I'm not sure which bike to buy. I will mostly be riding from home to school and to work and perhaps forest preserve bike trails. I am also just getting into biking so I don't know how much I will get into it.

Any advice?

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MESE%3AIT&rd=1

By all means get the Sattalite

"No va" means "Don't go!" in Spanish, therefore the Nova is slower than the Satellite. Plus, the Satellite has "lite" in the title, making it that much faster.

P.S. It is Friday, I'm drunk with tiredness, and I've been reading the Foo forum too much. Must go home and sleep.

Not quite a fair comparison. You can buy 2.5 Satellites for the price of a Nova. If price is no concern, then the main consideration is that you can easily put wider tires (touring, knobbies, etc) and fenders on a Nova, but maybe not on a Satellite. If you have the money, a Nova will definitely give you more options.

As a commuter/tourer I'd have two small gripes about the Nova. The first is the carbon fork, which does not have an eyelet for fender attachment. However, the fork can be changed or a mounting point can be improvised. The second is that the gears aren't quite low enough, but again that can be changed. The Nova is set up for going fast.

Sweet!

The Satellite is an entry level road bike...531 tubing, Sora 8 speed STI brake/shifter, dual pivot Tektro brakes (typical road design that limits tire width), and basic 32 spoke wheels. Entry level doesn't necessarily mean unreliable, but is always heavier.

The Nova is a cyclocross bike...cantilever brakes (permit wider tires, good for trail or commuting), 36 spoke wheels (to better absorb trail bumps), and mid-level 105/Tiagra components. The 631 tubing is lighter, but I don't know about the 'all up' weight of one versus the other.

I have the 2001 Nova for a commute that's all road over very hilly terrain. It's been great. I got it at a remarkable clearance price, though, not the $1000+ of the current model.

If you're on a tight budget why not find something used (the local craigslist) for a couple of hundred? If you find you really like cycling you can sell at a minor loss (or gain, if you're a real salesman). With some riding experience and reading in the forums you'll be able to better judge what bike suits your riding area and preferences.

I have an '02 Nova, and I love it...for me, it may be the perfect commuter. It doesn't have the carbon fiber fork, and it does have mounting points for a rack on the front as well as the back (I only use a rack on the back). If you don't want to spend the $$ for a new Nova (I totally forgot the "doesn't go" thing...and I'm a spanish speaker!), try to find a used or leftover one. I bought mine a year and a half ago as a leftover, and paid considerably less than I would have for an '04. I can't give you any comparison, as I have no experience with the satellite, so I'm just giving the benefit of my experience with the Nova. Good luck!

Just to add to the confusion, also check out the Jamis Aurora. I use mine ('01) primarily for commutes. I like the Sora shifting since I spend most of the time in the hoods.

Thanks to all that have replied. I have recently found a bike shop that has an 03' and 04' Jamis Nova for $850 and $950 respectively. Another bike shop has a brand new Nova for $1100 and offers lifetime free tune ups.

Are free tune ups a gimmick or is it worth it? It is a fairly small neighborhood bicycle shop that seems to take cycling seriously. Which of these sounds like the better deal?

Thanks.

This is like the "I love my Nova" thread. The components on all the models change yearly, so I wouldn't be able to compare the 02/03/04/05 for you. It would be nice to have a fork with eyelets, though.

My commuter is an '05 Nova. Get the Nova.

Well, with the amount of commuting I do (17 miles each way every day), I get my bike tuned up twice a year...and at about $60 per tune up, that sounds like a pretty good deal. Even if you only do it once per year, that's still pretty good...