Novara Pulse bike

[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.