I can't ride my Thorn Raven Sports

[marcg]

It is just too beautiful

[marcg]

Well I have started riding it.  I don't have a lot of bike experience but I must say that it seems really excellent.  I had worries about the frame being too small but it is actually very nice and I do feel that I am in command of the bike rather than it being in control of me.
The carbon forks and the sprung B67 saddle on Ti Airborne seatpost which I have fitted soak up the bumps over the cobbled streets of Paris and it certainly seems to turn quite a few heads when I leave it locked up against a tree outside the local cafes.  I have fitted a Dutch horeshoe lock supplied by SJS.
The Rohloff hub is wonderful and smooth and there is never any need to pause or backpedal when changing gear so no power loss - you just keep going like an automatic car.  Just a slight getting used to between 7 and 8 where if you don't ease off, it changes into top instead of 8.  How can anyone tolerate anything other than a Rohloff?
I have had a full chainguard fitted to the bike so I expect minimal maintenance needs.  I have an adjustable stem as I am still working out my riding position.  I'll change to a lightweight fixed stem when I have finally decided what I want.  At the moment I quite like my position except that I feel that I am placing too much weight on my hands.
What a fantastic bike.

[Colin]

I've ordered an Adventure Tour (with sprung Brooks Saddle for road defects, repairs & "cycle lanes" around Toulouse). Where did you get the chainguard (is it fully enclosed)?

Colin

[marcg]

Chainguard - fully enclosed from Pashley.  About £30.  About 2" longer than necessary but it looks good on the bike (as if it was a standard component). Adds about 4 minutes to wheel removal in the case of a puncture. Probably extends chain and sprocket life by a factor of 10 or more.  Reduces maintenance time to nearly nothing.  Definitely an excellent investment.

[marcg]

And I have to say that if I had a Raven Enduro I would put a chainguard on that too.  With the maintenance free Rohloff hub, might as well go the whole hog and go for maintenance free chain and chain-ring too.

[Kevin]

quote:Originally posted by marcg

Probably extends chain and sprocket life by a factor of 10 or more.  Reduces maintenance time to nearly nothing.  Definitely an excellent investment.

I can see how a chainguard makes cycling more pleasant, but how does it reduce chain and sprocket wear? It would be good to see a picture of your Raven with chaingaurd; how about posting one on the forum?

[marcg]

It reduces wear simply by preventing the greater part of grit and other dirt from getting in and acting as sandpaper in all the mechanical bits inside the chainguard.  It also prevents the lubricating medium being washed out by rain.  Of course - it isn't a perfect seal and the running gear should be cleaned and lubricated regularly
It really is a shame that they are so unfashionable and particularly on hub-geared off-road bikes such as the Enduro which are intended to wallow around in all sorts of mud etc an encased chain and sprockets seems to me to be a natural addition.

[luceberg]

I found a picture at:-
 http://phred.org/~alex/bikes/chaincase/reduced/0418_001.jpg
I maintain a fleet of single speed roadsters, circa 1900 to 1950, for a mate. We find chainguards to be a pain most of the time due to rubbing and the difficulty of removing the rear wheel. There are some that run well, like the Sunbeams and Rudge Whitworth, but the cheaper ones get removed at the first opportunity. They don't do high mileage, so chain/sprocket wear is not an issue, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Sunbeams, with their "little oil baths" weren't still on their original chains.

[femmcommuter]

It would be very nice to see what the chainguard looks likeon the Raven. Go on post a pic of it! Sounds quite sensible.[]

[Kevin]

Still no picture that I can see![]

[Istanbul_Tea]

The X is so red, so right, so very perfect for your bike... I'm blown away!

None of your pics have worked, in this thread, the other thread in this category or the other thread in the other category.  Lots of red X's but no pics.  Perhaps pressing "Preview" first might offer less 'empty' posts?  Of course one could level the same argument at the entire "I Wish I Hadn't Started... " thread under the Muppet's category.  

Post On!

[marcg]

I've deleted the posts.  I think that maybe the page was calling up the pictures from my own hard disk because they came up very nicely on my own monitor.

So back I go ...
How do I put up pictures on this forum?

[marcg]

Finally pictures of chainguard equipped Raven Sports in the Bois de Bologne

[George]

Ahh. Much better -- those pictures I can see perfectly.

Thanks.

[strat]

A late response to this thread.  I am thinking of buying a Raven Sports Tour.  Is yours reasonably robust - I am thinking about the thin tubes and dents.  What is it like with a load on - say 7 or 8 kilos.  There are reviews of the Adventure model but none of the sports - so it is difficult to choose between them. Gtateful for any info.