Raven Sport Tour

[davefife]

Some great adventures here on RST, i have done around 700 mainly commute to Edinburgh and local miles on mine and agree with the previous comments on the bar grips, mine is worn at the changer and i get numbness as well, less on the right!  I see these as a consumable on the bike, any one any recommendations?
As a descender its excellent, came down from Ben Lawers (on the road) last weekend and lots of confidence into the bends and in the braking ability, frame very steady without being staid: the latter of course more important when ascending. I am very pleased with what for me was also a blind purchase.

[Fred A-M]

Couldn't agree with your comments ref RST more Dave.  Ref Adventure, forgot to mention that I towards the summit of Pico Veleta I was having to ferry bike and luggage over sizeable stretches of path-blocking snow and infact slipped wheeling the RST over the last and longest stretch of , both myself and RST sliding uncontrollably  for a few yards and coming within 6 inches of a 30 metre drop.  Assuming i would have fallen uninjured because of the snow at the bottom, I couldn't really figure out how I would have recovered the RST without some form of rescue assistance with no obvious possibilities for regaining the path!

I'm also exceptionally pleased having bought this blind: I do my daily 13 mile London commute on the RST despite having originally designated it as a "special occassion" bike: it feels like nothing else will do now such have my expectations been raised.  Might review this if I change jobs though as I'm currently allowed to store the RST in work basement rather than leaving it subject to the whims of London's criminal fraternity but it will be a heartbreaking decision to have to make!

[XRV750]

Thought I might ask you all a few questions.  

I have had a steel mountainbike for 10 years with riser bars and 1.5 inch city runners tyres.  My brother will inherit the Diamondback Apex, but i`m in a quandry over it`s replacement.

Basically- I use the bike for a bit of fitness, light off- road ( the Peddars Way Roman Road in Norfolk ) and long B Road rides.

I`m down to a Thorn Raven Sport Tour, Thorn Nomad with straight bars or a Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra.

What are your experinces with the Sport Tour with light off road?  Is the paint finish as good as the Made in Somerset bikes?

I`m a bit particular and I`ve been told anal about most things- and really- I need to get my choice right 1st time and it has to be perfect.

Oh-  I`m 16.5 stones, 6`3" and have size 14 feet.

Any comments are appreciated.

Thanks

[lardy]

I took delivery of a Sport Tour 6 weeks ago and have done over 550 miles on it, mainly on roads, but with some towpaths thrown in. It's a well designed and put together bike, and in answer to your question about paint jobs, the matt black paint finish on mine is very good, as for how it compares to the Made in Somerset bikes, I didn't look too closely at those, as I wanted a light(ish) bike. An added bonus is I've found the bike pretty quick, I've broken the record times for my 11 mile commute, even though I'm not in the shape I was when I set those times. I found on the towpaths it handled well, but that's as much off road as I've given it.

The only downsides I've found and these are minor compared to all the hassle of derailleurs are:

1. I've worn out a brand new pair of gloves (through all the changing)
2. The right hand grip is nearly worn out, any suggestions on good rohloff friendly grips welcome
3. I've found that the bottom bolt holding the handlebars on needs checking weekly otherwise one day you'll change gear and find that you've rotated your handlebars, and murphy's law being what it is this always happens somewhere you need to brake and can't stop easily

[Fred A-M]

Ref XRV750's post.

Paintwork - The paintwork is excellent, not so much as a scratch on mine having done about 1500 miles and undertaken several train and 2 plane journeys into the bargain.  The finish seems v tough and I love the matt black finish of my frame: v understated but different at the same time.

Speed - I took my RST down to the soon to be demolished Eastway cycle track in London earlier this week, my first non-commute since my Andalucian sortie & I clocked my fastest over-distance average speed to date despite not having done any training for a month.  The real beauty of this bike is its handling though: the handling an RST is like having driven a sixties car for ages and then suddenly being introduced to power steering.  Extremely responsive.

Off Road -  This was my initial anxiety ref the RST but I've since found nothing to suggest that this bike won't handle well off-road.  I was very cautious in Andalucia on some very rocky tracks given that I was fully laden and perhaps rather unwisely, had gambled in opting for Panracer 1.5s given the knowledge that I would be doing some off-roading, which turned out to be more severe than anticipated. Assuming that your not intent in doing a lot of fully-laden off-roading or doing rough stuff, I'd say that the RST would meet your needs fine, though can't offer comparisons to the Nomad or the Canondale.  

However, with the 100 day guarantee, really don't think you can go wrong and have never read anything but expressions of total satisfaction with the RST.    

 

[Wild]

One thing that I have not seen mentioned about the Raven Sport Tour, is its overall weight.  I know that this will vary slightly depending on the final specification, but does anyone know of the approx total weight.  I would be keen to know if it could be given.

[stutho]

Hi XRV750

quote:What are your experinces with the Sport Tour with light off road?

Excellent - with light off-road.  For heavy off-road you really need front suspension.  You might want to read my post Off road with a Raven Sport Tour!

quote:...paint finish..?

I have got a 'wet' paint fade affect on my RST.  It is truly beautiful, however it is not the most durable finish and I have scratched it more than once.  I am expecting it to last about 3 years and then to get it respired.

quote:Oh- I`m 16.5 stones, 6`3" and have size 14 feet.

I would phone the factory about you size before ordering - it may be fine or it may not... It may be better to go with the Raven Tour as it uses more robust tubing and has a greater heel clearance to the panniers.  (I am not sure if panniers are important to you.)

Good luck and don’t forget you can try a Raven commitment free for 100 day to see if you like it.

PS Welcome to the list

[Elisenda]

Hi owners of the Sport Tour!

