Thorn Cycles Forum

Community => Member's Gallery => Topic started by: in4 on April 29, 2018, 09:21:27 am

Title: Henry is here
Post by: in4 on April 29, 2018, 09:21:27 am
After an elephantine gestation he's arrived.
Virtually straight out of the box, save for the Camper long flap and steel water bottles.
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: jags on April 29, 2018, 01:57:12 pm
class. 8) 8)

anto.
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: Andre Jute on April 29, 2018, 03:59:00 pm
Serious looking bike.
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: Danneaux on April 29, 2018, 04:05:23 pm
Quote
After an elephantine gestation...
Good things are worth the wait.  :)

Absolutely superb looking machine, Ian...ready for anything and a ready and willing companion on your tours.

I especially like the blue bottles.

Welcome, Henry; all congratulations Ian.

All the best,

Dan.
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: geocycle on April 29, 2018, 05:48:13 pm
Great bike, I think the fragile tape on the box must be ironic. What tours are in store?
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: in4 on April 29, 2018, 07:15:48 pm
After much measuring at home, a trip to Bridgwater resulted in a 590L being ordered. At 1.78m and 77kg I felt I was betwixt sizes but the 590L is a great fit. I've a few bar height adjustments to make and the saddle might move a little but, for 'out of the box' I'm pleased. The Carradice Camper Long flap is just for temporary use; needs a separate bracket as it doesn't work with the Thorn rear rack.
Thanks for the plaudites and good wishes. Henry is flattered!
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: PH on April 29, 2018, 07:30:32 pm
Looks the business ;)
First time with the GP5s? I absolutely love these, but worth experimenting with the angles to get them just right, took me a few adjustments, I'd think I had it perfect then another ride would show that wasn't the case. 
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: energyman on April 29, 2018, 10:04:19 pm
The bees knees - very nice !
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: in4 on April 29, 2018, 11:18:10 pm
I had gp5s on my derailleur Nomad and liked them.  You're right 're adjusting them. I like having the option of riding on the horns too. I've  not got a mirror that will fit them yet so any suggestions would be welcome.
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: David Simpson on April 30, 2018, 01:08:50 am
I had gp5s on my derailleur Nomad and liked them.  You're right 're adjusting them. I like having the option of riding on the horns too. I've  not got a mirror that will fit them yet so any suggestions would be welcome.

When I got my Nomad (5 years ago), I went through the same search for a mirror to mount on the GP5 "horns". I eventually switched to the GP1 (no horns) and used metal bars ends with a mirror mounted in the end of the bar ends. The mirror is designed to mount in the end of handlebars, so it fit nicely in the end of the metal bar end.

Here is the mirror:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/accessories/mirrycle-mountain-mirrycle-mirror-for-straight-handlebars

My post here describes why I like the high-mounted mirror:
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=12872.msg96401#msg96401

I've posted a photo below. (The photo is a bit messed up. I'll try to find the original photo.)

- DaveS
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: jags on April 30, 2018, 09:45:16 am
After an elephantine gestation he's arrived.
Virtually straight out of the box, save for the Camper long flap and steel water bottles.
why henry.
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: martinf on April 30, 2018, 02:09:44 pm
When I got my Nomad (5 years ago), I went through the same search for a mirror to mount on the GP5 "horns". I eventually switched to the GP1 (no horns) and used metal bars ends with a mirror mounted in the end of the bar ends. The mirror is designed to mount in the end of handlebars, so it fit nicely in the end of the metal bar end.

I have the same Thorn handlebar with the graduations on my Raven Utility. I have GP4 grips/bar ends, and have 3.5 cms of uncut handlebar protruding from the bar ends on each side.

I mounted a B&M Cyclestar 80 mm mirror clamped to the left-hand end of the handlebar, in this position the mirror is far enough out to give a fairly clear view of traffic behind, and does not interfere with hand positions on the grips or bar ends.
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: energyman on April 30, 2018, 03:43:28 pm
After an elephantine gestation he's arrived.
Virtually straight out of the box, save for the Camper long flap and steel water bottles.
why henry.

Maybe it's his 8th bike ?
;)
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: in4 on April 30, 2018, 04:44:22 pm
Why Henry? My much loved labrador; that was his name. Always brings a smile my face.
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: jags on April 30, 2018, 04:51:18 pm
ah i like it  ;)

Anto.
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: David Simpson on April 30, 2018, 05:04:50 pm
I mounted a B&M Cyclestar 80 mm mirror clamped to the left-hand end of the handlebar, in this position the mirror is far enough out to give a fairly clear view of traffic behind, and does not interfere with hand positions on the grips or bar ends.

Hi Martin --

Looks good! I had something similar, but it didn't work for me. When I take my bike out of my basement, I need to pass through a narrow corridor. The mirror kept getting knocked out of alignment. Eventually I broke the glass as I was taking my bike through a doorway.

By the way, Ian, please forgive my lack of manners. I should have congratulated you on your new bike. It is a great looking bike. The black-on-black looks good on a Nomad. (I had a hard time decided between yellow or black for my bike. My young daughter cast the decided vote for yellow.)

- DaveS
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: jags on April 30, 2018, 07:22:27 pm
Say lads whats the best mirror for drop bars ,
i tried a few totally useless even got one you strap on your wrist worst thing ever.
so yes i need a good mirror that does what it supposed to do.
thanks  guys.

Anto

Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: martinf on April 30, 2018, 09:04:27 pm
Looks good! I had something similar, but it didn't work for me. When I take my bike out of my basement, I need to pass through a narrow corridor. The mirror kept getting knocked out of alignment. Eventually I broke the glass as I was taking my bike through a doorway.

