Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Member's Gallery => Topic started by: Danneaux on January 14, 2012, 02:03:31 am
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Hi All,
My Sherpa is now outfitted and configured just the way I want him, so time for some initial photos. More to follow showing him loaded and adventuring.
He is a 560s; outfitted as detailed below. With the GPS and underseat bag but no bottles, he weighs 40.6lbs/18.4kg on my digital luggage scale. Weight is about what I figured, and roughly 7lbs/3.2kg more than the similarly-configured, much lighter-duty 700C Miyata 1000LT he replaces. There is about that same difference between the Sherpa and my 700C 1983/84 Centurion Pro Tour 15 lighter touring/rando bike. Sherpa weighs what I expected, given his intended use -- carrying gear, 6.5-16.5 liters of water and food enough for extended 3-season self-supported solo transits of desert and mountain regions with temps ranging from very cold to very hot with clothing, bag, and tent to match. Much of his weight is due to my deliberate selection of heavy-duty, durable and reliable kit and the need for good lighting and on-board battery recharging. So far, he has proven to be a comfortable and surprisingly fast day-rider as well.
The handlebar-tops are level with the saddle-top, despite how it looks in the photos. These photos show the bare bike; later photos will show him loaded with bags and bottles. When desert playa-dust gets wet, it concretizes; the plugs and covers on all allen fittings ensure they will remain serviceable. Same for the crankarm plugs.
For those who have asked, the original specs and changes I have made appear below.
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Sherpa ordered as follows:
- Thorn Sherpa Option 1 SJSC Drop Bar Special, 560S model, stealth black, uncut steerer.
- Kalloy Uno AS-009 +17 degree 3D forged alloy stem, black 110mm
- Zoom anatomic drop handlebars, black 440mm
- Zoom microadjust long-layback seatpost, black 27.2x400mm
- Deore drivetrain: M590 crankset 44/32/22 170mm (32/22=steel rings), Deore H50 9-sp 11-32 cassette, Deore BR-M590 v-brakes, Deore M590 QR rear hub (all black), Deore M591 F(black)/R(silver/black) derailleurs, Dura-Ace SL-BS77 bar-end shifters, LX/105 HG73 chain, grey 114 links (112 used).
- Schwalbe Marathon Dureme HS410 26x2.0 rigid tires, SV13 presta tubes
- Rigida Andra (non-CSS) rims, presta drilling
- Tektro RL520 Aero V brake levers
- Thorn Accessory 105mm T-bar
- Brooks B.17 leather saddle, black w/black steel rails
- 6 spare DT 14g spokes, silver, 2@255mm, 2@259mm, 2@260mm
- Schmidt SON28 dynamo bolt-on front hub (black)
- SKS Chromoplastic 26" mudguards, 55mm black
- M:Part carbon fiber chainstay protector
- Extra spacers to replace T-bar if desired
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ACCESSORIES, CHANGES (as pictured):
- 44t Deore Mega 9 44t alloy chainring (new, black); original becomes spare.
- Shimano Deore Shadow RD-M592 SGS 9-sp rear derailleur (black).
- NOS Zefal HPX2 pump in black.
- Click-Stand w/ 1pr bands and mount and (1pr) extra bands.
- Planet Bike fender stays and hardware (10mm nylock nuts & drawbolts, caps) - adjustable for extra clearance in mud, wet playa.
- Kool-Stop salmon cartridge brake pads.
- Tektro 740 "interrupter" brake levers (black w/red QR).
- Stainless steel pedal washers.
- Avenir compass bell
- (2) Zefal Magnum 1liter water bottle(s), black with red tops 33oz
- SRAM Powerlink - 9-Speed
- JandD saddle cover @ LBS, Dan-modified and stored in found vinyl earbud stuffsack attached to saddle rails.
- BBG Bicycle Bash Guard in black with oval holes to fit 44T 104BCD ring; mounted reversed so holes go the right direction.
- Stronglight Escapade chainring bolt, sleeve nut, spacer set, Thorn sleeve nuts for chainguard.
- (4) 0.6mm Chainring sleeve bolt spacers by Wheels Mfg.
- Ortlieb Medium Saddle bag
------ - Contents of Ortlieb underseat bag:
-Schwalbe SV13 tube
-Crank Bros 2-stage mini-pump (backup to Zefal HPX2 for remote tours)
-Zefal TwinGraph presta/schrader manometer
-PerformanceBike Spin Doctor 21 multitool with tire levers, chain tool
-(2) Bell glueless patch kits
-Rema Top Touring Large glued patch kit
-(2pr) Nitrile gloves
-Phil Tenacious or Tri-Flow oil repackaged in 1oz bottle in small Ziploc bag
- Pkg. (20) Futaba R/C rubber grommets for light wire routing through rear fender.
- Dean's R/C MicroPlug low-resistance gold-plated connector 2NB, P/N 1002/1225 for taillight wire connector
- Assorted zip-ties to route light, charging wires.
- Heat-shrink tubing sleeves to cover exposed brake and derailleur cables; push back for lubing.
- (1) 3/4", (1) 1" plastic plugs for crank spindle.
- Additional 3mm headset spacer for clearance of The Plug 2 connector
- Shimano CS-HG50 9-sp cassette 11-34
- Bike Alarm
- Lithium 9-volt battery for Bike Alarm
- Garmin Bicycle GPS mount
- Presta-to-Schrader valve adapter with gasket & alloy Schrader cap on valve stem (black/black)
- Various plugs and caps of vinyl/synthetic rubber (black) to prevent playa accumulation in sockets.
- Trim-Brite Matte Black Window Trim Tape for anti-chafe patches on head tube, top tube.
- Longer SS bolts and flat washers and nylock jam nuts for racks, heads turned and polished in drill press.
- LocTite Blue #242 thread-lock compound.
- Buddy Flaps 3mm thick vinyl mudflaps (used only front), plain black, no logo.
- Transferred front fender "kicker-flap" to rear fender
- ADVrider "ADV" club oval for rear fender "kicker-flap"
- ADVrider club "Ride the World" motto, black Scotchlite sticker, rear fender
- Removed wheel reflectors
- SunTour Superbe Pro Quill Road Pedals, sealed roller/conrad cartridge bearings (NOS on hand already)
- CatEye Nylon Toe Clips, size LL, black (transferred from Miyata 1000LT)
- CatEye Nylon webbing Toe Straps, black (transferred from Miyata 1000LT)
- (2) CatEye Nylon Bottle Cages, black (transferred from Miyata 1000LT)
- (3) Blackburn Bomber 1.5l Water Bottle Cages, black/red (had on hand already)
- Sky Mounti inclinometer (transferred from Miyata 1000LT)
- CueClip Cue Sheet Holder, black (transferred from Miyata 1000LT)
- Evans 52840 glass-filled nylon composite/stainless insert stem-mount bottle opener (black), custom-threaded/milled stainless stem bolt
- PlanetBike Protege 9.0 bike computer, clear (had on hand already)
- PDW Radbot 1000 LED battery taillight (transferred from Miyata 1000LT)
- Thorn Mark V Low-Loader cr-mo steel front pannier racks (transferred from Miyata 1000LT)
- Surly Nice Rack Rear rack, black, with color-matched black heat-shrink tubing on extension fittings (transferred from Miyata 1000LT).
- Kryptonite Evo 2000 U-Lock (had on hand already)
- Custom made lightweight vinyl-covered aircraft cable for locking front wheel (had on hand already)
- (2) Campagnolo Shift Lever Covers, black rubber (transferred from Miyata 1000LT)
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- Purchased from Peter White Cycles:
- B&M HL Lumotec IQ Cyo R Senso Plus nearfield LED headlight
- B&M Toplight Line Plus LED taillight
- B&M steel taillight mount for Single hole
- Schmidt part 4.8mm connector (6) spares
- Tout Terrain The Plug 2, Tout Terrain Expander for The Plug, (6) Schmidt part mm piggyback connectors.
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- Garmin Oregon 400T GPS with base topo, US Cities, EU cities and topo, BENELUX cities & topo, NL bike routes 8GB Micro SD Card with spare, hand-strap, screen cover, lithium batteries (all transferred from Miyata 1000LT), custom charging connector for TTTPlug2.
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Best,
Dan.
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Part 2. Note Trim-Brite automotive matte tape anti-scuff patches on the head tube.-- Dan.
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Rearview. Club motto is in black Scotchlite, generally invisible until lit by following headlights or direct sunlight. Note Click-Stand propping the bike up. It stows in a bracket on the underside of the Thorn 105mm Accessory T-bar below the handlebars. -- Dan.
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Very Nice, looks stunning.
Ian
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Like the graphics in black, works well.
Ian
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Hi Dan,
Stunning is the word. Almost too beautiful to take off road.
It obviously attracts a lot of attention when out and about. Do you pack a lock to deter the bad guys?
Chris
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Ian, Chris,
Thanks so much for the kind words. ;D
<nods> Yes, I do pack a (heavy!) u-lock in my rack pack for day tours and on the back rack for expedition touring -- one of the later Kryptonite Evo-2000 models plus a custom-made lightweight cable to secure the front wheel. Pitlocks do not work for me since I found how easily they can be disabled (no, I won't say how). On day rides, I just. do. not. leave. it. alone, preferring to use my Pocket Kitchen (meths stove and cookset) over restaurants or country stores. The bike goes inside restrooms with me; I pack a small rubber doorstop to prevent the spring-loaded door from catching the rear fender. When solo-touring, theft worries are a concern. For the wild-camping I do in the middle of America's Great basin deserts and mountain ranges, it isn't a problem as the nearest people are often 100+ miles away. Reprovisioning, stopping at stores is the problem. Fortunately, most are in very rural settings. That's why I added the motion-detecting alarm on the seatpost. It works great, is light yet really loud (it doesn't false, and has adjustable sensitivity), and alerts me to someone bothering the bike. Might distract them a bit, too. The Ortliebs have cable anti-theft tethers held by the lock and cable when parked, and the handlebar bag always goes with me. In larger towns, I try to park by a busy, attended gas station if I have to leave the bike to go to a grocery. A compatible riding partner would be terrific, but doesn't happen often.
Best,
Dan.
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Pitlocks do not work for me since I found how easily they can be disabled (no, I won't say how).
That's a concern!
Until reading this Pitlocks together with a couple of heavy ABUS locks had been a key component of my strategy. In the meantime I'll cross my fingers and hope they offer more deterrence than a quick release should someone take a shine to my Son and Rohloff hubs.
Chris
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Chris,
I've posted a followup here: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=3721.0 , since it makes more sense to keep the security-related stuff together.
All the best,
Dan.
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Dan
That is amazing! The Swiss Army Knife of the bicycle world!! :o
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Fantastic Dan really smart ;)
so how do you find the steering i see you left the best part of the steerer tube, handy i suppose for adding the extra bit and bobs on. looks great though but does it affect the steering in any way.
but yeah love it looks exactly how a touring bike should look.
enjoy every pedal stroke Dan next photos will have to include tent set up and bike loaded up. 8)
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Thanks, Relayer and jags; you made my day! :D
Jags, the bottles on the steerer are something I've long wanted to try. It works great; because the bottle weight (2 @ 1 liter/kg each) is centered around the steering axis, it has no noticeable effect on steering and is very convenient. Moving them a smidge forward of center means they clear my knees when standing out of the saddle, honking up hills. Yes, the uncut steerer was central to my plans, and all worked out as I had hoped; I needed every single millimeter of length. The steerer is robust, so I have no concerns about breakage. Bike Fridays make do with smaller-diameter stems taller than this with no problems.
For those who asked how I wired my taillight, the lead goes between the fender and fork crown, with a reverse coil to keep it off the fender and allow some "give" when steering (unplug from the headlight to service the headset). Zip ties hold it to the downtube. Aft of the bottom bracket there's a polarized gold-plated Dean's micro-connector (Model 2NB, P/N 1002/1225 http://www.wsdeans.com/products/plugs/micro_plug.html ), used in radio-control (R/C) models. The wire enters the fender behind the left chainstay, cushioned by a Futaba R/C rubber grommet and runs just above the inner edge bead of the SKS 55mm rear fender, exiting another Futaba-grommeted hole on its way to the taillight.
After cleaning the fender with 99% isopropyl alcohol, I glued the wire in place with beta-cyanoacrylate gel. No dangling wires to catch and a quick, clean, reliable install. Running the wire at the edge means it misses most of the rocks thrown by the tire and the connector makes fender replacement easy.
I decided against using the internal fender foil as a lead (see my post here http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=2273.msg15762#msg15762 ...and here... http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=2273.msg16261#msg16261 ), thinking it might not be reliable enough in rough touring conditions, though it worked fine for years of all-weather commuting.
...next photos will have to include tent set up and bike loaded up...
Soonest possible, jags, soonest! ;D
Best,
Dan.
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wow the more i look at it the more goodies i see, like for instance the stem cap have you got that wired to the front dynamo for GPSS 8)very clever. and i love the way you have your GPSS centered on the stem. i have the garmin legend on one of my road bikes but when i use the Sherpa i want to get a bracket that will do exactly what yours does center it on the stem.(not a big fan of the legend to hard to use and screen way to small but don't tell anyone i said that ;)
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Jags,
<nods> Yep, the stem cap is the Tout Terrain The Plug 2, with USB charging outlet. It is wired independently to the SON28 dynohub using piggyback connectors, and puts out a constant 5.5 volts. Pretty much anything you could charge from a computer USB port can be plugged in and charged by this thing as you ride along. More on it in my post here: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=3802.msg17051#msg17051
The Garmin Legend is a nice GPS and it'll keep you "unlosted" (as my late mother used to say) -- that's the important part!
Garmin changed their mounting system since your GPS was made; now they use a "rail mount" design that is sort of like yours, but turned inside-out; it allows the GPS to slide into place and lock. It is this newer design that centers on the stem and is used on the Oregon/Dakota series, among others. The same bracket can also be attached crosswise to the handlebar-tops, as the clever rubber adapter pad works both ways.
The really good news is Garmin have also made available a "rail mount adapter", and I believe it will allow your Legend to center on the stem. You'll want to check carefully for your particular flavor of Legend (there's a surprising number, and they vary. An email to Garmin would be a good idea), but it looks to me like a two-part process:
1) Buy the Garmin rail-mount adapter for your model Legend (there appear to be two variants; you'd want the one with a detachable plate that goes onto the Legend ring pin-stud itself, then discard the handlebar-mount portion). This costs around USD$10.
2) Attach that rail adapter plate to one of the newer Garmin rail-mount bicycle stem mounts. Those are held on with sturdy, supplied zip-ties and stabilized on the stem with a shaped rubber block. Just depress the rear tab and slide the GPS forward to remove it. They cost another USD$10 or so.
This link will get you in the near to finding what you need: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/
That should fix you up. Again, I'd suggest a quick email to Garmin to make sure it is possible for your particular model. They'll probably need the model/serial number, which is usually printed inside the battery compartment.
Best,
Dan.
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Wow! That's an engineer's bike, every single component considered three times, and earning its keep five times over. Looks stunning too. Congratulations, Dan, that's one beautiful baby. Almost a shame to take it out into that great open air cement mixer of a desert.
Andre Jute
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thanks for that Dan yeah i did buy from amazon mount but it only fits on the bars, and the back of the garmin was the wrong model ,i just went for the legend i should have went for the hcx bracket .anyway I'll know better next time. ;)
so that stem cap obviously you need a hub dynamo as well expensive.
when i can afford it i want lighter wheels think i told you this, but would the hub dynamo defeat the purpose. .
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Jags,
The farther you hang weight away from the axle on a wheel, the more you will feel it in terms of acceleration. If you want a heavy dynohub with otherwise light wheels, go for it; you'll hardly notice the extra weight so close to the axle.
Best,
Dan.
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obviously you like the sun hub maybe i'll go with that, is there a model number i should be going with, what about rims any suggestions on light but strong rims, i think i'll stick with xt on the rear and go for the sun hub up front .hope i'm not bending your ear to much but hey ask someone who knows these things ;)
jags.
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HI jags,
Glad to help! Prob'ly best for you to start a new topic under the "Wheels, Tyres, and Brakes" section so the topic can be more easily searched in the future. Once there, I'll be happy to offer some suggestions regarding specifics.
All the best,
Dan.
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Fantastic photos Dan.
I have decided the next Thorn I buy I am going to employ you to spec it.
Cheers
Andy
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Aw, thanks Andre, Andy; I hold the Forum's members and their experience in high esteem, so this means a lot.
I've had such fun spec'ing and customizing the bike to my needs as I have my other bikes. The Thorn Sherpa (and all their models, I'm sure) is very well-conceived and makes a wonderful platform for customization. Much of what I have done would not have been possible with another frame.
