Author Topic: Dave's Nomad  (Read 7635 times)

David Simpson

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Dave's Nomad
« on: May 07, 2014, 02:58:46 am »
Here is my Nomad.  I built it last May, and have finally gotten around to posting pictures of it.  It is a 590M frame.

I use it to commute to work year round, and in the winter we get a lot of rain.  I have set up the bike so that it is great for wet weather riding.  The rear brake is a Magura MT2 disc brake for better wet weather stopping.  The fenders/mudguards are SKS55 with BuddyFlaps.  The front hub is a SON28, which powers the B&M Luxos front light and the B&M TopLight rear light.  The other front lights are Light & Motion Seca lights, which are powered by batteries in the handlebar back.  They are very bright, and I use them on the trail in the dark.  The two tail-lights are old Nite-Rider Universal Tail-lights, which are also very bright, and are powered by a battery in my trunk bag.

I wanted the handlebar bag to not interfere with the lights, so I made a "raised" bar for the lights.  The bar is a length of straight bar cut from an old handlebar, and the supports are two handlebar mount extensions (like this: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/m-wave-handlebar-organizer-black-prod19582/).

The wiring around the handlebars is a bit of a rat's nest that I still need to clean up.

I built the bike myself, for two reasons.  First, the import duty in Canada for complete bikes is 13%, but 0% for bike parts, so I saved a bit of money.  Second, I wanted the challenge of building it myself, so that I understand how it works and can fix problems if they arise.

If people are interested, I can list the full specs.

- Dave
« Last Edit: May 07, 2014, 03:06:45 am by davidjsimpson »

David Simpson

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2014, 02:59:12 am »
More pictures

David Simpson

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2014, 03:00:22 am »
From the front

David Simpson

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2014, 03:01:43 am »
From the rear

David Simpson

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #4 on: May 07, 2014, 03:02:07 am »
Handlebars (that's me in the mirror)

The bar are Thorn Flat Track bars with Ergon GP1 grips.  I have left the ends uncut in case I want to widen the grips.  I might get around to cutting them sometime, since it might be more comfortable for using the bar ends.  The bar ends are aluminum so that I can mount a mirror on them.  I previously had the Ergon GP5 grips with a mirror on the end of the bar, but I prefer the mirror to be higher so that it is easier to glance into it while riding.

The white push-button on the right side, inward of the Rohloff shifter, is the on/off switch for the Luxos headlight.  The main reason why I got that light was because I wanted a handlebar-mounted switch.  My commute is quite varied (uphill and downhill, road and cycle path and trail), so I like to be able to turn the generator light on and off as I ride.
« Last Edit: May 07, 2014, 03:15:55 am by davidjsimpson »

JimK

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #5 on: May 07, 2014, 03:49:40 am »
I dream of vast expeditions with my Nomad but a lot of why I got it was because it is just such a practical bike for real world transportation. So it is great to see a Nomad set up with for practical use! Those lights look awesome! 

Seems like you could nudge the handlebar bag up a notch or two by moving a spacer or two below the auxiliary bar. There seems to be lots of clearance above but the bottom of the bag doesn't look very far above the top of your main headlight. My bike has somewhat tight clearance there too which is why my attention is drawn there. But then if you want your extra lights, the ones above the bag, to hit the ground not too far in front, then you need the bag to stay low. Tricky business getting everything just right!


Danneaux

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #6 on: May 07, 2014, 04:23:13 am »
Dave!

My! What a treat to see your Nomad and the chance to fully appreciate the fine job you yourself did in building it up to a complete bike!

You can surely be proud -- it looks terrific, and I'm still pouring over all the details, enjoying them all as I see your reasoning for the choices you've made. So much to see here!

Well, this is terrific and I'm hoping these will be the start of even more posts to your gallery, showing the bike and yourself in action and on-tour.

I see some similarities to my own SeeMore/Seymor here in the extended front fender and some cockpit resemblance. You've really done a great job, Dave, and the results speak to your care and execution.

Thanks for sharing and best wishes for many happy journeys ahead together. Of course, I have to ask -- have you named him/her yet?  ;D

Best,

Dan.

