Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Cycle Tours => Topic started by: flocsy on September 04, 2023, 04:02:07 AM
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Arrived to Luton 2 hours ago. There's a long train trip to Beverley, where I will get my Nomad in about 6 hours and finally be a proper member in the forum :)
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Enjoy your adventure, I'm sure you will.
Don't forget the English love to talk about the weather, it's going to be a hot this week, in contrast to the quite miserable last couple of weeks ;)
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Ok, I've got a way to post pictures: I download them from Facebook.
So here's my new Nomad, with all the stuff.
On the way out from Beverley I saw this nice gate and I remembered that I saw it on the forum. I think Hoot was standing below the gate.
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My tent in the 1st sunset.
The place I entered the Trans Pennine Trail.
Nice riverbank on the way.
Nice viaduct.
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Some stories after 2 days:
On the 1st day after 45 minutes I stopped to double check that I am on the right way. I was not. Looks like I accidentally clicked on another course I also prepared. So I started from Beverley to the north instead of west (I noticed that I am climbing hills and remembered that I was supposed to reach the sea shore soon)
My 1st experience with the Rohloff gear: needs some time to get used to it: the strangest thing is that it's more like driving a manual car than a bike with derealleaur. I knew I am not supposed to push hard when changing gears, but I can't even push easy? I really need to stop pedalling for a second. This is even annoying when changing to higher gear. I need to think and plan ahead of time when I'm going to change, and stop pushing (much like releasing my foot from the gas pedal in a car)
There is also something that bothers me with the numbers on the gear shifter. They don't align with the raven. I would be ok with that, if all the gears were the same amount higher than the raven, but no, they are moving.
And there is a strange thing, I don't know if it's normal and happens when I don't still push to hard when changing: sometimes it feels like instead of changing 1 gear it changes like 3 or 4. I only turn it on (let's say from 11 to 12) but it feels much harder, not the usual, hardly feelable change. Let me know if this is normal and I should practice holding back even more on the pedal while changing or it's something I should be concerned about.
And one more question: I feel like the frame is the right size (even Thorn would give me similar sized bike - though not Nomad - when I asked about the 2nd hand bikes) but I also feel too much pressure on my arms and even on my back.
So I am thinking about 3 options, 2 that I could even try during the tour and one that needs a new stem:
1. Change the angle of the horns so they will be closer and higher. This maybe decreases their effectiveness on uphills, but could give me a more relaxed posture which hopefully would put less pressure on my arm and back,
2. Turn around the stem. Currently it's going down, so if I turn it around then it should go up. If my intuition is right it would even shorten the reach a little bit (because the steerer's angle is 70 something, not 90) and also make the handlebar higher
3. Maybe only buying a shorter stem will help?
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Looks a lovely Nomad. Congratulations!
I ended up buying a 590L Nomad. I’m 1.78M and after a few adjustments including fitting a new, shorter stem I’m very comfortable on it. That said I’m trialing an alternative saddle to my B17. The Selle SMP TRK with its dropped nose and cut out seems to offer ‘extra comfort’
I guess the whole fitting process is a bit trial and error but, for me, quite enjoyable.
All good wishes for your future tours and welcome..
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I would try raising the handlebars as a temporary measure. Once you get home you can start fine-tuning the configuration, which is much easier if you've got another bike which you know is comfortable and can measure the pertinent dimensions.
Yes, Rohloff gears shift better if you aren't applying any load on the pedals but, with practice, you can shift one gear by briefly reducing pedal pressure when the cranks are approaching the vertical position. Changing several gears requires a more definite pause in pedalling. Personally, I find the Rohloff easier to shift than derailleur gears, particular when needing to change down while climbing a hill. It's also possible that the Rohloff system on your bike would benefit from a bit of maintenance including checking if the ex-box is packed with grease and that the cables move freely. Unless you know that the hub oil was changed recently then also do an oil change.
You can fine-tune the indicated position on the Rohloff shifter by using the adjusters where the cables go into the ex-box. However, note that it's recommended to keep some slack in the cables such that you can turn the shifter by about 1/2 gear without it having any effect.
PS: The weather isn't usually this hot in September. It's been warmer than either July or August but you currently have the benefit that it's not wind and rain.
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Looks like you're having a good time and the bike looks great.