As a hobbyist framebuilder, I had seriously considered brazing my desired exped touring frame from scratch, as I have my full-sus Folder and recumbent. However, the Sherpa had all I desired ready-to-go, so it was easy to cave to temptation. I braze, rather than weld, but the beads laid down by my Sherpa's builders are as clean and well-radiused as a nicely-laid fillet.
Best to all,
Dan.
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Dan, what's the make and model of your motion alarm? It looks like something I might like.
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Andre,
My alarm is the "Gallop" brand, model JX-610, instructions revised 2010-05 (black unit, silver-colored combination-membrane keypad setting, blue cardboard box w/photos that don't relate to the specific contents), one of many identical ones listed on eBay for ridiculously low prices, including shipping from China or Hong Kong. I paid USD$4.25 including shipping, then spent another USD$8 or so to power it with a lithium 9-volt battery for long life and so it would be cold-tolerant through the winter.
Various ads list different decibel levels for the alarm. The are probably all identical, but I picked one with the loudest rating -- I think it was listed as 115dBA vs. 85dBA. It is reasonably loud; terribly so if you're leaning over it at the time or don't expect it. Intended for the thief, you won't hear it for blocks as you would a typical car alarm and likely wouldn't hear it inside a store if the bike was parked outside. The sensitivity adjustment is nice and works well.
Use the eBay search term "Bicycle Alarm" to find it; the model you want is the one I have, shown in the attached auction pic. I'm reluctant to post an individual eBay auction link as it would favor a particular vendor and the auctions close so quickly it wouldn't remain viable. For your convenience, here is a link to the search term that brings them up on US eBay at present:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=bicycle+alarm&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=See-All-Categories&_okw=bicycle+alarm&_oexkw=&_adv=1&_udlo=&_udhi=&_ftrt=901&_ftrv=1&_sabdlo=&_sabdhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=200&_fpos=Zip+code&_fsct=&LH_SALE_CURRENCY=0&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=50
A typical description:
Introduction:
Traditional chains, padlocks and U Locks only do half a job and can be pretty easily removed by those who know how, but even the sight of this alarm will have even the most determined of thieves thinking twice.If your bike is moved, the alarm will spring into action and give off an ear-shattering shriek for 15 seconds.No thief will want to hang around when this alarm goes off. 3 sensitivity levels allow you to determine how much movement is needed to trigger the alarm. When triggered alarm had already sounded for 5 times, If triggered again within 5 seconds , it will sound continuously for 15 seconds. I'm sure so
powerful function must can protect your bicycle effectively.
Features:
1.New and high quality
2.Waterproof: attach permanently to your bike without worrying about having to remove it in bad weather
3.Material: Sturdy black plastic - no metal parts to rust
4.Fit for: Bicycle
5.Power supply: 1 x 6F22 9V battery (No include)
6.Dimensions: 3.8" x 1.4" x 2.4"
7.Color: Black
Package included:
1 x Bicycle alarm
3 x Screws
1 x Use Instruction
On my scale, the alarm itself weighs in at 57g/2oz, and a lithium 9-volt battery adds another 40g/1.4oz. An alkaline 9-volt battery would be 45g/1.6oz, but doesn't last as long or work as well in cold weather. Settings and on/off are by a waterproof membrane keypad. I would suggest a thin strip of rubber beneath (as with a bike computer mount) to prevent slippage or rotation. The unit must be unbolted to access the sliding battery door. I figure on using mine when I park the bike in the restroom and am in a stall, or at night when I wild-camp to alert me to/scare porcupines, deer, marmots and such that may be attracted to the saltier portions of the bicycle (handlebar tape, saddle). It can't hurt to set the thing when I have to lock the bike outside a rural grocery store while I am inside buying provisions.
And, of course, it looks kinda cool in a geeky sort of way. ;)
Given the cheap price, I would suggest buying 2-3 and counting on 1-2 working. That was my success:failure rate, and the ones that worked have remained reliable. The hassle and cost of a return with international shipping makes no sense; I can't match their shipping rates. Juggling the cost overall, I figure it ended up costing me about USD$7-$8 per working unit; still a pretty good deal.
And, too, it is fun to play with. Play value is worth something. :D
Best,
Dan.
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Thanks, Dan. It looks geeky enough and all it needs to do in my situation is startle some opportunistic kid. A pro will never even consider stealing a bike as visibly rare and easily identifiable as mine. -- Andre
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Several of you have asked if my Sherpa's taillights are daylight-visible. I was curious too, since I can't see them while riding. Today, I asked my sister to take a photo as I rode to the end of my street, and here's what we got (25 January, cloudy/overcast at 3:51PM/15:51, 700ft/213m away, cropped and enlarged). She says the picture captured the lights in a realistic way. She took the photo off-axis, from an overtaking driver's perspective.
The light on the left is a Portland Design Works (PDW) Radbot 1000 1-watt LED battery blinky. The light on the center of the rack is a B&M Toplight Line Plus, powered by the SON28. It uses two LEDs behind a prism lens to produce a solid, wide line of light. At night, the stray light in the case also lights the full-width reflector. Both lights are visible from the side.
At night on bike paths and country roads, I use just the Line Plus taillight. On rural roads with limited sightlines and in traffic, I also use the Radbot 1000 (choice of solid on or two flash modes). I usually also attach a Blackburn Mars 4.0 1-watt LED blinky to my rack pack on those occasions. I have honeycomb-prism neon yellow retro-reflectve tape on my helmet, rearview mirror, and shoe heels. At night, I add a silver-white Reflexite bandoleer visible from all directions. Daytime sees a bright jersey or a neon-yellow rain- or wind-jacket; I believe the greater surface area of clothing makes a bigger difference to conspicuity than bike color.
I'm delighted the taillights are this bright on an overcast day with rain soon to fall. A car driver caught me at a traffic light this afternoon and asked about them, saying I was much easier to see than other bikes on the roadside path.
Best,
Dan.
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Dan
Thanks for a lot of great info! I am considering buying a Click-Stand and also have the 105mm accessory bar on my Raven Tour (you noticed it on another thread!).
Did you buy the side-attach mount from http://www.click-stand.com/Click-Stand_Products.html (http://www.click-stand.com/Click-Stand_Products.html) or is it some other mount (which?). Also is your Click-Stand 4, 5 or 6 section? I think that the accessory bar is the best place to put it to save fiddling in a bag. Also the 'under-water-bottle' option may stick out and get caught off-road.
Grateful again for your advice! ;)
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Richard,
I got the center-bracket mount and 4-segment Click-stand. Read on for a bit more explanation...
I wasn't sure which mount would best fit my needs, so I ordered both the center and side-mounts (the USD$7 or $8 difference would have been a wash in postage alone if I'd bought only one and it proved wrong). After looking at every possible mounting position, I thought the safest (paint scratches) and most convenient option (convenient ease of use, no snagging of rain pants) was to put the Center-bracket on the underside of the Thorn 105mm Accessory T-bar. I set the brake-bands and remove the stand while still astride the bike, then swing a leg over and deploy the mount in one continuous motion.
Tom Nostrant uses repurposed Topeak pump holders, which hold the Click-stand nicely ( http://www.click-stand.com/Click-Stand_Products.html ). Topeak calls the one I used a "Centerline Mount Bracket for Mt. Rocket"; Tom calls it a Center-Bracket. It uses a synthetic rubber band and comes with some rubber pads to prevent shifting when affixed using zip-ties, as I did. The rubber band has a pull-tab held by two slots and can be reversed. I put the tab facing me on the bike (rearward) for convenience. I also slightly rounded the corners of the tab-holder with a Dremel spiral cutter so it would be a bit easier on the band than the otherwise sharp-angled corners. I use the Click-Stand at every stop, and so far there is no sign of wear on the rubber band in these early days.
The plastic holder goes more than halfway around the folded 4-segment Click-Stand, with the rubber band filling the gap at the bottom. Time will tell if this holds up, but it looks very promising so far. If I'd had the space to still allow easy access, I might have put it atop the T-bar, but it is a bit crowded there with the Ortlieb HB mount and brake cable housings, as you can see. The velcro used in the side-mount (other) holder is no fun to use in this location, as one just sort of chases the velcro around the mount. I may try it at some point in the future, but this is working so nicely I'm happy at present. I plan to keep an eye on it for the long-term. I think the velcro mount could be slightly modified to work well in this location, and would suggest getting it also to keep on hand in case you have any doubts. It's possible the band may fail over time, though a nitrile o-ring with a homemade pull-tab could be substituted. I do think the velcro side-mount would work better with Click-stands having more segments; it appears to better accommodate a fatter package.
I found I needed to affix the Ortlieb HB mount to the T-bar first. I attached the wire for it in the conventional way, and not as recommended by Thorn (see their note and illustration here: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-accessory-bar-t-shaped-105-mm-extension-0-deg-prod11040/ ). Winding it around so many times as they suggested left slack I could not take up; the normal method worked fine for me. By the way, to allow for sag under a full handlebar bag load, I've found it helpful to position the mount at the same angle as the head tube. The Click-Stand center mount is offset to one side as shown by the red arrows in the photos below, and uses the included pads to keep it from shifting. It is very secure, and is as fast as putting it in the handlebar bag, which I do not always use. Be sure to use hefty zip-ties, and make sure they're good and tight to prevent movement. My favorite tool for tightening zip-ties is a Hozan (HKC) Fourth Hand, intended for brake cables. Pull from the front and slice off the excess zip-ties and you'll be fine.
I pondered long and hard over how many segments I should specify for my Click-Stand Max. It comes down to shorter=fatter, longer=skinnier. I found the 4-segment model would still fit in my handlebar bag, and it fits better in the mount, so that's what I got. I also reasoned that fewer segments/joints should make a stronger stand in my worst-case scenario -- parking on a slope with a full load in a high wind that required substantially more "lean" than usual. The four-segment model also works nicely with the extra bulk of the Fat-Foot, which I also ordered. When mounted on the T-bar with my setup, the four-segment model also clears my top tube when the handlebars swing around. This clearance might vary with frame size, so be sure to check before mounting permanently.
You'll probably need to assemble the brake bands yourself. Just make sure the bungees are even in the zipper-pull tab-teeth, and mash them shut with some (padded) pliers, checking to make sure the pull-tab is completely engaged and shut. I used fisherman's pliers, because their smooth jaws close parallel and did a nice job. Failing to close the tabs is the most likely reason a brake band could part. I use interrupter levers with my drop 'bars, so I installed four brake bands; they weigh nothing and it is convenient to have spares already mounted in case they are needed. I have another pair tucked away in my spares bin for the future.
Before ordering, you might give some thought to where you'll place the cradle. I chose a spot about midway between the top-tube's rearmost brake cable stop and the seat tube, and it has worked fine and is in the butted section of the top tube. Be sure the bike is truly vertical when you measure. My 560S Sherpa with 26x2.0 Duremes at mid-pressure gave me a measurement of 30.0". Despite my initial concerns, the slope of the top tube has not been a problem. I put a piece of Trim-brite matte automotive windshield trim tape around the top tube so the rubber-coated cradle wouldn't scuff the paint with repeated use. I can use the stand on either side, which is nice when loading the bike. I do put considerably more lean on the bike than Tom recommends. I generally place the stand with enough lean the pedal on that side will clear it or nearly clear it when the crank is turned. This greatly reduces the possibility of a tipover and it also helps to turn the front wheel in the same direction as the stand. Be sure to set the brake bands before you deploy the stand. In really soft soil or muddy grass, I look for a rock to place under the Click-stand Fat Foot. I sometimes carry an aluminum can lid in my HB bag if I'm going into country where I expect a lot of soft soil; it really hasn't proven to be a problem for me, though it has for some.
Any more questions, feel free to ask! ;D
Best,
Dan.
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Dan
Great info as usual! And a lot to think about. Thanks again for the detailed reply. I am inclined to follow your centre-bracket advice. May opt for a 5-section Click-Stand. The side-bracket may not fit the bar as well as the centre-bracket. I have enough space on the top-side of the T-bar so will probably try that depending on cable routing. I share your concerns for the long-term stability of the 'rubber-band' material that attaches the Click-Stand but it could simply be replaced if it broke I suppose. Anyway, a lot of info to think about and it is getting late here! Will review again and post my final solution when I receive the Click-Stand and bits. Thanks again, as always, for the input to the forums. Great photos of your bike too - the first one on this thread is a real beauty!
One question - does the centre-bracket have to be off-centred due to the spacing of its holes vs. the Ortlieb bracket width?
Best Regards
Richard
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Richard,
You're welcome! I think it is a good idea to at least try placing the Click-stand mount atop the T-bar (I would if I could; it's too crowded on mine), and I very much look forward to hearing how it all works out for you. Hopefully, you'll be as pleased with it as I have been.
One question - does the centre-bracket have to be off-centred due to the spacing of its holes vs. the Ortlieb bracket width?
Yep, that's it exactly. Without the Ortlieb bracket, the Click-stand mount would center-up nicely on the T-bar.
Best,
Dan.
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Hi All,
A few of you have asked me for my riding impressions, now I've owned Sherpa awhile.
While I have yet to take a lengthy loaded tour on him, he has handled very well with the same loads in day-ride tests on a variety of surfaces. Compared to my previous Miayata 1000LT exped bike, he is far less prone to frame shimmy under load (seeing the top tube go a centimeter to each side was a...revelation...on the fully-loaded Miyata). I am sure there are limits and, as with any bike, the handling is less affected by less weight and I prefer to carry as little as possible. Certainly, a week's tour with ready resupply of food and water will see us carrying less than a month's solo, self-supported tenure in the desert with 16l of water and a lot of food.
On my day rides, the bike has proven ideal for poking along on dirt and bad-gravel tracks with only a rack-pack or handlebar bag. The handling is lively but predictable, with a noticeable penchant for handlebar flop only when the bike is standing alone. Not a problem in practice. I love not having to worry about my toes overlapping the front wheel/fender; in this way, he is just like my other bikes. No-overlap has long been my preference since I took some really bad falls on my first "10-speed" as a kid. It had a wicked amount of toe/fender/wheel overlap that seemed to catch with the slightest twitch of the 'bars. It might never have been a problem when riding flat roads and cornering by leaning, but grinding up 20%+ grades in low gears or picking my way along goat tracks and deer trails with a lot of steering, it was.
Although he takes longer to accelerate to speed than my other bikes, he is easy to maintain at speed once there. I put this down to the greater weight of his wheels, tires, and tubes compared to my other bikes. This poor acceleration hasn't been noticeable in my steady-state rides, but might be annoying when commuting with frequent stoplights, where there would be many more starts-from-stops. A lighter wheelset or simply lighter tubes and tires would likely help but at the expense of off-road versatility. I'll likely be staying with the 2.0 Duremes, changing to the folding versions when the wire-bead rigid models wear out.
Sherpa is proving to be a capable road bike as well, and I find myself riding in the same flat-paved-road 17-21mph/27/34kph window as on my other road/rando/touring bikes, despite his greater weight and wider tires. The one area I'm really having a hard time adjusting is the gearing and it is my problem, not his. I'm a high-rev spinner rather than a masher, and I have always adjusted my gearing in fine increments to keep a high, constant cadence. Now, I am having to adjust my road and pedaling speed to accommodate the gearing and Sherpa doesn't feel as fast in that way. He uses a standard 44/32/22 chainset and 11-34 9-sp cassette. I chose the 11-34 because it gave my favorite, most-used cruising gears with minimal chain deflection and a lower low, but the number of duplicate gears, gaps in spacing, and awkward shift sequence has me pining for the old half-step-and-granny gearing scheme of my other bikes. I will adjust, and Sherpa's coarser gearing is more ideally suited for loaded touring, which is his primary intended purpose. I could fit gearing of 44/42/22 and have a pretty ideal half-step setup with my present 11-34 cassette, but -- alas! -- there don't seem to be any front derailleurs available to handle the two-tooth chainring difference; all presently available models would snag the teeth on the middle 'ring on their way to the large chainring. I'm disciplined enough to not use the little-little ("naughty") gearing combos, but there just isn't anything currently available to make it possible.
Related to the gearing, my Q-factor is noticeably greater, but not objectionably so. It is more akin to what I have on my tandem, and has been fine on that bike. I will keep my low-Q setups on my other bikes for as long as I can get parts. Part of my choice to get a new bike was precisely to have something contemporary for easy parts availability, and Sherpa has that with his current drivetrain. I like the advancements compared to my older rides -- external BB, threadless steerer, indexed bar-cons (the friction option is nice in the event of damage).
Braking with the Tektro main and interrupter levers and Deore v-brakes is excellent. Rim wear was rapid on initial test rides, thanks to the Shimano pads. Replacing them with "rim-friendly" Kool-stop salmons greatly reduced wear and improved feel comparable to my other bikes that run them. I apparently don't brake much compared to other riders, so I expect to get good life from the non-CSS Andra rims with these pads.