Andre Jute

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #7 on: May 07, 2014, 01:01:29 pm »
Love the clever touches to tailor your bike to exactly what you want.

You might consider leaving the bar-ends uncut and putting rubber plugs or something over them as a protective measure.  I run North Road handlebars well curved back, and still the ends of the handlebars are the places where most wear on bike is visible, everywhere else on a touring/utility bike being relatively well protected by the luggage and gear normally carried. Alternatively, you might think of relatively wide  bars, a not overly expensive replacement item, as offering protection to the more valuable parts on the bike.

John Saxby

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #8 on: May 07, 2014, 04:48:22 pm »
Dave,

What a great job you've done with your Nomad! So good to see a bike used as thoroughly as yours is, as a working bike, and tailored as you have.  It's one of Vancouver's great features that so many people there use bikes for regular transport -- though I can understand your desire to make your Nomad blend into the scenery, as it were (using routes with lotsa daffs and forsythia bushes!) 

Bring the Nomad along when you next visit your family in Kemptville & we can go for a ride.  That part of the region has lots of good back roads, low traffic with attractive countryside. Go due north and west--say, north of Perth--and there's even less traffic, and the Rohloff's lower range will get a serious workout.

jags

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #9 on: May 07, 2014, 05:02:43 pm »
The attention to detail is great to see on your bike
 is truly class , .


jags.

Matt2matt2002

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #10 on: May 07, 2014, 07:18:27 pm »
Excellent looking bike. Many congratulations and fantastic pictures.
May I ask about the chain cover?

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

David Simpson

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #11 on: May 07, 2014, 07:59:18 pm »
May I ask about the chain cover?

It's a Hebie Chainglider.  It took a bit of cutting and fiddling to get it to fit without rubbing on the frame, and I'm not done that yet.  See my comments here:
www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=9031.msg62425#msg62425

Anything in particular that you want to know?

- Dave

David Simpson

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #12 on: May 08, 2014, 06:30:55 am »
Thanks to all of you for your encouraging words.  I was an avid reader of this forum for many months before I ordered my bike parts, in order to research what to get.  I want to give a big thank-you to all of you for contributing your experience, knowledge, and thoughts over the months and years.  I am the kind of person who researches something to death before I make a decisions, and this forum provided me with what I needed in order to make the right decisions.  My bike has been on the road for almost a year now (in about 2 weeks, I'll have to bake it a birthday cake), and I absolutely love it.  It is the perfect bike for me.  So a big thank-you to all of you!  I couldn't have done it without you.

In case anyone is thinking of buying or building a bike, and has any questions or problems, please feel free to ask on this forum.  If you have a question about my bike, or why or how I did something, please ask.  I have been the beneficiary of the knowledge of this group, and I want to contribute what I can.

- Dave

David Simpson

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #13 on: May 08, 2014, 06:37:40 am »
Well, this is terrific and I'm hoping these will be the start of even more posts to your gallery, showing the bike and yourself in action and on-tour.

The pictures that I posted were taken in the evening with the sun low, and since I don't have a stand for the bike, I needed to find a place to lean it where it would still be in the light.  My Click-Stand is supposed to arrive in the next day or two, so I'll take some better pictures with the bike properly posing on its new Stand.

Of course, I have to ask -- have you named him/her yet?

I don't like naming things unless the name is just right.  It might take me a while to get a good name.  I know of someone who took 20 months to name his Nomad, so I'm not in a rush.  :)

- Dave

David Simpson

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Re: Dave's Nomad
« Reply #14 on: May 08, 2014, 06:41:21 am »
You might consider leaving the bar-ends uncut and putting rubber plugs or something over them as a protective measure.  I run North Road handlebars well curved back, and still the ends of the handlebars are the places where most wear on bike is visible, everywhere else on a touring/utility bike being relatively well protected by the luggage and gear normally carried. Alternatively, you might think of relatively wide  bars, a not overly expensive replacement item, as offering protection to the more valuable parts on the bike.

I have plastic plugs to go into the bar-ends, but they are a bit too large to fit into the end, so I need to trim them down to size.  I just haven't gotten around to it.  I also haven't decided on whether I should cut down the bars.  In the meantime, the bare-metal ends may be good for taking a paint sample if a car comes too close.

- Dave