It always takes me a while to get a bike just right, did you bring all the measurements from your other bike? It doesn't always work out identical, but it's a good starting point. Generally, good bike fit starts with the relationship between saddle and BB and counterintuitively moving the saddle back takes weight off the hands. It's impossible to really offer helpful fit advice on a forum, but what I can say is a lot of people put a lot of effort into changing bars and stems when that wasn't the issue. There's a decent guide that's been linked here many times, I'll see if I can find it.
The Rohloff does take a little getting used to, as John says you might have a bit too much slack in the cables, there's no right amount, I know what suits me. The shifting pause takes practice, I couldn't even tell you how I do it, it's become instinctive. I find it quicker and smoother than a derailleur shift, but I have a vague memory that wasn't always the case. The only time I noticeably lose momentum is on a stiff climb, the sort of situation where I wouldn't have attempted a derailleur shift.
Have fun!
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2. Turn around the stem. Currently it's going down, so if I turn it around then it should go up. If my intuition is right it would even shorten the reach a little bit (because the steerer's angle is 70 something, not 90) and also make the handlebar higher
I did exactly this a few years after buying my Mk2 Nomad 565L and I found it gave the adjustment I needed for a slightly more upright and comfortable riding position and looks better IMO 🙂. So, yes, worth a try before buying a new stem but are all the cables long enough to accommodate a rise in the handlebar height. The front brake cable looks quite tight already.
Enjoy the tour!
This is my Nomad.
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I'm enjoying coming along vicariously on your tour. The photo of the viaduct is absolutely perfect.
You'll soon get used to the Rohloff. I suspect that yours requires considerable running-in still. A first-class Rohloff expert, Chalo Colina, told me, "A Rohloff starts being run in about the time a Shimano hub gearbox lies itself down to die." Since Chalo weighed 350 pounds and owned several Rohloff bikes, I was inclined to pay attention. It proved to be true, as I wrecked two Shimano Nexus Premium boxes in not much over 5000km between the two of them, and my Rohloff clearly feels no pain. You need to post (go light on the pedals) momentarily as you change gear. You'll soon get used to it, and eventually the necessity will disappear.
Also, eventually, you'll unlearn what you learned on derailleurs, and no longer care about which gear you're in, just roll around, one gear or several at once, to the right gear without looking at the index on the rubber grip.
Looking at the bike, it looks like you bought a near-new topclass bike at a hefty discount. You're one lucky cyclist. Congratulations.
That ripe yellow will make you the envy of the entire group, except me -- I'm calmly mature and no longer lust after after yellow bikes.
Enjoy!
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You'll soon get used to the Rohloff. I suspect that yours requires considerable running-in still.
The sale listing http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=14884.0 suggests that the bike had done no more than 1500 miles prior to the recent purchase. The hub might still contain the original oil as there's no mention of oil changes (don't worry - it still works but perhaps not optimally). You'll find that the oil from the hub when you change it has a good metallic glint. Again, don't worry as this demonstrates that the running-in process is working and the corners of the gear teeth are becoming smoother.
The Rohloff hub on the bike I'm using is now approaching 10k miles and both shifting nicely and getting quieter in low range (gears 7 and below).
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My 1st experience with the Rohloff gear: needs some time to get used to it: the strangest thing is that it's more like driving a manual car than a bike with derealleur. I knew I am not supposed to push hard when changing gears, but I can't even push easy? I really need to stop pedalling for a second. This is even annoying when changing to higher gear. I need to think and plan ahead of time when I'm going to change, and stop pushing (much like releasing my foot from the gas pedal in a car)
I find the Rohloff and most other manual change hub gears quicker and easier to change than derailleur gears. I don't stop pedalling, but I do ease off the pressure, without having to think about it. This seems to work reasonably well for derailleur gears as well. For a long time (about 40 years) I used both types of bicyle gear and had no trouble switching between the two.
The hub gear exception I have used is the old SRAM Spectro 7, which uses a rather complicated system of a click box and two concentric spring-loaded push rods. With this I had to ease off for a noticeable amount of time (probably one or two seconds) to allow the mechanism enough time to change smoothly.
In vehicles, rather than a manual gearbox with clutch, I would compare the Rohloff and other hub gears to the old semi-automatic clutchless gear box used in most of the urban buses I drove in the early 1980's. With this type of gearbox, it was necessary to take the pressure off the accelerator pedal when changing the gears in order to allow the semi-automatic system time to do the change smoothly. The Spectro 7 needed about the same time as a bus, all the other bicycle hub gears I have tried need far less time.
If you have only used derailleur gears on bicycle it might just be the transition, in which case it should get better as you get used to the Rohloff until you don't have to think about it.
