My RST has arrived

[simonsydney]

A quick thank you to all who provided advise on my previous posts. My 561L in green with flat bars arrived today. Putting it togethor was easy and enjoyable, and also means I am now more intimate (in a technical knowleadgable way) with my bike, which I think is important.

Unfortunately it is blowing a 60-80km gale here with rain, so I didn't get to go for a long ride, only about 10km. The bike has exceeded my expectations and the rohloff is great.

A question for you guys.
There is very little noise while pedaling, a little back pedal noise in the lower gears, but quite a bit of back pedal noise in the higher (8-14) gears. Just wondered if that was normal ?

the rohloff is a lot lighter than I had thought it would be, and the gear changes are easy, intuitive and so easy to do.

The frame/bike fits perfectly, and is responsive and fast.
Looking forward to doing some longer rides and pointing it down some steep hills!!

cheers,
Simon

[Fred A-M]

Let me be the first to offer hearty congratulations and say welcome to the RST owners club!

It seems an age (barely 6 months ago) since I went through the spine tingling excitement of getting the RST out of its box and just gazing at in spellbound awe for 30 mins prior to undertaking the few necessities to get in on the road.  

Incongruent cycling conditions seem to be the order of the day on taking possession of the RST.  My first serious sortie culminated in a right royal battering from the wind over the Yorkshire moors, something which seemed to persist for a while on subsequent.  

Hopefully things will settle down for you weather wise down-under soon.  Whilst I was quite taken aback by the RST on initial rides, it wasn't until I went on tour in Andalucia that I really appreciated the true handling merits and comfort of the RST and the ergonomics of the Rohloff.  Be prepared to have your cycling expectations completely redefined. Any tour plans in the making?  
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[Arnaud]

Well done ! I told you it was dead easy; next month my female cycling partner will be ordering a Raven Tour (she needs the extra strength to carry her little daughter around). The temporary dent in your bank balance will be quickly forgotten and you can look forward to years of cycling enjoyment.
Freewheeling can be noisy in some gears but it all gets quiter over time and you get used to it (a little bit like greying and thinning hair; it is not really that important ).
Have a look at the road profiles on the 2007 Great Tasmanian Bike Ride; this is where my Speedhub will get a good workout. I am pretty average on the flat sections but take great pleasure in spectacular accelerations whilst climbing hills, thanks to the Rohloff (and the Thorn frame too, I suppose).
One thing I did in the beginning was to grab the right hand handlebar grip too firmly whilst shifting gears (like on a motorbike where the whole grip rotates). This resulted in some bits of cork breaking off.I've lost the habit now and use thumb and index to shift gears.
After a while you learn to shift the gears up and down smmothly whilst climbing, just by easing off a tiny bit on the pedals at the right time. It is very similar to a perfect gearchange on a manual car or truck : almost imperceptible.
Have fun !

Arnaud from Perth

[ahconway]

quote:Originally posted by Arnaud

Well done ! I told you it was dead easy; next month my female cycling partner will be ordering a Raven Tour (she needs the extra strength to carry her little daughter around).

How will your partner be toting her little girl? I'm about to get a Bobike Maxi rear seat for mine, plus a prop stand!

[simonsydney]

Hi Arnaud, yep, it was very easy, customs were great and Thorn had everything packaged very well.

I have a couple of hundred km's on the bike now (still blowing a gale here with intermittent rain) and I am enjoying the bike everytime I jump on it. Can't believe I didn't get a rohloff years ago, derailleurs no more for me!!  

I have next week off, so will head down the coast for a few days (from Woollongong to Narooma, about 350km over 4-5days, so will see how things go.

cheers,
Simon

[graham]

I'd say you're right about the freewheeling noise. Fairly quiet in the lower range of gears and noticeably louder in 8th and above.
In fact, when passing horses slowly and freewheeling, I have been known to change into the low range so as to stand less chance of spooking the animal. Horses seem to be a lot more scared of bicycles than cars.
Of course, it can also be useful. Pedestrians totally ignore my bell, but usually get the idea if I stop pedalling and they hear the freewheel noise.

[Arnaud]

quote:Originally posted by ahconway

quote:Originally posted by Arnaud

Well done ! I told you it was dead easy; next month my female cycling partner will be ordering a Raven Tour (she needs the extra strength to carry her little daughter around).

How will your partner be toting her little girl? I'm about to get a Bobike Maxi rear seat for mine, plus a prop stand!

She will be using a rear seat that slides onto a rear rack.All our bikes (even the RST) are equipped with a folding bike stand; I don't like the idea of such a valuable piece of equipment in the dirt or gravel plus here in Australia we have lots of ants everywhere. A few years ago I sat on a bullant and I still remember the experience !

[efpw]

I have been looking at buying a bike for some time now and have decided that the Raven Sports Tour is probably the one for me..  

