Help with choosing Raven or RST

[JimK]

Pity about the winter just when you get your next bike

I have studded winter tires waiting here for the bike! (And just how long will those customs people hold on to it??)

One of those steep rides is practically out my door step. I have lots of friends living up on top of the hill, 1200 feet up the main road & then more up some rough side roads. I think I'll have the perfect machine!

Jim
 

[Andre Jute]

(And just how long will those customs people hold on to it??)

I just looked in my crystal ball: you'll definitely have it for Christmas and, to prove they're human, customs officials won't even charge you double the import duty.

AJ

[Cedric]

Richard,

So, have you come to the conclusion? (RST/ RT) Have you tried them?
'Cause I'm facing the same problem.

Regards,

Cedric

[6527richardm]

Cedric

I am booked in next week so have not made a decision yet but currently think I will go for the Raven Tour purely for the extra versatility and additional tyre width that can be fitted.

Main problem is still which set up to go for I was thinking 46x16 but now am incling towards either 42x16 or possibly 44x16. I will let you know once I have placed the order which bike etc I have gone for.

[pt88]

Hi All,

I am having the same hard time deciding over  RST/RT don't plan to do any heavy tours so RST might be best, It will be used for day rides hopfully 75-100 miles with the odd  weekend B&B or light camping, with 20 -30 mile evening rides, trying to justify spendind this amount for by 50th birthday is this over kill?

I live in Wemyss-Bay Scotland would be cycling round Arran, Bute  Tighnabruaich area
lots of Hills, I would like the gearing on the RST/RT to be a go a bit lower than my 21 speed Trek 800 MB so what chain set do I get, also what handelbars would be best.

Think I am suffering from info overload

Thanks for you help

Alastair.

[Bearbait]

Welcome to the club.  There is a learning curve.  I am planning to buy one for my 60th, so overkill maybe... then again it is more difficult to find a deep fried Mars Bar here   Have fun!!  If you go back through all the posts, you will find an abundance of info.

[sg37409]

pt88, I was over dunoon / otterferry on my RST at the weekend. I was down to gear 2 or 3 going up otterferry, on a 40*16. I've got drop bars.  I find them slower and heavier than I expected, and am glad I err'd on the side of lower gears. There are 2 considerations for drop-bars, that you need to be ok with: 
1) shifting is obviously less easy than with flat bars.
I am ok with this: I can shift well enough but maybe I dont shift so often
2) the shifter and/or cables can get in the way
I've hit my knee a few times on mine, but i'm learning not to or to keep knees slightly outwards. I think a bar-bag would push the cables back.

[Cedric]

Cedric

I am booked in next week so have not made a decision yet but currently think I will go for the Raven Tour purely for the extra versatility and additional tyre width that can be fitted.

Main problem is still which set up to go for I was thinking 46x16 but now am incling towards either 42x16 or possibly 44x16. I will let you know once I have placed the order which bike etc I have gone for.

  Thanks Richard,

I'm also inclined on RT to have more possibilities in one bike.

My personal opinion (agree with Paulson) at least not less then 44 or 46 would be better. My old Bianchi has 44 and it is not so fast on roads as I would like it to be. Just could not imagine what I would do on 38.

Also it would be interesting to know about the sizes in comparison with your height.

I would go for green or red colour 

[JimK]

you'll definitely have it for Christmas

those reindeer are on the move:

23 Nov 2010    13:21:53    New York Jfk Airport    Shipment Awaiting Physical Release From Customs Controlled Area.
23 Nov 2010    11:00:44    New York Jfk Airport    Shipment Received At Transit Point.
23 Nov 2010    09:40:00    New York Jfk Airport    Held Customs, Awaiting Clearance Instructions From Receiver.
23 Nov 2010    15:20:00    Liege Euro Hub    Connection Delay. Recovery Actions Underway.
22 Nov 2010    14:44:12    Liege Euro Hub    Shipment In Transit.
20 Nov 2010    03:58:55    Northampton Hub    Shipment In Transit.
20 Nov 2010    00:25:10    Northampton Hub    Shipment Received At Transit Point.
19 Nov 2010    21:01:00    Basildon    Shipment In Transit.
19 Nov 2010    18:27:21    Basildon    Shipment In Transit.
19 Nov 2010    18:27:08    Basildon    Shipment Received At Origin Depot.