If not, an oil change might help if your bike's Rohloff wasn't used much in the period before you bought it. Or maybe the cables have got a bit sticky with age?
There is also something that bothers me with the numbers on the gear shifter. They don't align with the raven. I would be ok with that, if all the gears were the same amount higher than the raven, but no, they are moving.
The indexing takes place in the hub and the shifter uses a double cable system which needs a bit of slack. So the gear engaged doesn't always correspond exactly to the number on the shifter. This doesn't bother me, because I don't usually look at the shifter.
If I want a lower gear I just twist in one direction, if I want a higher gear I twist in the other direction. I know when I am in lowest gear or highest gear because I can't twist any more, otherwise it doesn't matter to me which gear I am in. If the current gear doesn't suit me I just twist to change.
And there is a strange thing, I don't know if it's normal and happens when I don't still push to hard when changing: sometimes it feels like instead of changing 1 gear it changes like 3 or 4. I only turn it on (let's say from 11 to 12) but it feels much harder, not the usual, hardly feelable change. Let me know if this is normal and I should practice holding back even more on the pedal while changing or it's something I should be concerned about.
When you shift between gear 8 and 7 the Rohloff hub can go briefly into gear 14 if you don't ease off a little. I have only experienced this when trying to induce it on purpose by pushing hard on the pedals when doing the change. I think it is mentioned in some descriptions of the Rohloff hub gear.
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3rd and 4th day pictures
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cont.
BTW I get it that I am lucky with the weather, but in 4 days I passed by maybe 100 benches, and this was the 1st one "in shadow" (well for the bike at least, 'cause when I sat down my head was in the sun)
I really like the cycleways that are on old railroads and next to canals (though those are a bit scary sometimes, when the right side is water, about 30cm beyond the path, the left side is bush, not well trimmed with thorns, and my S&S bike case (66cm "wide") is on the rear rack. Sometimes even alone hasitated, but when had to pass someone...)
I also like very much all the remaining buildings from hundreds of years ago. Old churches, bridges and so much buildings from the industrial revolution. I saw a long stone ramp on the side of the cycle path, it took me a minute until I realized that I am on the old railroad and the stone is an old station's platform :)
While passing by old buildings on the riverside I saw some old doors (already blocked decades ago) and I can imagine that the other side of the door was the storeroom of a family manufacture and they sold some of the goods to barges on the river. It's really a time travel.
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About the bike:
Hoot changed the Rohloff oil (I guess it was a good idea, as the bike stood in a garage 6 years) so I'm ok 'till next summer. Don't know about the cables, but...
After 4 days I can add one more thing I don't like about the grip shifter (compared to my 30 year old Shimano Altus shifter): with the Shimano it's positioned such that I can shift when I hold the grip, so I feel safe to shift any time, I can grip as hard as I like it. With the Rohloff I grip the handlebar at the outside side, so when I need to shift it means I let my right (stronger) hand off the grip to slip it inwards to the gear shifter. This is not a great feeling, especially with heavy front panniers and narrow paths. I think I read somewhere that some company produces thumb shifters for Rohloff. Does anyone have experience with it?
Ah, and here's a hint that might give you some info about the state of my shifter cables: I really need to grip the shifter "hard". I don't have to grip with my whole palm, only the thumb and pointer finger, but I have to squeeze it hard and the 2 fingers have to go around the shifter and touch each other, I couldn't do it only by holding the two fingertips to the shifter and turn that way. Is this normal or sign of cable problem? If cable, then any chance to lubricate it or need to swap to new cables+housing?
Ah, and that phenomenon that when I turn the shifter one it sometimes feels like it shifted many more gears: I can do it in any gear I think. Certainly around 10-11-12 that I use the most.
Ah, and after 2 days trying out the easiest option: setting the horns to higher angle. Well it didn't work out. The profil of the horns of Ergon are elliptical. Very nice feeling when set up in the usual angle, but not at all when turned upwards more. And I also lost an additional hand position (the side position) so I'll undo the change.
The saddle was originally in the rear-most position, so I pushed it forward. I think it helped, though I'll probably need to try these settings changes one at a time, especially after what PH wrote. BTW this is unfortunately not a Brooks saddle, just the default one. I don't like it, probably would've suffered not more on a new Brooks, and after 400km maybe it would've been much better. I bought a 2nd hand on ebay, which is waiting for the bike at home. I didn't want to bring it with me, 'cause I have enough (maybe even too much) to carry with me both on the bike and on the flight home, and I didn't want to throw away a saddle - though maybe my butt would disagree now ;)
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About the bike:
With the Rohloff I grip the handlebar at the outside side, so when I need to shift it means I let my right (stronger) hand off the grip to slip it inwards to the gear shifter. I think I read somewhere that some company produces thumb shifters for Rohloff. Does anyone have experience with it?
