Novara Pulse bike

[nochinhair4u]

anyone using one of these for cyclocross? I just picked up one from REI. I'm 5'1" and it seems this is the only bike, other than getting something custom built. I'm just starting cx.

Anyone have any tips on how to make it lighter?

If you're running a single speed crankset, what are you using?

thanks for your help.

[wavedancer]

Check out Kerry Litka's site, if you haven't already. http://www.kerrylitka.com/novarastory.html
I considered getting one of these, but decided to reconstruct my hardtail into a 'cross bike. http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=19453&highlight=frank
If you can swap out some of the stock components, wheels, seat, you can probably knock some weight off of it.
I am 5'1" also, with very short legs, so I know the challenge of finding a bike to fit!

Have fun!!

[Angy]

We bought this bike for my son to ride road and cross. It's a perfect bike for him without breaking the bank! My Dh was supposed to look at changing out some parts but it hasn't gotten done yet. Not sure what all he was looking at to change to reduce some of the weight, but the first link wavedancer pointed to was the one I got the ideas from.

[nochinhair4u]

thanks for the replies! i checked out that site, has a lot of info. seems like an awful lot of upgrades (and $$) to drop 2.5 lbs off the bike! maybe weight lifting is the better option ;)

[Eden]

I'm not sure if its any less weighty, though I suspect that it is - I remember picking up the Novara and thinking it weighed a ton, but Redline has a kids model too. The biggest disadvantage to it is that it has even smaller wheels - they are 24" rather than 26". My Redline weighs just a smidge under 22lbs, which while not being a feather isn't too much of a pig either.

I think that the initial build on the Redline may be better. The only things I felt the need to change were the stem and the brakes - for some weird reason it comes with mini V brakes.... they don't work! They don't stop the bike very well as they are paired with road levers and have no travel agent... I swapped them to cantis, much better.

It might actually be too little for you though.... I'm 5 even and I have short arms so I need something with a really short reach and even I had to put a longer stem on the bike. I think it came with something really tiny - a 70 or something and I ended up putting a 90 or 100 on it.

[nochinhair4u]

thanks, i'll check that out. what kind of tires do you use? what companies make 24" 1.4 knobbies?

[may]

I'm 4'11 and have ridden this bike in 4 races. So far it's been okay. It doesn't handle quite as nicely as my 43cm dolce (which I LOVE). also the top tube feels a little short and the handlebars feel narrow. But i have a wee bit of standover which is rare!

I swapped out the seat (with a terry ti butterfly that I found on ebay), added spd pedals, replaced the quick release thingies with delta hublox anti-theft skewers, and replaced the seatpost with a carbon one I got off my dolce. Think I might also get new wheels (a friend recommended mavic 717s with wtb hubs) and wider handlebars, but don't know if I want to spend much more on it given that I want to find something that fits me better next year.

[stephanie1129]

I never thought of using the Pulse for cyclecross, but now that you mention it, it seems like a good idea for short riders. (im only 5' so I know how hard it can be to find bikes of any kind to fit) It's not the lightest bike, but it's sturdy and you can't beat the price.