With my setup, the mirror is easy to knock. For example, taking the bike out of my garage I have to "wiggle" the front wheel through the narrow door.

But I have to have the mirror well out beyond the handlebar to get a useful view of what is behind, otherwise the large object on the saddle blocks a fair part of the field of view.
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: martinf on April 30, 2018, 09:15:00 pm
Say lads whats the best mirror for drop bars

Not yet found a satisfactory way of fitting a mirror to (traditional) drop bars. Not tried on compact drops. The only place where it doesn't interfere with my hands is the bar end - I tried the B&M Cyclestar on it's bar-end mount, it was masked by my arm in some hand positions, when visible it gave me a good view of my left thigh.

Tried a spectacle-mount mirror, but didn't get on with that either.
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: martinf on April 30, 2018, 09:46:19 pm
This might work with drop bars and modern brake levers, it puts the mirror up reasonably high and shouldn't interfere with hand positions. Has anyone tried it?

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/accessories/mirrycle-road-mirror-for-sti-levers/
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: John Saxby on April 30, 2018, 11:56:14 pm
Thanks, Martin.

I used one of these on my derailleur bike, which has STI levers.  It mounted easily enough, but there were two problems:

   * it vibrated more than I liked -- felt a bit like a motorcycle mirror at certain RPM. I would tighten it, but then it worked loose again.

   * it was a bit vulnerable -- used to knock against walls/fences/rails if I leaned the bike when I was off it.

From these two problems, I felt that I was forever adjusting it.

So, I use a mirror clipped to the visor on the side of my helmet: https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5013-612/Take-A-Look-Cyclist%27s-Mirror (https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5013-612/Take-A-Look-Cyclist%27s-Mirror)

Not perfect, but for me it offers the best outcome of the set of inevitable tradeoffs. Two bucks cheaper than the Mirrcycle.

Cheers,  John
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: Neil Jones on May 01, 2018, 08:52:18 am
Classy looking bike in4, all the bike you'll ever need.

Looking forward to hearing how you are getting on with it. I'm toying with the idea of getting GP5's for my Sport Tour instead of my aging GP1's, although I might even do some measuring to see if drops are viable.

Regards,
Neil
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: jags on May 01, 2018, 05:00:57 pm
This might work with drop bars and modern brake levers, it puts the mirror up reasonably high and shouldn't interfere with hand positions. Has anyone tried it?

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/accessories/mirrycle-road-mirror-for-sti-levers/
one review says not great fir for tiagra  mind you mine are 2017  but i have to say i dont like the mirror bit on the fred side for my liking.
sorry .
anto
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: Danneaux on May 01, 2018, 05:43:50 pm
I long ago (40 years) settled on helmet, then eyeglass-mounted mirrors. Mine gives the same view as a 23cm/9in hand mirror held at arm's length and I can sweep two traffic lanes with a slight turn of my head. Head-mounted mirrors do take some getting used to as eye dominance comes into play. I either see "through" mine or "into" it depending (but I also use monovision contact lens vision correction, so I'm pretty used to playing with eye dominance; uncorrected eye is for near vision, corrected is for distance).

Critical to making them work is getting the right distance from your eye. It takes a bit of playing at first, but once you find it -- bliss!

I was concerned about injury in a crash, but each time I've gone down, the mirror came off as it was supposed to. I think it helps I'm wearing wraparound goggles with polycarbonate lenses.

After trying every model of helmet and eyeglass mirror I knew of on the market over the years, I settled on this one for the Bolle Edge II riding glasses I use when riding all my bikes: https://www.amazon.com/Bike-Peddler-Cycling-Eyeglass-Mirror/dp/B001VTQNVO

I have a number of bikes <mumblefifteen>, so it helps to have one mirror to <ahem> rule them all and go with me no matter what I ride. Since my position is the same on all the bikes, I don't even need to adjust it when switching mounts, but it is easy to do if needed and no concerns about breakage if the bike goes down.

Vive la différence! :) Looking forward to see what best suits Henry, Ian. Keep him happy and you'll be happy as well.

All the best,

Dan.
Title: Re: Henry is here
Post by: martinf on May 01, 2018, 07:48:22 pm
I long ago (40 years) settled on helmet, then eyeglass-mounted mirrors. Mine gives the same view as a 23cm/9in hand mirror held at arm's length and I can sweep two traffic lanes with a slight turn of my head. Head-mounted mirrors do take some getting used to as eye dominance comes into play. I either see "through" mine or "into" it depending (but I also use monovision contact lens vision correction, so I'm pretty used to playing with eye dominance; uncorrected eye is for near vision, corrected is for distance).

Critical to making them work is getting the right distance from your eye. It takes a bit of playing at first, but once you find it -- bliss!

I have a number of bikes <mumblefifteen>, so it helps to have one mirror to <ahem> rule them all and go with me no matter what I ride.

I got mine out, and played with the distance. Unfortunately, I would need the mirror at least 30 cms from my eye, I can't seem to focus closer without corrective lenses.

A pity, I would like it to work, it would be easier and cheaper than fitting mirrors to each bike.

So if anyone wants a spectacles mounting mirror to try, you can have mine for the cost of the postage.
Mine is this model, but in black:

http://www.cycleaware.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2

So far, I only have a handlebar-mounted mirror on my utility bike, as I like to check on the trailer.
I make do with hearing and frequent looking back on my other bikes, but I expect "frequent looking back" to become more difficult with age.