bebob

Hello there.

I am planning a 1300km tour, but money is a little tight for buying a touring bike. I got myself a crosser, to be more specific a Jamis Nova Sport. It's nothing special but as a commuter it gets the job done very well.

It got a rear rack and can hold panniers. For my tour I will have to put around 20kg and my body weight of 88kg on the bike and am a little afraid that it could overexert my bike.

Has anyone any experiences with the Nova Sport as a light touring bike and could give me any feedback? It would be highly appreciated!

Regards
bebob

macca33

I reckon the type of use you're planning will be no issue whatsoever.

It looks like a decent bike, upon which, to engage in your endeavour - have fun!

cheers

Barrettscv 

I had a Jamis Nova Pro that has an aluminium main triangle with carbon seat stays and a carbon fork.

Is your bike like the model I'm describing?

bebob

Hello there.

That describes it very well, except that my fork is made of aluminium

Barrettscv 

I would just be careful not to mount the racks directly on the carbon. If your bike has mounting eyes, use them and avoid using P-clamps. My bike did not have any mounting points.

Find racks that mount to the quick release shafts and to the Cantilever boses. Like these;

https://www.oldmanmountain.com/imagesBobs/FrontRacksPage/SherpaFrontLg.jpg

https://www.oldmanmountain.com/imagesBobs/RearRacksPage/WhiteRockLg.jpg

bebob

Those old man mountains are hard to get in Germany or at least incredibly expensive. But for the rear I bought this one: https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/con...th_spring.jpeg

This one should fit fine. But I am still looking for a front solution as I don't have cantilever boses

Cheers
bob

vatdim

I made a quick search. Is this the bike you bought?

If so, I believe the aluminum frame is quite good. It shouldn't have a problem with carrying you and your load. I'd throw in some fenders and a rack.

The main concern I have with this bike has to do with gearing. It offers a 50/34 chainring and a 11-30 cassette. That nets you around 30-31 gear inches in your slowest gear. Most people seem to recommend around 20 for loaded touring. Will 30 be enough? That depends on your route and your level of fitness, but it's probably doable.

fietsbob

On the west coast , there are bikes that get packed up to ship back across the USA..

all sorts , including people having used 50-34t doubles for 3000+ miles over the Rockies and Etc.

you can always replace the aluminum fork with a steel one made with all the fittings,
then swap back when you return and strip it down to be ligher again.

bebob

Well vatdim, that would be a interesting point. I didn't think about that in detail. Unloaded the gearing is not a problem at all and the lightest gear gives me the feeling I could pack a ton on that bike. But I really missed to try that out yet. I think I should really do a test ride with the weight I would like to take with me on my tour.

And fietsbob, good point with the steel fork. But please take a look at my bike. It has a pretty big head tube and I am really wondering if there is a suitable steel fork to it. But I will take a look at google, maybe that would be a solution.

NormanF

Have you considered the Jamis Bosanova? Its right in between a full on touring bike and a CX bike.

bikemig 

You should google bike packing. There are plenty of different ways of loading up a bike that do not involve full panniers. You may find some of the ideas useful.

For example, Bikepacking: How to Get Started - REI Expert Advice

There are plenty of other sites talking about this.

bikerinnola

I bought a used Jamis nova sport for just under $300. I was looking at more expensive options, but I'm glad I went with the Jamis at this price because it left room in my budget to make some upgrades. I replaced the OEM brakes with TRP spyre, swapped out the schwalbe racing ralphs (from original owner) with challenge fango, added a blackburn outpost rear rack with blackburn panniers and converted the drop bars to porteurs with the same claris brifters. I also replaced the cartridge bearings with sealed bearings which required removing the internal headset cups. Lastly, I installed a pretty heavy double kickstand to stable my load, but it's still light enough to comfortably carry it in and out of my house. This bike has served me very well in a city that has flat terrain, terrible road conditions and a long rainy season. It took 4 months to find these additional parts at prices that I liked, but the whole build came to $470 including the original purchase. If I were to consider touring on this bike, I think it would be necessary to upgrade the claris groupset to at least shimano 105.