Raven Sport Tour vs. Tour

[Joatamon]

Oh!  The sheer agony of deciding...Tour or Sport Tour.

I'll be talking with SJS some more about this but I would be interested in existing owners' experiences.

Now, I doubt I'll ever undertake the Grand Intercontinental Tour.  The grandest tour I fancy is Sustrans, canal routes, towpaths, old railways, occasional off roading when it's necessary as part of a longer ride but mostly I'll be taking the low road.

I can specify a tour that's very similar geometry to my old favourite Specialized mtb, which is a semi-compact.  A sport tour would have a 25mm shorter chainstay.  How does this affect handling?  Do I qualify as an "experienced, confident cyclist"?  (That's what the brochure for the Sport Tour says it's suitable for)

If I specify a sport tour willI I ever feel compromised?  Will I wish I could fit fatter tyres than 1.75"?  Will it break if I hit a pothole?  Will I have to get off and push it?  My Specialized is fitted with 26 x 1.5 Schwalbe Spezials, they seem ok for me.

And what benefit would I get from specifying a sport over the tour?

Thanks in anticipation

[stutho]

The nice thing for you is that you can't get this choice wrong - Both bikes are great and both would be highly suitable for you.  The only wrong choice is not buy a raven at all!

IMHO go with the bike that best fits with the kind of riding you currently do most often.  

• Do you currently use big (>1.5") tyres?


• Do you currently spend more than 5% of time on a gravel (or worse)?


• Do you often travel by train, plain or bus with your bike?


• Have you in the last 2 years carried a tent on your bike?


• Are you ever likely to fit a child seat?

If you answer yes to most of these then go with a raven.
Alternatively:

• Do you currently ride 95% of the time with no load?


• Do you like to like to push yourself (get out of breath) while cycling?


• Does a few grams of extra weight bother you?


• Are you prepared to look after and protect the frame from denting and rust?


• Do you want lively handling?

Then go with the Sport.

Personally I thing the more important choice is whether you go for a long or a short top tube (i.e. straight or drop handlebars.)  To my mind the Sport fits in better with drop bars and the Tour with straight (only my opinion).  

I own a Sport Tour its easily the best bike I have ever owned.  I use it manly for my 14-mile daily commute though the hill welsh country side. This summer it will also be used for touring.  I went for the Sport because although I occasionally go touring I ride unloaded 99% of the time.  

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[freddered]

I decided against a Sport Tour simply because I want to go Cycle Camping (and will end up carrying most of my family's gear I suspect).  The Tour is designed to carry lots of weight at the back and front.  It's designed to handle safely and give heel clearance under these loads.
It's designed to take the full range of 26" tyres, from narrow slicks right up to wide off-roaders.
Basically it has the potential to be a Global Tourer but can be used as a commuter and a very comfy day-ride bike.
It's not super-quick but it is quicker than I imagined , the Sport Tour would obviously beat it in Sprints and through an obstacle course due to it's tighter geometry and lighter weight.

I think the Sport Tour would fulfil 90% of my requirements but lacks the Pack-Mule capability that I may need one day.

From your list of potential routes though (Sustrans, canal routes, towpaths, old railways, occasional off roading when it's necessary) I suspect you'd benefit from the larger range of tyre compatability of the Tour.

Don't worry about breaking it with 1.5" tyres, SJSC use Panaracer Hi-Roads on Tandems.

Like Stutho says though, you can't really make a mistake because you'll end up with a great bike either way.

PS.  I bought my Tour with a long frame and Flat 'comfort' bars.  I chnaged to Drops and this required a frame swap to a short frame to compensate for the difference in reach/position.  Bear this in mind when selecting your bike, it's easier to adapt a short frame with drops to a flat-bar setup than it is to adapt a long frame with flats to a drop-bar setup.

Don't forget to post photos

[woodpecker]

There is never an easy way to select your bike unless you get there and try it. Just to make your decision a little more challenging I will add my experience. I started with a Raven Tour - which I did try before I bought. I thought it was great and did all it said in the brochure. I even did a short tour where it was very stable.

However, I actually found I continued to use my old Orange P7 mountain bike in preference to the Raven. After a year I decided I should do something about this and did some direct comparison test rides (about 70% of my riding is off road but much of this is just rough tracks and side roads - at 52 with a metal re-enforced leg I tend to avoid 50mph downhills!.

The results showed I liked the P7 becaause it was more responsive to rough tracks - it turned quicker and felt lighter, where the Raven felt like it ran on rails. So a discussion with Robin led to a new Enduro frame and a set of Fox forks. So I now have an Enduro which is brilliant. It is everything I wanted and is a mountian bike and not a tourer. This is the crunch the Raven is a tourer design with the sport being a lighter version of the same but the Enduro is a mountain bike. As Robin explained to me, it was not that the Raven was unresponsive - it was incredibly stable as per the design. What I needed was not a tourer but a mountain bike able to tour. And here the Enduro is great as it takes the same rear rack and has ample clearance with paniers on (and they live on the bike permanently keeping the bar bag and rack top bag company)and gives the ride I always wanted and had previously experienced. Just for interest the Enduro also has mudguards and a SON front hub.

So a little more food for thought - what do you want the bike to do?

Mine is an offroad bike at the weekend (not many mountains around Hamshire) and a mule through the week (lugging compost and tools to and from the allotment), it also gets used for the shopping and on those nice sunny days some short tours.

One final point those Fox forks are great - if you can afford them they really work and can be locked out on hills.

