Will it fit?

[bikerta]

Would a 485L Mk2 Sherpa fit me or is it too small?  I have looked on the brochures for the MK2 and there is no mention of approximate height of rider for this bike. I am 5'5" in height and my standover height (measured by myself though rather than with 2 people as suggested by thorn) is around 78cm. My usual inside leg measurement is 29 and half to 30 inches. I prefer a more upright position on a bike and am currently struggling with the drops on my Galaxy as the reach is quite long.

I don't want to end up going from a bike which is slightly too big to one that is too small. Just wish SJS was open on a Saturday.

Many thanks for any help.

Jackie   

[jags]

im roughly the same size as you sjs reckons 517/L is the right size for me.BUT my reach from tip of saddle to centre of handles is 520mm which means i need a 88 mm stem to get my perfect reach.

so yeah going on your size  the 48 would be to small, but you would be better of to give DAVE WHITTLE a pm on here just to be certain.

jags.

[onrbikes]

Not sure if this helps.

My wife is 5'4" (162cm) and had a 487l thorn Raven tour.

The main thing is the standover height. You should have about 1"-2" or 25mm - 50mm clearance. Hers had a standover of 769mm as stated in the brochure. She said it wouldn't of wanted to be any more.

But hey, I'm no expert.


Note: I can't believe you English still use that imperial system. Even though I served an apprenticeship with the system hate it. Give me metric any day.

[bikerta]

Thanks for the replies. The standover height on the Sherpa is 725mm which is fine as that leaves just over 2" (sorry 55mm).

Hi Jags, have been following many of your posts and thought I would probably need a frame size in the low 500's depending on the model of bike. I am also in the problematic stage of decisions at the moment. Should I try and get a second hand Sherpa or Club Tour or should I just convert my Galaxy to butterfly bars which will bring them closer to me. (sorry that is probably the equivalent of swearing on this site)

It's is just difficult finding second hand thorns at the best of times, let alone one that actually is in your size.

[jags]

Jackie to be honest if your galaxy fits and your happy with it why change there a great bike.picking up a second hand bike that fits  is near impossible no matter the make.
mind you it's always great to buy a spanking new bike, feels great that new bike feeling .the reason i'm after a thorn club tour is to carry all my camping gear its just a pity my lovely raleigh  wont take racks

anyway might be a plan to wait and talk to the expert our man Dan he wont pit you wrong.
sorry jackie  but i'm just waiting for this bloody rain to stop sitting here with the gear on ready to hit the road.
so do nothing until you get better advice i know exactly what bike i'm after but you might have a different plan.
best of luck keep me posted.
jags.

[Danneaux]

Hi Jackie!

I'd suggest giving the folks at Thorn/SJS Cycles a call to ask their advice on sizing. Costs nothing, and you'll have an expert opinion very soon so you'll be on more solid ground going forward.

Then, if nothing is readily available in your size except new, I'd suggest fitting those butterfly bars and some new brake levers and seeing how things feel on your Galaxy. I don't think you'll be completely satisfied with them, but if they do nothing more than help you spot-in on your preferred position, they will be well worth the modest investment

I've always waited to buy the next bike until I could quantify what was lacking in the current model. Filling gaps, I call it. It is a strategy that has rarely gone wrong.

In any event, you'll be closer to knowing your needs more concretely.

I hope this help. All best luck whichever way you go; nice to have you with us, and welcome to the Thorn Cycling Forums.

Best,

Dan

[bikerta]

After advice from Jags and Dan I did contact SJS and my suspicions have been confirmed that the bike will be too small    
 Instead they recommend a 510 in the Mk2 Sherpa and a 500 in the newer Mk3.  So Jags, you were spot on. Maybe we should rewind the clock so you can put yours up for sale again and I could buy it from you. It was a lovely bike (do prefer the red though) and had everything on it that I would consider myself. You also had some brilliant camping kit to go with it too. I agree with you about the Club Tour, I get the feeling that this is the Thorn's version of the Galaxy and I would also be the 517L.

