Author Topic: Greetings!  (Read 4192 times)

Donnydid

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 36
Greetings!
« on: April 08, 2013, 09:54:21 pm »
Hi There!

I'am new to the forum although I have been lurking around for the last couple of years gleaning lots of information
about everything about cycle touring and bikes and lots of non cycling stuff too! The knowledge the guys on this
forum have is unbelievable, everyone should want to know a Danneax, Julian or Andy to name just three....if I have
missed your name sorry, everyone on the forum has such a lot to offer and to give the newbie and the oldbie equally.

I had intended buying a Nomad a couple of years ago but was made redundant and unemployed for a few months but I still
had a dream to cycle tour, I managed to get a another job and now with my mortgage almost paid my dream is becoming
a reality..............I ordered my new Nomad 3 weeks ago and I am waiting for the phonecall to say "that it is built, come and
collect!".

I have ordered the Schwalbe Mondial 2.15 tyres and P65 mudguards although I am really not too sure about these and
maybe I should of gone for the 2.00 Duremes and P55 mudguards? Thoughts anybody?
I am also thinking about fitting an Axa Defender or Abus ring lock but I think that the P65 mudguards will be too big for
the lock to go around, I remember reading one of Dans posts about fitting the ring lock but cannot remember the size of
tyre's on his bike.
The journey that I will be making will be to Australia across Central Asia with a side trip to South Korea
(if its still there!) and Japan which I am planning for next March. It will give me 11 months to get to know my Nomad and
to test all my gear ready for the trip.

Many Thanks
Dave

Matt2matt2002

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1893
Re: Greetings!
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2013, 10:05:25 pm »
Hi Dave.
Great to hear about your new bike and planned trip.
I have a Raven and hope to ride across Europe towards Asia next year.
PM me if you want to hook up for info exchange on the trip side of things.

Matt
Never drink and drive. You may hit a bump  and spill your drink

JimK

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1652
    • Interdependent Science
Re: Greetings!
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2013, 11:23:28 pm »
I would guess that the 2.15 Mondials with the P65 fenders might be just the ticket for Central Asia. Just guessing though! I have the P55 fenders and generally have 2.0 inch tires mounted. A bit wider all around sounds nice for wild expeditions!

E-wan

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 91
Re: Greetings!
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2013, 12:39:18 am »

I have ordered the Schwalbe Mondial 2.15 tyres and P65 mudguards although I am really not too sure about these and
maybe I should of gone for the 2.00 Duremes and P55 mudguards? Thoughts anybody?


I have P65 mudgards on my nomad but was running 1.75 tyres with them last summer. Mudgards still seemed to work well at protecting me and bags from spray. Decided to have larger mudgards fitted to allow room for wider winter tyres when I needed to and didn't want the hastle of changing mudgards as well as tyres. Bike didn't look to odd with wide guards and medium tyres. If you are planning on fitting a ring lock you could always fit larger guards and then trim the mudgard to allow the lock to fit with a coping saw and file, I've had to do this before to SKS mudgards to fit a brake booster.

Ewan

Danneaux

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8229
  • reisen statt rasen
Re: Greetings!
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2013, 02:54:28 am »
Hi Dave!

(A formal) welcome to the Forum; thanks for your kind words! Now you're a member, you'll be able to view attached photos which are unavailable to guests.

It sounds like wonderful adventures are ahead for you, and you'll soon have the ideal bike to accomplish your goals and dreams -- Adventure awaits! Congratulations! Of course, we'll be eager to see photos of it in the gallery after it arrives.

Looking at your questions in turn, I don't think you've made any mistakes in your tire and mudguard selection. The wide Mondials should do you in good stead no matter the roads (or lack thereof), and as Ewan mentioned, even if you later choose a narrower tire, it does no harm to have a somewhat wider 'guard -- the measured difference between the P55 and P65 amounts to ~5mm per side, so it won't look too visually awkward. The extra space will simply provide better coverage against spray and leaves the option to use wider tires as you please. Wider tires are also taller, so you'll have that little but more mud clearance if you do decide to drop to a 2.0in/50mm tire. I think you made a smart choice, especially given your itinerary.

With regard to the wider P65 mudguards, the 2.15 Mondials, and ring-lock clearance...there are some clearance issues to keep in mind.

I am running 26x2.0 Schwalbe Duremes and clearance with my AXA Defender is fine. Howeverm I am concerned about sidewall clearance with your wider Mondials. It would be very close under ideal conditions, but I am concerned that a broken spoke, out-of-true rim, or a buildup of mud could render clearance inadequate. Here's why: The AXA Defender offers a maximum of 63mm clearance. The 2.15 Mondials measure 54.61mm, leaving ~4.2mm of clearance on each side. That would be close but maybe okay if the lock could be positioned vertically to the ideal position. However, the larger Mondial has a taller and wider profile than the Dureme, so the sidewall bulge is also wider. Complicating this, the lock cannot approach any closer than the mudguard will allow, and the 'guard has to be out a bit to clear the larger-diameter tire, putting the narrower part of the opening near the sidewall. If it works, it'll have awfully tight clearances, which is why I am concerned about wheel wobble or mud being problematic. I would avoid using the AXA Defender with 2.15 tires, though it is fine with 2.0.

I would instead suggest the ABUS Amparo 4850 JimK and IlPadrone use. It will offer more clearance and you should have no problems fitting it to your Nomad. Though I prefer some details of the AXA Defender, in truth the two ring-locks are nearly identical in practice and I believe they are equally convenient and secure.

