Buzzillions.com - Novara Squadra Road Bike - 2009 Reviews www.buzzillions.com

Excellent value, great quality

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Excellent value, great quality

Fusatia from Fresno, CA

This bike is excellent! I have about 50 miles on mine so far, and I must say that the first things I noticed were the instantaneous power transfer and the agility. Going over the road, the carbon smooths out the bumps and makes the road just a little bit more fluid and comfortable, but the BB remains stiff and keeps your pedal strokes efficient!For all those wondering: the REI techs weighed the bike in at delivery (as it is delivered to customer -- not including pedals) and it came to 17.25lbs (size: MEDIUM). I could not find this spec anywhere when researching before buying so I wanted to share.The SRAM Rival components are a dream come true: the double tap is easy to learn and shifts like a dream, and the brakes are incredibly powerful. Everything works wonderfully.My only gripes are with the cable routing (looks rather poorly thought out, with the cable housing putting awkward pressure on the headset so that the bars are "coerced" to turning to one direction all the time) and the wr … Read more

Groovy

Tue, 19 May 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Groovy

xc-tlc from Denver, CO

Just got mine as a graduation present. Only have about 50 miles on it. [$]. I test road the fuji team rival, the scattante carbon, and a GT. This had the best component spec with the 09 rival. It is awesome. I love the compact handle bar, very comfortable to ride in the drops with. I am 5'7" and I went with the small perfect fit. With pedals (wellgo w44) it comes in at 17lbs 12 oz (small). Very responsive and fast, I was riding steel with shimano 105 before, this bike is more compliant than the steel, and not near as flexy at the bb. With the bike fully loaded with water bottle, pump, and seat bag it is still about 3 lbs lighter than my last bike. Not a big fan of the white bar tape, but not hard to change. Read more

One nice bike!

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:01 GMT

One nice bike!

ozone from Sammamish Plateau

This is a review of the 2008 model I purchased just before the 2009 model came out. Only differences are minor components and an 'ergo' bar. I used this bike in the 30th STP. No problems whatsoever. Accelerates like there is no tomorrow and stops on a dime. Smooth, responsive ride, with no unnecessary flex. Descends with confidence. As equipped the tires are great. Grip well and no flats in over 1,000 miles of riding (I note that a different tire from the same manufacturer is used this year). I have few complaints: the bar tape was not wrapped as tight as it should have been on one side so needs re-taping; I am going to change out the handlebar to the FSA Wing Pro with compact bend as it is better for small hands; I changed out the saddle to one fitting my preference. That's it! As equipped for the STP the bike weighed 17.8 pounds. Light weight yet strong enough to endure all the bad roads, railroad crossings, and Longview bridge. You can't ask for much more. Novara really … Read more

Solid performer

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Solid performer

Abu Cooper from Seaside, CA

I've owned my Squadra for 14 months. I regularly take my Squadra on 20+ mile rides. The bike is so fast, very stable, and has given me no serious problems (during my first week, the master chain broke, but the REI mechs fixed it for free). I will buy another in a couple of years and keep this one for riding in rough conditions. Read more