Technical > General Technical
New (old) bike help required
ourclarioncall:
Ok, wondering if you folks could give me some advice and thoughts on my new bike . I believe it’s a thorn exp but could be wrong . It seems to tick all the boxes
I made a YouTube video going round the bike to show the condition and components here https://youtu.be/fFg4OgeprHk
I took it out for its first ride and wow, what a bike ! I can see why they have a good rep. Or steelbikes in general.
Before I rode the bike my thoughts were that I would not get on with drop bars . My suspicion was right . They are definitely not for me, but I wanted to give them a chance. They actually feel quite dangerous . There could be reasons for that tho. Such as they are not at the right position and the steering is very fast and twitchy. I don’t like that I have to move down to the drops to use the brakes and change gears. And the brakes and gears are not close to each other as on straight bars. I did like some of the positions up top but too narrow for me. I could use the brakes on the hoods but didn’t feel right . That was my impression anyway. Felt very unsecure and having to keep moving hand positions seems like sooner or later an accident waiting to happen. Sorry to bash dropbars, perhaps on a different bike setup differently I’d like them but I’m just reviews this bike . The drops are pretty cool for hills .
Kinda like the gears but not where they are located on the bars
The bike feels totally different to everything I’ve ever heard about Thorn bikes ! Well , heavier duty bikes like the Raven up through to the nomad .
This bike feels light to me! And it feels fast ! I don’t get it . It makes me wonder if I really do have an exp or if it’s a different lighter model
It could be that it’s a bit of an illusion. It’s got 1.75 tyres which are the thinnest I’ve had on a bike and also the steering is so fast and twitchy.
Not sure if they wheels are true , they look a bit wobbly when spinning
Tyres I’m not sure , I don’t know what pressure they are at and how much tread is left but they feel good to ride
Rims , not sure how worn , could check with a straight edge?
Front bottle dynamo doesn’t work , will have to take a closer look
Rear lights works and has different settings
Zepal frame pump - after I figured out how to get it off the frame I was really impressed with it . I normally dislike presta valves but I managed to pump the tyre up which was flat first time and the pump had a great stable feel while pumping .
Frame had rust and was sanded to bare steel and treated . There are some rust spots and I think inside the seat tube is a bit of superficial rust . The seat post is well oiled .
I’m looking at leaving the bike as is for the moment but definitely want to convey to straight bars or thorns comfort bars look good . Was just dining some measurements and thinking about the position they would put me in
The problems are what to do about brakes and gears when doing the conversion
Thanks 😊
Very happy with my new bike !
julk:
Bike looks good if a bit under lubricated on the moving parts.
It is worth trying the drop bars for some time to see if you get to like them.
Moving to straight type bars will put you in a more upright position for braking and changing gear as all the bar is nearer to you.
A wider bar can be more comfortable for your stance and gripping the bars, it depends on your body shape and what you are used to.
If you do go to straight bars I recommend the handlebar grips with platform extensions to reduce pressure such as ergon gp1.
You may find a more upright position needs a slightly wider saddle for comfort.
Gear changers and brake levers for straight bars will probably need to be different ones from the drop handlebar ones.
I suspect you would need to replace the cables at the same time to get them all working.
I would look for recommendations from other forum users as just what to decide on given a variety of costs, someone will have done this in the past.
I hope this helps.
Julian
in4:
Have a look in the archive for further, useful info
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=6975.0
ourclarioncall:
Gave her a bath and some Lube
Some close up of the dropouts etc . Should this area have any sort of lubricant /protection on it? There was plenty grime I cleaned out but not sure if there is supposed to be grease or oil of anything . Or would the axl/the bit that touches the drop out be lubricated ?
https://youtu.be/weagL50OvEY
ourclarioncall:
--- Quote from: in4 on May 11, 2022, 06:26:42 pm ---Have a look in the archive for further, useful info
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=6975.0
--- End quote ---
Thanks , yeah had a good trawl through there recently and it seemed to me the exp was the one that looked most likely .
The pannier racks, the double crown fork, the fillet brazing, the “x” piece at the seat stays .
Maybe if I had heavier wheels with bigger tyres it would “feel” a bit more heavy 🤔 I dunno
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