AndyBG's Thorn Raven Tour

[Andybg]

What started as a simple task to find a cheap replacement to my 1997 Thorn Nomad while I took it off the road to rejuvenate has turned into a major project.
 
It all started when I found a 2011 Thorn Tour built up in excellent spec and with barely 300 miles travelled at a good price.
 
I have had a good run around sourcing parts and am now ready to trial a few options and hopefully come up with a fantastic bike.
 
Plans for the renovation of the Thorn Nomad are ongoing and will post pics s I get along with it.

 
The following is where I currently am:
 
The bike came with the following spec:
 
Thorn Raven Tour frame in black size 587L
 Rigida Andre CSS Rims
 Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyres
 SON Dynamo in black
 Black Rohloff
 16 tooth rear sprocket and 46t Thorn Chainrng
 Thorn 175 Cranks in 110 bcd
 Rohloff chain
 Shimano xtr brakes and levers with blue swisstop pads
 brooks b17 saddle
 Thorn comfort bars
 Front and rear Thorn Racks
 Greenfield side stand
 
Accessories:
 axa rear wheel lock
 2 bottle cages
 Oil change kit
 New set of brake pads
 New set of Rohloff Cables
 

The changes I have made to the bike so far:
 

I have changed the bars to Humpert Comfort Bars that I have removed the foam covering and covered in bar tape. This gives me a best of both worlds (I hope) in the improved braking position and off-road manoeuvrability of straight bars but with the multiple “non defined” hand positions of drops.
 
I have added two Thorn Accessory Bars. A 105mm below the handlebar stem to take the mounting for the bar bag and one 55mm above the handlebar stem to take my two Cateye 135 headlights which I use for daytime running (the law here). The bar lifts the lights above the bar bag and also gives a mounting point for the computer.
 
I have made up an aluminium plate for the rear rack to take a cateye light mount. I plan on getting a Cateye 1100 in the future as my current Cateye light has to sit vertically due to interference between one of the mounting screws and the light's switch.
 
I have mounted a horizontal pipe onto the front fork to mount my two Cateye 530 Headlights.
 
I have swapped the chainrig to a 36 Tooth version to replicate the low gearing I have on my Nomad.
 
I am currently bouncing between the B17 saddle and my old B17 Narrow saddle trying to decide which I prefer.
 
I have swapped the Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyres for Schwalbe Marathon Tyres. These are much lighter and seem not only to roll quicker but give the bike a much better feel.
 
I have set the bike up with Carradice Super C Saddlebag and Barbag. I was planning on going with the Super C Audax bag but after playing with both I have found that the standard one causes no issues and obviously gives more capacity. I have bought the audax one too so may play with both over the next year and come up with a favourite. I have also bought a matching set of front and rear panniers along with a stuffsack so definitely have enough carrying capacity.
 
I have removed the side stand, not only due to concerns over frame damage but also the mounting position interferes with the attachment of my trailers (Avenir) I have replaced this with a click-stand. When not in use I have fitted this to the seat post just under the front of the saddle.
 
I have fitted a Cateye Strada computer. I am still undecided about where I am going to go with ride telemetry (Garmin, Cateye Adventure, Iphone with Strava) but in the meantime the Strada is reliable and neat.
 
I have no current use for the dynamo as all my riding is within a time frame where rechargeable batteries make the most sense but I will keep it on the bike for the possibility of changing requirements.
 
I have fitted a Topeak Turbo Morph pump in behind the seat tube. I made the decision based on reviews and must say I am very impressed with both build quality and performance.
 

Imminent changes to be made:
 
The rear rack is only supported by one bolt at the bottom so I plan on fabricating up a couple of plates to share the load across the two mounting points,
 
The bike has a mix of allen key and hex head bolts which I need to standardise to allen key for ease of maintenance and reduce in size of required tool box.
 
The addition of a third bottle holder (just because you can) I found some perfect bottles for my needs. They are Thermos Thermocafe (strangely for cold drinks) and fit the cages perfectly, are stainless steel (no issues with taste), have an ergonomic drinking spout and are a good price (about 6ukp from The Range)
 
Unfortunately the mudguard supporting spokes have been cut short so there is little ability to move the mudguards out for use with winter tyres (schwalbe marathon winter and schwalbe ice spiker pro dependant on the weather) so I plan on making up some small adaptor plates to be able to move the bottom fixing points of the spokes.

That is about where I am at the moment.

I have riden about 200km on the bike from unloaded to full capacity
Ride reports to follow

Cheers

Andy

[Andybg]

Apologies for the poor photos but it is horrendous weather outside (no problem with taking the bike out) but the camera stayed nice and safe inside.

The garage is also a wreck in the aftermath of the shopping trip to the UK.