I'm not sure i follow that, my hand is always on the shifter, it forms part of the grip. Do you mean when you're on the bar ends? That would mean moving your hand to change gear regardless of shifter.
Re trigger shifters _There was a short lived production of the Cinq5 shifters which apparently were very nice, I don't know why they were only around a while, other than they cost £300 ten years ago. Currently available is the Gebla Robox that requires a modified STI shifter, predominantly developed for drop bars, there's no reason they can't be used with flat bar shifters. I have no experience, mixed reports on the www
http://www.rohbox.com/
Is this normal or sign of cable problem?
It's hard to tell without a comparison. Disconnect the cable box and spin the shifter, it should do so with next to no resistance, if not, there's a cable problem. Check for any kinks, or ferrules not seated right, it seems a bit unlikely considering the use it's had. I wouldn't be thinking too much about changes till you were more familiar with it.
Back to the important stuff - The trip is looking great!
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I think I read somewhere that some company produces thumb shifters for Rohloff. Does anyone have experience with it?
Yes, here...
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=10585.0
In my experience, every Rohloff shifter has dis/advantages in one area or another. It is mostly a matter of picking the one best suited for your needs and it may require buying and trying and then selling-on. I did that with the Cinq5 thumbshifters, which in the end proved to be not as good for my needs as the "wavy-grip" Rohloff shifter mounted on a Thorn Accessory T-bar (remember, I use drop handlebars; this setup would be far less convenient with straight handlebars). The person who bought mine was very enthusiastic about them, so no accounting for taste. :)
There are several full-length, 3-D printed grip-shifts available in the aftermarket but they aren't inexpensive and they aren't (can't be, really) ergonomic and they feel and are pretty hard. Works great on a trike with upright shifter, less well on a straight bicycle handlebar. A sample here... https://www.utahtrikes.com/PROD-11620101.html
Best, Dan.
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PH, no I don't mean when my hand is on the bar ends/horns, then I would need to move my hand even with the Shimano. What I mean is that my right hand is on the right side of the (static) grip. This is how it's comfortable, and also with some weight in the front panniers wider handlebar (or using the widest part of the flat part of the handlebar) feels more secure. I have small palms, so I barely touch the gear shifter part of the grip, and even if I touch it, I can't change gears with 2 fingers.
BTW I also noticed and was a bit surprised by it, that the 2 brake levers are not in the same position. With the right hand I can comfortably brake with one finger, while with the left hand with 2 fingers, when my hands are symmetrical. I expected that the Rohloff specific shorter right grip is shorter by the exact width of the gear shifter but that seems not to be the case.
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The Ergon GP1 grips have a Rohloff/Nexus option where the right grip is shorter than the left.
https://www.merlincycles.com/assets/images/productImage_470_470_ffffff_image-jpeg/108135_ergon_gp1_grips.jpg
I use those grips and part of my right hand is over the ribs on the Rohloff shifter so it's a matter of squeeze and turn.
You will have to trouble-shoot the cause of the stiffness. Note that before unscrewing the ex-box it's advisable to shift to 14th (or 1st gear) so you know what gear the shifter needs to be set to before refitting the ex-box.
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I use those grips and part of my right hand is over the ribs on the Rohloff shifter so it's a matter of squeeze and turn.
Likewise, maybe flocsy has some alternative set up, I know Andy Blance has a preference for a full length grip which would mean moving the hand a couple of cm. I also don't understand flocsy's need to use two fingers to shift, I think that's always going to be troublesome, the shifter should sit in the purlicue of the hand, I can't imagine it being anywhere else.
The Rohloff Ergon grips do come in two sizes, though I think the only difference is the flat of the pad, all dimensions and details are clear on their website.
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My Nomad came with the non Rohloff GP5L grip so I trimmed about 2cm off the right hand grip with a Stanley knife. This means that when riding with my hand over to the right I only need to move it about an inch to the left to change gear(s). I always wear cycling gloves which improves my hold on the rubber grip especially when it’s raining or hands are sweaty.
Last year I bought a Mercury that had had virtually no use since new in 2013. After I bought it one of my checks was to make sure the shifter grip was greased as per the Rohloff User Handbook. It was completely dry.