You can check on clearances in the measured photos JimK kindly posted here: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=1944.msg17320#msg17320 ...and... http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4148.0

As for fitting a ring-lock with the wider 'guards...again, you'll likely have no clearance problems with the Abus Amparo. The Abus' included nylon mounting bands will nicely mount to the Nomad's larger 19mm seatstays.
-  -  -  -  -
If you decide to go with the AXA Defender and 2.0in or narrower tires, the Defender will foul the P65 mudguard by 1mm per side, according to my measurements. To get the needed clearance you could carve a small notch in the 'guard, but I would suggest you instead consider heating the 'guard gently with a *warm* (not hot!) hair dryer and pinching it slightly closed before it cools to avoid creating a stress riser that could initiate a fracture over time.

I found the trick to fitting the AXA Defender was to tip it sideways so it cleared the fender, then rotating it vertically into position against the 'stays.

If you decide to pursue the AXA Defender, you'll find the Nomad's larger and more robust 19mm seatstays will prove problematic to fitting the ATB mounting brackets. I came up with a solution here, complete with measurements: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4987.0 The modifications to the mounting bracket are not difficult now the measurements are known, so you should have no problems with fitting. Just avoid the AXA "Spam-key" metal bands...they simply can't be adapted to the Nomad's larger seatstays (I spent  more than 6 hours trying!). The modified ATB mounts in size Large are the key to success.
-  -  -  -  -
If you have any questions between now and collecting your new steed, the Forum's members will do their best to answer and you're welcome to PM me as well.

Best,

Dan.

Andybg

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 829
Re: Greetings!
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2013, 07:04:51 am »
Welcome to the forum Dave and congrats on the new Nomad. I bet the days are dragging at the moment.

Personally I think you have made the right decision with the P65 mudguards. I run P65 mudguards all year with a variety of tyres from my marathon 1.75 (summer tyres) all the way up to my 2.1 ice spiker tyres in the winter.

You may find it woth running some narrower lighter tyres when you are running unloaded in Western Europe but if you get used to the wider tyres and you find them ok then I would leave them alone.

Looking forward to specs and pics

Andy

Donnydid

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 36
Re: Greetings!
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2013, 08:10:45 am »

Thanks for the welcome guys!
And thanks on your thoughts on the tyres and mudguards and also for the info regarding the Axa and Abus ring locks.
I will checking them out, security is a big thing for me as the Nomad is a large investment and I don't live in an area
where people admire what you have, they like to take it from you and make a few quid on the side. I have a lovely
Abus Granit x54 d lock and 7ft chain waiting for my Nomad for when it arrives "home".
I now know what you guys have been through waiting for your Thorns to arrive! Each day feels like a week and each
week feels like a month!

Matt. I will get in touch with you at the weekend, it will be interesting to find out what your plans are and how you are
doing things, it may be 11 months away before I go but these are very exciting times.

Once again thanks for the welcome guys.

Dave

julk

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 973
Re: Greetings!
« Reply #7 on: April 09, 2013, 09:56:58 am »
Welcome Dave,
Exciting times waiting for a new bike…

Enjoy yours when it arrives and please share a photo ot two of you both.
Safe cycling.
Julian.

Barry Webber

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 24
  • On my green electric machine!
Re: Greetings!
« Reply #8 on: April 21, 2013, 12:18:33 pm »
Hello Dave,
I have not logged on for a while and have just picked up this thread.
I am sure many members here share your excitement about your new Nomad and upcoming tour - wow!
You may have seen my post about my dream Nomad spec.
It's great to see someone realising their dream.
I will be hugely interested to follow your trip and adventure as it is something I would love to do.
You are so right about about the massive investment it is to purchase a quality touring bike like the Nomad.
With a family and regular work commitments I am still "umming and ahhing" about taking the plunge but it is always at the forefront of my thinking.
Best wishes for a fantastic tour and huge respect for "living the dream!"
Barry.
22,000 miles of Ebike commuting and loving it!
Keep cycling! :-)

Donnydid

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 36
Re: Greetings!
« Reply #9 on: April 22, 2013, 08:06:36 am »
Hi Barry

It is a huge investment for me but I feel that I will be getting the best bike to the job I want it to do.
Originally I was planning to travel the world by air but then remembered a time from my younger
days when I lived in Germany and did a bit of cycle touring around Europe. I realised that the costs
of the flights would total up to the costs of a Nomad and I would be able to take my time and see
places that I would not if I travelled by air. Also I would get a great feeling of personal achievement
when I reach the end of my trip to Australia.

I have to say that I was expecting to hear from Thorn last week that my Nomad would be ready for
me to collect, but now it is due to be ready this week! Its going to be just like Christmas in April!
As soon as I get the nod I will book a day off work and travel down to pick it up.

I have read your post about your Dream Nomad and it is very similar to the spec that I have ordered.
This is what I have ordered:

565M Frame in Black
Thorn Straight Bar in Black
Ergon Bar Ends GP3L
Black Rohloff Hub
Son 28 Front Hub
Andra CSS Wheels
Schmidt Edelux Led Lamp
Schwalbe Marathon Mondial 2.15
SKS P65 Mudguards
Chain ring 38
KMC X1 Chain
Shimano Deore XT V Brakes
Brooks B17 Saddle
Shimano PD A530 Pedals
Thorn Expedition Carrier
Thorn MK5 Lo-Loader
Profile Design Kage x3
Cateye TL-LD 1100 Rear Light
Pitlocks Front and Rear

I am currently making small purchases for my trip most weeks leaving the big purchases (panniers,
computer, etc) until Christmas/New Year where I hope to find them on sale at a bargain price.
Its very exciting times at the moment!
I will take a few photos of the Nomad when he gets "home" and post them here..........then I will
have to give him a name!   :D

Cheers
Dave