unless you're not obligated to buy it. Would you buy a car before test riding it?

[rosswords]

Yes, I've carefully examined all the specs. I'm just not clear on how the different geometries will affect the ride. The Coda is listed as a "performance street bike" and the Nova is a cyclocross. An equivalently sized Coda has a higher bottom bracket, longer chainstay, longer wheelbase and larger fork rake, but the top tube length and head tube angle are effectively the same.

I'm not a gearhead. I just want a sense if a street bike frame will give a similar ride to a cyclocross frame if you fit it out with all the same parts. I've been riding for almost 30 years on a classic 10-speed so I'm not really familiar with all the different kinds of bikes they make today.

The LBS is going to build out the bike with no obligation to buy (he's been very accomodating for a NYC bike store!), but I wanted some other opinions as to whether this was a reasonable idea or a crazy thing that I'll regret later on?

[JamesV]

Just my opinion but I think it's a bad idea. The Coda Elite is two pounds heavier than the Nova and the Coda has a longer wheelbase. That means that your CodaNova be will slower and more sluggish than a real Nova. And what about the factory warranty? Would Jamis honor the full factory warranty for a dealer hack job like this?