Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Member's Gallery => Topic started by: RonS on April 26, 2014, 11:16:00 PM
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Here is a pic from the maiden voyage a month ago. Between being busy at work and lousy weather I have only been able to put 250km on it, but I think it's a keeper.
I got in parts and built it up myself, not just for the satisfaction, but I saved about $1000 this way. I should point out that this is not because of SJS's prices. They are very competitive. Most of the money was saved because of the Canadian duty on complete bikes as opposed to parts being duty free, and the shipping cost of a complete bike vs frame only. Both these are beyond the control of SJS.
Here's where the main components came from:
SJS: Frame (565L) and 853 fork, 38T chainring, cranks, BB, Thorn flat bars and accessory bar.
Starbike: Rohloff hub, spokes, DT Swiss 425 rim.
Bike 24: Schwalbe tubes and Marathon Supreme 26X2, Tubus Cargo Evo, B&M taillight
Shimano dynohub was a great find on ebay ($60 CDN, new )
Brooks saddle from existing bike
Although I assembled the bike myself, I was not ready to venture into wheelbuilding. For this I used the services of a local expert, and after watching him in action, I'm glad I did. The finished product was radially and laterally true to .007in, checked with a dial indicator, with even spoke tension checked with a tension gauge. I don't think I could have achieved that on my first kick at the can.
I'll post more pics as I get more proficient at the attachment process. Can I post 5 pics of 512KB "each" in a post or 512KB "total"?
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Can I post 5 pics of 512KB "each" in a post or 512KB "total"
It's "total", Ron, and that's per-post. As I recall, there's a 5-photo limit per post as well. The solution is to make more posts. :D
What a lovely bicycle you have! You can surely be proud of your build, and it is simply a glorious, magnificent example. Thanks so much for sharing it here. I for one am very much looking forward to more photos of this beauty, both close-up and in action! May many happy journeys pass beneath your wheels.
Best,
Dan.
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Ron, what great work! So pleased to see your bike up & running, and to know you're happy with it. You've done well to keep the cost manageable, helped by things like a bargain dyna-hub. I'm due to collect mine from my LBS this coming week & will post some photos when it's complete. I'll finalize a few details on it myself--installing & wiring the headlight, racks fore & aft, etc. Enjoy your bike--hope you get some good weather.
Best,
John
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Thank you for the kind words Dan and John.
I really wanted a go fast red Raven, but, as I already had yellow Arkel panniers, I thought black might be a better colour choice. My daughter the artist said the bike would remind her of a McDonald's Restaurant!
As it turns out, I really like the black, and it's a lot less conspicuous in sketchy areas.
Below is a shot in the back yard with the Arkel kit, using the trusty Zefal HP as a stand. I have since gotten a Clickstand. Brake and gear cables were left long until I decide on use of a handlebar bag.
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It just gets better and better, Ron! The yellow bags look very nice against the black of the frame and nicely match the rack pack in the first photo as well.
It's often agony to decide on color, but the results are always wonderful no matter the choice and yours is no exception. I'd not owned a black bike until Sherpa, then found I liked it so much I repeated it on the Nomad. I enjoy seeing all the other colors as well. I don't think Thorn has a bad one in the lot.
Very wise to leave the cables long till you decide on things -- cutting is always easier than making longer!
Best,
Dan.
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Ron,
That is a great looking bike I can see you put a lot of effort in to the build. I like the black, out is the under the radar look.
Peter
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ron beautifull build indeed but are those tyres on the wrong way round :-\
http://www.schwalbetires.com/marathon_supreme_home.
more than likely im wrong usually am sorry.
jags.
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Congrats on your build, a seriously stunning looking bike.
Regards Alfie
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Smart looking bike.
From one Raven nut to another!
Matt
More pictures please. Close ups?
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Great looking bike, Ron! Congratulations!
I recognized the mountains in your first photo (Golden Ears Park), and my curiosity got the best of me, so I had to figure out where that picnic site is. Just north of Allard Crescent, looking across to Maple Ridge? You have some beautiful riding country out there -- great scenery and relatively flat.
I'll have to take some pictures of my bike and post them here.
- Dave
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I'm going to try adding pics from Photobucket, so it may work. Or not.
Some close ups for Matt. Front rear and cockpit view
(http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae343/mrspike222/bike2_zpsa459490f.jpg)
(http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae343/mrspike222/bike3_zpsbf19be58.jpg)
(http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae343/mrspike222/bike1_zpsc9211ffa.jpg)
Note that the front tire is now "right" way around. Thanks, Jags! A second pair of eyes is a helpful thing. I probably wouldn't have noticed until my first puncture.
Dave, you are spot on with the location. Please do post photos of your bike.
OK. So what am I doing wrong to make the link to the photo appear instead of the photo itself?
[HTML tags edited by Dan so the photos display properly. -- Dan.]
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OK. So what am I doing wrong to make the link to the photo appear instead of the photo itself?
Hi Ron!
The problem came from not linking to the URL for the photo itself.
I'll have to add space or two so this will appear as plain text rather than a full display, but for example, here is the original:
http ://s986.photobucket.com/user/mrspike222/media/bike2_zpsa459490f.jpg.html
What you need to do is link the photo itself, as here:
http ://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae343/mrspike222/bike2_zpsa459490f.jpg
To get there, just go to your Photobucket account as in the first example, then (if you're using a PC, for other OS's, it is similar) right-click and in the context menu, choose "Copy image URL". This is what you want to paste into the text of your post. Just click the little "Insert Image" icon and paste between the brackets.