I seem to become more barrel-chested and wider-shouldered by the year, as with my ancestors, and am happy with my choice of 44cm handlebars. I feel like my chest is opened up for breathing a bit more, and they do add what feels like more leverage with a heavy front touring load. I probably would not have chosen the Zoom anatomic 'bars on my own (preferring traditional randonneur-bends), but now I have them, I like them and won't be changing. The long steerer lets me duplicate my position on my other upswept rando bar-top corners, and the Zoom's shape allows for as many as 6 distinct hand positions . Nice. The threadless steerer is much stiffer than my old quill stems, even when they were buttressed by extended headset top-nuts. This makes the entire front of the bike feel more solid in comparison.
One difference I have noticed with Sherpa is cornering. My other bikes -- even the 26"-wheeled touring tandem -- love to lean into corners, and that is how I ride them. In contrast, Sherpa likes to be steered, akin to a bus. I can't pinpoint the cause, since so many variables are different -- tire and wheel size, bottom bracket height, wheelbase, geometry, etc. It isn't that I can't lean into corners...it just isn't necessary. I have ridden some bikes that tried to bob up like a cork in a tub and just would not lean, but that isn't the case here. He's made plain he will if I want, but it isn't a requirement. Probably a good thing in rough conditions with low-hanging bags.
I'm pleased with Sherpa's matte-black finish and it should prove helpful when wild/stealth camping and to look inconspicuous. It does appear it may "wear-shiny" with abrasion from clothing, but it will still be black, and that's fine. I might have chosen the red if my tandem were not already that exact color. I wanted a change to something completely different and am happy.
Sorry no pics from yesterday's ride for the gallery; my camera battery was down and I have yet to rig a charger patch cord for it to mate with the Tout Terrain The Plug 2. I did plug in my MP3 player with a dead battery (to see how it charged, I never use it while riding) and found its Li-Po battery was a third charged in 7 mi/11km and topped-up to full by the 14mi/22km mark. I was getting full USB output from The Plug by 8mph/13kph. I need to set about making charging patch cords for the phone, GPS, camera battery charger, AA/AAA chargers (for Steri-Pen and my wearable LED headlight, LED blinkys), and electric shaver. The ability to recharge on the road is beginning to sway my buying habits toward USB-rechargeable devices. Next up will be a suitable buffer battery and netbook for on-road dispatches and updates.
The SON28 is proving to be a wonder, but I can say I do notice the drag when it is charging batteries or powering lights. Nothing overwhelming, but the difference when I turn it off or unplug the charger is noticeable. It is light-years away from the drag of even my Sanyo bottom-bracket generator, and feels close to the drag of my Dutch friend's LightSpin. When not charging or powering the lights, it feels no different than my other, non-dyno hubs.
I wish I could finally get the wobbles out of the Duremes, but have reconciled myself to some remaining, despite my careful and repeated remounting. The bead-tape is within fractional millimeters of true to the rims, but it is the tread that seems to be off, and at least one overlapping of the belts at the sidewalls. It seems to be only a matter of appearance, as I truly cannot tell any difference in riding.
The bike rides completely silently, without any objectionable chain or drivetrain noise, and there are no rattles.
More updates and pics to follow in time.
Best,
Dan.
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Sherpa and I got out for an airing today and had a few adventures...traversed an old flume, went up in the woods, saw a nice stream. There were a few wet spots along the way, and it was nice to find I am riding on only the middle three ribs of the Duremes. They rolled very nicely, and my ride times were on-par with my rando bike. One extra benefit I had not anticipated -- the Duremes are far better at handling a nibbled asphalt edge than my 700x32 road slicks on the other bikes. Nice! The club-like things on the pedals are my toe-warmers, mounted to my toe straps.
Best,
Dan.
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CLASS ;)
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Boy!
Here it is, the second day of Spring, and you'd have to look twice to know it. Here in Eugene, OR, we awakened to snow. There's a good 5-6 inches/~14cm outside now, and at least that more much expected later today and additional snow overnight.
I tried riding Sherpa, but the snow just kept packing up inside the fenders and it was pointless. It started out fluffy, but soon turned wet and froze to the tires in huge chunks, blocking-up the wheels. I'm not sure it would have worked too well without fenders either, as I saw a few fenderless bikes being carried on shoulders. The cross-country skis worked fine, and I got out for a nice couple miles' hike to enjoy it all!
The center of my arborvitae hedge has broken in two from the snow load; it is also home to several families of red squirrels. I haven't lost any trees yet, but a couple nice Century Oaks at the end of the street have broken off at the base of their trunks. Limbs are falling everywhere. As you can see, the bike path along the river a block away has a few walkers and dogs, but no bikes.
Hope you have warmer, more springlike weather wherever you may be!
Best,
Dan.
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Wow, that is really tough, Dan! I hope that at least you get enough snow pack up in the mountains to keep the irrigation canals full and the fields fertile... and no pineapple express to bring it down too fast!
Here in New York we skipped spring and went straight to summer. Up in the 70s with a clear strong sun. I wish I was riding more! I got what looks like a Bakers cyst behind one knee - no pain or stiffness but still I want to get things under control before any real nastiness shows up! Plus I am starting a new part-time job, just a start-up thing so no actual income unless and until the product actually takes off and flies! The software part is something I know I can do, but what about the other folks?!
My big accomplishment yesterday was to try a little side path that is a private road, so MapMyRide doesn't have the elevation data. Up the side of a hill, that's for sure! That's why I call my Nomad "Fearless" - if the road degenerates, I can keep going!
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/76599688 (http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/76599688)
Some beautiful views, but I didn't bring my camera!
I hope your crazy snow melts as fast as it came down!
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look's beautiful Dan but no good for us cyclists :'(
nope keep that sherpa indoors bike weren't made to enjoy snow.
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Ah, I say put some studded tyres on and tape a soft pillow or three to yourself! 8)
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Its possible ... Tom's site is a great touring site for those who don't know it ... including his Winter tour!
http://tomsbiketrip.com/adventures/ (http://tomsbiketrip.com/adventures/)
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Tom's site is a great touring site...
A great site indeed, Richard; nice find!
Pah! What am I complaining about? Compared to Lapland-ish conditions, mine hardly qualifies as "snow"!
Pavel! Hand me the pillows! One for each knee and one for my noggin should do! ;D
I'm off! (sunshine today is helping to melt the white stuff, though it is still only 1C and awfully um, un-green Out There).
Best,
Dan.
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Hey Dan, my first post in these forums, so everyone please be gentle!
Really nice images of your new Sherpa. I'm curious, what is that stick you're using to hold up the bike?
I have some questions I want to ask about oiling the chain and getting the battery charger, but I'll email you privately about that.
My name is Miguel by the way everyone. I live in Japan and ride a Bike Friday New World Tourist... can't afford a Thorn bike yet. But am dreaming of one! Dan and I met 31 years ago in Oregon where we went to school together and did some bike touring together. We first started talking because at that time I had a custom built Toei Randonneur with 650B wheels. I'm mainly an ultralight backpacker these days, though I've done some multi month long distance bicycle tours, too, and I hope to get back into bicycle touring again this year. Really miss it.
Looking forward to talking with everyone!
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Hi Miguel,
I think that's a Click Stand that Dan is using to hold up his bike:
http://www.click-stand.com/ (http://www.click-stand.com/)
An old colleague from my own Oregon days just passed through town here last weekend. He's got a few nice bikes including an Air Friday - do they make those any more? He was telling me stories about riding though mountain villages along the east coast of Italy.... wow!
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Good morning, and welcome, Miguel! It's great hearing from you on the Forum, and -- yes! -- we've known each other awhile. ;)
what is that stick you're using to hold up the bike?
Ah, that would be a Click-Stand ( www.click-stand.com/ ) "The Only Portable Folding Bicycle Kickstand", handmade by cyclist/machinist Tom Nostrant of Washington State. Mine is the Max model, intended for tandems and heavily-laden touring bikes. They're also available for Bike Fridays, as photos on the Click-Stand site show. I think you might like one.
They are deservedly popular among Forum members because they are compact, lightweight, and avoid any possibility of clamping damage to the chainstays or seatstays, as can sometimes occur with conventionally-mounted kickstands (and they keep the frame warranty intact). It -- along with a SON dynohub, B&M LED lighting, and Tout Terrain The Plug2 charging system -- is one of the most valuable additions I've made to a bicycle. Best of all, it allows me to load and unload the bike solo in a fraction of the time it previously took (~3 minutes, down from ~45+ minutes). That means I'm on the road earlier in the morning, and it takes far less time to set up camp at the end of the day. Best of all, the bike no longer has to be laid-down on gravel, dirt, playa, and mud. Since the bike stays upright, the bags (Ortlieb Packer series) also remain waterproof and clean.
Among the hidden virtues that make the Click-Stand work are little bungee cords that hold the brake levers shut when parked. These immobilize the bike, and prevent it swinging around the stand. I've had no problem with the Click-Stand holding as much as 70kg of bike and load (equipped for extended self-supported solo desert travel with 16.5+kg of water and 2 weeks' food -- usually canned 'cos that's what's available from back-country stores), though it is common to increase the lean angle with extra weight and to place the end of the stand on a bottle cap or rock to prevent it sinking in soft soil. <-- This last detail has caused disappointment for some, but overall, the basic idea of a stick -- wooden, trekking pole, or Click-Stand -- has proven helpful to hold a loaded or bare bike reliably upright in a variety of conditions.
It is important to note that as well as the Click-Stand works for me, there are folks on the Forum who are just as pleased with a double-leg kickstand or one mounted on the left-rear stays -- and those who prefer no kickstand at all or a homemade version of the Click-Stand. Each is a viable approach and has its adherents. It really is down to personal preference and the factors most congruent with individual needs.
Miguel, I've long admired your ultralight approach, and try to emulate it when I can, but the Thorns are built for stout -- they're the patient, even-tempered Draft horses of the bicycle world, but the geometry means they have racehorse pretensions -- with lively low-speed handling and high-speed stability loaded or bare. I've never owned a bike more stable under enormous loads, yet at the same time comfortable picking its way along a rocky goat path at low or high speeds. Unladen (and despite its greater weight), it is proving the equal to my Centurion Pro Tour 15 rando bike, and the times over long distances are comparable, despite the Sherpa's 26 x 2.0 Schwalbe Duremes compared to my rando bike's 700x32C road slicks. If the rando-bike is my lightweight all-'rounder, the Sherpa is the same at the heavier end of the scale, with a healthy overlap in the middle. At first, I was as inclined to grab one as the other for a good, long day ride. Now, I find myself doing most of my riding on Sherpa. I think that says something about it meeting all my needs.
So.
Welcome, Miguel; looking forward to hearing from you. Don't neglect the possibility of a used Thorn as a means to acquire the marque more quickly. There are often remarkable examples that appear in the For Sale sections of the Forum.
All the best from across the years,
Dan.
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Hey Dan, my first post in these forums, so everyone please be gentle!
Welcome Miguel!
You've virtually no worries here, this is quite a genteel forum with a great deal of experience/expertise - not least from Dan.
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welcome Miguel isn't the intenet great imagine people from all over the planet chatting about bikes marvelous altogether.
don't forget a post a photo of yourself and your gear on rouges gallery.
cheers
jags.
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Well, looking good so far! Feeling quite welcomed! Thanks!
The Click-Stand is such a simple and obvious solution to standing the bicycle up that it brought tears to my eyes from the sheer chagrin of knowing that my palm was about to collide with my forehead! And there I was struggling for years with kickstands, which I have truly disliked over more than 40 years! Just went ahead and ordered me one.
I just finished fitting my Bike Friday with the SON dynohub and B&S lighting (though I still can't figure out how to rout the wire from the rear light... BF's have such awfully bad, long routing angles), so I know what you mean, Dan. I'm still trying to figure out a charging system, though, since the Tout Terrain Plug2 doesn't work on the custom curved stem of my bicycle. Which is too bad; it is a much more elegant solution than the others I've looked at.
JimK, I'm not sure if the Air Friday is made anymore. I took a gander at their site, but the navigation was bad enough that I couldn't find any product page on it. So perhaps it's gone?
Relayer, that is very reassuring. I like genteel! ;-)
Jags, it is wonderful isn't it? Finding people after your own heart makes it quite special. I'm into bugs and birds and lizards and things, and once, for about a year, I was in daily contact with a butterfly researcher camped in the middle of the Amazon. How unlikely is that?! I'll get the photo and gear list up as soon as I can, but it's such a nice day out today, time to get away from the screen!
Cheerio!
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Hi All,
My most recent addition to Sherpa...a Danneaux-made hidden spoke holder!
I've always built and maintained my own wheels and have never needed to use any spare spokes I've carried. I didn't want to attach Sherpa's 6 spares to the rack with duct tape or zip ties where they would snag luggage or appear unsightly. What better place than inside the seatpost, where they can ride quietly secure till needed?
The inside diameter of Sherpa's seatpost is too large for an expanding 'bar-end plug, so I made my own.
To make the expansion plug, I turned down a #8 rubber stopper, then faced it with all-stainless compression hardware; the wing nut is captive to prevent loss. The spokes "float" rattle-free in donut spacers made of Evazote closed-cell foam and are tethered to the expansion plug with high-test monofilament. The whole works (sans spokes) weighs 17g/0.6oz.
Silent, secure, and hidden, ready for that untimely Someday by the side of a road.
To further seal the seatpost against water and playa dust, I've installed a nitrile o-ring on the seatpost. It's shown at the bottom in the first picture below, above the masking tape I used to temporarily mark seatpost height. I'll slide it down against the top of the seat tube when I reinstall the post. The second photo shows how Thorn's framebuilders hid the seatstay vent holes inside the upper portion of the seattube.
Best,
Dan.
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#8 rubber stopper ???
all-stainless compression hardware ???
wing nut is captive ???
Evozote closed-cell foam ???
expansion plug with high-test monofilament ???
nitrile o-ring ???
Geez, I have so much to learn ... or maybe not ;)
Sounds great Professor Dan ;D
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Truly a bespoke spoke holder.
Do you carry a cassette lockring tool as well?
Ian
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Hi Ian,
Do you carry a cassette lockring tool as well?
I sure do, as part of my underseat-bag contents (have to remove the cassette to change spokes on the more highly-stressed right rear...or use homemade z-spokes or a FiberFix). My preferred model is the original Pamir HyperCracker, bought in 1991. I have found it superior to presently available models because the longer lever arm places less strain and stress on the dropout opening than do the current "mini" models. I still pad it with my sock doubled-over to better distribute the stress on the stays. I've never had a problem when playing with it or when using it to rescue friends.
A good review of cassette removers is here: http://pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-029/index.html and this site http://www.mark-ju.net/bike_ride/equipment/hypercracker.htm also illustrates nicely some of the damage that can be incurred from using the more minimalist models that place their moment arm within the dropout. A fully tight cassette lockring is...tight. Not a bad thing when you're working with shop-length removers, but it places a lot of force on a dropout when the remover arm is only a couple-centimeters long.
Fortunately, I've never had to replace spokes on any wheels I've built. I keep a good watch on my wheels, and the spokes always have a high-average even tension, which helps extend their life. If one is going to have a spoke fail, it will commonly be on the more highly dished right-rear (on bikes with freewheels or cassettes), and one is much more likely to break a spoke if the wheel has low spoke tension (spokes generally break from fretting loads at the elbow, though they can break at the end of the nipple if the wheel is built incorrectly or the spoke exits the rim at a too-acute angle, just past the last threads). Minimize those contributors, and one minimizes the chance of needing or using a spare spoke or cassette remover in the field.
Still good practice to carry a remover. A spoke wrench and spare spokes, too. I'm humble enough to know that Someday I'll need 'em, and will be glad I have them along.
If you have minor welding/brazing skills and have access to even a few basic machine-shop tools, it isn't hard to come up with a very nice cassette remover of your own that will be much safer on dropouts than many current models.
Best,
Dan.
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Hi All!
Sherpa and I went out for a longish (87mi/140km) ride to Corvallis and back Sunday, and had a grand time. As you can see from the photos, flooding remains a problem, and I had to alter my route a number of times (neither Sherpa nor I swim). There's still a lot of storm damage -- downed trees and such -- from the wet snowstorm we had on the 2nd day of Spring, and from the heavy rains and winds that followed. A number of farmers had pushed their downed orchard trees into huge piles for burning.
I brought my Pocket Kitchen ( http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=3850.msg16915#msg16915 ) with me, and had a nice lunch of piping hot rehydrated chicken noodle soup steeped in a Reflectix cozy, a couple energy bars, and some hot apple juice. The setting was lovely, and made for a nice alfresco restaurant setting. Want some? I had split pea soup in reserve.