So, I have been watching this space, but you have gone quiet of late.  

Is this because you are out cycling all the time?  Or have you ditched it?  

I would really like to hear more about how you are getting on with the bike;  I am having difficulty justifying the price tag and need to hear positive things..

Many thanks,  Ellis

[nnnmvg]

I am in the same 'boat' and have been closely following exchanges about new owners´experiences of both RT and RST. All postings have helped me to think through my own specification.

One specific question is on frame size. I would like to know Simon's inside leg length and height. I am 177cm (5´10´´) and thinking of spcifying a 361 frame. My other dilemma is whether to have flat bars, drops or even order both options.

[simonsydney]

Hi nnnmvq, I am 181cm tall, standover height in bare feet is 82cm, 84 with riding shoes.  The frame size I got is 561L with a 110mm stem (I chose riding style - sporty).
Thorn Cycles worked out the frame size for me from my measurements, and I must say the frame\bike setup fits me perfectly. I got flat bars with inboard Thorn carbon bars and outboard bars which gives heaps of hand positions.

I ride this bike more than any bike I have had before, even going for quick 10-15km rides after work around the local bicycle track, just because. I ride 70-100km rides on weekends with an average speed of 22-24km (I am no speed freak, but do like to spin).

It took a bit leap of faith on my part to part with so much money for a bike from the other side of the world, and this forum helped my decision ,and I donot regret the decision and wish I had made it years before.

Trust Thorn in their bike sizing and just go for it !!!!

[geocycle]

I'd concur with ss.  I bought my RT unseen, which really went against all instincts but I've ended up with a perfect fit.  My only concern would be if you are an unusual shape ie. excessively tall or short (and according to your height your not) or have an unusual torso:leg length.  I'm a fairly standard 175cm and went for a 537L.  I'd follow the advice at SJSC.  I opted for a standard position with the top of the comfort bar grips just a cm under the saddle.  

The RT is a fantastic bike and is exactly right for my usage (everyday commuting and tours on all surfaces and needing minimal maintenance).  I'd recommend ergongrips -very comfortable.  I also went for internal bar ends but to be honest I've not used them very much - I could probably have saved money as the comfort bars with ergogrips give a range of positions -they might be better on completely flat bars.  The only thing I've changed are the the Panaracer tyres which I didn't like at all.

[Arnaud]

You're right...we are too busy enjoying our Ravens so we had to cut down on computer time !
Don't worry about the price; just a short sharp pain that will quickly be forgotten. I like the Panaracer Hi-Road 1.5"; done over 3.000kms on 50%/50% bitumen/gravel roads and not a single problem.
On my last and longest ride sofar (116km in very stormy weather, 6 hours in the saddle battling gale force winds) I got a very sore bum.
After unanimous advice from contributors to this forum, I ordered a Brooks B17 saddle to replace the original San Marco Rolls.If you are inexperienced and isolated like myself you have to rely on the independent advice from more experienced riders out there and also trust the people at SJS.Just go for it,a Raven bike will make you very happy and people around you will notice it.
Arnaud from Perth

[freddered]

to nnnmmvg

I wouldn't advise ordering Flats and Drops unless you size it for Drops first.  Then you could fit Flats as a 'nice to have'.

I ordered a frame to fit flats first (and didn't like the move to flats) then fitted Drops.  The reach to the drops was way too far and I needed a frame swap.

If I fitted flats now I think the reach would be too short and make it a 'sit up and beg' position.

In summary Flat Bars and Drop Bars require a longer and shorter frame respectively (in my case anyway).

I find that Drops (with shifter fitted to accessory bar) works great.

[efpw]

So here I am, still chewing the fat over whether to take the plunge.  What I am interested in is some sort of comparison between the Sport Tour and the Tour.  I am riding in thick traffic and I am leaning to the RST because it has the shorter wheelbase and therefore manoeuvrability (if I spelt that right it's a miracle).  It also looks really balanced; but then I do want to load it up a bit occasionally...
It is difficult to get a comparison, because you are only likely to have one or the other (..or is there anyone out there with..?..  no, that would be too much..), but did anyone out there try both out, or sit on this same fence before falling one side or the other?
Simon, do you have any pictures of yours?
Thx,  Ellis

[efpw]

So here I am, still chewing the fat over whether to take the plunge.  What I am interested in is some sort of comparison between the Sport Tour and the Tour.  I am riding in thick traffic and I am leaning to the RST because it has the shorter wheelbase and therefore manoeuvrability (if I spelt that right it's a miracle).  It also looks really balanced; but then I do want to load it up a bit occasionally...
It is difficult to get a comparison, because you are only likely to have one or the other (..or is there anyone out there with..?..  no, that would be too much..), but did anyone out there try both out, or sit on this same fence before falling one side or the other?
Simon, do you have any pictures of yours?
Thx,  Ellis