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Nomad Exp renovation

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samuelellis:
Hi everyone, I'm new to the cult having just purchased an old. Nomad Exp which I haven't even laid hands on it as yet having purchased it unseen off Gumtree. It looks a little tired but there's a reasonable amount /some money available for a renovation. I wondered if anyone had any tips as to what to do? I'm already assuming that I'm going to need a couple of new chainrings / chain / cassette; and I'll obviously look at the headset bearings and BB (the wheels again I'll have to assess on arrival - how desirable is a dynamo?).

Any thoughts very much appreciated.

PH:
Congratulations and welcome, look forward to the photos. The EXP was always a bit special, I think they were always UK hand built frames.  The full on expedition model, do you have an intended purpose for it?
For me, when I buy a secondhand bike, I try and spend as little as possible to get it usable for a few hundred miles.  Not only am I then sure the bike suits me before spending money I'll never get back, but also I'll know if there's any changes to make when I do start upgrading.
Dynamo, I assume you mean hub dynamo? Depends what use you have for it, nothing beats the convenience of having lights whenever you need them, but if that need is always predictable it's easily satisfied with battery lights. The cost is also dependent on whether you need a new wheel, it's quite a chunk if you don't, but a much more reasonable upgrade if you do.
Have fun.

mickeg:
The best bike for you is the bike that fits the best.

So, the first changes you might want to make is anything that is needed to improve fit.  For most people, first item is a different stem to change the handlebar location.  Saddle change is sometimes a priority.  If you already have a bike that has a perfect fit, that makes it easy to try to reproduce the geometry with some measurements.  Once you get the bike to fit really well, then you will get some ideas on where to spend some more money.

in4:
Have a look under the bottom bracket for some letters and numbers re size. Might have an LA there.

steve216c:
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your purchase.

You don’t need a Dynamo. I ran on battery lights for years which often meant carrying spare batteries just in case. And then I tried a hub Dynamo paired with LED lamps and I was blown away by the negligible effort needed to reliably power your lights. Because the effort is for me indiscernible I opt for the ‚be safe be seen‘ approach and ride day and night lights on. I truly believe this must have prevented accidents as drivers are more aware of the presence of a lit cyclist than one without lights. Additionally, the dynamo lamps are not removable without tools, so you don’t need to take your lights off when leaving the bike locked unattended. Another plus over battery lights which are quick to steal in most cases.

I’ve just fitted a used Shimano hub-nx32 to a 2008 Dawes Super Galaxy and fitted  Trelock front LED and B&M rear LED lights all still working after 20,000+km of daily use from one of my other bikes. I rode at almost 50km/h on an unlit road last week and am still impressed on what a reliable and well lit combination that made even with aged components.

You could invest in SON, but a sensible Shimano is not expensive. Even their basic models are tolerable . With a Hermanns MR8 front light, a well priced but strong front light, you could buy new and have affordable and good always ready lights for years to come.

I’m certain that most of the forum users who have a hub dynamo would probably agree that hub dynamos are well worth upgrading to and would not wish to go back to battery lamps.

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