I saw a lot, including the annual plastic pink flamingo migration. Residents thoughtfully posted their crossing; you don't want to get in their way when they're on the move! Relentless as lemmings, they are.
One of my detours had some really bad potholes where it had been washed out by the floods, and another had a fresh pour of 15cm of 3/4-minus crushed granite. Both were malignant (I class gravel as benign and malignant; these were the latter), but Sherpa and his 26x2 Schwalbe Duremes handled them with aplomb. There were hills, too; take a look at that 13% slope grade on my SkyMounti inclinometer! Speaking of Duremes, look at the photo of my front tire in motion. Back on asphalt, the dirt has been worn away in the center -- the width of the rim. It was only in the soft, deep gravel the entire width of the 26x2.0 Dureme came into play. And then, I rode to Ireland! Not really, of course, but I've included the flag I saw for Andre, jags, and Jawine.
And last, this has been a strange weather year for the Willamette Valley and the entire US Pacific Northwest. As you can see, there's still lots of snow in the mountains. It just came late this year, and spring has been badly delayed. we're still having the occasional freezing night.Makes for pretty scenes, though.
Although Sherpa and I have taken a number of rides together, for some reason something "clicked" this ride and he didn't just feel like a nice bike. He felt like my bike, a Danneaux Bike. Nice.
Oops. Pics are collectively too big for one post, so I'll post the second batch in a separate entry.
Best,
Dan.
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The rest of the pics from Sunday's ride to Corvallis and back...
Best,
Dan.
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ah fantastic photos Dan thanks for posting.
man than was a great spin my longest this year was 55miles i think you put
me to shame.bike and pilot looking class.
just spotted the tri colors what was that all about i wonder.
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Great ride pix! But - oh, that gravel! Malignant, for sure! Brutal!
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Oh, maaate! Those shoes!
Haven't seen a pair like that since I pensioned off my old Detto Pietros several years back (and they were vintage then :o). Are they Dettos or Sidis, and are you riding with the slotted cleats?
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Those shoes!
Pete, my Detto-Brother! Sharp eyes.
Yes, they are Detto Pietro Article 74 slotted-cleat cycling shoes (detail pic below). Got just over 100,000 miles from the first pair, with care. The second died an early death in rain-soaked Belgium on the cobbles, but held together just long enough to finish the trip. I bought out the remainders from a failing mom 'n' pop bike shop in Texas some 20 years ago, and I believe there's two pair of size 45s remaining unused in my gear lockers. Mine are the newer Detto 74s (post-1976) with the nylon sole, rather than the earlier laminated leather or ash-wood versions. Much more weather-resistant, though care must still be used to walk in them only minimally. I've only ever used the nylon-soled models with the steel-plate reinforcement and threaded-bolt cleat mounts. Too wet in Oregon for the all-leather or wood-soled models.
Unfortunately, the Pavarin cleats are no longer available. I'd laid in several pairs of the older 2-bolt type, only to find the remainder of the shoes I got use the newer (and inferior) single-bolt design. These newer ones are also LOOK-drilled. I may mill some replacement cleats from block nylon while I still have fresh examples to go on. Meantime, I made steel "wear bars" to extend the life of the plastic cleats I have (standing or walking is what kills them).
They were a tremendous advance for me after blowing out the fat sacs in my feet using Nike Waffle Trainers on quill cages back in the day (they had two advantages -- I already owned them, and the waffly studs cleated over the pedals). I'd tried Lyotard M23 'Marcel Berthet' platform pedals, but gave up on them. See: http://velobase.com/ViewComponent.aspx?ID=31CA38D4-B05E-4050-8B43-8E4BEF89AD9A&Enum=109&AbsPos=0 The cleat-ridge was too shallow for my Pavarin cleats and the rivets would shear, causing the pedals to fall apart. The bearings were remarkably good for a cheap pedal. I eventually equipped all my bikes with SunTour Superbe Pro road-quill pedals with replaceable cages and sealed conrad and roller cartridge bearings and never looked back. See: http://velobase.com/ViewComponent.aspx?ID=A23B62DA-F3BB-42F2-8203-2EDF4C1C445E&Enum=109&AbsPos=36 Not a single failure in the 7 or 8 pair I own. Given they just won't die, it would be cost-prohibitive to switch all the bikes over to something else now. The only thing is, the Superbe Pros have a non-standard cage spacing, so shoes set for them won't give the correct position on other quill road pedals. The Dettos show no signs of giving out either, so we soldier on together and yes, this is what I use on Sherpa.
The second collage below shows me touring even earlier. Who is that skinny kid? He had hair, and lots of it! Notice the state-of-the-art cotton gym shorts and t-shirt with those Nike Waffle Trainers (Nike Elites, I might add). Those are Danneaux-made HB bag and panniers, and a touring bike with criterium racer geometry. None of it spoiled the fun. And a shot or two in camp...still cooking lunch, 34 years ago. The Early Winters Pocket Hotel bivy-tents sure held up well. Mine only died in 2010 when the urethane coating on the floor rotted away. Otherwise, I'd still be using it. Pretty light at only 1kg complete with carry sack and stakes.
All the best,
Dan.
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Hi Dan, loving the old photos :)
What's the twin bottle cage you have on the front.
I've got a super long steerer tube dying for a bit more action ;)
Cheers
Richie
I'll need the room for me tins of Dehydrated Water. What a find, can't believe I've never heard of it before.
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Looked like a nice wee trip on the bike, Dan.
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What's the twin bottle cage you have on the front. I've got a super long steerer tube dying for a bit more action
Hi Richie,
Those two bottle cages are CatEye nylon cages. Very light, flexible, secure, long-lived, and gentle on plastic bottles. They don't hurt if you accidentally hit them with a knee or elbow, but bottles don't rattle. I inserted synthetic rubber bumpers in the holes where the cages would ordinarily mount to a frame boss, then zip-tied them to the spacer stack using wide industrial zip-ties. The rubber bumpers provide friction to keep the cages from "clocking" 'round the steerer under the weight of full bottles.
This was something I had in mind from the first time I spotted Thorn's use of extended steerers and stacked spacers. I figured it would make an ideal location for bottles and I have not been disappointed. Although the weight is up high, there is no effect on steering, since the weight is distributed around the steering axis. It is a really convenient location, and I am toying with the idea of fitting a flexible straw so they don't even have to be removed. One of my concerns was knee clearance while climbing out of the saddle, but it has not proven to be a problem (look closely and you'll see the bottles are even with the rear face of the steerer, aiding clearance further).
My frame is a 560S, so your clearances might differ depending on frame and body size. I use two 1l Zefal Magnum water bottles in this location, with three 1.5l bottles on the frame in Blackburn Bomber cages. An MSR Dromedary lets me carry an additional 10l on the rear rack when/if necessary, for a total capacity of 16.5l for extended solo desert touring. Not as much capacity as you'd think and not much reserve. I can carry more distributed in my panniers, but pay sorely in additional weight. By the way, the two 1l Zefal Magnums have the same capacity as two .75l + one .5l bottles, so they're really handy for carrying that little bit "extra" water in less space and still fit in standard cages. There's a trick to putting the lids on leak-tight, but they're great otherwise.
I may someday drill and tap a couple steerer spacers or mill them from scratch so I can bolt the bottles in place, but this is working very well so far. Conceivably, if only one of the liter-bottles was full it could move around some on a really rough road, but so far I seem to drink from them about equally and it hasn't been a problem. The zip-ties are really tight, thanks to using my Fourth Hand on them.
When I got Sherpa, I specified an uncut steerer so I could get the handlebar-tops level with the saddle-top and have the stem horizontal for easy mounting and reading of the stem-mounted GPS. The uncut steerer allowed room for the two additional bottle cages, and for the bottle opener as well as the Tout Terrain The Plug2 and PAT "extra power" cable inside the steerer. That was the plan from the start, and happily it has all worked out nicely.
I'll need the room for me tins of Dehydrated Water
Tip: Buy it by the case to save more weight; that's what I do! ;)
Best,
Dan.
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Hi All!
Yesterday was only our second day of truly Springlike weather, so what better time for a bike ride? Sherpa and I rode north through Oregon's Willamette Valley to Corvallis, then back through Albany and the heart of farming country. Oregon (and the Willamette Valley in particular) is one of the world's largest producers of filberts (hazlenuts, primarily exported to Europe for candymaking) and is the leading supplier of grass seed. It felt like aswitch hd been thrown, and I could almost *hear* things grow when I stopped to take photos.
I put in a 109-mile/175km ride yesterday that was wonderful in terrific weather, but also a little difficult at times -- many roads still closed due to flood or flood damage, and a number of bridges out. Unfortunately, there was no advance notice, so lots of backtracking. And, of course, there was a headwind on the outbound leg as well as the return trip. A really strong one holding steady at 24mph/39kph. This was the only the second day of true, spring-like weather (no complaints there!) but it felt very ewarm after our previous cool weather. A couple times, both my digital thermometers hit 98F/37C and finally settled down to 94F/34C for quite awhile. My average was slow 13.7mph/22kph because I spent a lot of time on really bad gravel roads where I could only manage 9mph/14.4kph -- just as I had planned. I love riding gravel!
And, of course, I had a flat tire about 8 mi/13km from home with the temperature dropping, the wind picking up, and thunder-and-lightining rainstorms on the way. Rear, of course. It was due to an exploded steel-belted truck tire. The little metal wire just penetrated right through the Schwalbe Dureme's belt. I had a hard time grasping it and finally pulled it back out from the outside. I swapped in my spare tube, 'cos this is going to take a bathtub full of water to find and patch properly, and I was motivated to get home for dinner!
All in all, a lovely, wonderful day. When I stopped, I closed my eyes briefly and I swear I could almost *hear* things grow. It was wonderful! Now, I need to do that ride 4x/week and push again toward 200km and then 300km regularly on Sherpa before my next loaded tour. I've some challenges ahead, and it will be so much easier if I'm riding the bigger distances regularly. I may ballast-up to a full touring load on the next few rides. Yesterday, I carried about 25lb/11kg, mostly water. I drank 3.5 liters today; it was very warm and I wanted to stay hydrated.
All in all, a wonderful trip; can't wait to get out on Sherpa again. He performed like a champ!
Best,
Dan.
Photoset 1:
- Orchards suddenly in bloom, Flood detours.
Photoset 2:
- Me and my shadow, nostril shot of Danneaux, rich river-bottom farmland.
Photoset 3:
- Moss hangs long on the trees after a wet winter.
- Farmland? Kinda. This is the lower property of the H-P Printer Facility, located in Corvallis. If you own an H-P printer, it was likely born here. They lease-out part of their business campus for farming and as a perimeter buffer.
- Corvallis is home to Oregon State University. Though the distinctions are now blurred a bit, it has traditionally been the state's agricultural and engineering school (the University of Oregon in Eugene is regarded as the state's research institution). As a result, odd things appear in the community. Restaurant grease barrels are repurposed titanium sponge containers.
- Gently uppy-downy roads typical of the mid-Valley.
More photos in the next couple posts...
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More from Monday's ride (23 April 2012)...
Photoset 4:
- Danneaux eating dinner at Hyak Park, just outside Albany (See: http://www.co.benton.or.us/parks/facilities/hyak.php ). A lovely setting, the park sits along the Marys River and has picnicing facilities including tables and (sometimes) restrooms and a boat-launching ramp. It was formerly part of Camp Adair, a WWII training facility that covered a wide area. Lunch was a can of vienna sausages, some hot red bean and rice soup, water, and an energy bar. Good! The little .75oz/21g stove in my Pocket Kitchen brought the water to a boil in just 4 minutes. After that, 5 minutes in the Reflectix cozy gave me hot soup with tender beans and rice.
Photoset 5:
- Hot and slow were the order of the day. Lots of fun, though!
- Oakville Presbyterian Church on the little hill in Oakville, which is not even a village.
- An example of one of the few remaining "barn-vertisements" popular years ago in this area. Farmers would get their barns painted free in exchange for advertising billboards. There's not many left now, but as recently as 30 years ago, they were still quite common (holdovers from the 1940s; then the barns collapsed).
- We have castles! This one was built a few years ago, and is one of several castle-like recreations I see on my rides.
- Photoset 6:
- Uh-oh! Another bridge out. Rerouting...
- Harvest time isn't far away.
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Danneaux's Sherpa, yesterday...
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great photos Dan thanks for posting.I'm not sure i could cope with those kind of temperatures 8)
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A fine specimen indeed! Sate my curiosity though: What is that attached to your near side front rack? Something with a white band around it?
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Ah HAH just spotted that myself lets have a guessing game here i'm going for a bike lock if i'm wrong i have no idea what it could be ;D
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Ian, jags,
Sharp eyes, fellows!
What you see is my Rowi Camera Clamp, stored on the cross-spacer of my Thorn Low-Loader MkV front pannier rack, where it is loss-proof and handy. It also works to mount a camera on-bike for making movies or as a tripod. I used it for the on-bike shot of myself in the post above ( http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3896.0;attach=1353 ).
Mine is a more recent Rowi, dating from about 1978, and is labeled "Made in West Germany". Rowi used to be the "go-to" name for photographic stands and clamps of all varieties (see: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=rowi+camera+clamp&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=657&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=JxeYT8e2HZPoiALjsJQL ). Their ingenuity matched that of photographers who used their products.
Mine works as a non-marring clamp, has a self-storing dead-wood screw, and self-storing retractable tripod legs with a rotating tilt-ball head. I've sometimes used it as a hand grip in my 35mm days, when it steadied a 28-210 lens with 7-element 2x doubler. It works great on half-open car windows, hand rails, and stair railings when you need to steady a long lens. I used to sometimes mount remotely-triggered fill-flashes on it.
Since I often make or break camp in the dark, I have taken to putting a small square of reflective tape on items so I won't misplace or lose them when I break camp.The white band you see is a piece of reflective tape to make it visible in a quick sweep of my LED headlight on still-dark pre-dawn departures after making time exposures.
Best,
Dan.
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very clever indeed.
Dan have you as yet made a video review of your son dynmo in action.
i tried looking for a good video on utube but not much luck.besides i know your review would be much better ;)
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When I'm not riding Sherpa, I'm out on my other bikes; since this is the Thorn Forum, he gets the face-time here.
Monday (7 May) Sherpa and I got out together for a hard, fast 126mi/200+km ride to June Mountain in Oregon's Calapooya range. It was a lovely day, and Spring seems to gave been switched on at last -- I felt like I was breathing chlorophyll with all the green things and plants in bloom.
We saw many animals on the ride, but unfortunately, all were camera-shy. In truth, I came on them so quickly I didn't have time to get the camera out and catch a photo before they fled the sight of me. There were small black lizards and a few snakes sunning themselves on the pavement, a family of racoons, deer, and a...
Bear!
Coming down June Mountain near the Layng Creek Fossil Beds at 35mph/56kph in loose gravel, we rounded a corner and Sherpa saw a young black bear (I was there, but Sherpa saw him first). More than a yearling, his coat was pretty floppy after a winter's hibernation and didn't quite keep up when he spun around and headed for the bank, no more than 10 meters away. Reflexively, I shouted "Bear!" and he probably shouted "Human!" but I didn't have time to hear him. I swerved as he scrambled up the bank, wide-eyed with shock (both of us).
Earlier in the ride, I was chased with intent by two pit bulls. I stopped at a small county park/rest area to use the bathroom and planned lunch at a picnic table, but both were missing, so I went to the far end of the parking lot thinking they might have been moved. A car pulled into the lot, a door opened, and the two dogs were out like a shot after me. My adrenaline-fueled sprint into the surrounding fields away from them was not good enough. I stopped, and as one circled with back fur up and tail low, growling, the other kept lunging shoulder-high. I tried everything -- sweet-talking them, then shouting "No" and commanding them to "Stay". When the jumping one turned for my face, I loosed my bear spray at him and he subsided. He didn't seem hurt, but certainly gave up the chase and went back to the car where doors slammed and the owner left the lot. I never saw who owned the dogs. On my return to the lot, a new owner loosed her English sheepdog on me. I froze, and as the dog with tail low kept darting toward my legs and snapping, the owner said, "Missy, she don't like cyclists, and I don't either!". I reminded her of the county leash laws and as soon as the dog was leashed I left, thinking of the old saying, "It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I'm wearing kibble underwear".
Plenty scary, yes, but not enough to spoil a wonderful ride. I'll be thinking about all I saw for a good long time.
I'll include some captions for each photoset to catch some of the highlights of a lovely ride.
Best,
Dan.
Photoset 1:
- Roadside caution sign is pictogram for "Watch out for Danneaux and Sherpa".
