Given we have nothing in the way of details, this opens the door for rampant speculation. What might a Mark 3 Sherpa look like? The very thought of a new model gets the brain juices flowing, and it is a long time till June.
Would it be a refinement of the present model? The present geometry is well-proven, and adding sizes (what's missing?) would not seem enough to deserve an entirely new designation. I can't see a change in component spec being enough to warrant the new designation.
More of the same, but...more? Perhaps a "severe duty" option with the Nomad's double-plate fork and a suspension-optional frame geometry? headtube-downtube gussets? Disc brake mounts? All while keeping a derailleur orientation?
We might see a design using something akin to the new Schmidt SL aluminum fork for a wire-free dynohub installation (insulated, conductive plates on the inner dropout faces mate with the Schmidt SL or SL Disc hub; internal wiring and a connector exiting the base of the steerer connect to the lights. Versions of the SL system are currently available to framebuilders for inclusion on their own forks, which can be made of steel. Even existing forks can be modified. Alignment is critical as both conductors are in the right dropout. See:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/schmidt-sl.asp ).
What would differentiate it enough from the present iteration to make it worthy of a "Mark 3" designation? Heavier tubing, with the Mk3 being akin to the Nomad while the existing Sherpa soldiers on as a lighter model more like the Raven Tour, but with derailleurs instead of Rohloff? A Mixte or step-through frame as I wondered above? Complete abandonment of derailleurs by making the Sherpa Mk3 Rohloff-specific? Do Thorn still make enough derailleur-bike sales to justify keeping them, or are Thorn becoming
the company known for Rohloff bikes?
However it might change, it must still have enough ties to the original to keep the Sherpa name, so the change might be more a range expansion or refinement -- evolutionary rather than revolutionary, as with other generational changes across the line. Maybe a "complete solution", pre-equipped with every possible option as a "halo model" in the line, with Schmidt dynohub and lighting already attached with a dyno charger and only-topline options as standard? Perhaps a commemorative edition?
Going from domestic fillet brazing to overseas TiG welding occasioned some past changes in model designation, and even retirement of some models and introduction of others. Does anyone else remember the Brevet that was offered alongside the Audax in 2001? (I wanted a Thorn for awhile before I got Sherpa last August
).
Thorn have taken care to differentiate its models despite a proliferation in overall numbers. Each model has its own specific frame sizes and tubing specs and geometry. Tubing diameter even differs by frame size range (in the case of Sherpas, at least). This has worked out well for Thorn the company and Thorn customers, as it is responsive and allows the greatest opportunity to find the "perfect" bike for a given need and size.
Still, I have always wondered at the absence of a "universal" touring Thorn model that sits astride the derailleur/Rohloff divide by being either or both.
Dutch brand Avaghon have managed it by fitting the sliding Rohloff frame ends with a choice of dropouts and cable stops/guides. My friend selected their "Series 26" model set-up for derailleurs and it arrived with derailleur-specific rear dropouts and hanger, while the Rohloff-specific bosses all remained. To handle the derailleur cabling, bespoke plastic stops were bolted to threaded bosses. It sounds horrible, but the end result looks really outstanding, and allows for maximum flexibility. At any point in the future, he can convert to a Rohloff bike by fitting a new rear wheel, appropriate cabling, and shifter. By the same token, a Rohloff-configured frame could take a full set of derailleurs and a cassette rear wheel in the extremely unlikely event of a complete Rohloff failure. It would even be possible to convert the same frame back and forth as desired, though it would be time-consuming, unwieldy, and expensive. Besides, more people seem to go derailleur --> Rohloff than the other way 'round.
Still, it would be possible to make a Sherpa or other Thorn bike in this same basic way, provided the appropriate bosses were available and it would also require a new (bespoke) right-rear dropout with integral derailleur hanger. The current (vertical) left-rear dropout would work for either iteration, as would the eccentric bottom bracket. This is a path I would consider when selecting a frame, and as a Rohloff specialist, Thorn might well pick up the equivalent in value from standalone aftermarket sales of complete Rohloff conversion kits (Thorn discounts parts heavily when they are included as standard or as a listed option for a specific model as complete builds).
Any other prognosticators out there?
Best,
Dan.
