Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Muppets Threads! (And Anything Else) => Topic started by: jags on December 08, 2014, 07:08:50 PM
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Ok lads after Christmas i need to buy new 90mm stem plus carbon forks for my audax so before i go emailing the good people at sjs what do you lads reckon i should be buying.
a link would be good as well thanks
anto
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I wouldn't buy the forks as there is nothing wrong with the steel forks you have. Even if you spend a ton of money on a pair you aren't going to be much faster. Put your money towards a lightweight set of handbuilt wheels and good tyres. This will make your bike accelerate and climb better much more than a new set of forks.
As for stem, any will do when was the last time you felt you stem flex?
You always seem to be short of funds when I bump into your threads, spend what little money you have with care.
I'm not trying to cause offence, just trying to offer honest advice. Please don't take it negatively.
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i have a set of lightweigh custom wheels and tyres the wife bought me for Christmas ;),the carbon forks will not make me any faster that's for certain but it will lighten the front end ,i seen a stem on chainreaction (DEDA) going for 19 euro on sale but its 100mm i was hoping to get 90,
anyway no rush on me none of these changes will happen this side of Christmas.
BTW nothing in your post that i would concider to be offensive ::).
cheers
jags.
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+1 to Fossala's advice, Anto; it's good!
(...and put the mudguards back on else you'll have a wet stripe up your back! ;) )
All the best,
Dan.
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When I got a carbon fork from SJS it was the Ambrosio momentum one. It was a decent fork, and at 650g its about 500g lighter than the stock audax steel forks. I've switched it out recently though for one of their 853 forks. It looks better to me, it's only a fraction heavier (at 800g) and gives clearance for 28mm tyres and mudguards. I got bought it as a birthday present though as it's silly expensive.
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Hello,
The Carbon fork on my Black Audax is a Kinesis DC07, but of course Anto thinks mudguards are rubbish (this fork allows mudguards with 28 mm tyres) and I guess he will fit 23mm tyres to 'go faster ' too? So a narrow hard unforgiving carbon fork will do the job.
I wish I had kept those mudguards!
Regards,
John
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dont worry john all good things come to those who wait.. ;D ;D
heres one for ya john, get yourself a spin on a colnargo c50 with carbon wheels and tubs( no mudguards) take it for a good spin and report back .
guarantee you will never ride a steel touring bike again. ;)
so this argument about riding lightweight bikes wont make you go faster and make cycling far easier ,you guys are off your rockers ,even riding solo a lightweigh bike is 100 times better.these audax /touring bikes should only be taken out when your either audaxing or touring .
so before yis shoot me try out a lightweight bike and i mean a lightweight not a copy ,then tell me i'm wrong ;)
anto.
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I have owned/ridden Colnago c40 and numerous other lighter weight bikes.
You cannot go camping on an Italian road racing bike.
You can go camping/touring/riding/ or whatever you want to, on a Thorn.
Obviously your head has been turned as if by magic because your friends have more money and lighter weight bikes. As I mentioned earlier, 'I give up'.
Regards,
John
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Thats not what im saying John ,im saying lightweigh bikes are far easier to ride effordless .not talking touring or audax im talking for easier cycling take out you touring bike when you want to go touring .
btw i'm gonna give up this forum in the next few days it seems i'm the only gobshite on it all you lads are way ahead of this kid .
bye bye now and a happy christmas to all.
anto.
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Anto, please don't go anywhere (except for a spin around your beautiful Irish countryside). We need you right here! ???
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oooops! :)
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Anto,
you are on of the best characters on this forum and would be sadly missed. Perhaps its just a change of medication you need ;) ;D
Bob
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Please have a rethink Jags :(. You are one of the main contributors to the forum and it will be a much poorer place without your bike knowledge and wonderful photos of your bike in the Irish countryside.
Regards,
Neil
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I had a Legnano racing bike, sew-up tires etc. Probably a 1972ish bike that I bought in 1975 and had to let go of in 1992. That bike would fly! Sometimes I think about getting another zippy bike like that. If keeping up with other riders was important - well, it'd take a lot more than a new bike!
I can be out exploring the countryside all day on my Nomad and be comfortable and confident. No doubt about it though, those racing bikes are exhilarating!
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Hey Anto, come on, I mainly check this forums for your posts! They're amusing, in a positive way.
More to the point, no clue how much faster I ride on the Cyclosportiff compared to the Raven Tour, if at all, but it feels a great deal faster. So I see where you're coming from. These days Thorns are quite utilitarian, they used to build fun bikes like XTC or your Audax 853 (though clearly it's not fun enough for some ;)) but now entirely focus on utility above all else. This makes me wonder, if it's not partly cause by the fact that regardless of all arguments on the strength and durability of steel frames etc., if someone wants a super light bike then they'll always choose the carbon stuff over Thorn anyway. Which is maybe what you really should do...? If you want to have fun on a super light bike, then that's that. Thorn themselves would likely tell you to look elsewhere for that.
