Rejuvenator

The Randonee is on sale at the local REIs that still have it in stock. My local has a 58 or 59 (I cant remember which) that is on clearance right now. They are out of stock at the warehouse, which is why it is no longer on the website. Call a few REIs near you.

The LHT has some superior components--the Crank, Hubs, Rims, Rear Der. Those things add up.

But REI has unbeatable customer service, which some already mentioned.

Cyclaholic

It's mostly to do with the frame, then the saddle, rather than the hubs. I've ridden my LHT with a whole bunch of different wheelsets and compared to my other bikes it's consistently the sweetest ride..... throw in a Brooks and you won't ever want to ride anything else ever again.


+1 on all these points.

djkenny

I thought the rims on the Novarra were stouter? Otherwise...cranks seem slightly lesser quality o the REI bike.

I guess the REI bike lacks the "double butted" style steel to?

I think I will just save and save for the LHT...or maybe consider a Bianchi or Jamis Aurora. Heh.

bragi

I'm sure this has been mentioned before, but you should just test ride every bike in this category (steel touring bikes for around $1000), buy the one that you like the best, and not worry too much about price, at least to a certain degree. Assuming that you ride the bike for a decade or so, it's probably more important to have a bike you love than it is to save $100.

Oh, one more good thing about the LHT: its paint is powder coated, and won't chip very easily at all. I mean, it will chip, but you kind of have to work at it, like throw the bike at a moving bus or something. I removed the decals on my LHT, because they do look kind of stupid, and, since they were much more robust than I expected, I had to resort to acetone to get rid of them, and the paint job was still just fine. I don't think I could have gotten away with that on a frame with a lower-quality paint job.

djkenny

I am feeling more sold on the LHT or another bike over the Randonee.

I have a year to save for that tour I would like to find other people in Portland, OR to join my on to Moscow, Idaho.

Thanks everyone!

HOV

Whether it's rational or not, I tend to prefer Mavic over Alex brand rims if given the choice stock-to-stock.

If consumables matter at all, the stock Vittoria Randonneur tires on the REI bike are great.

The Randonee frame uses double butted steel.

I don't know about the LHT saddle, but the REI stock saddle is atrocious. A B17 I had laying around cleared that right up.

Rejuvenator

Mavic does make nice rims, but their middle of the road is nothing special. If you cant afford the A719 or similar, stay with Velocity or Sun-much better value.

lukathonic

I recently exchanged my 2008 Randonee for a 2009 in a smaller size. So first of all, a return policy like REI's is a wonderful thing - I am ashamed to admit how many miles it went before I took it back.

So, a quick overview of the changes: I love them.

The rear rack is different, making it much easier to take my bag on and off.

The front head set height is easily adjusted but the length is fixed.

The front fork is a bit slimmer and better looking.

The brakes are still canti, but the steep angle of the brake arms gives them more mechanical advantage and they work really well.

Pedals and saddle still pretty mediocre.

$100 price increase

A few other very subtle changes not worth detailing

That's what I've noticed in the last week of having this bike. Like I said earlier, I am very happy with the bike and would recommend it highly.

Note: I haven't ridden a LHT

EasyEd

I have a Randonee and I love it. It rides realy smooth. I got it this summer and am using it for commuting right now. I have a tour planned for next summer. I have no complaints about it, other than the stock seat which sucked. That is personal preference though. Some people think my brooks sucks, so be it. We can't all be the same. Any way, the Novara is a well made and well thought out bike for a $1k touring bike. Can't realy go wrong with it.

Hot Potato

I went to REI to buy a Randonee. It was raining when I went in the store, bike guy said I could not test ride it. While I was looking at other stuff, the rain stopped. I asked for a test drive. Bike guy said the parking lot was still damp, he couldn't risk letting me test ride the bike in "unsafe conditions." I left the store, having not test rode the bike I went there for.

On the way home, I test rode a Jamis Aurora in a damp parking lot with thunder and lightening. Despite the horribly unsafe test ride conditions, I liked the bike and took it home. My advice? The Jamis bikes and the Fuji touring are in that price range as well, and are worth taking a look at.

edit: aw crap. another resurrected thread sucked me it, I just have to be more careful these days. I guess I am just a sucker....

eAspenwood

Can't go wrong with the LHT....

Here's mine:

nopinkbikes

eAspenwood, what kind of bars are those?

fuzz2050

My girlfriend crashed her LHT into a parked car (stupid accident, there was a rat...) Thank god she was alright, although her fork was bent backwards about 20 degrees. The stock wheels on the LHT, not even out of true. I challenge the Alex rims to stand up to that. And this especially considering that wheels are almost always the week spot on off the shelf bikes.

eAspenwood

it's the nitto aluminum (560mm) north road bar I got from jensonusa a while back. Wow, looks like the price has doubled since I bought it there.

A better deal would be the croMo nitto albatross over at rivendell for 40 bucks. I have that one on my atlantis and its almost identical to the north road. The albatross I believe has a (very) slightly wider angle than the north road, but I can barely tell.

nopinkbikes

Great. Thx for the info, much appreciated.

bikecopXXX

my buddy has a LHT along with an extremely nice collection of high end and classic bikes...HE LOVES the LHT and rides it all the time. that says something about it i think.

btw, slightly OT,,,is "brifter" a semi-standard term now? i can't see myself ever using it.