Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Member's Gallery => Topic started by: Hoodatder on March 24, 2014, 10:41:40 AM
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Hi,
Before and after.
Spot the difference.
Ian
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Hi Hoodatder,
A good bike to start with but what a transformation and a lovely looking machine you now have there.
Regards Alfie
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Hi Alf,
Thanks for the comp - appreciated. I got a lot of enjoyment out of this refurb - not just the practical side but the "research" and reading of peoples opinions and reviews. I previously owned a Thorn Raven Adventure Tour and stupidly sold it last year. I bought it brand new in Jan 2005 to a high spec and didn't have a hap'orth of trouble with it - absolutely none - not even a puncture!! I instantly regretted selling it but thought it was time for a change. I had ridden from Seattle to Minneapolis in 2012 on a Giant and was well impressed with it. I thought the Spa Ti Audax would fit the bill for riding around here in the East Yorkshire Wolds and NY Moors. It's just not the same style of relaxed riding as on the Raven. Truly, you don't know what you've got until it's gone.
So, I went to SJC to get measured for another a new toy and also for a looksee at what was on offer. When I recovered from the price for my spec I thought I will find myself a little project and found this bike on this forum. To be fair, it was a bit of a dog, but I was more than happy with it for the price I paid :D
A month later and the Ugly Duckling is a Swan with all the bells and whistles.
Ian
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Wow, you've done a fantastic job of the refurb Ian, it looks great.
As you are somebody who's been in the fortunate position of owning both a Tour and a Sport Tour how do the two bikes compare? How do you find your RST handles loaded up? I have an RST and have debated whether to tour on it due to it's weight carrying limitations but if your photos are anything to go by you've not had any problems, what sort of weight have you carried?
Great so see another RST on the forum,
Neil.
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Very nice work indeed, Ian -- looks like you have another fine bike there.
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Hi Neil
Thank you also for the comp. I found my original Tour a real workhorse and carried all that I wanted - approx 35 / 40 kg.
The first year I cycled from Valence in the Rhone Valley to Finistere in NW Spain. It handled my luggage with not a murmur. It had Mavic ceramic rims on Pasela TG 1.75" and also twin crown forks. It had a 38t chainwheel and a 16t sprocket. It certainly was not a flying machine, but paradoxically, it came into it's own when loaded and just seemed to bowl / purr along. I had never heard anyone else pass that comment until I read it here (somewhere) on this forum. As regards ths Sport Tour, it is without a shadow of doubt a different machine. I am the same engine, but this thing wants to go. I filled two rear panniers the other week and went into the Moors. There were 2 x 25% hills to climb and it was a doddle (ok, so I'm telling a teeny weeny porky) - certainly easier than with the Tour. The Sport has a 40t chainwheel and a 17t sprocket - which I understand is the same as 38 x 16. The rims are Andra Rigida CSS with Pasela TG1.5" - so basically the same set up as before. This bike again performs magically with weight on and I believe feels better for it - how does that work then?
People would pass me on my Tour as I tootled along (unloaded) and I would struggle to keep up. It's a different situation with this Sport - seriously, it's altogether a different animal.
Ian
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Also- I have to say that I didn't think I would ever be so passionate about these bikes, but until you've speccd and owned one, then foolishly sold it and bought a different brand, you then realise what thought has gone into the Rohloff gears and most importantly the bike design. Hats off to those bike designers.
For the avoidance of doubt, I'm content with my Spa Audax, it will do everything the review said, But it don't put a smile on my face like the Thorns - no sirree, no way Jose. And when I'm smiling, it makes the missus happy and when she's happy I can go cycling for as long as I like.
The Eurovelo 6 beckons.
Ian
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You done a cracking job on that bike blue and white really stands out CLASS.
jags.
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Thanks for that Jags.
Could anyone advise me on a mirror with that set up please?
The Bike Eye is no good with panniers and I can't fit a B&M in at the bar ends.
Cheers
Ian
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You might be able to fit a Zefal Spy mirror somewhere, maybe even to the bar ends??
