Originally Posted by
phillyskyline
My girlfriend and I are both looking for dedicated commuter bikes with internal gearing. We both want steel frames, which has narrowed the search considerably. We are mainly looking at complete bikes at this point, and the Novara Transfer caught my eye.
Last I checked this bike was aluminum, but it seems the
2010 Transfer is steel. It has almost everything we're after for $660. The generator hub is a nice touch as well. The local REI has one in stock in our size, so I'm considering heading up there for a test-ride this weekend.
I'd feel a little weird riding an REI store brand bike, but then I don't see anything wrong with the bike or components. I'm sure there were some short-cuts here and there (aluminum seatpost, saddle looks crappy, brakes probably leave something to be desired), as with any bike in this price range. The rear hub is Shimano Inter-7, not Nexus, and I'm not sure how big of a difference that is. Anything else I should know before taking a closer look? Does anyone here own one?
I'm also considering the Trek Belleville, but I won't have a chance to test-ride one until later this month (backordered).
I didn't know that they were making the transfer in steel - it looks like it is really a lot of bike for the money. I agree that to hit that price point, they undoubtedly had to make some compromises. We were down at REI a few months ago shopping for a bike for my wife - there was another bike there which I found very interesting - the GT Aerostream - it is more in the cruiser bike category, but has a belt drive, three speed hub, and a front rack and basket.