- Farm where my 94 year-old father spent his boyhood. My grandfather built this house himself, 90 years ago. When the river flooded the house to the tops of the beds, Grandpa raised the house to the present level. Thank goodness for dams and better flood control in recent years.
- The highway gets a bridge, residents sometimes...don't. In more rural parts of Oregon (Smith River), residents park on one bank of the river and take a little trolley like this across the river to home. Everything goes by trolley...beds, groceries, kids to the school bus.
- California poppies and Sherpa.
Photoset 2:
- Bear Creek, off the Cloverdale Highway. Deer often drink here in early morning and evening.
- Sherpa looking at the Row River. Pronounced like the "bow" of a boat, the river and valley were named after two residents got in a row (fight) with each other.
- Mowed path through the fields after being dog-chased.
- Another replica castle on Sears Road. Why? I don't know. Kinda neat, though. I want one with a moat. And a dragon to guard it.
- Elk, next five miles. Fair warning; best to give them a wide berth as males are in rut this time of year.
Best,
Dan.
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More from Sherpa's June Mountain ride on Monday...
Photoset 3:
- Sherpa posing at the entrance to historic Currin covered bridge. Though many of these covered bridges have been bypassed by newer ones, they are kept as historical artifacts. The covering (roof) protected the plank roadways from the effects of weather and extended their lives by many years compared to open wood-deck bridges.
- wild iris at the roadside, and a closeup of a tiny visitor on a petal.
- Hustling along on pavement. I planned on lots of slow gravel-road climbing and muddy single-track once I arrived in the Calapooya mountains, so I had to make up some time on pavement.
- Sherpa on the spillway observation platform, Dorena Dam/Lake.
Photoset 4:
- Sherpa on the spillway, looking north.
- Track to get there, on the return.
- Danneaux, successfully avoiding sunburn.
- Old forest shelter constructed by the Forest Service many years ago. A favorite snack stop at Rujada for me.
- Wildwood Falls park and swimming hole. There's a few drownings here each year...the falls carry oxygen to an underwater cave. Kids swim there and have fun going into the cave. If too many visit in too short a period, the oxygen is depleted and there is none awaiting those who arrive before it is replenished. Out of air, they drown before they can surface. A place of great dichotomy -- joy and fun on one hand, tragedy and loss on the other. People have enjoyed swimming here since the late-1800s.
- Rat Creek leading to Dorena Lake near Harms Landing Park.
Best,
Dan.
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Last of the highlights from Monday's ride up June Mountain...
Photoset 5:
- Layng Creek Fossil Beds on June Mt Road. When the road was put in, a bulldozer sliced through this mound, exposing a trove of fossilized leaves.
- Here's what a fossilized leaf looks like. Dates from the Miocene epoch, ~5-23 million years ago.
- 7mi/11km of muddy singletrack in this stretch -- heavenly!
- View of the Row Valley.
Photoset 6:
- I dream of roads like this; wonderful gravel!
- A wooly bear caterpillar in fine form. These things are fascinating ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrharctia_isabella ). When cold, even their hearts freeze to a stop, and they play dead when handled. Gentle and sweet-natured little beasts; if your hands are calloused, you can pick them up and pet them.
- Farmer's field in the Row Valley.
Best,
Danneaux.
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Fabulous photos accompanying some rather alarming encounters with critters on four legs, and two legs come to think of it! Is there no recourse to legislation for you? How ironic that the bear had the sense to slink off whilst the dogs decided it would be a good idea to chase you. The behaviour of the dog's owners says a lot really. Get the rego's of their vehicles and 'book em'..perilously close to a cliche there LOL
I was cycling in the NT Australia a few years back and had the great pleasure of being chased by feral dogs across a dry swamp bed. My turn of speed was most impressive. A can of your bear spray might have come in very useful otherwise.
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+1 for the fabulous photos, and also for the appalling attitude of the dog owners, unbelievable.
Coincidentally yesterday I encountered a wee dog which ran up to me barking and snarling, it then ran alongside me snarling at me while I shouted at it "stupid dog!". The young lady who owned the dog was approaching and when we got to her she said "he's scared of bikes", she then grabbed the dog and after I passed she then proceeded to smack the dog! Since the wee dog had not actually tried to bite me, I felt like stopping then to ask her why she hit the dog when it was acting out of fear, and due to that fear probably also to protect her? I wish I had. Nowt stranger than folk.
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Just a tip from Australia re. aggro dogs. On the two most recent incidents I have had where dogs came very close to biting me, or were very threatening, I found a solution. Stopped, reached down and picked up a rock to throw in their general direction. No need to aim too closely, just the act of throwing a missile sent the dogs fleeing home. One situation involved two German Shepherds growling, barking and running fast out of an open gate - by the time I had bent down to pick up the rock they had already done a double-take and soon ran for home.
I think dogs realise it is the one area where we humans have an advantage over them and they have little defence against flying stones.
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Hi All!
Thanks for the nice picture comments; good to know they're appreciated and it is fun to share my little corner of the cycling world with others.
As for the dogs...I've rarely had any go after me with such malicious intent; these really meant business. Some dogs bit my heels 30 years ago and burst the sacs containing the fat there and they've been problematic ever since. Still, I truly love dogs and animals, so it took exhausting all other measures before I tried the spray and I nearly waited too late, out of concern for hurting them. Never having used this particular formulation, I was pleased to find the main dog just broke off its attack and when it did, the other dog left too. In the past, a product called "Halt!" used widely by US letter carriers, seemed to have a similar effect of not hurting the dogs, but worked like a behavioral reset switch. Unfortunately, the car was too far away to get a reg number, and I never actually saw the owner, as I was riding away in the opposite corner of the large lot when they pulled in and loosed the dogs. The owner sure didn't respond to my shouts or the dogs' barking and I feel sure they saw what (who) the dogs went after.
I really should keep the spray more handy and on my person (jersey pocket) in case I'm apart from the bike. It seemed an eternity before I could unsnap the Ortlieb HB bag lid, fish around for the ziplock bag with the spray, get it open, and get the thing turned around the right way so I wouldn't spray myself, and then use it. Even with adrenaline, the ziplock required two hands to open, which meant stopping. Cougar sightings are really common where I go, and they can and do attack horses. There have already been two sightings in one park at the edge of town and a horse attack in a small town north of here just last summer. Yes, best to keep the spray next to the cell phone in a jersey rear pocket.
Nowt stranger than folk
Got that right! The dogs were almost the least of it. On the way out of town, I stopped at a bench on one of the bicycle bridges to remove my cycling tights (over shorts), Sherpa propped unlocked on his Click-Stand next to me. As I was sitting there immobilized with one pants leg halfway off my shoe, a guy walked by, snatching imaginary things out of the air and talking to the voices in his head. As he passed, he said "Somebody could take that thing, that nice. black. bike! I couullld....but I won't...this time....". Yikes! When I stopped, I never thought to deploy the U-lock I brought with me, but a ring-lock would have been just the ticket to prevent a snatch-and-grab or given me time to hobble-hop half-pantsed after a thief. Later, as I was cooking lunch on my little stove on the shore of Dorena Lake, a drunk fisherman came up and admired it a little too much. "I could just take that", he kept saying, "Be good in the boat". No, it wouldn't.
Yeah, ring-lock on Sherpa, bear-spray in pocket. That's the ticket.
Still, I decided to keep all this in perspective so as not to ruin the day. A real gift it was, and I felt really fortunate to be out on a bicycle, enjoying it all.
Best,
Dan.
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Dan next time take a gun ;)
seriously fantastic photos as per usual , man you certainly have some adventures
on your trips and what a mile eater excellent cycling well done Dan
keep those photos coming there class.
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...next time take a gun
jags, I have lost count of the number of times my friends and neighbors have seriously advised this, but each time I have declined. I don't own a gun (me and perhaps three other people in this part of the country). I'm not particularly opposed, but I don't hunt and there are practical problems with weight and bulk while cycling, besides all the other issues. Monday's incident with the dogs was a great example: Unless I could carry a small gun in my jersey pocket, I'd never get to it in the brief time before I needed it, and small-caliber rounds tunnel but don't stop and short barrels are notoriously inaccurate. Besides, there is always the concern about having a clear field of fire, as stray rounds can travel a long ways. As far as showing it for deterrence, it is a slippery slope 'cos the Other Guy is probably packing something waaaaaaay more serious in his pickup truck than I could ever carry on the bike.
A friend and I were threatened by two drunks in a pickup once. They amused themselves by pacing us and tossing empty beer cans at us as we rode the shoulder, having great fun till they threw a full one. Things went bad real quick then and they drove past, then threw a u-turn. Uh-oh. Next time past, the shotgun was off the gun rack. Another u-turn and this time, the thing was out the window, aimed right at us. It was a side-by-side, and the barrels looked about the size of coffee cans. With a final salute, they were off and we were left shaking almost too bad to ride home. It's been 32 years, and I can still see their rust old truck in my mind's eye, with the mud-covered license plate hanging by a wire. Never did learn who they were.
The thing is, a gun means instant escalation of any issue to a threat to Life or Death, and I would prefer to always walk away before any issue developed that far. With occasional rare exceptions, I don't want to kill anybody, and a gun makes that possible and you can't take it back. Bear spray offers a bit more leeway. I plan to keep my bear spray in my pocket until I actually need it, and not for threat deterrence else someone use it on me.
I've already survived one murder attempt in the past with serious injuries, so I'd like to avoid a repeat if possible. I get a sense when things are going wrong and leave soonest. The guy on the bridge was high, nuts, or both and maybe even well-intentioned. The guy in the park was just drunk to the point of being problematic with lowered inhibitions and bad judgement (meaning he probably drove his truck home). In either case, time to go. I really wouldn't mind leaving the bike or whatever if it came to that.
Related Forum thread here: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=3984.0
In the same vein...and not to get all mystical about it...some places just have a bad feel when I'm touring alone, and I do not stop there. The vast majority of the forest and wilderness are fine, but occasionally I'll find a place that is just fell, and I leave without stopping any time at all. I don't really know what gives me that feeling, except there is just silence -- not even birdsong. I'm not superstitious by nature, but there's some places I don't go. Or stay. And I don't need a good reason to pass them by and long ago gave up feeling silly about it. That tiny little voice of warning is probably just my subconscious being extra-observant and doing some background processing.
Thanks for the kind words on the photos, jags; you're a good friend to me and the Forum.
All the best,
Dan.
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1000 apologies Dan i didn't mean to be a smart ass ::)
seriously i can see your point tho if you have a weapon to hand theres always a chance you could use it so yeah best not to have it.
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1000 apologies Dan i didn't mean to be a smart ass
Not at all! Don't give it another thought, jags; this is a question people ask me seriously all the time, so no worries. ;D
Currently, everybody and his brother here seem to be applying for a concealed-carry permit. Here...take a look at this local newspaper article:
http://projects.registerguard.com/web/updates/27962402-55/concealed-county-handgun-permit-lane.html.csp
...and...
http://special.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/26952094-41/court-gun-rule-oregon-campus.html.csp
I get in trouble enough as it is, without adding a gun to the mix. ::)
All the best,
Dan.
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Have you considered a one of these
http://www.dogdazer.co.uk/
I think you get some that are more powerful than others. I know folk who have found them useful when walking but not sure how easy it would be to use on a bike
Ewan
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Hi Ewan,
Thanks so much for the suggestion and link to the DogDazer ultrasonic deterrent. I have seen these before but never really investigated them, and your note is a good reminder to do so. To be honest, I was always a bit skeptical as to their effectiveness until recently. As I have mentioned elsewhere, I live between two um, enthusiasts/collectors of cats. One has in excess of 20, and the other another 14 or so; living in the middle, they kinda drive me nuts. I've spent over $200 in various non-harmful repellents including such exotica as fox urine, all to no avail. The only thing that has worked so far is an ultrasonic repeller called CatStop. Equipped with an infrared sensor, the thing emits a burst of ultrahigh-frequency sound for about 5 seconds, then resets. The cats don't like it and now avoid the *four* CatStops like the plague. I do have to keep moving them around to be effective. I need maybe two dozen CatStops. Or one real dog.
This leads me to think the DgDazer might be just the ticket for repelling dogs like those I encountered Monday. I'll certainly look into it, as the benefits are manifold -- no worry about spray blow-back in the wind or aiming correctly. No concerns about harming the animal, and good reports of effectiveness. Yeah, the more I read about it, the better it sounds for my needs.
Thanks, Ewan; very much appreciated!
Best,
Dan.
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thinking of getting one myself i'm sure there cheaper on amazon.
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Yep, a good bit cheaper here (http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Dazer-II-Ultrasonic-Deterrent/dp/B001E0L5YA). :)
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Hi All,
I have come to terms with needing a ring-lock, and have finally solved the clearance problem that prevented me from mounting one on the seatstays. You see, the Sherpa comes equipped with a pump peg on the left seatstay, spaced properly to accept a Zefal HPX pump in the appropriate size (HPX-2 in my case). Unfortunately, this is exactly where a ring-lock would go, and I wanted to keep my pump.
Zefal to the rescue with 20+year-old parts in the form of a non-marring worm-gear nylon pump peg and "Doohicki", designed to mount a Zefal HP(X)-series pump head to a location just ahead of the chainstay bridge. The Doohicki is a little slotted nylon shelf that simply bolts on using the same bolt that secures the bottom edge of the rear fender, and replaces the nut used by Thorn as a spacer.
The pump is actually better protected from mud in the new location, is truly out of the way, and just as accessible as before. There is no contact between the pump or bracketry and any of the paintwork, and the pump is really secure with less pressure. The Doohicki came with a little plug to keep rain water, mud, dirt, and playa dust out of the pump head and sealing gasket, tailor-made to my use.
For more on this saga, see the following Thorn Forum links:
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=1944.msg9015#msg9015
...and...
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4148.msg18856#msg18856
Next up is to order the ring-lock and get it mounted before I leave on-tour in June.
Best,
Dan.
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Hi Dan
This all raises a few questions related to how I kit out my bike.
1. Where did you source that Zefal doohicky? If I could get one I might be persuaded to hunt out a new Zefal HPX.
2. Your three Blackburn 1.5l bidon cages.... where did you buy these? I need one of these and have not seen any about for years (my son has purloined the one I have been using on remote tours).
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Hi Pete!
A cheery "good morning" from the States earlier your Australian day, so I'm writing from before you asked!
The Zefal Doohicki came from eBay, though a number are still available as NOS in older shops, even 22-odd years after they ceased production. Same for the worm-gear-clamp top pegs. Though made of reinforced nylon and other plastics, these things really stand up. The peg on my tandem has been there for a couple decades with no sign of trouble as yet. I burned out a few brain cells thinking of a solution that seemed so obvious after I had implemented it. I need to get smarter sooner. ;)
I sourced the Blackburn Bomber 1.5l bottle cages from old shop-stock over the last 6 years or so, and tucked them away against the time when I would use them. They occasionally show up on eBay as well (everything does, eventually). I have two more on the tandem and one more for another of my bikes. I have a similar, lighter-duty Minoura version that uses a rotating sprung clamp that is sizable for different height bottles. Unfortunately, it must be mounted upright atop a tube to prevent breakage and it fits fewer bottles 'cos the bottle neck designs have been shortened to prevent breakage during automated handling in production and filling.
That points up a problem with bottled-water bottles -- at least here in the States, bottle standardization has gone out the window. Everyone now has their own proprietary design and it even makes things look all higgledy-piggledy on the store shelves, as height/diameter vary so much. I have taken to back-stocking a few spares of the sizes that do fit and simply refilling them from the tap when needed for use. I get a couple summers' use from one, or one hard tour. It is getting hard to find bottles for the Blackburn cages as well. I love the Blackburn Bombers because they are so sturdy, and the series of possible mounting holes in the backplate of the main extrusion allows me to center them as needed on the bottle bosses. It is really helpful for the under-downtube location, where it is placed evenly to exert no undue angular torque on the bosses. I simply fit a length of narrow webbing and a Fastex buckle to take the strain off the Blackburn's rubber retaining strap in that location when it is in use. Gives 4.5l total capacity low on the frame. The two 1l Zefal Magnum bottles located on the steerer axis add another 2l for 6.5 on the frame. The MSR Dromedary bag atop the rear rack usually carries another 6l in waterless-hot places, though will manage the full 10l when needed for a grand capacity of 16.5l water if/when needed (as just before nightfall in a dry camp for cooking and next day's refills).
Salsa may have come to the rescue with their Anything Cage, which I am considering, though it appears to require three bottle bosses (according to their copy; it may be they are simply being careful). Still, worth a look for what one can stuff in them. See:
http://salsacycles.com/components/anything_cage/
...and...
http://salsacycles.com/culture/new_product_-_salsa_anything_cages/
Hope this helps.
