This is a very significantly upgraded Sherpa.  I bought it in August 2017 direct from Thorn as a bare frame and built it up (see detailed spec below), including Shimano Di2 electronic gears and S&S couplings.

The S&S couplings mean the frame can be split for travel and packed into a standard-sized case so no extra oversized airline fees.

I chose electronic gears to take pressure off my arthritic thumbs and they worked superbly –  very accurate, smooth gear changing at the touch of a button. But now as my arthritis has progressed I need a smaller bike, hence the sale.

The bike is in excellent condition and I only used it for two tours, a total of 2,029 km /1,260 miles. It’s been regularly maintained.
There is not a chip or other mark on the frame anywhere, even underneath the bottom bracket, chainstay.  The blue paint on either side of the top tube is faintly yellowed but this is  really slight and so is barely visible in the photos, however it’s only fair to mention it here (unclear what caused it but most probably sun-cream slightly tinting the paint). 

PRICE: £1,695 ovno plus delivery (or can be collected ). The parts for the Di2 gears alone originally cost £1,120  and the S & S couplings £700.
Pics below and more pics and information available on request!

I can fit it with straight, curved or drop handlebars to suit you, at no extra charge (details below).
If you can get to the Edinburgh or Kinross areas, you can have a fit on an indoor trainer and/or a trial ride.

COLLECTION / DELIVERY: if you can’t collect the bike, I will send it by a courier service. I’ve lots of experience of securely packing bikes for transport!
 If you live within about 100 miles or so of Edinburgh, I will be happy to deliver it, fully built-up, for cost of fuel only.

Security: as this is a valuable bike, it has a hidden, non-removable RFI 'Immobitag' so if lost or stolen, police can trace its registered owner. The  registration will be transferred free of charge to the new owner. This is much more secure than the frame number.  If sent by courier, a tracker will also be placed in the box.

OPTIONAL EXTRA: a genuine S&S coupling soft case to take this packed bike, in excellent condition, £175 (half new cost), OR a genuine S&S coupling 'Co-Pilot" hard case, also excellent condition, £300 (also half new cost), details below. 

Detailed specification:

frame & fork:
Thorn Sherpa MK3 Frame - blue - 475M for 52 mm forks - in 969 double-butted, seamless, heat-treated, cold-drawn, Cro-Mo steel.  Frame number SH475M1603
The height from ground to middle of the top-tube (ie the 'stand-over height') is approx. 71.5cm (2'4"). It would suit riders 152-164cm/5-5ft 4in.
Frame fitted with S&S couplers, special spanner included.  Rear brake cable fitted with JTek cable splitter/coupler to facilitate disassembly and reassembly of the frame.

26" Thorn ST26 steel fork - blue - 52 mm offset

wheels: 26"/ 559 aluminium 36-hole rims in black: front MX Mach 1 Evo2 with Shimano Deore hub; rear KC Comp on KX hub
tyres: Schwalbe Marathon Supreme HS382 Folding Tyre - 26 x 1.60 Inch , 42-559

drivetrain: 3x11 speed ultra-wide gearing, 165 mm cranks, giving a huge overall range of approximately 17 to 108 gear-inches
KMC 11 speed chain with “missing link” connector, near-new and less than 1.5% wear (see picture)
Shimano XT CS-M8000 11 Speed Cassette - 11-40T
Spa Cycles 104/64 PCD triple crankset, silver, forged alloy 165mm cranks, 48/38/30T
bottom bracket: 68mm shell English thread sealed cartridge taper spindle

di2 electronic gear system:Shimano SW-R671 TT shifters, chosen as they are easily operated with fingers, mounted on custom brackets and readily re-positioned to suit rider

Shimano FD-M9050 front derailleur, mounted on Shimano SM-FD905-H high clamp adapter
Shimano RD-M9050 rear derailleur, mounted on Wolftooth Roadlink to extend cassette capacity
Shimano DN-110A battery, mounted inside downtube just above lower S&S joint
Shimano SC-MT800 information display, handlebar mounted, shows selected gear, enables choice of synchro shift 1, synchro shift 2, or manual shift, plus wireless connection, battery charging port, derailleur adjustment etc
Shimano 4-port di2 junction B, mounted inside downtube just below lower S&S joint
Shimano di2 wires throughout, routed internally where possible, with extra protection for external cables (“spirowrap”, see pictures)
Shimano SM-BCR2 battery charging adapter and PC link interface – mains powered, USB socket for charging lead or connection to windows PC (leads included)
Shimano TL-EW02 wire connection/disconnection tool

