Touring - Novara Safari 2008 vs 2009

Hi,


I've been interested in the safari, and have seen a few 08 models on sale at really good prices since they have the new 09's in. Is the 09 a significant upgrade from the 08 models? I'm wondering if I should just get the older one and save some $$ for other gear, or if it's worth it for the newer model...

The differences between the 08' and 09' are as follows:

They've changed out the crankarms and bottom bracket, no more shimano, now it's Truvativ. These are known to be a bit weaker than the shimanos, but not majorly a problem.

The 09' has a cheaper derailleur, it's not the SLX like 08', but is a Deore LX. Again, not a big deal.

I think that's about it, nothing major, I'd see no issue in getting a cheaper 08' model.

Ok first of all, the 09 has the SLX, the 08 the LX. Second of all, the SLX isn't one iota cheaper than the LX; it is in fact the direct successor to LX for mtb, as LX has now become a trekking groupset. Third of all, there are actually some pretty significant changes in the 09 Safari. The two biggest:

rear disc in the 09 is now mounted on the chainstay as opposed to the traditional seatstay. This means that just about any rear rack should work fine with the 09. With the 08, to get around the disc caliper, the stock rack bolted to eyelets that were mounted much higher than eyelets would normally be found. This is a large compatibility issue should you want to use an aftermarket rack instead of the original. Again, the 09 should be able to use just about any rack.

09 Safari has 700c wheels in the larger frame sizes. This is a mixed bag. On the one hand, 700c, also called 29er, mtb wheels are reputed to be noticeably more comfortable than 26" wheels. On the other hand, market penetration of 29er designs has not reached the point where you can comfortably expect to find replacements anywhere you go, especially in developing nations. Here (http://otbiking.wordpress.com/2007/11/18/the-29er-touring-experiment-%E2%80%93-riding-sichuan-singletrack/) a blogger writes about his experiences touring with a 29er in Asia. He has a detailed discussion of the pros and cons, including his suffering the worst case scenario of a complete rim blowout. (http://otbiking.wordpress.com/2007/12/14/trouble-in-da-jungle-part-2/)

Another difference we've noted is that the 09 version only has ONE water bottle cage (at least on the size medium) whereas the 08 has three water bottle cages. That's HUGE for touring!