NEW Thorn Sterling Frame & Mt. Tura fork: Medium/Large, Matte Military Green

[bikerecyclery]

Here ya go guys!

http://www.bikerecyclery.com/new-thorn-sterling-frame-mt-tura-rigid-fork-medium-lowrider-rack-parts-high-performance-adventure-mountain-touring-bike-from-england-for-rohloff/

[mickeg]

You are in St Louis MO, USA?

[Danneaux]

Portland Oregon, I think.

Best,

Dan.

[in4]

That frame is just crying out to be built up. Very rarely do Sterlings appears on the forum, far less in the US.

[mickeg]

I almost never see a Thorn for sale in USA.

I am trying to figure out what the difference is between the Sterling and Nomad.  I did not look at the brochure, I don't have a very fast internet connection.

I can see the brake cable is above, not below the top tube.  Regarding the recent thread on headsets, this appears to be the Cane Creek labeled FSA.  There is a pair of oddly spaced bolts under the downtube that are not spaced properly for a water bottle.  From the photo I can't quite tell if it has a reinforcement under the downtube behind the headtube that is smaller than the reinforcement on the MkII Nomad.  Maybe it was a lighter duty version of the Nomad?

[JimK]

those odd fitting below the downtube seem to be for a crud catcher sort of mud guard, I learned at:

http://www.bikeradar.com/us/gear/category/bikes/touring/product/review-thorn-cycles-sterling-09-34835/

Maybe the Sterling actually turned into the Nomad MkII? Seems like the Sterling could be set up with suspension forks, and now the Nomad MkII has that capability too?

[JimK]

Hmmm, further research - here is a great brochure: http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/Thorn_Sterling_hires.pdf

still studying but maybe the big difference is that the Sterling has even more clearance for wide tires? Clearly the Sterling was offered alongside the Nomad MkII so my hypothesis in my previous post cannot be quite on target.

[JimK]

Seems the Sterling has lighter tubing, also. The brochure stresses that the Sterling does not have the luggage capacity of the Nomad.

[Danneaux]

The Sterling was an evolution of Thorn's Enduro and Catalyst MTB efforts and offered clearance for 2.4in tires. Unlike the Nomad Mk2, it was not rated to carry very much luggage/cargo (about 15kg max). Please see (from the archives; confirmed available at present):
http://web.archive.org/web/20110713075414/http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/ravensterling.html
...and...
http://web.archive.org/web/20091007191718/http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/Thorn_Sterling_lowres.pdf -- Frame dimensions are on pg. 6 for comparison to the current Nomad Mk2. Page 7 explains its "mission" in detail. This last brochure is in low-resolution, so should load fast for you, mickeg.

Best,

Dan.

[in4]

Rafiki of this parish (Brian) has a Sterling. Think he is is Spain. Here is a recent discussion thread although it seems the link to his photos is broken.

http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=11435.msg82877#msg82877

[Danneaux]

Rafiki of this parish (Brian) has a Sterling.

<nods>

Still a few photos linked by Rafiki on his Gallery page:
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=10903.msg78949#msg78949

Same ones as shown on his Photobucket:
http://s192.photobucket.com/user/rafikiphoto/library/Thorn%20Sterling?sort=3&page=1

It reappears along with more of his genuinely exquisite photography and HDR work on his ellosite. he has shared or linked to some of these here previously:
https://ello.co/rafikiphoto

Best,

Dan.

[Danneaux]

Seems to me BobS had one? I may have misremembered....

Bob, if you did, own one could you share some impressions for those who may be "looking and considering" here?

Best,

Dan.

[bobs]

His Dan,

I did have one but sold the frame and bought a Nomad.  To be honest the Nomad is a great bike but not any better than the Sterling. It has a greater load capacity,  which is ironic  because  I've  recently returned from a trip along the Drauweg in Austria having travelled with my lightest  load yet.
In some respects I wish I hadn't  bothered  and saved myself  a fortune, but that's  life.

Bob

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[Danneaux]

That's the one, Bob! Thanks for the review. Wonderful looking Nomad build from the Sterling's parts, but I hear what you're saying.

This is bound to help others.

All the best,

Dan.

[lewis noble]

I think the Stetling geometry was very similar to the Ripio - a derailleur verson, but also with rear disc mounts and facility for suspension / Mt Tura forks. I had one for 2 years - a superb and stable trail bike. I sold the frame swapped the components to a lightweight Sherpa build, which suits me better - but the Ripio / Sterling / Catalyst genre were superb bikes.

Lewis