Best,
Dan.
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Dan, I've had my eye out on those salsa cages myself for a while now. The instructions also show a two bolt setup, so I think you can put your mind at ease. My only question and what stops me from ordering one is what kind of diameter bottle does it hold and what bottles may fit? I have two REI 46oz bottles and I like that kind of extra water capacity. I ordered the adjustable cages from sjs but and they fit both 1.5 litre coke bottles (those narrow mouths make them useless for water and I don't drink soda ;( ) and these nalgene REI bottles (which are perfect because while they come with a reatined top the threads accept a regular water bottle top so that one can drink while on the go). I don't hoewer like them very much because of the loop at the top which is a pain in use and does not look to long term secure neither. So I'm surely on the lookout for ways to carry more water on the frame and the Salsa cages are at the top of my list, if I can solve the bottle question.
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Hi Pavel,
I think I can partially answer your question, thanks to a recently-complete eBay auction for a Salsa Anything Cage paired with an Outdoor Research Bottle Parka (see attached pic). They look like a perfect match.
A quick look at the OR site ( http://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/or-gear/accessories/storage/water-bottle-parka-3.html ) shows the Bottle Parkas come in sizes 1, 2, and 3...the amusement comes when you click on the sizes and are taken to the clothing size guide. The description doesn't match the photo, either. Altrec (located here in Oregon) has them, with dimensions:
http://outlet.altrec.com/outdoor-research/water-bottle-parka?cm_mmc=Mercent-_-Froogle-_-Outdoor%20Research-_-49359&mr:trackingCode=8A5AD538-FC0B-E111-AC9E-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA
The difference in height doesn't matter, but the interior measurements vary from 3in to 3.5in (to match Nalgene bottles) and 3.75in to 4.5in outside (external) diameter. The parka is supposed to keep your bottle cold(er) or warm(er) than it would be if bare.
It appears your bottles would fit the Salsa Anything Cage if their OD is no more than 3.75in-4in. Apparently, the strap is just a means to secure the bottle from sliding out. I would imagine it would work better if the bottle/cage contents matched the capacity of the cage and if the surface of the bottle wasn't super-slick so there would be a bit more friction. If 't'were me, I believe I'd substitute velcro binder straps for the thread-through buckles Salsa offer. Or make a set with Fastex-style qr buckles.
Hope this helps; it is always a challenge to carry lots of water on a touring bike.
All the best,
Dan.
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Hi All!
Like a look-see at that's next?
If everything goes well (and I can successfully knock-down some of my workload), this is where Sherpa and I will be either late this weekend or early next week:
http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/REGION4/Video/242_open.wmv
This video of the Dee Wright Memorial (castle-like thing) was taken 4 days ago by the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Nothing long, just an overnight-to-couple-days' shakedown run to make sure all's shipshape before the tour at month's end.
Best,
Dan. (whose shoulder-season tours often range from 5F to 124F/-15 to 51C in a single trip, valley-to-mountains-to-desert)
[EDIT: It's Monday, and I wasn't able to get away on Sunday as hoped. Probably fortunate, because a huge storm has just blown in from the Pacific, and here in the Valley we've got heavy thunderstorms 3-5in/~8-13cm of snow are predicted for above 3800ft/1150m. Sherpa can manage 2-2.5in/5-6cm of snow, but not more with fenders, so the trip is on-hold till possibly Wednesday. Hoping for the best.]
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stay home dan and wait for better weather you know it makes sense ;)
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stay home dan and wait for better weather you know it makes sense
Really, really good advice, jags, and some I plan to heed. I don't take unnecessary chances, nor do I go for ego's sake. I got a look at the ODOT traffic cam on Tombstone Pass this morning, and it was just plain nasty. From what I could determine, ODOT decided not to take the plows up on McKenzie Pass today, as more snow is due to fall throughout the week and the Old McKenzie Highway (242) is only open to pedestrians and cyclists at present till the worst of the storms is through and past.
The good news is the weather should take a turn for the better late Saturday night, and I hope to get off at dawn Sunday and stay up there in the snow with Sherpa Sunday night, Monday night, and back Tuesday if all goes well. I'm bumping up against an appointment on Wednesday, so this would be the ideal window for a shakedown cruise prior to the Big Tour planned to start at month's end. I'll be trying a number of new things, and it would be nice to be relatively near to home (couple-hundred miles) if I have some failures.
I appreciate the good thoughts, jags!
Best,
Dan.
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Hi All!
As I prepare Sherpa for his big tour (and shakedown cruise even sooner), I am attending to the little details that make such a difference in avoiding failure. Today's close examination showed a potential failure point with the rubber retention loop on the inverted Blackburn Bomber 1.5l bottle cage below the downtube. When holding a full bottle on really rough roads, a lot of force goes through that synthetic rubber loop, and besides causing a little noise (can't have that...all Danneaux's bikes are rigged for Silent Running...) represents a point of failure I can't afford.
So.
I did what I did for a smaller bottle and cage with the Miyata 1000LT that preceded Sherpa as my expedition bike: I made a little belt of nylon webbing to take the strain. The flat-fixation Fastex buckle fits under the upper bottle nicely, and a little window cut and heat-seared into the webbing neatly supports the tension loop on the lower cage. My primary drinking source is the two 1l Zefal Magnum bottles on the steerer. The three 1.5l bottles in the Blackburn Bomber cages represent my transferable reserve; they're decanted into the Magnums in turn as the Magnums are emptied, bottom last to keep weight as low as possible to aid handling. When all bottles are emptied, then the routine starts anew after a refill from the 10l MSR Dromedary bag atop the rear rack (usually carrying only 6l except on true desert crossings).
The photos tell the story and also show the adequate clearance between the webbing and any paint. Sherpa and I have been traveling a lot of remote single-track recently, hence the dust on his usually clean coat. A quick shot of filtered compressed air will soon set that right.
Best,
Dan.
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you sure put a lotta thought into your bike and gear Dan well done, really looking forward to the movie warts and all ;)
are you starting your tour from your front door what kinda miles is it in total how many miles a day will you cover .
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are you starting your tour from your front door what kinda miles is it in total how many miles a day will you cover .
Hi jags,
Yes, nearly all my tours (except those outside the country/overseas) start from my front door, including those to California and Nevada and all those in Oregon. I figure I live [here] and need to go [there], so I'd best start pedaling from [here]! :D It has worked out pretty well so far.
At this late date and after 4 months' careful planning, I am now in the unhappy position of remapping my intended Big Tour route from scratch, thanks to ODOT's release of new information regarding their spring/summer road construction schedule. The Salt Creek Tunnel on Hwy 58 will be closed completely for four days and most nights and only open to one lane of traffic with a pilot car for most of the summer, thanks to a project to lower the tunnel floor (gain overhead clearance) and reconstruct the approaches. It is the *only* way E-W for all traffic on Hwy 58, so that is out (waits of 4+ hours and then trying to get through in the traffic stream doesn't hold much appeal). Instead, I will have to go over the Old McKenzie Pass (Hwy 242) assuming it is still closed to car traffic by heavy snow (part of my scouting trip hopefully this weekend); with car traffic I won't risk it. Very narrow two-lane with no shoulders, hairpin turns, blind crests and elevation changes. Though traffic is limited to vehicles below 35ft in length, that leaves plenty of leeway for oldsters in huge RVs/motorhomes/caravans who take off from camp leaving the curbside steps down. Many's the time I've heard the wind-scream of a scythelike RV step skimming through the air behind me at ankle level and have had to remove my foot from the pedal a time or two to avoid it. No, thanks.
The other most likely way "out of the Valley, up and over the Cascades" is via a narrow, winding Forest Service Road from the little town of Sweet Home through the old abandoned mining settlement of Quartzville. This is pretty and nice, except that fishing season is in full swing, and hordes of fishermen park their RVs on the narrow, winding (sound familiar? They're all narrow and winding...) road that runs above Green Peter Dam, reducing the road to one lane for all traffic. The effect looks a bit like spectator caravan parking on some mountain stretches of the Tour de France, but without that same level of Bicycle Awareness. I have to ponder my choices carefully.
My old route would have been about 1600mi/2575km, but that will change. Which way and how much I am not sure at the moment.
As for speed, it works out to average about 76mi/122km per day in the areas where I'll be going, but that is the average between 5mph/8kph climbs up near-continuous 22% grades in dirt and gravel that take most of a day (I'll be returning on Forest Service roads and fire trails along the spine of the Cascades above 6200ft/1900m) and other days where I put in 129mi/203kph on pavement in favorable conditions. It balances out. I try to leave a cushion of time so if I run into problems I have a little leeway. It is supposed to be fun, too, so I don't try to flog myself into meeting a strict daily mileage goal; years of experience tells me it evens out. I usually end up going faster/farther than I expected 'cos there isn't anyone to talk to and there's not a lot to do around camp when I get there except sleep, so I ride instead. I've solved most of the world's problems in my head on these trips. For me it is about recreation in the truest sense -- re-creation, or filling myself back up again. It is nice to deal with Real things compared to the virtual/conceptual world that comprises much of my work. These tours are always a spiritual journey for me as well, little pilgrimages into myself and my relationship with Something Larger, and I treasure them most for that.
I do like to take time out for photography and to see things along the way. One of the highlights of a recent trip near the Oregon/Nevada border was a side-jaunt to see the Greaser Petroglyphs ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greaser_Petroglyph_Site ) and the Doherty Slide Hang Gliding launch-site ( http://westcoastbrit.blogspot.com/2008/08/day4-doherty-slide.html second, aerial view shows where I crossed ), but it wasn't as much fun in the remnants of the previous night's 70mph-wind-driven ice-pellet storm that blew out my tent atop Blizzard Gap. Still worth a looksee though.
So, yeah, I'm really looking forward to my next Big Tour. The goal is always to have some fun with the bike and be safe and get back home in one piece so I can look forward to going again.
Best,
Dan.
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dan what's that yellow level thingy you have on the bars, ::)
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Looks to me like Dan has the Sky mounti inclinometer - to measure hill gradients
(http://www.google.com.au/url?source=imglanding&ct=img&q=http://www.factoryitalia.com/images/inclinomentro_menu.jpg&sa=X&ei=vkjXT4ChLqTAiQfIpYyGAw&ved=0CAkQ8wc&usg=AFQjCNHeXxjlwOcZ4cBJPIa87zbU4Vwtrw)
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what's that yellow level thingy you have on the bars
Sharp eyes, jags! And...absolutely correct, Pete!
That is a Sky Mounti inclinometer made in Austria. It is a direct-reading slope gauge that tells you exactly (in %) how steep the hill is you're riding up or down. It is not a simple spirit level; the secret to its usefulness is the scale is converted to a rise-run percentage for you already, so no mental calculations are needed to come up with a slope percentage.
I love the thing, and would hate to be without it! It is the perfect accessory for hilly Ireland, too. Get one and you can say, "That was a right smart hill, and no wonder, at 20% grade!). For a bike geek like me, the fun quotient is off the scale (sorry) and I can honestly say it is one of my most-used and enjoyed accessories.
They come in a choice of two case colors -- black or red -- and two handlebar diameters. One is intended for standard handlebars and the other for oversize. The oversize model has an extended scale, and I often buy that one (all my bikes have these) to mount on the taped part of my drop 'bars. A rubber shim takes up any size difference. Do be careful when installing, however, as they are easy to break at that point -- they use two sheet metal screws from the bottom, and if one keeps tightening, they *will* crack (never on mine, thanks to great care used when installing). The trick is to get them just tight enough they won't rotate on the 'bars. Also, please install them while the bike is on a truly level surface with the tires aired up, or it won't read correctly. Uphills are read from the forward edge of the bubble, downhills are read from the rear edge of the bubble. A little expansion or contraction can occur in extreme temperatures, but I've never found it to be more than about 1/2 a percentage mark on the scale. The fluid appears to be a thick mineral oil, so the bubble doesn't "surge" when pedaling. I've sometimes had to wait a quarter-second or so for it to move to a new reading in really cold temps.
Some of my Dutch friends (where it is flat!) complain the markings (applied by screen print or industrial tampon transfer method, same as on those little toy Matchbox cars made late by Lesney but now by Hot Wheels/Mattel) can rub off, but I have never had a problem.
Where to get 'em? Well...
Here's the company website: http://www.skymounti.com/html/gb.html
I don't see them at SJS Cycles, but might have missed them on their site. Most EU bike shops seem to carry them or can get them. The aren't terribly expensive, and provide a lot more fun than they cost. Lightweight, too, at only 28g. Everybody "needs" one!
They were scarce as hen's teeth here when I got my first one from a shop The Netherlands in 2007. Now, they're everywhere. Here's some stateside dealers for those on my side of the pond:
http://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/sky-mounti-inclinometer
http://www.amazon.com/Sky-Mounti-Inclinometer-26-0-Diameter/dp/B000PHO6K8
http://www.adventurecycling.org/store/index.cfm/product/193/sky-mounti-inclinometer.cfm
http://www.cantitoeroad.com/inclinometer-black-318mm-2715-sky-mounti
Best,
Dan.
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Nice gadget, but I know the gradients of my hills here in Ireland.The steeper ones are called Heavily Perspiring, Are These Maniacs I'm Cycling With Lost or Stupid?, and Call the Ambulance. --Andre Jute
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Andre i think Dan's computer is out of action.
have you any idea where i could buy that gizmo and grand bios tyres .here in ireland or the uk thanks.
yeah theres some right dingers in your part of the country.
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jags,
Grand Bois look like unobtainium in Ireland and the UK.
Try http://www.m-gineering.nl/indexg.htm (http://www.m-gineering.nl/indexg.htm) and look within the Hard to Finds menu item.
julk.
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thanks julk will have a look. ;)
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Andre i think Dan's computer is out of action.
have you any idea where i could buy that gizmo and grand bios tyres .here in ireland or the uk thanks.
It's not Dan's computer, it's his IP banning Thorn's IP (nothing to do with Thorn) until Dan manages to persuade them (again) that a customer (Dan) is being punished for what he didn't do, and nobody that he knows did.
I went looking for one of those gimmicks the minute I saw the photograph. I'm afraid I found it in the States (about $25) but not in Ireland or the UK. Also in Germany, of course. I have no hesitation buying from Germany; excellent experience shopping in Germany for a decade now. But I don't really need it. I can look up the URLs again for you, if you like.
Andre Jute
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Thanks Andre no don't bother don't have the funds yet to buy either that gizmo or grand bios tyres but would be good to know where to buy when ever i do have the funds ;D ;D.
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About the Grand Bois tyres in Europe, I've known Maarten of M-Engineering for years on the RBT newsgroup, and you can buy from him with confidence. In fact, that he stocks the product at all is an encomium for the product, as he stocks only the best gear, no ephemeral fashion-victim rubbish. That's all by his reputation, as I haven't actually bought anything from him, as he tends to serve a more sporting kind of cyclist than me, but I've mined his site for good information.
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Hi All!
Goodness, it feels good to be able to access and post on the Forum again! If there is a Danneaux Hell, it is to lose Internet access in some way, and it really hurts when the Thorn Forum is targeted. I was locked-out for a week, due to no fault of Thorn.
Andre did a great job summarizing the situation, and I surely appreciate him updating the Forum on my whereabouts. Basically, the situation is this:
Thorn's host has a large number of sites at the same numeric IP address, and a few of those sites are infested with malware that can infect visitors' computers. Because of this, the numeric IP is blacklisted on a number of malware watch lists. Thorn's DNS-resolved domain has no problems whatsoever and is "clean". Comcast, my ISP and the US' largest ISP, apparently decided to block the IP, so Thorn's domain was tossed out with the bathwater. I could occasionally access it via proxy, but the connection was so slow it timed out before I could post. Frustrating! I have spent hours on the phone and in live chat with Comcast last week, and yesterday's 3-hours' calling paid off with unexpected access a few minutes ago -- yay!
Catching up a bit...
- The Sky Mounti inclinometer is a remarkable accessory and a favorite toy. Worth every penny in entertainment value alone. It is so terrific it makes a single great leap from the "Want" category to "Need", pronounced "Neeeeeeeeed". If you have no luck finding them in the UK or Eurozone, Velimpex Marketing has them and will sell overseas. See http://www.velimpex.com/inclinometer.htm . Their site is connected with Cantitoe Road ( http://www.cantitoeroad.com/accessories ) which also seems to be VeloFred ( http://www.velofred.com/ ), as the have cross-filled my orders. Cantitor carry a number of equally-intriguing accessories, including the Chain Johnny chain transport cover, a Schrader-to-Presta adapter (most go the other way), retro-reflective diamond-grade tapes as used on transport semi-tractor trailers here, a variety of bicycle handlebar mirrors, and the Safety Wing ( http://www.cantitoeroad.com/accessories/safety-wing ). I think their Shelter die-cut protective films may be the answer for protecting racks from hook abrasion ( http://www.cantitoeroad.com/frame-protection ), and plan to look into that further.