brakes:Shimano ST-MC12 mechanical brake levers, right and left, with mechanical gear-shifters removed
Shimano Altus cantilever brakes, front and rear, with Aztec brake blocks

pannier rack:Blackburn alloy rear pannier rack in black included in the sale

saddle: Terry Butterfly Gel woman’s

handlebar:traditional swept back horizontal style.  HOWEVER you can choose one of the alternative handlebars show in the pictures and I will fit it before sale, using the same grips, levers etc.  If you choose the drop bars, I will fit those with Shimano di2 combined brake lever/gear shifters instead of the levers and shifters shown in the pictures. NB no cost for the fitting.

Optional extra: genuine S&S coupling cases:
Each case with a bicycle inside measures 26" x 26" x 10" which meets the typical airline standard maximum size limit of 62" combined (length + width + thickness).
More info on soft case at https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sjscycles.co.uk%2Ftransporting-bicycles%2Fs-and-s-machine-backpack-case-black
More info on hard  soft case at https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sjscycles.co.uk%2Ftransporting-bicycles%2Fs-and-s-machine-hard-bike-case-grey

One advantage of a front wheel hub motor is that you then have a 2 wheel drive bike, which can be useful in slippery conditions.

Hi Adrian,
Interesting that you say on your link that you have converted the bike from 26” to 700c rims.
What are your thoughts about this change?
What 700c tyre size are you using?

Sorry for the really late reply.  The wheels were changed before I got the bike, the tyres are 32mm Pasela Protite's, previously Pasela Tourguards. I don't have any experience of riding other bikes, but it feels great to me and I think it looks really good too

BTW, Martin, a central motor installation isn't all that much more expensive than a front motor. It's the bigger battery you need when you go from a lower power front motor to a beefier mid-motor that raises the comparable cost appreciably. Also, the front motor that I had, despite its reputation as the Little Hill Climber, seemed more lightweight than the central motor, in every aspect but especially the control electronics, which were clearly not an in-house production in the case of the front motor. It might be that the front motor was built light to earn its title on the hills. Don't get me wrong. The front Bafang motor lasted lonhrt than any of my Nexus boxes, and the central Bafang motor seems likely to see me out, so I don't have any complaint about value received; I'll buy Bafang again, if necessary. But, if you're planning to make a permanent installation in the first instance, I suggest the central motor would be more satisfactory in the long term. The reason I made a sacrificial front installation was because there was very little known about these motors at the time (except for power-crazy Americans building electric motorbikes), so I was educating myself, but that no longer applies. There's a lot of experience of electrical motors on bicycles on this forum and elsewhere.

Cost isn't much of an issue. OZO is a French supplier who seems to know their subject, they assemble their own batteries using Panasonic cells and supply batteries for several different uses (electric bikes, small boats, storage batteries to allow stockage and restitution of electricity from solar panels). They also have a stock of spare parts to rebuild and maintain Bafang motors.

From OZO, a complete 250W 40nm front wheel motor kit costs nearly as much as a BBS01 Bafang 250W 80nm mid-motor kit. The mid-motor kit is heavier, with double the rated torque. The front motor kit is simpler, so easier to install and probably also to maintain, and about 2.5 kg lighter. Weight on an electric bike isn't really an issue for me. But I would like to try and convince my wife to try an electric bike, and she finds a light bike easier to handle.

I have already ridden about 180 kms on the 2 second-hand mid-motor electric bikes I sourced for the nature reserve. These have the Bafang M200 integrated motor, which is similar to the BBS01. Performance of these bikes is quite sufficient for what I think I will need from an electric bike.

But I still intend to try a hire bike with a front-wheel motor to see what the advantages and disadvantages of each system are while riding.

A bit late in the day, but I thought I'd best write a follow up.

I opted to change the combined brake/shifter levers on the flat (butterfly) bars for cantilever specific ones, a Shimano Deore LX M567 3x8 Speed Shifter and Brake Lever Set and update the cantilevers to Shimano Altus BR-CT91.  The bike brakes and shifts beautifully now though at some additional cost, but I'm enjoying it.

Thanks for all the advice and help