[PH]

What a great choice to have, I spent hours trying to work out which was going to be best for me. Thankfully the Enduro wasn’t available when I was looking, otherwise I’d probably still be dithering.  In the end I went for the Tour for much the same reasons as freddered, it gave me the option of carrying camping loads, it was also the most different from the bikes I already had and intended keeping.
Stutho does a good job of weighing up the pros and cons, I couldn’t really add much to that.  Either are going to be great, don’t forget you have the chance to change your mind within the first 100 days.  Whichever you choose there will be times you wish you’d gone the other way, the only way to avoid that is to get both.  A friend of mine is considering a Sport Tour and Enduro, with the one rear wheel/hub.    

[Wild]

I too, am deciding whether to buy the 'Tour' or the 'Sport Tour'.  Will the geometry of the 'Sport Tour' give me a fair bit of extra speed over the 'Tour'?  I  riderly almost always on the road, with only a small amount of luggage.  Why is the 'Sport Tour'stated as being best for the experienced rider?  Many years ago I raced road bikes at various time trial distances, and wonder whether the 'Raven Tour' may be a bit on the sluggish side for me?  I doubt that i will be carrying a great deal of luggage at any time.  Any advice would be appreciated.

[Joatamon]

Wild, those are those kind of things I wonder about.  As well as, will the frame be up to a bit of rough and tumble?  I can always specify a stronger wheel for the Sport Tour, but is the frame up to it?  I did a 25-mile section of the Trans Pennine Trail yesterday and some track parts are a bit potholed.

Stutho's criteria list has me dead centre of the choice!  But I know I want flat bars, and for other reasons the Tour may be the safe option.

Woodpecker identifies the nightmare scenario, that of preferring your old hack.  If the Tour is a bit heavier (handling wise) than my existing (sort of) mtb I too might end up leaving the Raven in the shed.   Although, I'm not actually looking for mountain tracks, It's just that it might sometimes be part of my day tour territory.

I guess I'll have to get down to Bridgwater.

BTW, does anyone know the wheelbase of the two Ravens?  It might just be another indicator for me.

[Joatamon]

Well, for days I could have almost tossed a coin, but after reading and re-reading all the posts regarding the Raven Tour and Sport Tour, and talking to SJSC some  more, the scales were tipped in favour of the Sport Tour.

I've now just got to wait until the longest day! (or thereabouts)

[PH]

Well done, as has been said both are good bikes, it's very much a matter of deciding where your priorities lie.  You'll have it at a good time too, ideal to take full advantage of the 100 day trial.
I look forward to the photos.

[Wild]

Hello Joatamon.  Good luck with the Sport Tour.  I think that Iwill beordering a Sport Tour within the next few days.  Just trying to sort out exactly what I want.  What gearing did you go for in the end?  I'm thinking of 42x16.  The SJS site says that a 38x16 is a good choice, although I fancy having a bigger top end.  The 11th gear which is apparently direct drive will give a ratio that is very similar to what I ride in for a great deal of the time.  Obviously it depends on terraine.
What extras have you ordered if any?  What colour are you having?  Will be greatful for any feedback.  Hope to be joining you soon as the owner of a Sport Tour.  I too look forward to any pictures that you might post on the site.  Good Luck.

[graham]

I have a tour. And the sport tour for the wife is on order, due to arrive fairly soon, we expect.

Obviously they'll be set up differently and hers is a smaller frame size, but it might just be possible for us to ride both (for very short distances) and if I can discern any difference between the two I'll let you know.

[Joatamon]

Wild, on my current bike my most travelled gear is 71", this corresponds to 44x16 in Rohloff gear 11, so that's what I've specified.

Currently, I have one higher gear but with Rohloff I will have 3.  I rarely use anything other than the largest chainwheel - almost everywhere I ride is flat - though I'm expecting that to change as I go further afield.  I do sometimes run out of gears on my current bike, so the higher ratios will be a bonus.

I've ordered a blue frame with carbon handlebar upgrade, bar ends and cork grips for comfort.  I have no desire to upgrade the running gear, cranks, etc. - I'm sure the standard stuff will be fine for me.  I considered a carbon seat post but decided the Brooks B17 upgrade should provide me with good comfort.  The Raven is a fairly extravagant purchase for me so that's a good reason not to load up the extras!

One thing I may revise is the wheels.  I've specified Mavix XC717 rims, I understand these are thin and light but I wonder if the Sun CR18s might be more robust for my occasional off-road use?

[Wild]

Thanks Joatamon. Useful to hear what gearing you have chosen.  I too ride mostly on the flat, as there are no hills around Peterborough.  I'll no doubt come across plenty on my travels though.  Wheel selection is a bit of a lottery.  I'm thinking of going for the Sun CR18s.  Thanks again for the info you have posted.

[stutho]

Wild:

I run with 42 * 16.  It gives me a very usable gear range.  I also occasionally use 42 * 17 - I only uses this when expecting heavy loads - and can be bothered to change!   When I took my raven off road the other day I had it set up with the 42 * 17. see post

Joatamon:

Wheels - The Sun will be stronger however how strong do you need the rim to be?  The XC717 is a highly regarded Mountain Bike rim that will build into a strong cross-country wheel.  I have got 4 XC717, 2 on my Raven and 2 on a dedicated Mountain Bike.  3 are built up with DT Competition spokes the fourth is built using DT Revolution.  Haven’t had problems with any of these wheels yet.  If you are cycling predominately on the road saving some weight in the rims add considerably to the 'feel' of the bike.

[Joatamon]

That's good enough for me, Stutho.  Just the kind of straightforward advice that's appreciated.  I'll stick with the Mavics.