Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Thorn General => Topic started by: ourclarioncall on April 25, 2022, 10:41:50 pm
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Ok I have almost bought a bike( older nomad , probably pre mk1) , but neither the seller or me know how to ship it
What is the best method ? Are there special bike couriers that do that sort of thing ?
The bike is in England and I’m in Scotland
Thanks you !
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One member of my last group ride said he used a specialist bike courier which was cheaper than the company (APC) that the ride organisers use. I didn't take a note of the name but it might be this company https://www.bikedelivery.co.uk/. It should be possible to scrounge a box and some packing from the nearest big bike shop - they have plenty to get rid of. It's also possible that a specialist company might treat the box with more care than APC which have a big sorting hub in Staffordshire and I imagine that the boxes are treated with the same care as bags in airports.
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One member of my last group ride said he used a specialist bike courier which was cheaper than the company (APC) that the ride organisers use. I didn't take a note of the name but it might be this company https://www.bikedelivery.co.uk/.
I'm pretty sure these specialists are acting as agents, offering advice, packaging and a booking service, but won't be doing much, if any, of the actual transportation. I don't know this, though I do have some logistics experience and for a company to compete with the likes of APC they'd need to be moving tens of thousands of bikes a day!
I've posted a couple of bikes, I use Interparcel as a broker and they usually work out cheaper than going direct. It can sometimes be more economical to split into two parcels, wheels in one, everything else in the other. I don't know who Thorn are using, did someone post on here that bike delivery is currently £100?
The big question is insurance, this can easily cost more than the postage. It's a real money spinner for the couriers, loss and damage is pretty uncommon, though that's no consolation if it's your package that's the one! Many businesses don't bother, if you're sending 100's the occasional loss is cheaper than the insurance.
Then it's just a matter of pack and hope! Well a little thought might help - fragile stuff well protected, I take the rear derailleur off and zip tie it in the middle of the frame. Good box of course, even double line the corners, also one that stands easily upright is slightly more likely to travel that way. Decent handholds make it easier for the handlers and a package going cross country is likely to get reloaded several times. It's possible your box will get stood on, though it isn't likely, I'd hope to pack a bike in a way that it'll withstand being stood on it, though maybe not repeatedly jumped on!
One of those who frequently fly might have some useful advice, If it can stand that baggage treatment, it ought to be fine overland.
Well done of finding a bike, hope it's everything you hope for.
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These are favorites in USA, so maybe they also ship where you are?
This one says they are international.
https://www.bikeflights.com/ship
I think this one is only in USA, but they have good rates here. I would take the five minutes to figure out if they are in UK or not.
https://www.shipbikes.com/
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Thanks chaps , I’ve just shared some of the info here with the seller and waiting to hear what he thinks is the best choice
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This is the bike
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/985913332029496/
I’ve been trying to figure out the history/model of the bike
I read on an old forum post that there was 3 versions of the derailleur nomad before the rohloff models
Mk1 with quill stem , Mk2 with different stem and Mk3 with Reynolds 725 frame
It looks like an image I found in the thorn literature/email archives from about 2006 where they were selling these mk3’s off for about £1000 reduced from about £1200
But the bike I’m buying has a double crown fork found on the rohloff mk2 nomads (and maybe the rohloff mk1 nomads ?) so that’s a bit unusual . The owner has passed away now and the son has had the bike for a wee while but too tall for it , so I wouldn’t be able to find out about the fork and why it’s different .
The thorn badge at the front is also black whereas in the thorn literature it’s silver
Any ideas ?
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Here is the 2006 bike and a quote
http://web.archive.org/web/20070518003633/http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/nomad.html
“ 07/09/2006 - We are selling off the derailleur equipped Thorn Nomads. If this is a touring bike you have always fancied this is your last chance to get your hands on one. We have limited stocks of these British built machines, so give us a call now on 01278 441500 to check if we have your size. “
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Also the front rack on the one I’m buying looks different
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I’m really wondering how much weight I can load up this bike with
But I don’t see any specific information
I’m wondering if it is comparable with a Sherpa?
And also wondering ….. is this bike basically a Sherpa ? I read that after the derailleur nomad was discontinued then the derailleur Sherpa came out and the rohloff nomad mk1
So did the derailleur nomad really just continue under the name “Sherpa “ and a totally different heavier duty bike was made that stole the “nomad “ name but is really a different bike?
I’m probably getting all that wrong, just trying to piece together bits of info
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I’ve no experience of sending bikes by post/courier.
My thoughts are that if You’re relying on the seller to pack the bike properly and if he/she is not familiar with what’s required it might be better to find a bike shop local to the seller which has the experience to do all this and arrange a courier including compensation cover in the event of damage/loss.
Ive used anyvan.com for furniture transport so in theory there’s no reason why they could not courier bikes. They also have an eBay courier service but this may be no use if the purchase wasn’t via eBay.
Well done for finding the bike and safe and happy cycling.
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Nice bike, the black badge makes me wonder if it has had a re spray? The forks are reminiscent of the Sherpa/raven tour. I remember we had some long discussions on what was a mark 1 nomad!
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I agree that paying a bike shop to pack a bike is best. Bike shops unpack new bikes every day, they have the boxes and supplies. And they have the practice of knowing the best way to do it.
I bought my road bike and received the bike in the original manufacturer (Raleigh) packing. I attached three photos, first two photos are of the bike with all packing materials immediately after I lifted it out of the box.
The third is cropped from a previous photo showing there is a plastic spacer that sticks out from the bike far enough that an impact to the side of teh box will not hit the rear derailleur, and the chain was on the biggest sprocket. Bad packing can lead to a bent hanger, most people ship bikes with the rear derailleur off to prevent that.
The canoe in the photo was not included, that was already there.
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Hmmm, maybe it’s actually one of these
http://web.archive.org/web/20070302203928/http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/exp.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060321060820/http://www.sjscycles.com/thornwebsite/thornpdf/ThorneXpBroHiRes.pdf
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Nice bike, the black badge makes me wonder if it has had a re spray? The forks are reminiscent of the Sherpa/raven tour. I remember we had some long discussions on what was a mark 1 nomad!
I’m wondering if it’s an derailleur exp that’s been resprayed
There is a rohloff exp I saw on google images that looks like it’s been resprayed black too
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Mickeg
Thanks , I’ve just passed on the suggestion to possibly see if a bike shop will pack it 👍
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I’ve no experience of sending bikes by post/courier.
My thoughts are that if You’re relying on the seller to pack the bike properly and if he/she is not familiar with what’s required it might be better to find a bike shop local to the seller which has the experience to do all this and arrange a courier including compensation cover in the event of damage/loss.
Ive used anyvan.com for furniture transport so in theory there’s no reason why they could not courier bikes. They also have an eBay courier service but this may be no use if the purchase wasn’t via eBay.
Well done for finding the bike and safe and happy cycling.
Thanks for the info .
The owner actually offers to drop it off in Dundee in the back of his van when he comes up to Scotland , but it won’t be till may /June
I haven’t got the patience to wait tho haha. He was just trying to save me money on shipping which was kind of him
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I think it is an exp as the guy sent me seller sent me videos of the bike and it has an “x” thingy highlighted in the exp literature and also it looks like a “drain plug” (bolt under the bottom bracket to let out moisture build up
The racks , both from and back both looks the same too
Can’t think of what else it can
Looks like it would have been a decent bike when it was new. More expensive than the nomad I originally thought