In what way was the bike 'a bit of a dog' when you got it? Just curious - you have turned it into a beautiful machine.
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My! What a stunning makeover! Very nice to see the bike kitted out for a tour as well.
Best wishes for many an adventure ahead.
Best,
Dan.
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Thanks Dan and for your help on previous queries.
Thanks Don for the Zefal Spy - I think that will do the trick.
As regards 'a bit of a dog', the paintwork was marked to buggery, the cranks were well scratched, the bar ends were chewed up - there was no saddle, pedals or mudguards - how on earth can people look after their possessions like that, eh?!
The chap who I bought it off put it up for sale immediately upon receiving it - that says it all I think. :-[
I looked at it, knew that if I spent some wedge on it, I would have a tried and tested style of cycle. The hub gears work a dream and, ironically, I know I have a better bike than before, not because of the gizmo's, but because it fits better.
In essence, it's hard not to be enthusiastic about these machines. And the best part? The best part is the subtlety of having your bike parked amongst flashy carbon racers etc (no gripe from me - honest) and no one knowing or comprehending the design and engineering under that saddle. Sweet! ;)
Ian
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Thanks for your detailed response Ian, you sound very pleased with your RST. I use for commuting mainly and have racked up 9500 miles on it now, I plan on reversing the chainring and sprocket at 10,000. Hope to hear more of your pride and joy in future posts.
Neil.
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Thanks for that Jags.
Could anyone advise me on a mirror with that set up please?
Zefal Spy Mirror works reasonably well. Takes a bit of getting used to but is the best solution for this handlebar set up.
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Hi Frog,
Thanks for the photo. I've spent some time studying it and wasn't convinced it was the right set up for me.
I've looked at Zefal and B&M and others and saw this Cateye. It's not handed and can turn through 360' and swivel through an elliptical arc - albeit not a great arc but suffice.
I hedged my bets on drilling through the bar ends and being able to use this mirror upside down - just like the B&M cyclestar for drops - and if it went pear shaped, I would buy a good quality bar end plug.
The arrangement works very well indeed. With my hands in the "normal" position, I can see about 3/4 of the mirror. With a very slight wrist movement, I can see all the mirror. With my hands up on the bar ends, there is absolutely no compromise.
The adjustment on the mirror is such that I have full rear observation, with or without panniers.
I concede that the quality of the mirror isn't that of B&M and perhaps Zefal, but I feel that I am getting a much better set up. From my short test, I didn't notice any real vibration of images in the mirror, it stayed put in the position I fitted it in, and, being on a ball joint, it's a doddle to fold out the way if you wish to lean the bike against a wall. The fixings of the mirror into the HB actually act as a "cushion" or protector for the Ergon bar ends.
I have attached some pix showing the set up. I will not be riding with 2 x mirrors, only merely showing the ease of transfer when I go abroad and have to change my mirror for the odd people who insist on driving on the wrong side of the road. It's a wonder there aren't more accidents over there!!
For £8.40 inc pp for 2 x mirrors, I thought it was worth the experiment. My get out of jail card was being able to fit 2 x bungs in the HB if all else fails. At this moment in time, I'm contented - not quite as contented as when the ex left - but, nevertheless, quite contented and happy.
Ian
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Sorry about that folks - I forgot to resize the pix ???
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These should have gone the 1st time but didn't. You get the drift.
Ian
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Great photos of a nice-looking setup, Ian!
Best,
Dan.
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Thanks Dan,
It may not be original, but if seeing the set up helps others, then I'm well pleased.
Regards
Ian
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Hi there.
Only just noticed this thread. Nice looking bike and many congratulations on the referb work.
I see from the first pictures that your chain is quite slack.
My Raven chain goes slack quite often and I now only adjust it when it is about to fall off.
What is your own chain situation? Bottom bracket OK?
Did you fit a new chain/bracket?
Many thanks
Matt
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Hi Matt,
Thanks for the comps.