If you have any problems, just PM me or give a shout.
Terrific photos, by the way!
All the best,
Dan.
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Class bike enjoy . ;)
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I really wanted a go fast red Raven
That black is so elegant. It's a sleeper, suspected of being faster than a red bike, without ever having to prove anything.
And yellow goes superbly with black, but with red the combination is a bit commercial, as your smart daughter spotted.
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Great pictures.
First of many questions....
Rear guard flap?
Homemade or brand?
Thinking I'd like one. Hard to fit?
Matt
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Trying to copy photos from Photobucket, part deux.
Managed to get out for an evening ride to try out the lights. The path, which starts about 3km from the house, is about 10km long and winds through trees and meadows alongside the Fraser River. Packed with walkers on a sunny weekend but deserted at dusk.
(http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae343/mrspike222/bik3_zps61aa4781.jpg)
(http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae343/mrspike222/bike_zps64116980.jpg)
(http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae343/mrspike222/bik2_zpsfa3d0720.jpg)
The location of the pump seemed like a good idea at the time, but it effectively raises the stand over height about an inch, so I'll be moving it. Perhaps I'll get a mini pump to put in the trunk bag.
Matt, the mudguards are Planet Bike Cascadia II MTB. They are very similar to SKS in looks, but the guard itself is all polycarbonate, no metal liner. They come complete with the flap. They are also less than half the cost of SKS here in Canada.
They went on very easily. They must have been stored correctly as they were almost dead straight. I just eyeballed them on centre, tightened everything up, and trimmed the stays.
The white bit on the flap is a piece of DOT conspicuity tape. It's used on commercial trucks in North America.
The photos appear to be in the right place. Thank you for the tutelage, Dan.
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The photos appear to be in the right place. Thank you for the tutelage, Dan.
Very welcome, Ron; the photos look great and so does the bike! Very nice to see the low-light evening shots.
A small note to Matt: PanetBike is very good about selling small parts, the Cascadia mudflaps among them. I have ordered several sets for some of my bikes with SKS 'guards. For a complete listing of ehat they have available, see: https://ecom1.planetbike.com/smallparts.html
The flaps are about 2/3 of the way down the page. PB's fender struts and 10mm drawbolts with nylock nuts are outstanding as well; I much prefer them to the usual 8mm variety. Free domestic shipping if you're in the YewEssay, minimal direct shipping charges otherwise.
Best,
Dan.
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What a fantastic place to ride. I ride on similarly gravelled trails, and I think you'll find that your tires are a perfect balance for those trails and paved roads.
Do you get a lot of mosquitoes along the river there? Part of my regular ride is on a trail next to a creek, and on summer evenings (around dusk) I need to keep my mouth shut when I ride.
- Dave
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Free domestic shipping if you're in the YewEssay
They also provide free shipping to Canada.
- Dave
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Cracking looking bike. As they say "Less is more". The subtlety of the tan saddle is spot on.
I hope you relished the build of this bike and it gives you extra momentum when out cycling.
The Arkel panniers do it justice as well. To quote Yves St Lauren - "Fashion fades - style is eternal" and you got style, bro.
Ian
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photos and bike just get better ;)
Ron check out Dan's nomad for a clever place to fix pump.
i actually though yours was good until you said about stand over height ::)
so whats the verdict on the headlight.
next few bob i get ;D i will get that set up, i have good battery lights but the dynamo makes a lot of sense, and summer night riding is CLASS.
jags.
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Dragged my neighbour out for an evening ride last night ( gelato at the turn around point for an incentive ) and yes, Dave, the bugs were getting into my mouth.
The 2in Supremes are great for almost all riding surfaces. The only time they have lost the battle is going up a 20% grade on a gravel covered trail.
Jags, the seatstays on the Raven are spaced closer at the top than the Nomad, so Dan's clever mounting of the pump was not an option. I tried. My Zefal is also the model 3, quite long.
I decided to get a new pump. MEC, a large outdoors equipment co-op ( Canadian version of REI in USA ) had a nice mini floor pump for only $29 ( about £16 ) so I thought I'd give it a try.
(http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae343/mrspike222/IMG_0339_zpsab4116af.jpg)
It's a Filzer Mini Zee. At 34 cm it's a little big for a bar bag, but it'll go in a trunk bag, or, in my case fit nicely in its included clip in the unused water bottle position.
I'm very pleased with the pump. The body is aluminium, so it should last. A rebuild kit is available for $5. It has a hose and a very accurate gauge when checked against the SKS Airchecker. The gauge is poorly positioned ( faces down if valve at 6 O'clock ).
It's easy to use with the fold out foot peg, and it pumps a lot of air. It filled my 2in Supremes at a rate of 3PSI per 4 strokes and did a 700-32C tire at a little better than 1PSI with every stroke. Better than the Zefal.
I'll do a totally unscientific review of the lights when I have some time on the weekend. I will say now to anyone about to buy a B&M Cyo to spend the extra €5 for the premium model. It is so much better than the previous generation I do not understand why B&M still sells them.
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Thanks for the excellent report and photo, Ron; I was keen to see your Kleen Kanteen installation.
About the mini pump: that's a place where it will get dirty fast. You may want to look in clips by Topeak and others, sold as spares by Chainreaction and probably just about everyone else, which fit a minipump under a water bottle, so you can choose your mounting and don't lose one of your bottles.