So, when you get back to home base and have a closer look at the shifter cabling, as JohnR suggests, I suggest also removing the rubber grip and greasing (with Vaseline) between it and the shifter housing and the rubber O ring as per Rohloff advice here,
https://www.rohloff.de/fileadmin/user_upload/manual_En_2017_11_update_2.pdf
I agree with PH that shifting with finger and thumb is always going to be troublesome. I can’t imaging the full-on mountain bikers for whom the Rohloff hub etc was originally designed attempting this 🙂
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Good news: turning the stem upwards this morning helped a lot! The new setup is in the 1st pic (though I'll increase the barends' angle a bit more upwards)
Bad news: indeed the problem is that the Ergon GP5 (at least the pair on my bike) are identical in length. I thought that there's the shorter version for the right side for Rohloff grips and that that is the default provided by Thorn. So this explains probably most of my problems. I will need to chop it down at home or get a new set for Rohloff (if it's even possible in GP5) and put this pair on another bike.
I don't insist to be able to shift with 2 fingers, I just assumed it should be possible, and if not then maybe some lubricating is needed (will check at home) Also now that I understand that my main problem is caused by the too long right grip I tried holding the shifter. It's better* but can't ride that way now because of the asymmetry.
*) though even holding the shifter is not as convenient as it is with Shimano, as I fear accidentally shifting on one hand and still shifting means less grip on the handlebar on the other hand.
Today I realized that one more issue is probably not the best weight distribution between the front and rear panniers. I have the S&S bike case bungee corded over the "rear rack", but really it's over the rear panniers (one negative point to the Expedition rack that it doesn't have the lower rail for the panniers) so until now I had my night stuff in the rear bags (tent, matress, sleeping bag, clothes, bathroom) and the easier reachable front bags had my day stuff (food, including 1l extra water in each side, bike tools, spares, and the heaviest: 2 giant locks) This morning I realized that my front panniers are heavier than the rear ones. So I guess this adds to my feeling of insecurity moving my hand between the comfortable riding position (palm on the gray rubber) and the shifter. I'll need to think how to improve the weight distribution (unfortunately the D-lock doesn't fit to my Vaude Aqua Plus rear panniers' smaller pocket that is easier to reach than the big cargo pocket (because of the S&S case on the top)
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Ah, a long grip and small hands goes a way to explaining it. I'd also assumed Thorn would supply with Rohloff short grip, though the only complete bike I've bought from them was well before they used Ergons. There's a lot of experimenting to do with the bar ends to get them spot on, the ends and the grips can adjust independently. Took me a while to get mine how I like them, I ride with someone who has theirs very different but is equally happy with them. For reference, here's my bars, it isn't possible for my right hand to be on the grips and not the shifter.
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For those who have ever felt pins and needles in hands and wrists on the handlebars, I've started a thread on ergonomics called "The technicality you can't see: handlebar ergonomics & RSI" at
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=14964.0 (http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=14964.0)
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Flocsy: Don't let my comments in that thread bother you on your short holiday. But once back home you might want to consider what I say there about repetitive stress injury in the light of future tours you're planning.
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Andre, I read your post, and I agree (though in general I have a problem of not listening enough to the signs my body gives to me, maybe that's why my left shoulder has an injury since 18 months ago) but I don't know what to do with it. When I read the big Thorn broshure I noticed that handlebars are more of a compromise than anything else on the bike. It's also impossible to pick the right one (even more so since they don't have the showroom any more I guess) Not that it would help a lot when buying a second hand bike.
If I was to buy a new bike I would have hard time choosing between the comfort handlebar and the flat bar. I had barends' on my mountain bike for 30 years, so I am familiar with them and they really help on uphills and go give extra positions. Is a flat bar with bar ends better (for me) than a comfort bar? Well I don't know and I'm not even sure if a 5 minutes test ride with comfort bars would give me the answer for all day tour. Would it be possible to have comfort bars with bar ends, I would try it for sure.
And then there's the grip: it's still unclear to me wether there's a short right grip version of GP5, or if not, then is it possible to combine a short GP1 with the bar ends, or do I have to chop down the GP5 myself (I really don't like the idea... How much to chop? If it's less than the width of the Rohloff shifter then it will still be assimetric, but if I chop that much, than I think I'll also cut into the grey palm easer part...)
And with all the above set up optimally (which I have not done yet) I'm still not sure if it just takes more time to get to love the Rohloff grip shifter or that the Shimano is just that much better.