I will probably go to my local LBS and seek their advice about putting butterfly bars on my galaxy to see if it helps at all. As Dan says, it does at least tell you more about what you want from a bike each time you alter it. I keep thinking its probably just because I need to build up my core strength, but I have now done 1000 miles on the Galaxy since August. It's fine for the first 25 miles or so, but then I get some aches and pains across my shoulders, mainly my right shoulder. It doesn't help that I also got a lovely honey Brooks Flyer for Christmas, which I am also in the process of breaking in. 

I am enjoying the cycling on a "larger scale"  though. The longest ride to date is 53 miles when I took the train to Axminster and rode back home. Pretty hilly area is Axminster and I was shattered when I got home, but overall very pleased that I made it. The recent weather has stopped me from riding so much with the high winds and torrential rain, but I am going to have to really rack up the miles if I am to complete LEJOG or JOGLE this August. I am in the lucky position to be able to take most of August to do it though, so no huge mileage days. I completed a short tour (the Wiltshire Cycleway) a while back to test out the bike fully loaded with camping gear and found that fine (120 miles in 3 days)  I will also be camping on the LEJOG so will be carrying a bit of weight.

Good luck in your search Jags, wouldn't it be great if we could just go and buy 4 or 5 different bikes and just choose which 1 to ride depending on where and what we are doing, instead of trying to find 1 that will do it all.

[jags]

Thanks Jackie i'm kinda well set on the club tour i reckon its the best bike for me.
jackie your galaxy, are you on straight bars by any chance,if you are then concider drops far better imho.butterfly bars emm don't know to be honest, but if your local bikeshop will let you try before you buy then happy days.
yeah my sherpa was a cracking bike but a bit overkill for the touring i do smooth tarmac  and yeah all my camping gear was top notch, but i have a nice kit built up again ,my tent is a bit on the heavy side but it's a good one loads of room bit like the hille nallo gt2.cant afford to buy a new one the new frame is my number one goal for this year.
well i sure hope you sorted with the bike btw if you buy from SJS you can try that club tour out for 100 days if you dont like it you get your money back (at least i think thats there policy better check )

best of luck with lejog man how i would love to do that.are you going to be camping all the way ,lets hope the weather gods are on your side.
btw you should if your not already join the WWW.FELLCLUB.ORG.UK tell them anto sent you  .
cheers
jags.

[bikerta]

Hi Jags,

I take it you are not in favour of butterfly bars then!!  I am already on drops and desperately want to like them, but I find them too narrow on the tops, bit of a stretch on the hoods and never use the drops unless I am on a steep descent and I can get a better grip on the brakes. I will often sit either just in front of hoods or on the sides of the bars which is why I thought the butterfly bars may be better. I also like the look of the Thorn comfort bars with ergon gp 1 grips, or flat bars with ergon GP 3 or GP 5 grips and side bars. This would then give me my favoured position of the sides of the drops by holding the side bars instead, but would also have a wider top area to hold and more comfortable hand grips. You would also have the added benefit of having the brakes much closer to you for more control.

I will probably be camping for most of the time on LEJOG. If the weather does turn nasty for several days, then I would have to consider B & B just to get things dried. I have to keep the budget as low as possible though. Been reading through so many sites and routes my mind is just a whirr at the moment. Want to do it as JOGLE as I would like to get the very long train journey up to Scotland over and done with at the beginning and I can book well in advance to get a cheap price. The trip home from Penzance is not too far for me and if I have to pay full price it's not too bad anyway. This would give me full flexibility to do whatever mileage I wanted each day. If I go from Lands End, then I would still have to book the train home from Scotland well in advance to get cheap price, which then means I have a set date to reach John o Groats and all flexibility to take a little longer or go a little quicker is gone.   Unfortunately, heading South means you have more chance of headwinds as prevailing winds are south westerlies. Imagine some of the recent winds in your face for over 1000 miles.  YIKES!!

Thanks for the link and for all your help in my little problem. This is such a great site and I enjoy drooling over the pictures in the gallery. I am not sure if the Club Tour at SJS comes with the 100 day policy as it is a special price.