Altogether, these are very dangerous sites to visit with VISA card in hand, so be wary. As for German retailers, no problem. Now that Rose Versand is back online after their massive warehouse fire, it would be worth checking to see if they also carry the Sky Mounti.
- Grand Bois tires are, essentially, Panaracer Paselas made with a great deal of love and care. They enjoy an excellent reputation among the 650B randonneur crowd, and are very nice indeed (the Hertres I saw recently were in a class by themselves, works of red-treaded art). It would be neat to try a pair of Grand Bois' in 26" size, but unlike Schwalbe's offerings, they really aren't aimed at the Expedition Touring audience. They might well be the ideal all-'round to go-fast tire, however. Can't wait to read user reports on the 26" models.
- I heartily second Andre's endorsement of Marten Gerritsen of M-Gineering up in the northern part of The Netherlands. As honest as can be, an insightful engineering mind, and the best sense of humor in the bicycling industry. He's always a pleasure to deal with and a genuinely nice guy. And yes, he only stocks things that meet his very high standards and prove-out in extended use. He may not always carry "the latest", but you can be assured it is proven and sound. My only regret is 'Merka's reputation for litigious torte claims and lawsuits prevents him from doing business with US residents, a trend that is unfortunately increasing among retailers outside the US. It is perfectly understandable from their perspective, as the insurance costs are staggering.
Getting ready for the tour scheduled to start next weekend if the new rack solves Sherpa's unexpected shimmy problem as I think it will. I still have one more USB adapter to make, and the PAT power booster to install for the Tout Terrain The Plug 2. Going to pick up an Alite Monarch 2-legged camp chair, too.
All the best,
Dan.
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Hi All!
Those of you who have been following my other thread on shimmy ( http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4320.0 ) know today was a day for more testing at higher speeds. It seems I have found and addressed the cause at the speeds I normally ride. Now it was time to see how things worked at the faster end. I often log some pretty high speeds on mountain descents, so this was a necessary test session.
Accordingly, we headed for Green Hill in SW Eugene to see how Sherpa would do with the largest, heaviest load I would expect to carry on my extended desert crossings, including reserve food and 16.6l of water. We did three complete climbs and descents. It was a real challenge in the early summer heat (98F/37C) on the sheltered backside of the hill, hauling 154lbs/70kg of semi-willing, desert-loaded Sherpa up 15%+ grades. Well worth it, to find the bike and load were shimmy-free at speeds as high as 53.5mph/86kph. Tomorrow, it'll be back to the rigid 2.0 Duremes to see how we fare. Three runs with increasing speeds should tell us more as I try to deconstruct my success in fixing the shimmy. I want to find and address the root cause.
I do have to be a little careful to miss the herds of deer and flocks of wild turkeys as I fly downhill. I don't want Bambi to become BAM!bi. With better weather, the birds have taken up residence in some sections of town, and they bully traffic! Cars on West 18th Avenue at Bailey Hill were held up through several traffic signal cycles while the birds roamed at will between the cars and on the curbside bike path. Kind of a nice sight. I almost could have touched them as I waited for the light to change.
Despite the heat behind Greenhill, there's still a heavy snow-pack on the Three Sisters in the Cascade Mountain range east of town. Of course, I'll be passing over the Cascades on my way to the Central Oregon plateau and then on to the desert.
Oh! And the Alite Monarch Butterfly chair worked a treat at the Green Hill summit. Just what I was hoping for to elevate me above hot desert road surfaces and melted tar during my rest stops.
Best,
Dan.
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those turkeys wouldn't last to long over here excellent photo's dan well done.
bike looks fantastic loaded up really glad all is sorted at long last.
you can now SLOW DOWN and relax.
Dan enjoy your tour and be careful out there buddy. ;)
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That's an impressive amount of stuff on your bike and an equally impressive top speed!
The inclinometer is appealing to my inner geek. Will have to drop less than subtle hints around November to Mrs S.
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...an impressive amount of stuff on your bike...
...And waaaaay too much "stuff" for any ordinary touring, Ben. The all-up weight for what I "need" is about 42lbs including the bags to carry it (Ortliebs aren't very light, but they are surely sturdy). Camera gear figures in there, too. Anything much beyond that is food (heavy) and water (really, really heavy!) for places where I will be spending time but can't resupply....an equally impressive top speed
Aww, Ben...gravity helped! I really don't want to go down at that speed, but it is a common downhill speed for me when descending mountain passes loaded, so it was worth simulating now to check for wobble-shimmy. I've fallen once in the past at 48mph in the rain and gotten away with it because it was wet (reduced friction) and I was very lucky, but this would be considerably less pretty. Beside, Sherpa might get scratched or hurt, and we can't have that. He's never fallen or gone down, and I'd like to keep it that way.The inclinometer is appealing to my inner geek. Will have to drop less than subtle hints around November to Mrs S.
Yes! Ben, you need one of these. Except for the bike computer, I've gotten more joy from this than any other "bike-toy" (accessory). I love it! Hint: Get two for the tandem. Stokers find these as fascinating as captains. Mine do!
Jags...not quite ready to go yet. Yes, I've got the shimmy banished as the bike now sits, but I've got to get to the root cause, so the trip will be postponed till I gain a little more knowledge. I really don't want to tour on damp playa on 1.5 road slicks; I need a bit more floatation at the weights I carry. And, I don't want to get groceries at Fields Station, dump them in the panniers, and have the wheels wobble out from under me as I descent from the Catlow Rim at 50+mph with a full load. Look at the third photo here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g51866-d3179421-Fields_Station_Motel-Fields_Oregon.html#42769179 and you'll see why; there's nothing Out There. I've got to get this fully resolved back at this end first. Dying to leave, but have to exercise some restraint before I can go. Rearranging my schedule time-wise so I can go in July-August, but the weather will be against me.
All the best,
Dan.
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Hi All!
If you'd like to "meet" me, you're welcome to head on over to my YouTube channel and see what I look like and hear me speak. Just go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSherpaRider
The latest video is Sherpa's speedy descent of Green Hill here in Eugene, taken today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxm750H5LY4&feature=plcp . As you might guess, I joined him on this ride and the many other grinds up and blasts down, as we try to deconstruct and positively identify the source of his shimmy at well over 50mph/80kph. That flapping Ortlieb map case peeled 1.2mph/1.93kph off the top speed (dirty airflow). Holding it down definitely helped, according to the computer readout.
There's also some videos I took pre-Sherpa, during my 2010 tour of the Great Basin that give some idea what my desert tours are like. Please excuse my appearance. I'm dehydrated, sunburned, and blistered, with my nose and lips bleeding and my tongue a little swollen because of the alkali dust in the air -- it is corrosive as battery acid. Plus, the video taken outside Denio, NV shows me at 4:50AM and 19F/-7C while "dirtbagging" (sleeping open and tentless) as my water bottles quietly freeze on the bike. This is the sort of touring I love, and I will be returning to most of these places again with Sherpa. If I can find the time, I plan to put up a website showing the 3,800+ still shots I've taken on these rides and many more as we continue.
For now, these will give a taste in sight and sound. This next tour I will be taking three cameras, all of which have HD video capability, so hopefully I will get better results than these. I wish the production quality was better and I wish I didn't sound quite so inane, but I'm learning more by the day about taking better videos and trying to think of what I'll say before filming. Still photography has been my talent to date, so this is an exciting opportunity to learn something new.
Best,
Dan.
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These are great, Dan, informative and inspiring!
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This guy gets really freaky speed wobbles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfngbsIUSj8&feature=related) with no load at all on his bike :o (at 0:30)
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And, I don't want to get groceries at Fields Station, dump them in the panniers, and have the wheels wobble out from under me as I descent from the Catlow Rim at 50+mph with a full load. Look at the third photo here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g51866-d3179421-Fields_Station_Motel-Fields_Oregon.html#42769179 and you'll see why; there's nothing Out There.
Those images remind me of William Creek Hotel (http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Oodnadatta+Track,+South+Australia&hl=en&ll=-28.907563,136.339248&spn=0.005062,0.010568&num=10&geocode=Fb0nTf4dGR0ZCA&hnear=Oodnadatta+Track,+South+Australia&t=h&z=17) - pop'n 3.
(http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/48627/2881460260074746151S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2881460260074746151pTboXY)
Over there's the accommodation
(http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/49567/2571507620074746151S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2571507620074746151ekhxfl)
And this is the road ahead
(http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/28104/2140601730074746151S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2140601730074746151pHVBCn)
At least the weather was fine ;D
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Hi Dan
like the bedside perspective videos. Looking at the terrain you and il padrone cover I can see why you want to carry so much gear.
Keep up the interesting work.
Ian
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Looking at the terrain you and il padrone cover I can see why you want to carry so much gear.
Yes! Ian, though Pete and I couldn't be farther apart geographically, I am so often struck by the similarity in our touring environments, with nearly identical concerns and requirements in nearly all respects. His photos of the caked red clay when it gets wet remind me so much of the wet playa I have slogged through; I've also had to remove a mudguard on occasion and carry it with me until conditions cleared a bit (see attached). The colors may be different, but I figure we're still "Dust Brothers". "Clay Brothers", too! Just add water.
The thing is, the playa looks almost the same dry as wet. At the shoreline of dry lakes, it makes a tephra-like silt where a bike can sink deep enough to support itself unaided. That's a tough slog; churn, more like. Wet, it becomes greasy and sticks to everything and just does not wipe, scrape, or hose off very well if at all. It is a bit like riding through axle grease and all one can really do is...persist. Once it sun-dries, it is almost like a plating and resists wear by brake pads or chain links. Dry, it is a (dusty) dream of smooth hard-pack and fast. After all, this is the venue Richard Noble chose for the Thrust SSC world land-speed record ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Noble ).
Best,
Dan.
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Those wet outback clay roads....... I don't go near them if I can avoid them. Actually most of my touring is not this sort of conditions - I've just done the one outback tour, and planning to go back to the Red Centre this September for 4 weeks..... and in future I have plans to do the whole around Australia tour, including plenty of outback riding.But most of my touring tends to be the mountain and hill country rough stuff, like this:
(http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/47887/2206571790074746151S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2206571790074746151TZcHPp)
and this:
(http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/30475/1462277633074746151S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://sports.webshots.com/photo/1462277633074746151WxIlWW)
with steep climbs like this :o:
(http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/47315/2054340130074746151S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2054340130074746151zoOXJR)
As for the amount of gear we carry, well we were out for 9 weeks (planned for 10) and went from 38 deg south in Autumn/Winter to about 26 deg south in the Dry. So we needed a range of clothing, and in places (the Oodnadatta Track) needed to carry food for 7-8 days plus water for two nights (~20L each) at a time.
As Danneaux has detailed, my normal touring kit weighs about 20kg. It's trimmed down for what I really need and use. Add to that food (say 10kg) and water (20kg) and we were probably towing 50kg. But you know, it made very little difference to the ride. The landscape out there was remarkably lacking in hill climbs and we covered distance quite OK.
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Pete
if I rode anywhere in England for 7 or 8 days I would pass within spitting distance of around 50 million people! It's hard to comprehend the space you have.
Best wishes
Ian
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Unbelievable 8)
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Ian, Jags,
My problem is often a complete lack of towns and stores to resupply. Because the economic recession has hit Great Basin towns so hard, communities there are losing stores, population, post offices, and finally their lives as communities, and the natural result is one ghost town after another added to the roster.
In January 2011, Empire, NV effectively disappeared. Typical story, explained here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15360661
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/21/empire-nevada-recession_n_881816.html
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/20/137304964/shuttered-plant-marks-the-end-of-a-nevada-town
http://www.mybekins.com/mymovingnews/index.php/2011/article1585/
It was a company town, owned by the factory that mined and crushed and transported the gypsum used to make the plaster-filled wallboard used in new houses. With the downturn in the economy and the huge number of bank housing foreclosures nationwide, fewer new houses are being built. The parent company of the one in Empire decided it was no longer "economically viable" to continue operations, so nearly 400 dependent people...the school...and the one store in town were closed six months later. Gerlach is nearby, and receives annual infusions of tourist dollars from the Burning Man festivals that take place in a corner of Black Rock Desert just outside of town. Other than that, it is for the most part a retirement community, served by a single doctor who travels about 117mi/188km from Reno to provide care. A friend tells me this will soon end, and seniors will have to manage the drive themselves. Now Empire is gone, Gerlach has only 12 students in its schools. In Oregon's Outback, the kids are sent to boarding school in Crane for the entire school year. Most end up marrying each other after graduation. A woman I know patrols her fenceline with her helicopter. It's Big country, and very remote.
The store at Valley Falls, OR closed when the owners could no longer pay their fuel bill and had to close the petrol station that was the main source of revenue. When that went, so did the store, the social hub of the community, and much of the population. The nearest gasoline is in Lakeview, 22 miles to the south, or in Riley, 90mi/145km away. Wagontire (population...1 Danneaux the last time I stayed there) is gone. The cafe, mini-store, small motel and gas pumps that were thriving in August 2009 were all gone in June 2010 and the town abandoned. Even the International Airport was closed ("International" 'cos a Canadian once landed his airplane there and on takeoff snagged the barbed-wire keeping the free-range cows off the end of the runway. Hence, "International"). The parents of a friend of a friend used to own the place, and I really should ask what happened.
Fort Bidwell, California is in a similar fix. Residents there have a post office with very limited hours and delivery that is on the roster of locations to close as the US Post Office tries to contain costs and retool to meet reduced financing. There is an Indian reservation there and a very small convenience store with limited hours on the edge of the res. The town is essentially gone. The nearest medical care for seniors living there is in Cedarville (population 514), 50mi round-trip away, and there's not exactly state-of-the-art facilities when you get there. There's two stores there -- a general store with about everything, and another little-bitty store on the corner with beer and cold pop and some close-dated canned goods and chips.
Bobby Putney graduated from the same North Eugene High School I attended, and now owns the only motel/restaurant/store/RV park in Denio, NV. It serves burgers, fries, steaks, and pop or beer. The little "store" is 5 shelves on a wall. Lots of chips and candy, a few cans of tuna, not a whole lot more for the hungry bike tourist. Denio used to be in Oregon till it was moved on skids to the Nevada side of the line for tax purposes. That's now Old Denio, with...nothing. New Denio *is* Bobby Putney. Most of his traffic comes from the crossroads tourist traffic and the opal mines. The molybdenum mine was big once, but not after the worldwide market price for moly declined, resulting in massive layoffs. The waitress I chatted with at Bobby's had worked there, and her boyfriend is operating a little 1-man opal mine. Save Denio! Buy more Thorns! They have tubing with traces of molybdenum and chromium, alloyed with steel. Cro-moly "Steel is Real" has a different meaning for these folks.
I've attached a photo showing the entire grocery section of the Adel General Store. There's a couple cans of oil for cars, some windshield-cleaning fluid, and tire-sealing Slime. For people, there's pop, chips, barbecue sauce, canned tomatoes, ketchup and mustard for burgers, canned refried beans, two jars each of peanut butter and mayonnaise, a package of dead-tale taco shells, a little canned fruit, and a small sack of flour and another of sugar and that's pretty much it. This is what I can expect to find in the area if a store is still open. The owners are wonderfully nice people, at retirement age and looking to get out. The husband is in ill halth, and his wife is handling much of the operation, including the gas pumps. One day, I came through and the whole shootin' match (gun references are part of the lexicon in my part of the world) was closed 'cos she had an appointment with the dentist in Lakeview. In Plush, the residents go into Lakeview, OR or Winnemucca with empty horsetrailers and return with them full of enough goods to keep themselves and neighbors in food for the next couple months, according to one fellow I spoke with. Winnemucca, NV is a hub for Great Basin residents. It is a 418mi/672km round-trip from Plush to Winnemucca. Better to go to Klamath Falls, a 270mi/435km RT or Bend, at 406mi/653km. In winter? Not easy. Surprise Valley/Barrel Springs temperatures can drop to minus 28F/minus 33C. This is ranching country, and restaurants have lots of eggs and bacon for breakfast, and beef for everything else. I had to wait for the steak in my burger to finish roasting and when it was delivered, the cook/owner/waitress cheerfully announced, "Fresh as fresh can be; this was a cow just this morning!" Tasty, but unlike store goods, it's a one-shot meal, eaten on the spot and good for only a few hours. Kinda heavy in the stomach, too, and there has to be some law stating such eateries must be sited just before a gut-busting climb.
Yes, getting supplies is a struggle Out There. That's why I have to haul half a store with me, and water to match. Bike shop? What's that?