[sg37409]

Lets hope theres no printer cartridges on board to delay it.

[Bearbait]

Not to mention underwear, shoes, or a guy having a fit because someone wants to touch his junk.

[JimK]

those reindeer are on the move:

Okay then! My Nomad arrived around 4 PM and I had it on the road about 7 PM - just around the block to see what's loose! This was my first experience with a threadless headset & I am sure still not sure I have it set up right. I plan to set up a phone call with the folks in Bridgwater to review the details.

I decided to move my Time ATAC pedals over from my old bike. Rooting around my various parts boxes, I found two spare sets of Time cleats. I like these pedals - might as well keep using them! Turns out they have a 6mm Allen interface - I kept trying to get my 15 mm pedal wrench to fit, but it just wouldn't go!

It's serious night time here at 7PM - wow, that SON dynamo plus Edelux light really lights things up! Very nice!

Just around the corner there is a sharp little hill - studying the terrain info in google maps, it looks like about a 13% grade. I got the 38 tooth chain ring with the 16 tooth sprocket and thank you very much it didn't bother me in the least to have that low low gear. I will get plenty use out of those bottom gears around here.

Tomorrow I think I will fiddle around some with the headset spacers to lower the handlebars a touch. I asked for some extra steering tube length just in case, but the present set-up is a bit more upright than I like.

Probably the biggest puzzle in assembling the bike was figuring out how to hook up the dynamo-powered rear light. I found the Edelux instruction sheet & that reassured me that somewhere there was a connection on the light itself - OK, right behind the connection from the light to the dynamo, sure enough! What fun to ride and see the rear light working!

I expect I will just gradually work my up in distance, just to be sure that I haven't got anything hooked up wrong that might fall apart in some awkward remote spot.

Jim

[Andre Jute]

Congratulations. Enjoy!

Some small points.

By all means call the Bridgewater and ask about setting up the threadless headset. They probably like hearing enthusiasm occasionally.

As well, make a point of discovering the late Sheldon Brown's netsite if you haven't already. He gives good instructions on just about everything, including setting up a threadless headset. What little he doesn't tell you, you can get from the Park Tools site.

I have the cheap (er) cousin of your Edelux, the BUMM Cyo. Its MBTF is longer than you will live, however young you are. Switch it on and don't bother to switch it off again; it's a good daylight running lamp. I also run a BUMM rear light, wired as yours, permanently on.

In addition you need blinkies front and back. I use an inexpensive small blinking torch at the front, selected simply because it promised more hours of battery life than anything else available back then. At the back the recognized top blinkie for reasonable money is the Cateye TL-LD1100. The batteries last 200 hours, so I just tie it to the rear rail of the rack with three tiewraps, two around it and the rails, over a third one lenghtwise across the lamp to keep the battery cover/switch panel on the lamp.

Thanks for sharing the excitement of your new bike.

Andre Jute
Now when is my birthday again?

[julk]

JimK,
That sounds splendid, you will get many happy comfortable miles riding out of your Thorn.

Adjusting a threadless headset is just a matter of trial, loosen the stem bolts and tighten the top bolt until the bearing shake is just gone then tighten the stem bolts and recheck. You may have to do this more than once to get it just right.

A useful gadget is a locking headset spacer, if you put one at the bottom of the stack it holds the headset bearing adjustment in place while you try out different stems or spacers.
Julian.

[Cedric]

Okay then! My Nomad arrived around 4 PM

Hi Jim !

Congratulations!

Share some picks, please, in Gallery

Regards,

Cedric