Thorn Audax MK 3 Review

[Vintagetourer]

I have a newish Thorn Audax which I have now toured on, audaxed on and commuted on.
These range of riding experiences have convinced me to do a review of the bike.

It's here.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/reviews/board/message/?thread_id=610130

Let me know if the review is fair or foul.
Any feedback, good or bad, will be appreciated.

And if you have a Thorn Audax, please add your comments and ratings to the review.

[Rockymountain]

Thanks for posting. It's a great review (and a great looking bike)

BW

Fraser

[Neil Jones]

Thanks for posting the fantastic review of your pride and joy, it looks and sounds like you've found the perfect bike for your needs. I love the way you've personalised it, great job.

I'm trying to convince myself that I need to add an Audax to my fleet (I have an RT and an RST). Whilst they are both brilliant bikes it would be nice to have a lighter, more responsive bike as well.

Regards,
Neil.

[John Saxby]

Thanks for this review, Graham.  Well written as always -- a great read, which with the photos does justice to a fine bike.  Your review will be really useful to others considering one of these bikes.  Glad it's all turned out so well for you!  - J.

[leftpoole]

Hello!
Great write up and the bike does look very nice indeed.
Regards from a fellow 'Thorn nut'.
John

[jags]

Almost as nice as mine  
 class bike and a very nice build..
i found that the choice of wheels will totally transform the ride.at the moment i have Mavic 319 with  ribmo 28 tyres,the ride quality is good but when i use the the custom wheels i won   nothing special but much lighter  mavic sups 105 hubs slick 23mm tyres  the audax is a completly different bike.

jags.

[Audax hopeful]

As yet another red Audax mk3 owner I'd say you've got the review pretty much spot on. It's a great bike that does many things very well. Tyre clearance with m'guards gives a good choice of makes and sizes to dial in the final feel. I agree with Thorn that wheel and tyre choice can have a big influence on the final character of the bike. I'm running OpenPro rims with Continnental TopContact 700x28 on mine at present which I think are a good winter choice but next spring I'm considering Vittoria Rubino Pro 700x28 (only 245g with good puncture resistance and an affordable price!) to further enhance the sporty nature of this great bike.

I'm sure your words will be very helpful for anyone considering purchasing a mk3.

Nich

[Vintagetourer]

Thanks for mentioning mudguards as these are one component that are almost not required in Australia. Not where I live anyway. Rain is an infrequent occurrence.

I don't have mudguards on any of my bikes, but readers of the review could be wondering about them for the Audax.
The Thorn brochure covers the width question, but I'll add a line or two mudguards.

[Vintagetourer]

i found that the choice of wheels will totally transform the ride.at the moment i have Mavic 319 with  ribmo 28 tyres,the ride quality is good but when i use the the custom wheels i won   nothing special but much lighter  mavic sups 105 hubs slick 23mm tyres  the audax is a completly different bike.

jags.

Jags I had a bit of a scare with a Mavic rim last week. Blew up in a spectacular way. Thankfully the bike was on the stand, and not going fast downhill. The wheel was on another of my bikes, which is why I rode the red Thorn in a randonneur event recently. My lighter bike was out of action with a kaput wheel.
More info and a pic here. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum/board/message/?thread_id=609020
Still a mystery. Different Mavic to yours.

[JimK]

That rim failure looks like the sort of thing one would expect from a fat tire on a narrow rim. I didn't see on that thread how wide were the tires. The rims look to be 15 mm inner well width. According to Schwalbe you can fit up to a 32 mm tire on a rim of that width. Complicated stuff, though. Scary failure!

[leftpoole]

Almost as nice as mine  
 

jags.

Anto!
I'm not very well as you are aware, but I'm building another Audax bike!
Pictures in a week or two.
John

[jags]

Anto!
I'm not very well as you are aware, but I'm building another Audax bike!
Pictures in a week or two.
John

what i don't believe it ,did you win the lottery   or what.

anto.

[Andre Jute]

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/reviews/board/message/?thread_id=610130

By golly, I love that red bike! Super review, too.

[Vintagetourer]

That rim failure looks like the sort of thing one would expect from a fat tire on a narrow rim. I didn't see on that thread how wide were the tires. The rims look to be 15 mm inner well width. According to Schwalbe you can fit up to a 32 mm tire on a rim of that width. Complicated stuff, though. Scary failure!

Jim as I mentioned in the post, the blown rim happened on another of my bikes...not the Thorn Audax.
I have Swiss DT rims on my Thorn.
The rim which blew was a Mavic Kysyrium on my light road bike.
The tyre on it was a new 25mm Schwalbe Ultremo, well within spec.
The tyre is OK;  the the rim is shot. It had only done a few thousand easy km. Still a mystery but I think it was a fault in the rim. The wheels came with the bike, which as I said is not a Thorn.

[gaz46]

Thanks for the review Vintagetourer.
I've built up a single speed before myself, but would love the chance to dust off the tools again for another build.
It's a great education and cuts down on many a visit to the local bike shop as you can usually solve any issues yourself.
I don't suppose anyone has ever worked out whether it's more economical to buy a complete build, or to purchase like for like spec components and build it up yourself? I do recall reading a while back that a self-build is generally the less economical approach.