You wont believe it, but I only just took up the slack yesterday. I had been reading Andre's contribution on Hebie Chaingliders and thought out of curiosity to look at my chain and realised the slack. It hadn't bothered me in these last few weeks of cycling but thought I had better increase the tension.
I didn't change the BB when I refurbished the bike, although the BB did seem to be a bit "peppered" where it had been adjusted before. I did put a 17T sprocket on it and this should have given me a virgin piece of metal to anchor on to. The chain hasn't been replaced. I contacted the original owner and he informed me he had only done circa 2000 miles on it; owner number 2 claimed to have ridden only 700 miles on it; owner number 3 unpacked it and sold it to me; so, all in all, it's only done circa 3000 miles and I don't seem to notice any undue problems with it.
I would think it will be ok for another 2000 miles and then I'll change it. I would like to fit a Hebie Chainglider but I have a 40t chaingring and they don't manufacture for this size ring. However, I will ring SJS on Monday to see if I can fit the rear part without the front part (I know it sounds weird) because it will / should prevent the oil spraying up on to my panniers. Fortunately, I don't seem to suffer from chain tattoos as other members of this forum do - no names mentioned , eh Dan?
Anyway, must go. All this talk of slack, tension and virgin has induced thoughts of the ex and brought about a migraine!!
Ian
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Fortunately, I don't seem to suffer from chain tattoos as other members of this forum do - no names mentioned , eh Dan? No chain tattoos here! While I would dearly love to fit a Hebie Chainglider, it seems unlikely they will make one to fit.
I use a Thorn bash guard to prevent chain-oilings of my right leg. It works wonderfully well for that purpose. Without the 'guard, the single best tool for removing chain tattoos from legs is a nice, top-level down sleeping bag or silk liner for same.
All the best,
Dan. (...who'd rather prevent than address the problem)
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However, I will ring SJS on Monday to see if I can fit the rear part without the front part (I know it sounds weird) because it will / should prevent the oil spraying up on to my panniers.
As a chainglider user the rear portion would be a problem on its own, it would rotate forward and the bottom section catch on the chain.
If the main problem is chain oil spraying then try some http://www.in2dust.co.uk/Squirt.html (http://www.in2dust.co.uk/Squirt.html) instead. It is a wax based chain lube.
I am currently using it on my Brompton and it looks promising.
Julian.
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Hi Julian,
I rang SJS and they confirmed that there is no Chainglider for my 40t chainwheel and that also the rear guard cannot be fitted independently.
Thanks for the tip of the wax oil. I have already bought a litre of Rohloff specific oil and aim to use that.
I think perhaps that I might have been too liberal in the past with my application of oil on to the chain and not removed the excess with a rag - as advised by SJS. I will be more careful in the future.
Ian
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I have already bought a litre of Rohloff specific oil and aim to use that.
A litre of Oil of Rohloff? Man, you'll be able to bathe in it for years. I used one little 50ml bottle of Oil of Rohloff for three years, and it is still half full. That stuff sticks like the proverbial on a baby blanket, is unaffected by rain, but is thin enough to creep well. I tried it on the open chains of pedal pals who do zero maintenance, and it lasts forever. There is no harm in wiping over even a nickel-plated chain with a cloth dampened with Oil of Rohloff for an extra layer of protection, but there is no advantage to soaking your chain in it, because that will just cause air locks which will ensure that the invisible parts where you really need the oil aren't refreshed.
You'd better get yourself some kind of an applicator with a thin nozzle, because all you really want is a thin bead of oil on the inside of the chain in the angle between the side plate and the rollers, on one side only. From there it will migrate inside the roller and to the other side, But if you lubricate both sides, you create an air lock and then the oil doesn't migrate and the roller wears, resulting in "chain stretch".
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Ah! I am now enlightened!
How did you know I had bathed the chain in oil? That's exactly what I did. :o
Who would have thought an air lock would be created in a chain link, eh - and me a plumber too, in my previous life.
As for the litre oil, it cost £4.95 for 50ml or £39.95 for a litre. With my envisaged usage of the oil, it was a no brainer to buy the 1 litre.