Best,
Dan.
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Hi All!
Attached are a couple maps, showing where the Great Basin is located in America, and its extent in relation to where I live and pedal from (below). There is some difference among geographers about the GB's exact borders, hence the difference in outlines on the two maps.
More information on this interesting region is available here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Basin
Best,
Dan.
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Hi Dan
a timely post - I'm reading about the Great Basin in John Wesley Powell's account of his trip along the Colorado River and it all makes sense now. I've just returned from 2 weeks in your amazing country (Arizona and Utah). Crossing desert in a car can be intimidating for us Brits, used to seeing habitation and rest areas every few miles. But I loved it - I can see the appeal.
Here's a post card. In the distance, unbeknown to me at the time, is a lonely cyclist heading my way. I'm too stunned to take a photo as he draws near and he seems to be suffering - so I shout 'Allez'. He's on a Specialized Roubaix - just a water bottle and full Lycra - so I guess he'll get the 'Allez' bit. He does - he gives a kick and sprints past with a smile as I watch in amazement. You guys are tough. Good luck
Ian
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Ian,
Nice photo, brought back some good memories for me from summer 1992 (20 years ago!) when I cycled from New Mexico to Alaska.
I rode along the road in your photo with Josie Dew who I happened to meet outside a supermarket a couple of days previously and we cycled together for a few days.
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/rualexander/397580353/in/set-72157594548178714
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Ruairidh
thanks. Your trip looks pretty impressive. An amazing place to ride a bike.
best
Ian
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Hi All! Back at the computer amidst the activities surrounding the mid-week holiday here. A lovely sunny day, so I did some yard work and walked 5 miles in the sunshine. I think...Summer may actually be coming to stay here in Oregon for awhile. It's been awfully cool, uneven, and rainy for the most part so far, with just enough nice days to serve as teasers of coming attractions. At the moment, our neighbors one street to the north have hired a live band (combined holiday and birthday celebration...the lead singer sounds uncannily like Shane MacGowan of The Pogues), fireworks and mortars are going off, and the smell of sulfur is in the air. A good time to take a break and check on Forum happenings...
Ians:
Welcome back! I'm so glad your trip was enjoyable, and I hope people treated you nicely. My own experiences here as a cycling traveler have been uneven compared to the universally warm welcome I received in Europe, and I always hope we're up to showing visitors the same level of gracious hospitality. If you met a few clinkers, give me their names, and I'll have a talk with them. ;) You're welcome back anytime!
I loved your visual and written "postcard" description. You mentioned...Crossing desert in a car can be intimidating for us Brits, used to seeing habitation and rest areas every few miles. But I loved it - I can see the appeal.
There really is something very special about it, and for me it harkens back to that spiritual thing, and the solitude is majestic. Though I may find myself, literally, a hundred miles or more from anyone or any services and out of cell-phone range and by myself...oddly enough, I have never felt Alone. I grew up exploring a world of rain forests and old-growth timber in the Coast Range, Calapooyas, and Cascade mountain ranges, and still pass through them on my way to the high central plateau and desert regions beyond. Though the desert at first appears stark compared to my familiar forests, the desert is anything but lifeless, and the vast expanses grow on a person. That, and the lack of any but natural noises. With night comes the vast inverted bowl of the sky, with stars from horizon to horizon and the night sounds of coyotes on the hunt.
The biggest difference for me is the complete lack of shade and natural shelter from sun and storms and the lack of potable water. So often, when I do find water in the Great Basin, it is unsafe to drink and it is a little hard to be thirsty and at a water source that can't be consumed. The mouth and body say "yes" and the brain says "no". There may be a sulphur smell or the water may be boiling (geothermal springs), but sometimes it is clear and cool and tempting and...according to my pH test strips...about the same as an alkaline battery. Scummy-slimy cow troughs are pretty welcome, and I put a lot of time into locating water before a trip. For the 2010 transit of Black Rock, I mapped 150 years' worth of hydrology and well-registration data as GPS waypoints and matched them with GoogleEarth, Bing, and TerraServer satellite images to find likely water sources. It worked. And, yes, you can actually smell water from some distance away in a dry environment. That day-rider you saw was on a pretty fine edge. It gets hot out there. Really torrid on pavement.
Rual:
Thanks for posting the link to your Flickr account and some truly outstanding photos. I've enjoyed your photos in the past, and always find something that makes them new again for a given context. What good fortune to ride with Josie Dew! 'Wish I'd known you then; you could have stopped by midway on your journey from New Mexico to Alaska and been most welcome. Let me know the next time you're nearby. Oh! And I've got to ask...was it a bottom bracket failure on Frame 0329 of that set? Everything so neatly arrayed on the rail, but it looks like the light is failing.
Dusk is falling and the skyrockets and fireworks are bursting in the sky, so I'd best pen off for now, take my little bike-chair outside, and see them in person.
Best,
Dan.
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nice write up there dan theres a bit of a poet in ya.
Dan just going back over the story on your sherpa ,seems the shimmi problem is still there after everything you tried to fix it.
Dan i reckon you bough or was sold a FAULTY BIKE it happens ,you just don't know until you ride it .
yeah it has to be faulty no other reason for it. so i reckon you should get on to robin thorn and ask for a replacement frame and fork .
Has Thorn not got a replacement policy for faulty goods, i would be interested to see or hear what thorn has to say about this.
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You're absolutely right, jags.
The bike shimmies with a touring load (another thread at http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4320.0 ) -- even at the lower weight referenced by Andy in the Summer 2011 brochure, when I bought the bike. The only way I can *just barely* damp it out is by going to 1.5" road slicks and a Tubus Logo Evo rack. It rides fine unladen or with only 25lbs/11kgs distributed evenly. It rides fine with all the weight at the front and either the rack-top load or the rear panniers. It shimmies with both when atop 2.0 Schwalbe Duremes in either rigid or folding varieties. It simply will not tolerate a rear load and is terribly unpleasant and unstable when only a rear load is applied. The front seems unaffected by a load placed there and/or mid-frame. The ride and shimmy are unaffected by the steerer-mounted bottles or the frame-mounted bottles. If anything, the have a damping effect.
When I wrote Andy pre-purchase to ask if the Sherpa could carry as much as my Miyata 1000LT regularly managed, he replied that since the tubes on the Sherpa were significantly larger in diameter than on my current bike, it must be assumed that it will carry heavier loads. As it happens, I am having significant shimmy problems with Sherpa at the same 77lb/35kg load and less as described above. And no, it does not get better or worse with more weight; I still get shimmy. I've got test data for every combination and placement of my touring loads. I wouldn't have persisted so long except I wanted to be sure it wasn't something I was doing inadvertently or could correct myself. I have now concluded it is something wrong with my example.
I don't have the expedition-tourer I bought and paid for, so yes, something has to be done. I have sent Robin an email and am waiting to see what he has to say.
Meanwhile, last week I ordered a 59mm replacement fork at my expense to drop the trail into the neutral zone with 2.0 tires (as happens with the original 52mm fork when 1.5" road slicks are fitted), hoping that would allow me to use the 2.0 tires and also carry a full touring load at or above the loads Andy alluded to in the 2011 brochure for the bike. The last straw came this afternoon after I signed for the fork and opened it. In exchange for my £120.33 delivered (USD$186.40), I found SJSC had sent a *used* fork -- really, really used. Covered in metal chips and scarf, chipped through to the bare steel, all the bosses showing signs of having a rack and mudguards bolted on and paint off to the steel, the dropouts thoroughly embossed by a Q/R, and an old headset lower crown race installed. The thing had no protective packing in the box, so the paint is scuffed through the clear-coat on the sides and back of the fork crown and on the curve of the blades. When I looked at it a few moments ago indoors, I can both see and feel large bumps or kinks in both blades above the dropouts. It doesn't look safe for me or anyone else. More amazingly, it isn't a Mk 2 Sherpa replacement fork as I ordered. It has lawyer lips on the dropouts and a different Reynolds sticker (not 531). I would have thought it a Mk3 fork, except the latest brochure shows the Mk 3 is not made in a 59mm offset, and the crown clearances are the same as on my Mk 2 fork. I don't feel it is safe to fit and try, not with the bulges in the blades.
All this sits kind of hard, given Sherpa was unridable for 3 weeks after purchase and periodically thereafter, thanks to extremely poor assembly and packing by Thorn. I can't think of a single component or system on the bike that was unaffected by poor assembly. Robin promised to correct the problems, but now a year later, I get a used fork.
So, yeah, it seems my Sherpa is a faulty example, and I'm hoping Robin will make good on it so I can finally have the bicycle I thought I was getting when I purchased it. It's already cost me the tour I arranged my yearly work schedule for, and now the weather is against me with really torrid conditions on my planned route. I'd hate to think it would cost me any chance to get away for any kind of tour this summer.
Best,
Dan.
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Sorry to here of all your troubles with the bike.
It seems to me that after all the testing you have carried out the only conclusion that Thorn can conclude is that the bike is a faulty one. Given the sales description it is clearly not fit for purpose.
Hopefully Robin will see that and offer a replacement as to the fork frankly that is just disgraceful and I fail to see how they could justify sending it out.
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yes even a gobshite like me can see the frame plus fork is fit for the bin.
i never had problems with my sherpa and i've never heard any other lads saying anythink bad about there's.
and looking at the way you put your sherpa together Pure Perfection it can only be a Faulty bike.
So come on Robin Thorn and get your act together and send this man a new sherpa pretty quick, time is running out for him.
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Maybe its just little old me.
But I have always found it to be more beneficial to me to resolve differences of a contractual nature with others....direct......with the other.
AS opposed to on the web.
He says, headding for the exit.
Paul.
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Well he hasn't had much luck so far ???
but lets hope Thorn do the right thing.
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Man!
My little touring world is burning up. That portion which isn't affected by the Black Plague (seriously!).
Right now, much of the area I so dearly love to tour in Central and Southeastern Oregon is ablaze with wildfires. The areas are so vast and so sparsely populated, much of the efforts are being spent mainly on containment. Right now, the two fires in that area are at about 800 sq mi/2,100 sq km. The fires were lightning-sparked, and there really isn't water to extinguish them. The juniper and sagebrush are very oil-rich, and just go up like matches. Eugene, where I live (West Side of the state, southern end of the Willamette Valley) was inundated by smoke from the fires yesterday. Last night's sunset was spectacular as a result. There's lightning-sparked wildfires burning just this side of the Cascades summit, as well. A big storm hit there over the weekend, with winds of 70+mph/ 113kph and hailstones the size of golf balls. For stories and some photos on the Eastern wildfires, see:
http://www.kpic.com/news/local/Huge-wildfires-rage-in-desolate-corner-of-SE-Oregon-162101455.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/07/fires_threaten_frenchglen_sout.html
http://www.ktvz.com/news/Firefighters-battle-on-Frenchglen-threat-reduced/-/413192/15479370/-/jg9g2ez/-/index.html
Then, there's the Plague. Really. Every few years, it seems someone on Central Oregon's high plateau contracts it from infected fleas. The latest victim is a weldor from Prineville, who tried to help his cat, who choked on a mouse. He's been in hospital for a month, and it didn't look like he'd live. This morning's paper brought news that his prospects for survival have improved, but doctors have now amputated his plague-blackened finger tips and toes, and he will have to learn how to use his hands again and to walk. He won't be working as a weldor again.
News stories about him here:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/06/15/the-black-death-returns-oregon-man-in-critical-condition-with-the-plague/
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/07/oregon_plague_victim_paul_gayl.html
Yikes.
Keeps one on their toes when planning a tour.
Best,
Dan.
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jeez Dan the fires are bad enough but man oh man the black death as well :(
i'm staying in ireland. ;)
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i'm staying in ireland.
Oh...its just the Black Death, jags! There's the wildfires to see, the endless wastes of trackless desert, the wild animals to gnaw your bones, golf ball-sized hail, and 113kph winds to drop branches on you as you ride there.
Come! We'll show you a wonderful time! :D
(and we really would, too!)
Best,
Dan.
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SAy Dan any good news on your sherpa ,your tour must be very close by now will the sherpa take the beating over all that rough stuff.
i don't want to do any stirring the pot here but i sure hope Thorn is doing something to fix that bike for you.
anyway hope you will let us know how the final chapter ends.
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Hi jags,
I am working with Robin and Andy toward a solution. They have dispatched a new fork and a rear rack. Hopefully, those will bring the results we're looking for. Just awaiting delivery.
All the best,
Dan.
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good stuff Dan sure hope they work out for you.guess we wont know for a while. ::)
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This morning's paper brought news that his prospects for survival have improved, but doctors have now amputated his plague-blackened finger tips and toes, and he will have to learn how to use his hands again and to walk.....
.....Keeps one on their toes when planning a tour.
Oh, touche Danneaux, touche :D
And I thought we had the market for crazy bushfires cornered here in SE Australia.
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Hi All!
A very happy update and concludion to this thread: My problematic Sherpa is a problem no more, thanks to Thorn's superb warranty response. I am convinced no company on earth could have done a better job in addressing the problem I experienced with shimmy -- a problem I have never heard affect any other Thorn product besides this one example.
I have detailed Thorn's wonderful response elsewhere as a preface to the description of the problem in the thread appearing here:
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4320.0
I will repeat the summary of their response here so all readers and owners can be reassured this is a company that stands behind their products to an extraordinary degree, with care and attention far beyond what one might expect from any other bicycle manufacturer:
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My Sherpa developed a severe shimmy problem under heavy load. Despite applying my best efforts and calling on the collective wisdom of the Forum, the problem persisted. as soon as they became awareI had a problem, Robin Thorn, his designer and "test pilot" Andy Blance, shipping supervisor Cath Colenso, and the entire Thorn staff became involved in addressing the problem and made every possible effort to help and assist me. They communicated with me nearly every business day by email, and at their expense shipped a Thorn EXP rack and a replacement front fork in a different offset in an attempt to resolve the problem with this one single rogue Sherpa.
When it became evident the problem could not be addressed, they offered to replace my bike with a Nomad Mk2, since the Sherpa Mk2 was no longer available and the Sherpa Mk3 has a lower load rating insufficient for my expeditionary needs. My experiences with the extraordinary Nomad Mk2 are detailed here:
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4523.0
My acceptance of their offer did not mean the end of their help and assistance. They volunteered to test the new bike to be absolutely certain it would meet my requirements. Andy loaded the bike with my maximum expected load and set off to do just that, as Robin followed in the company van and Cath caught it all on video, available for viewing here: http://www.facebook.com/Touringbikes
I have now shipped the Sherpa back to Thorn for a complete analysis of the problem. They have provided simply outstanding customer service, and we can all rest easier knowing that Thorn stand behind their warranty and have gone far beyond the efforts of any other bike-maker I can imagine. My sincere thanks and gratitude to Thorn the company, to Robin Thorn himself, to Andy, to Cath, and to the entire staff for an outstanding job. I can't begin to describe the incredible care and detail with which the new bike was assembled, packed, and shipped; it is simply perfect, and performs as one would expect -- like a Thorn.
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When and if the cause of my Sherpa's shimmy can be found, I will append it to the end of this thread. It is entirely possible the exact cause may be unkown if it is due to an internal flaw in the tubing or a hidden issue, such as a problem in heat-treatment.
Because I no longer own Sherpa, I will probably not be adding much new material to this thread. I will, however, be happy to answer any questions about my Sherpa Mk2 when it was mine. It really was a fine and outstanding bicycle in its own right, and I loved it dearly. Sadly, my single example developed problems that made it unusable and Thorn did wonderfully by me as I am sure they would by any owner. I can heartily recommend you purchase their products in full confidence they will and do stand behind their warranty.
I hope you'll join me in my new adventures with the Nomad. I can already tell you it is much like Sherpa in all the positive ways; the bikes definitely share the same DNA, and the Nomad is like the Sherpa but "more" -- a good all-rounder, but also more robust and heavy-duty as befits a true Expedition Tourer with enormous cargo capacity. At the same time, it maintains lively and accurate low-speed steering with or without a load, and is entirely pleasant to ride in either state, though biased toward loaded touring. The Nomad's frame is a bit heavier, of course (a difference of no importance when carrying a full touring load) but the light steering belies the weight and once up to speed, it is easy to maintain progress at the same rate as on Sherpa. I believe the Nomad Mk2 relies more on tires to provide comfort and suspension, and it does well on both counts, providing a smooth and confident ride regardless of terrain. I am running the same tires and rims (albeit in 32-hole rather than 36 as on Sherpa) and have the identical position/fit on the new bike, so some direct comparisons and contrasts can be made between the bikes and the gearing (derailleur vs. Rohloff). Those will come to light in the "Danneaux's Nomad" thread, available here:
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4523.0
All the best,
Dan.