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).

Ouch....you just missed their 50th Anniv. sale. They had all the bikes discounted.

Bought my kid a Novara and it's a decent bike for the money. REI also has an excellent customer service policy. And you'll get your 10% dividend back at the end of the year so there's that. I don't know fine print but I think you can basically return it for any reason if it doesn't turn out to be the bike you want.

I've had one for about a month. I bought it during the sale that Texasdiver mentioned (most of their 20% off sales do not apply to bikes but that one did). I wanted a cheap commuter bike to keep the wear and tear off my expensive bikes. The hub is a Nexus 7, not sure why they list it as "Inter-7"? I don't have an REI store within 300 miles so I had mine shipped. It arrived 90% assembled and assembled very well. All I had to do was attach the stem and tweak the brakes. The brakes, seat, seatpost, grips, rear rack are all no-name parts that work surprisingly well. I am well versed in quality bike parts and these are all very usable parts. I thought I'd have to swap the seat out instantly, not so. The only complaint I have is the weight of the bike. It is easily the heaviest bike I own. I pseudo-weighed the bike on my bathroom scale and it came to about 38 lbs. for a size Large. The weight doesn't help on the hills, but for a low mile commute it is very comfy. My commute is 8 miles each way and it is fine. The Nexus is my first IGH and though I've read it is Shimano's low end, it works well though takes some getting used to. I've contacted REI and it looks like whatever stock is in the stores is all they will have for the rest of the year. They are sold out online in all but XL. If you want one, get one quick.

I have a Nexus 3-spd in my Simple City. No complaints. A lower low gear would go a long way toward compensating for a heavier bike.

For comparison purposes, my alumimum Simple City weighs in at 31 lbs. with the rack, fenders, and lights. The hub generator is worth some weight too. Looks like it has one of those ghetto "bent piece of aluminum" chain guards too. Won't keep shoe laces out of the chain, but it will protect the chain against road grit kicked up from the front wheel.

Looks like it has ergonomic grips. Nice. I'm not big on the "Easy Steal" wheels. Plan on locking up both wheels when you lock this up. The brakes look like what I had on my old Schwinn Searcher GS. Very strong. The front will throw you right over the handlebar if you grab too much. The neat thing is that they grab the rim so hard that when they are wet, they still work OK.

Don't rule out aluminum too quickly.

One of my bikes is the '08 Novara Big Buzz that I have a little over 2K miles on it and it has served me very well and I have not had any problems with it. Just saying don't be put off that it is the "REI Store Brand", Novara/REI are good a good bang for the buck in my experience.

I love my circa 1984 Novara/REI bike. It even still has a sticker that says "Recreational Equipment Inc. Mountain Co-op"

Nothing wrong with the existing line of Novara bikes either.

I have one of the old Transfers with 26" wheels and Aluminum frame. I got it on closeout, a steal for $300. It's heavy, but practically bombproof. 700c wheels and steel would make it twice as good. Nothing wrong with REI brand stuff, I'd lay out the coin for one.

Why? While they're a "big box retailer," they're not at all like WalMart, and you shouldn't carry any quality or safety misgivings over from one to the other.

I bought a used Novara Element at an REI "scratch and dent" sale in July. Since then I've put more than 2,700 miles on the thing. It's a wonderful bike, and has stood up to everything I've thrown at it.

Don't buy a Novara if you find something you like better, or can't get a fair price, or find something to fault. But don't write them off if they have something that looks good at a price you can deal with. Also, keep in mind that they'll let you return it at any point with no questions asked, if you aren't happy with the bike ... for me, that takes away the "gamble factor."

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.

Not sure exactly what kind of bikes you are looking for, but have you looked at Specialized's line of Euro-style all purpose city bikes? They are called Globe Bikes but it's just Specialized. I saw some neat looking models in my local shop. If I had short urban commuting in mind one of these would do nicely

https://www.globebikes.com

Thanks for the responses. It's great to hear that the REI store brand is good quality and that several of you are quite happy with your Transfers. It really does look like a solid bike. sjt78, I'm not too concerned about the weight--almost all of the bikes I'm considering are 35-40lbs. I suppose that's what you get when you buy a steel frame with all the commuter fixins. Texasdiver, the Globes are gorgeous bikes, but at $940-1100 (for the IGH models) and in aluminum, it's not really what I'm looking for.

Whatever I end up with will be my commuter bike 3 days per week when I ride about 13 miles roundtrip and keep my bike in my office (I would never leave my bike unattended in the neighborhood where I work). The bike will also need to be a light utility/grocery getter, something in between the Brompton and our Kona Ute.

All of that said, I'm still leaning towards the Belleville. There's something about that porteur look that I just love. If I could afford a custom randonneur/porteur frame, I'd be in heaven

Well, it seems like you picked the Belleville in the back of your mind a while ago, and you're just confirming it now. Good luck, and post pix when you get it.

JeremyZ, I won't know for sure until I ride it! Just checking out my other options for now...

If the Trek was a seven speed I might lean more in that direction but if your commute is flat then the three speeds might be ok. Nothing wrong with the so called house brand Novaro. I have a co worker that rides the early incarnation with an aluminum frame and he has ridden the crap out of that bike and the only problem he seems to have is some issues with broken spokes on the rear wheel. Its a really solid bike. However its hard to outgun Trek they are a quality ride. Have fun with your quest. Heck look at what I ride, a Bikes Direct Windsor but its a great bike and has become my go to ride. Did BD cheap out on the brake pads and pedals Oh yeah but they were pretty cheap to replace and I have a brand new set of Panaracer Pasela TG's to replace the cheapo Kenda tires it came with but they ride surprisingly smooth. Sorry to ramble as I said have fun thats what we ride for.

Thanks, I am indeed having fun I currently use 1 speed on my 2 speed commuter, so 3 speeds would be an upgrade. Then again, all the bikes I'm looking at are a lot heavier than what I'm used to!

My wife has had a Transfer for a few years. She likes it but I think you could do a lot better. It is comfy, the internal shifter is nice, and it has a lot of cool features standard like fenders, lights, a generator hub, and a rack. However, there are a lot of cons:

1. It is a beast. This thing is not lightweight. Steel is not going to change this.
2. The lights are dim and next to worthless.
3. Her brakes are weird and complicated, although I see on the newer ones they have normal V brakes.
4. Because you have the internal shifter/hub (this is further complicated by the drum brakes on her model) in the back and the dynamo in the front, it makes fixing a flat on the road that much more complicated.

In all, I think it's more gimmick than actual utility bike, especially the awful lighting system. She likes it though, and I can't argue with that.

The lights on the 2010 Transfer are not bad. The front is a halogen Basta light that is decent for low speed night riding. The rear light is not incredibly bright as it is a single LED, but it incorporates a nice reflector and it is photo and motion sensitive. I like those features as I ride through an overpass on my commute that is quite dark. I often don't run my rear lights during the day so the built in one comes on and helps in that section. I have yet to test out the fenders, but they seem similar in build to my Planet Bike Freddy Fenders on my other bikes. I will also be testing out the rear rack soon as I just got a pair of Axiom Typhoon panniers to use on my commute. Besides the weight (which was not a surprise for me) the bike is really well put together. The wheels seem built reasonably well and strong (36 hole) and the Randonneur tires are a nice and tough. Note: The bike did arrive with different fenders and rear rack than shown on the website. Not a big difference, but if someone wants me to post pictures I would be willing to do so.

What you want is a Danish-made Tout Terrain Metropolitan. All you need is a second mortgage to afford it

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/ttmetro.asp

Or one of the other Tout Terrain models

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/tout-terrain.asp