Andy

[jags]

Class bike andy fair play to you looks fantastic.
i havent read your post yet just view the photos i'll read you post later 

[Matt2matt2002]

Nice looking bike
Like the accessory bar set up
Any issues with the bar bag being so forward?
No weight issues re steering?

Matt

[Andybg]

Hi Matt

I have not had any weight to speak of in the barbag so it has not caused any issues of yet. The stem is a 90mm so the bar for the barbag is not extending it much beyond this. It is just enough forward and lower to clear it out the way of the brake levers.

It is something to keep in mind and will report on it. It is the first time I have run any luggage on the front of a bike (including front panniers) so I think it is going to be a bit of a learning curve.

Top Tip - Make sure you balance the loading of your front panniers - the bike does not like them being unbalanced - lol

Andy

[Andybg]

Managed to get the bike out today in the howling wind and driving rain for a utility run.

50 litres of fuel bought (for the quads and the strimmer) 40 litres in the back panniers and 10 in the front.

Slightly above the stated limits for the bike but do-able with a bit of gentle riding and avoiding the potholes.

Was really glad of the 38 chainring on the 300m climb back home.....

[jags]

Man that is one way to test a bike
your in good shape Andy boy 

btw whats the story with the saddle it's nose is way down to much get the level out.

[Andybg]

Yep Jags it is a bit cockeyed that saddle.

It is now off the bike and the B17 narrow back on. I run my saddle level rather than nose up as a lot of people seem to and sit quite forward on the saddle rather than right at the back.

Cheers

Andy

[rualexander]

50 litres of petrol?!
You wouldn't want to have a crash and set off a few sparks from your bike hitting the tarmac!
How many miles to the gallon? Haha!

[Andybg]

Yeah smoking and cycling deffinetly bad for your health - lol

[jags]

Having another look Andy i cant figure out how you fixed that bracket for front lights looks

So Andy where are you planning to tour, will you wait until next year or have you a tour planner for the coming months.

[Andybg]

Hi Jags

The light mount is made from  15cm piece of scrap handlebar with a hole drilled through the middle and bolted onto the fork crown threaded hole.

The handlebarbag came with a mounting fixture on the bottom to mount lights but it was no where near sturdy enough to eliminate vibration while cycling.

This mount seems to be working well and I think it looks presentable.

No plans yet for any tours. I use my bikes for fun rides (2-6 hours) but predominently for utility. In  the last year I have replaced over 4000km of car journeys with the bike. Although financial and enviromental reasons are part of it, it is mainly that it has let me ride over 400okm that I would otherwise not have had the time or oppertunity to ride.


Cheers

Andy

[Danneaux]

Hi Andy!

Boy -- I go away from the 'puter for a couple days, and all kinds of Wonderful breaks out; this leads the pack!

What terrific photos of a lovely new bike -- My, what a beauty! You've done so nicely in the myriad of small and large touches to make it your own; it will be fun to watch as you progress to the "just right" setup that suits you and your needs best. Your setup with bars, fit, and load config will all be nice to follow.

Andy...how do you carry the fuel? I read and re-read your description, but couldn't quite envision how the larger containers could fit in the panniers. I think those are the smaller ones in the rear bags, judging by the outlines in the panniers, but where go the biggies? Also, how do you keep the petrol smell off/out of the bags? Aromatic hydrocarbons are really, really hard to get out of fabric (my favorite old lawn-cutting jeans are testimony to that), but I'll bet you have it figured out. At .711kg/liter of petrol, that is some load -- 35.55kg for the contents plus the containers. Some training regimen, Andy!

Finally...is that a ring-lock I spy with my little eye? Ooh! The Detail Questions are building!

All best wishes for many happy kms in the years ahead,

Dan.

[Andybg]

Hi Dan

No it is the 20 litre containers in the rear panniers. They just fit "seizing" about 3 inches from the bottom of the bags as the pannier tapers in. The 5 litre containers are in the front bags.

I put the containers in plastic bags before the panniers so that if the Lady at the station (yes we have service filling here) spilled any it would not be on the bags. I also took a rag to catch drips. Needless to say she never spilled a drop.

Yes it is an axa ring lock on the rer wheel. Not sure how much use it is to me as I rarely leave the bike unattended and when I do I lock th whole bike. However I will keep in on the bike in the time being and see if we bond.

Cheers

Andy

[Andybg]

A few more pictures of the Tour

Out on it yesterday to drop off some toys for our granddaughter - some outdoor pics - note how quiet the road are here.

Hooked up to the avanir childs trailer (using this as a bigger transport trailer until the twins are old enough - probably next spring)

Hooked up to the avenir mule trailer that I used this morning to drop off a friends guitar and amp with that he had left after a gig at our house.

Cheers

Andy