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👍

But better if I could have added it to Dan’s post!
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I have gone to 38 / 17 on both my bikes with the 38 being N/W so that the chain is always in phase…..

If you do need a new chain then you can always buy one in Scotland - but an extra 1000 miles on a 0.5% elongated chain does not sound excessive….or fit a chainglider and any wet weather will not be an issue and little lube will be needed!
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What I meant, George, was that after seeing how badly worn the sprocket was that PH posted (which was obviously in use) that perhaps we all change them too soon.
A 1:1 final drive is much more tolerant of wear than a derailleur system……where almost invisible sprocket wear can give problems as different sprockets will have different amounts of wear so some will not mesh with the chain.

Agree.  As noted above, I have started to put worn out chains from my derailleur bikes onto my Rohloff bike, depriving my Rohloff bike of having newer chains.

That exceptionally worn out sprocket that PH showed the photo of had 16 teeth, an even number of teeth, you can see that several teeth were broken off but in that case those broken teeth were every other tooth.  I mentioned above that Rohloff hubs are usually fitted with a 16 tooth sprocket when new if you did not buy it on a bike from Thorn.

I also think that Thorn bikes that use a eccentric bottom bracket may be more tolerant of wear than ones that use a spring loaded chain tensioner.  With a very worn chain on a very worn sprocket, as you pedal, each chain link will climb up each tooth as the wheel rotates, causing more tooth wear.  The limiting factor on how high a chain can climb up a tooth with a spring loaded chain tensioner is the spring, thus if you pedal harder the chain could skip over the teeth.  (Like happened last summer on one of my derailleur bikes, the chain was not yet at 0.75 percent elongation but some sprockets on the cassette were sufficiently worn that the chain skipped when pedaling hard.)  But with the Thorn eccentric, as long as your chain is not too loose, it won't skip because there is only a limited amount of extra slack in the part of the chain that is normally loose as you pedal.

I might have mentioned above that I am going on a tour in the near future, not sure which chain to put on my Nomad Mk II for that trip.  I anticipate a bit over a thousand miles on that trip.  And I expect it to have more wear than normal as the bike will be carrying a heavier load, expect it to be exposed to wet weather more often, and probably will get less lube than typical.  But I do not want to put a chain on that has so much wear that I could be asking for trouble.  The chain currently on the bike has the eccentric near the maximum for amount of chain tightening that can be applied.

I found one chain in my collection of used chains that has a bit over 0.5 percent wear from a derailleur bike, I think that is the one that I will put on for my trip.  It should still have plenty of life left on it, so it should not be troublesome on my trip.  Maybe I should swap chains today, and measure my old one for percent elongation before I discard it?
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Quote
The 👍 also helps reduce posts basically being duplicated by others.

Yep! :)

Best, Dan.
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The 👍 also helps reduce posts basically being duplicated by others.
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What I meant, George, was that after seeing how badly worn the sprocket was that PH posted (which was obviously in use) that perhaps we all change them too soon.
A 1:1 final drive is much more tolerant of wear than a derailleur system……where almost invisible sprocket wear can give problems as different sprockets will have different amounts of wear so some will not mesh with the chain.
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Bikes For Sale / Custom Thorn Voyager Tandem – Built by Robin Thorn
« Last post by Hunnisett12 on May 11, 2026, 04:36:07 PM »
Due to poor health, I am reluctantly offering this exceptional tandem for sale. It has been a much-loved vehicle for our family, and I hope it brings its next owner as much joy as it gave us. Personally ordered from and built by Robin Thorn (Serial No: 200312006), this "Long/Short" aluminium frame is the ultimate setup for a tall captain and a child or petite adult stoker.
Key Features:
•   Child-Back Style: 16.5" rear seat tube, adjustable stoker stem, and specialized 150mm short-reach rear cranks for a perfect, safe fit for smaller riders.
•   Maximum Gearing: A "wide as possible" 3x8 (24-gear) range controlled by intuitive GripShift on flat bars—conquers any hill.
•   Premium Comfort: Upgraded with genuine Brooks Sprung Leather saddles (small profile on rear) and high-volume Schwalbe Hurricane 2.1" tyres for a beautifully cushioned ride. Brooks Flyer saddles front and (Short) rear tensioning tool included.
•   Heavy Duty: 36-spoke wheels for maximum strength and reliability.
•   Touring Ready: Includes high-capacity Thorn front and rear pannier racks.
Condition:
Very Good condition throughout. Professionally serviced with brand new chains and a new rear derailleur; it has been ridden only once since.
Sizing:
Front Seat Tube: 21" (32" Standover) | Rear Seat Tube: 16.5" (27" Standover).

•   Extras: Thorn high-capacity racks (F+R), adjustable stoker stem.
Service History:
Major service 2 years ago including new chains, brakes and rear derailleur. Only one ride since. Very Good condition.

Offers over £600.

I can supply photos, just tech glitch won't allow it on here today!!!!

Location: West Sussex (Local collection)
Contact: Richard Broadhurst (muddypair@icloud.com / 07724807380)

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Thanks in turn, Moronic, for your further thoughts. I see the value in this sort of "approval indicator" and am aligned with your views on the value in it when used as in your example.

At this point, I think it best we wait while I monitor the development of this feature in the SMF Forums. I know it is a requested feature and one of the lead coders has it on their "to-do" list as an approved internal "mod", so once finished, there should be few compatibility issues and we could surely try a trial roll-out to see how it goes. I don't see a problem with a rollback in case it doesn't suit or has unforeseen problems. There may be some delay before it becomes available because the coders are volunteers, just as I volunteer my efforts here.

TLDR: Let's hold tight for now while I monitor developments and when it becomes available, let's give it a try! :) If a LOT of time goes by, give a shout to remind me, as it is possible I may have forgotten. ;)

Thanks again to all for the kind words and if you have further suggestions, I'll surely take them under advisement. Sometimes the ideas that appear easiest to implement have the most "backroom" consequences to administer, but if that is the case, I'll do my best to explain why.

All the best, Dan.
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A belated thanks for the background, Dan, on the "likes" proposal. Yeah I wouldn't be keen on the Karma thing either: I don't see much value in ranking contributors.

On the couple of motorcycle forums I frequent that have it, the Likes feature works for me in a few ways. First, as I said above, it allows me to tell someone I've read their post and appreciate their having contributed it. Second, if people like something I've posted it brings a small psychic reward.

Third, it sometimes defuses potential clashes. For example, someone might respond to a post with a contrasting view, or to supply important context that had been omitted. If they've like the post they're responding to, anecdotally it seems more likely that the original poster will see the reply as additive rather than corrective.

Fourth, if someone's offering advice in response to a question, a bunch of likes tells the questioner that other members think the advice is well founded.

Whether that's worth a bigger admin load in avoiding glitches from updates etc is a whole other thing, and it's easy to see why we'd want to keep forum maintenance as straightforward as possible.
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