But don't take offence when others tell you swapping forks won't make much difference, you're really unlikely to notice 500g less up front, and climbing as far as I know is more to do with short wheelbase than forks (which is why my Cyclosportiff is so nippy on uphills - any takers before Christmas by the way? ;)).
My advice - wait for the spring, sell the Audax, get a bike that will make you happy.
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I've raced and time-trialed in my past. I rode with the club on training rides. And I had a short wheelbase racing frame for the job. I also had close ratio gears (bottom I think was 60", top 100" - derigour at the time!) and I thought I was fast-ish!! In the winter though the Sunday club run had to be with mudguards (if not you stayed at the back all day!) and commuting was on 68" fixed.
Roll on several years and that racing bike (and a carbon version too) weren't so fast. My power output will never rival my "glory" (sort of!!) days, and the hills of Devon are vicious. Fixed is an impossibility down the hills, let alone up! Racing gears, even with the luxury of 10 speed cassettes, are no way near low enough. No, a carbon race bike of any price would not solve the problems. Delightful it might be for ten or twenty minutes, but just too uncomfortable and too much walking on the steeper uphills! My enjoyment of cycling has changed. Ultimate speed is irrelevant; comfort and taking pleasure in the journey is the over-riding priority.
I still appreciate a bike that handles well and is well built, with quality components and modern features. I want to take pride in my ride and know that it's capable of long distances, when I am, without beating me up. Mudguards are not an accessory but an essential. Just like a saddlebag is always attached to carry waterproofs, food and an extra layer - oh and perhaps alternative shoes for walking around an historical monument or manor house. For all this my Audax is the perfect bike. And is faster than a carbon racer because it gets me there, and back with a smile on my tired face!
Just my take on things!
Nich
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My take on this ... for what it's worth ...
Anto wants a lighter/faster bike because he has struggled to keep pace with the groups he has been riding with recently. It also seems that what Anto loves is not the speed of those runs, but the "craic". I can understand this, because I used to do a lot of social cycling, and you have to go with the speed of the group. Therefore, if he wants/needs a lightweight bike, and it is gettable then more power to his elbow. This is not about touring!
I suggested a carbon fork in the other thread, not primarily about lighter weight or extra speed, but to enable a longer/higher steerer to raise his handlebars [which will not make him go faster but] which will hopefully alleviate his painful back problem. Secondary to that, I know that Anto likes carbon and it may also smooth out some of the vibrations from bad road surfaces. If it makes the man happy then it's all good.
Anto, you get whatever bike suits you, and if you can't get it for a while then dreaming about it is good too.
I think I will forever be addicted to dreaming about n+1 ;)
Jim
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Oh, I second that!!
For me it's a Thorn Mercury! Can't see it happening, but someday, maybe...!
Dreaming's good!
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Relayer I think I will forever be addicted to dreaming about n+1 Wink
Jim,
Im onto that one!
John
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Jags, you've certainly kept me amused with your contributions and enthusiasm for the positive outlook.
There's no point being dogmatic about your bike. I think it's a continual process of trying to match your current bike with what you currently want to get out of cycling. Drift away from a steel frame to a carbon frame, you may return to steel or not. You might go off and try BMX, track racing, Dutch bikes, etc. Doesn't matter, so long as you're enjoying being out pedalling.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
cheers,
Doug
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Lads thanks one and all appreciate all the great replys sure i love the feckin lot of yis. ::)
i suppose the best thing i could do before i go selling of changing parts is to get a proper bike fit.you would think after all the years i've been cycling i should know what size bike fits me.
but the problem im having (cheers Jim ) is my back i'm in my 60's now, not that i feel like an old dude far from it the head is still 19 the bones are starting to seize up tho.
yeah i think i just need to get things as i want them with the audax it will do my crazy head good.
the group cycling is great but to be honest i miss cycling on my todd, im just one of these guys that cant say know.
anyway lads i'll hang about let you lot know what im gonna come up with .
btw nothing wrong with mudguards ::)
anto
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As well as trying a different stem etc., you could try a compact drop handlebar which will bring the brake hoods an inch or so nearer to you as well as making riding on the drops more practical and less of a challenge for your back.
I've got compact drops (FSA Vero) on my Sherpa and my Audax mk3 and wouldn't like to go back to standard drops..
Chainreaction have them for £23.99.
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cheers rual i think i have compact drops on her.
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cheers rual i think i have compact drops on her.
They don't look like compact drops.
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shallow maybe Rual im a geek. ::)
anto