I want to get into the Audax world and I'm looking for the perfect bike, but I also want to commute and go light-touring.

Though I have no doubts about its confort in long rides I'm not sure whereas the RST with 26" and Rohloff is as fast as a traditional audax bike with 700cc and Shimano/Campa delairues.

- Have any of you taken part in Audax events? How did the RST perform?
- Are you happy with the drop handlebars and the shifter on the stem?
- What's the weight of your RST?

[PH]

I have a Raven Tour rather than the Sport so you’ll have to decide for yourself how much, if any, of my experience is relevent.
I’d normally use my lighter derailleur tourer for Audax.  The Raven has done a few, a couple of winter ones on mucky lanes, some where I carried camping gear to the start and one when the other bike had mechanical problems.  There are pluses and minuses in having a Rohloff.  If you’re riding on your own you can take full advantage of the ease of gear changing, being able to change half way up a hill rather than at the bottom and changing up for a short downhill where you wouldn’t bother changing chainrings.  If you’re in a group you miss out on those advantages, it can be frustrating.  The other big advantage is how forgiving it is, no fluffed gear changes and getting stuck on the wrong gear on hills and junctions, really appreciated towards the end of a long ride.  On the minus side, I sometimes find the 13% gap between gears a bit much, in the most used gears on my derailleur bike the gaps are around 8%.  Again this doesn’t really matter if you’re riding on your own, you choose whether to put a bit more effort in and go a bit faster or take the easy option and lose a bit of speed.  When I’m in a group I’m often looking for a gear between.   I’ve never used drop bars on a Raven, but experience with bar end and downtube shifters on other bikes convinces me that if I don’t have to move my hand to operate the gears I’m more likely to use them.
You can of course Audax on any bike, as gets demonstrated at every ride I’ve been on.    There’s also a wide variety of Audax, both in terms of distances and topography. On yesterdays flatish 200 in bright sunshine the ideal bike would have been a thoroughbred road bike.  I’m doing one in Wales next month that’s almost entirely on Sustrans tracks, where my Raven will be in its element.  I did my first season on a mid range hybrid and neither of my bikes was bought specifically for Audax.  Unless you’re one of the lucky few who can afford a shed full of quality bikes, what else you’re going to use it for should maybe have a bigger influence.    

[Fred A-M]

I'd agree with PH ref the gears for solo cycling, reliability of gear changes is one of the things that make any Raven stand out over its derraileur counterparts.  I have flat handlebars on my RST so am guessing that the convenient location of the shifter in this instance is also an inducement to greater gear usage.  Also agree that whether the RST is suited to you is largely dependent on its intended use and in this instance and I bought mine for similar reasons (commuting, light touring and the intention of doing Audax).  Though yet to do the latter, I'm more than happy with my RST experience so far.

Weight specs are noticably absent from SJS's spec sheets but think I've read somewhere that the RST is only a 1kg or so lighter than the Tour, approx 12Kg if my admittedly unreliable memory serves me well. Probably best ring SJS and check.

[stutho]

Hi Elisenda,
Firstly let me say that I am a big fan of the Raven Sport Tour and also that I have NO experience of Audax.  

The Raven Sport Tour is an excellent all rounder.  It is a real jack of all trades, I have used it both loaded and unloaded, on road and off road, For my daily commit and for recreation.  However it is probable true to say a master of none.  IT IS VERY GOOD THOUGH.  If Audex is going to be the major role for the bike then maybe you should look elsewhere.  The Sport Tour is NOT going to be as quick as a true audax bike.  On the positive side it going to be more reliable.  

- Are you happy with the drop handlebars and the shifter on the stem?
Yes.  It annoyed me at first but having drop bars was important to me.
- What's the weight of your RST?
30.2lbs (561S frame) including mud guards, rack, pedals, lights and a Brooks saddle.  Clean weight I would guess to be about 27.5Lbs

PS Don't forget you can try one free for 100 days

[Elisenda]

At the moment I'm changing some components from an old road bike and will try an audax event after summer... The RST will have to wait. Anyway, thanks for you replays!


Happy rides!

[freddered]

I just did 165 miles in a day on the Raven Tour carrying 5 litres of water most of the time (it was 32 deg C) and a change of clothes.

1) The Raven Tour is not a light bike but that's irrelevant carrying 5 litres of water  (11 lbs)

2) I use drops with shifter on accessory bar.  Not perfect if you are riding fast on the brake hoods but if you are riding on the tops a lot, like I was a lot of the day, it's actually MORE convenient than STI (never thought I'd say that).  

3) Most importantly the bike is Smooth, Quiet and NEVER misses a shift.  This all adds up on a long ride and actually makes long rides more possible.

I think you'd be surprised at how quick these bikes are on long distance rides when comfort becomes the limiting factor.

In a 25 mile race against my old 700C STI-equipped 531 'Audax' bike the Raven Tour would lose.

Over 165 miles in 32C carrying luggage the Raven Tour would win (I don't think I'd reach the finish line on my 700C 'Audax' bike)

[jc748]

RST Stem length - Help !!
Am looking to order a new RST but one thing is confusing me. Having looked at a lot of the pictures of peoples bikes they nearly all seem to have a long handlebar stem with lots of spacers. Why is this ? Can't say I like the look of it and I've never had a bike that needed that setup. Is it something to do with the frame geometry ?
Thanks, any advice appreciated as I really want an RST but this is putting me off.

[Fred A-M]

Belated link below to photos of my first proper tour on the RST as extensively featured in this thread - Andalucia last year. I'm still in the process of updating the descriptions but overall there's sufficient detail and most pics have are linked to a map.  Pics of this year's excursion to the Picos to follow.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14081381@N03/sets/72157602137097920/