[jags]

Dan will know about that 100 day return 

yes the thorn bars might be the way to go if you get your perfect reach.
i ride the hoods most of the time never on the drops me belly gets in the way.
Jackie try a shorter stem before you go splashing out on new bars and tilt you bars up a tad.the great Eddie mercks would never leave home without a spanner in his jersey pocket, forever adjusting his position on the bike, and thats a fact.
ah we will get there in the end Jackie have no fear ,btw why not get a flight to the nearest point on lejog save you all that time on a train..

jags.

[Danneaux]

Hi Jackie!

I had really good luck using a pair of Bontrager compact drop handlebars ( http://www.bontrager.com/model/11241 ) on my 590M Nomad with a short 60mm stem (got mine on eBay). I moved from a 560S Sherpa that was outfitted with a 120mm stem and Thorn's anatomic drops and the Nomad's longer top tube required setting the brake levers far up the 'bars with a shorter stem. The position was right, but not the feel. The original setup did give me a great platform to confirm basic fit, so all good. Switching to more compact 'bars and stem solved all my problems and gave me my same position with better ergonomics for my hands. I wanted a wide handlebar with a touring load up front on rough roads and offroad and found the 44cm width to be a good choice, nicely balanced for me between "sufficient leverage" and "too wide". It works great for me no matter the road or trail. A short discourse on the topic appears here: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4523.msg28317#msg28317

On his Raven build, member John Saxby will be going with a very nice Velo-Orange randonneur drop-'bar measuring 50cm. It also has a shallow drop and reach and has the added advantage of the traditional randonneur "upsweep" that many including myself find comfortable. I have a similarly shaped Nitto Randonneur 'bar on my blue rando bike and like it very much. If you go with a randonneur bend, be careful to check the width at the brake hoods, a the bend not only sweeps upward from just past the stem...the sides (where it is measured) flare. My Nitto 45s measure 45cm c-t at the ends, but only 37cm c-c at the hoods.

You can see some pics of my Nomad's present setup nd how I fit on it here:
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4523.msg49587#msg49587
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4523.msg49589#msg49589

Of course, we're different sizes and everyone has their own (equally valid) preferences, but I thought I'd point out drops do come in a variety of flavors, including compact models that have less forward reach and less drop, making them much more versatile and usable (for me, anyway). These came into vogue partly to make up for the longer reach of modern brake hoods and partly because not everyone wanted to drop as far down as required by some anatomic drops. As with most things, it is a matter of preference and there is no one "right" way of doing things. A change in stem reach, either alone or on concert with a more compact set of drops might hep address some of your present fit and comfort issues.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Dan.

[Danneaux]

Dan will know about that 100 day return

Jags, Jackie,

If the bike in question is this one... http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-club-tour-517l-(21)-racing-green-touring-trekking-bike-new-prod33599/?geoc=us ...then the ad copy states:

NOTE - As these are sold at a discount our usual 14/100 day guarantee does not apply, our usual warranty does.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Dan.

[jags]

ah i see, thanks dan.pity about that though.
still hell of a bike at agreat price.suit Jackie spot on me thinks.

[bikerta]

Now I have got even more to think about!!  I can tell that Dan is a wealth of information and makes you stop and think about every move. I suppose I was guilty of thinking that every drop bar was the same and they are not. I have already had an adjustable stem put on so the bars could be moved slightly upwards and forwards which has helped. I have also rotated the bars slightly, but not too much as then the brake levers are harder to reach from the drops, although they are ok from the hoods.

That Club Tour is the one and I thought I had seen something about the 100 day return not being available otherwise I would have been sorely tempted. It is a good price, but it would still mean me finding another £400 on top of the price I would possibly get for my Galaxy. Well worth it if it is comfortable and rides well, but it's just finding that extra £400. It looks so similar to my Galaxy, same colour and style but I prefer the look of the handlebar set up on the Thorn. Whether this set up is right for me only riding the bike will tell. Ooohh, now you have really got me thinking. Maybe it's a good job that SJS are NOT open on a Saturday. 

[jags]

hah ha now jackie this is how i've been feeling this past 6 months 
if i can gather 200 euro thats what i'm short  that frame will be mine as long as they don't go and sell it.if i have to go for the new 2014 model i'm back to square one.
so what about wider shallow drop bars shorter stem surly that should sort you out.
btw i ride 44cm bars very comfy.
oh to have money