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There are rohloff specific GP5s, I have them.
I have the expedition flat bars and find them very comfortable; I like the width of them. Plus there’s more room for toys!
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Ok, I think I'll buy that before the next trip. Does anyone know how to know if my current grip is S or L size? What should I measure to know which one it is?
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My GP1L grips measure about 58mm across the widest part of the palm rests (perpendicular to the bars). Ergon make a big family of potentially suitable grips https://www.ergonbike.com/en/product?a=griffe .
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Andre, I read your post, and I agree ... but I don't know what to do with it.
That's why I separated a discussion, which will remain theoretical until you have time to do something about it, to another thread. For now you should assume that a quality bike that fits you at most pressure points was competently specified and outfitted.
There are two things you have to do before you start messing with handlebars and handlebar grips, and neither of them are suited to fine-tuning on a time-limited tour in your circumstances. You have to decide what sort of posture you want on the bike, that is the angle of your back. You have to decide the height of the saddle. Both can be set near right, and probably were or you'd be in pain now. You can fine-tune them at home, then decide on a handlebar and grips. There's plenty of experienced advice here but while you're on tour is not the right time to apply it.
And with all the above set up optimally (which I have not done yet) I'm still not sure if it just takes more time to get to love the Rohloff grip shifter or that the Shimano is just that much better.
You still haven't understood the magnitude or the timeframe of Herr Rohloff's achievement, but the shifter is a good example of Rohloff Reality. The Shimano shifter, new out of the box, feels smooth and user-friendly and probably is the best shifter in the world, if you permit the qualification "new out of the box". It's designed to survive maybe 50,000km/30,000m; many are in service well beyond that MTBF. The Rohloff shifter is a precision equipment with much closer tolerances. You need to run it in, and then it will last you 250,000m or so, just the qualification "or so" being longer than the entire expected service life of the Shimano component. Nobody knows how long the service life of a Rohloff is: it is an ever-moving target. But it takes five or seven or ten thousand kilometres for the Rohloff to be run in, depending on who you ask. I despaired of the bloody Rohloff shifter ever being as smooth and pleasing as the Shimano controls on my other HGB bikes, but it does happen. Eventually you might even be able to shift the Rohloff with two fingers as you wish to do; I now use only a thumb and a forefinger or sometimes merely a little forward or backward pressure on the flat of the original triangular shifter, and have since about 10,000km/6,000m. You can see what I mean about different magnitudes and timeframes requiring a different attitude and approach.
You're packing the experience of a year into a week, Flocsy. You're doing well. Ask Matt how long it took him to plan his first tour. I spent two or three years wondering if I really wanted a Rohloff when I was already well down another path of automatic bicycle gearboxes. Everybody who sounds more certain than you feel has been where you started.
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Here's a useful guide regarding bike set-up http://wheel-easy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/bike-set-up-2017a.pdf (a key piece of advice is that moving the saddle back reduces weight on the hands) while there are many words of wisdom in Thorn's Touring Bike Bible http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/thorn_mega_brochure.pdf .
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Today was my last day on the bike. I arrived at Milton Keynes, paid tribute to Alan Turing at Bletchley Park.
It took 5 hours to take the bike apart and fit into the S&S case.
Tomorrow I'm flying home.
Pictures:
1. Bletchley Park entrance
2. Selfie with Alan Turing
3. Enigma
4. The bomb
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It's been a very great pleasure travelling vicariously with you, Flocsy. I'm chuffed that you made it. I look forward keenly to your next tour report.
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That thing that looks like Godzilla's tube hi-fi amplifier is a bombe with an e at the end. Why, I don't know. Nor how it is pronounced, bomb as in something that goes bang or a frozen dessert which looks like a hand grenade but is spelled bombe and pronounced bomb, or bom-bay as in my name* and e-bay.
*I've long since dropped the acute accent on the e as in André for everyone else's convenience.
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Well done, as Andre says you've packed a lot in, quite an achievement. Have a good trip home and start planning the next one! Hope you get the bike dialed in to perfection, I'm sure you will, just try and adjust in small increments and one thing at a time (Otherwise you won't know what worked!)
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Yes, packed a lot into 10 days and also into the S&S case :) Here's a picture of my bike case at home. I managed to even include the racks, saddle, tools and even the tent poles and my knife so all the rest (clothes, tent, mattress, sleeping bag...) could be in my cabin bag. It took 5 hours, I'll let you know how long it took to assemble everything again.