I will now put my sales technique to my limited cycling companions and EMPHASISE the benefits of Rohloff oil that can be purchased from my goodself without incurring any carriage costs. Sold to the man in the corner with a white stick and hearing aid.
Seriously Andre, thanks for the tip. It's amazing by what you learn from asking seemingly stupid questions or proffering one's own experience.
Aside, as a plumber, we often used to put Fairy Liquid into a noisy heating system - this would in turn quieten it down. When I went self employed, I rang Fernox - a very reputable manufacturer of central heating inhibitors - and asked how the Fiary Liquid worked. I was given the answer "NOT to put that stuff in. It makes the water wetter" What, it makes water wetter? Apparently it does, this inturn causes it to release more oxygen from the water, which in turn reacts on the steel radiators and in turn makes the water more aggressive which in turn causes magnetite (FeO2) iron oxide which in turn causes pump and boiler failure and, more commonly, pinholing in radiators. I learned this from being curious and asking what might have seemed a naïve question. Most importantly, it corrected the errors that I had been ignorantly taught.
So Mr Jute, thanks again for the input, Please don't stop to correct any of us and keep passing down that knowledge.
Ian
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Who would have thought an air lock would be created in a chain link, eh - and me a plumber too, in my previous life.
Seriously Andre, thanks for the tip. It's amazing by what you learn from asking seemingly stupid questions or proffering one's own experience.
So Mr Jute, thanks again for the input, Please don't stop to correct any of us and keep passing down that knowledge.
Ian
This encapsulates my belief too. If you don't ask you'll never know. Or, more pompously, It doesn't really matter what you know (that follows from the self-evident fact that you cannot know everything), it matters that you know who to ask. When I started cycling seriously, I knew barely enough to ask Jobst Brandt and Sheldon Brown and Chalo Colina. And I soon worked out that I didn't want to listen to the plague of road-bike "designers" and mountain bike marketers who infest the industry like a plague of rabies, I wanted to find a touring bike designer with a Scottish grandmother and check out his component choices, which is how I landed up here after discovering Andy Blance.
Aside, as a plumber, we often used to put Fairy Liquid into a noisy heating system - ... "...It makes the water wetter"
"I knowed that," said young Albert smugly, just before the lion ate him.
No, honest, I knew. Year before last I took up sketching, among other media in pen and ink, and learned then that inks and pens with flow problems are helped along by washing the pen out in soapy water, or even adding a tiny drop of washing-up soap to the ink, to make the surfaces inside the pen and on the paper wetter and thereby improve the flow. Alzo, as they say in Germany, I learned that soap is added to watercolors to make the paper wetter and the pigment solution (sometimes in honey as a humidifectant) flow better. Some of my ink sketches are on this page: http://www.sketching.cc/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2163&start=60 and the pictograph on my posts in this forum (the horned character) is another.
Good luck with your liter of Oil of Rohloff. I still have two spare 50ml bottles I bought five years ago, before I discovered how frugal the stuff is. (I got the first one as a gift in the welcome pace of tools, spares and consumptibles from the makers of my bike.)
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Andre your some cookie is there anything you dont know .your a class act for sure. ;)
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On flow and pens... Waterman Serenity Blue ink ... called Florida Blue in days gone by... is a great ink if a pen is balky. Parker Quink is good but Waterman Serenity Blue is just about the top. Pens and bikes, oh yeah!
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Andre your some cookie is there anything you dont know .your a class act for sure. ;)
Jags: Ian and I aren't letting the women say we don't know one end of the washing-up liquid bottle from the other... We know plenty about washing-up liquid, just not how to do the washing-up.
Serenity Blue, eh, Jim. I'll look into it. Thanks.
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Just feeling pedantic this morning but would it not be an air pocket as opposed to an air lock?
I have always cleaned my chains in a diesel bath followed by an oil bath. I then hang the chain overnight and then wipe off excessive and refit. It works for me with boith low friction and high chainlife.
I am sure it is not the approved method but it works ok for me.
Andy