Are you feeling clever to have got your Mk3 while you could, John?

  I'd like to say I timed it all well, Ian, but really, I just lucked in.  There was this fellow on the Thorn website who praised the Mercury, and I thought, "Why not? If it's good enuf for Ian, it's good enuf for me."

I sold two good bikes to cover much of the cost:  My Raven went to a friend of our daughter, who was over the moon about it when she rode it: "I don't have to fuss with derailleurs, I just twist the grip to the right gear!" She's toured in Ireland with it.
Then, I sold to my yoga teacher, the ti-framed Eclipse light touring bike I bought here in Ottawa in the winter of 2002-03.  This was the first really good bike I ever bought, and I was treating myself, as we were going to South Africa for three years in Aug 2003. The Eclipse was a lovely bike in many ways, but I had innumerable problems getting the gearing right. (But there's often a silver lining:  my frustration about not being able to get my lowest gear on a steep uphill in the Ottawa Valley in 2013 led to my discovery of & eventual membership in the Church of Rohloff.)  My yoga teacher bought the bike for his teenaged son, who never rode it much, and then announced he wanted an e-bike. I kept quiet, though it crossed my mind to offer to buy it back...

But my Mercury (named Freddie, of course) has been a delight.  It does most of what each of the other bikes would do, and I no longer need the Raven's medium/heavy touring capabilities.  I've done overnights and a weeklong tour in West Qué (with Ron Séguin); on these, and on day rides, I find myself saying, "Dang! This bike works sooo well!" A couple of years ago, I was visiting friends in the back country of the Ottawa Valley, and on my ride out of town, I eased past two women riders.  One said, "Oooooh, fancy bike!"  I said, gallantly, "Thanks, lass!"  She smiled.

That road you have as your "regular" ride looks a treat, Ian.  This spring, I've not been riding as much as I'd like (wretched weather, heavy-duty head cold, etc.) but I've started riding across the river and into the hills and trees of Gatineau Park. (Will assemble some photos and post those.)  Today, I rode to the base of the long/steep hill to the lookout which is the turnaround for my favourite 33 kms/2 hrs 15 mins out-and-back.  The canopy of trees has blossomed in the past two weeks, and just two days ago, my wife and I saw & heard the largest wing of Canada geese we'd ever seen/heard -- there was 80 or 90 of them overhead, heading for a bay on the Ottawa River for the night; perhaps going -- where? -- further north in Eastern Ontario, I'd guess.  Absolutely magical sound, and with the trees' foliage, confirmation that summer really has arrived.

Hi over there ,

I am interested buy the bicycle .Could you please advise if the bicycle is still available ?

Kind regards
Burak Soyer

Sadly it’s time to find a new home for my XTC. It’s been a brilliant bike, comfortable and fast, and the steel frame, 26” wheels and wide tyres (up to37mm) mean it is good on rougher surfaces and when loaded.
The XTC was Thorn’s top of the range lightweight steel tourer. The Classic was hand built in the UK (in approx 2000) with 725 conical tubing and 531C forks.
The 26” wheels of the XTC make this bike especially suitable for shorter riders (approx. 5’ 5” to 5’8”) because it allows for a comfortable reach without having to compromise on toe overlap or a high bottom bracket.

Frame size 525mm
Bottom bracket to top of seat tube 510mm
Top tube ctc 510mm
Reach 460mm
Standover at mid-tube 770mm

725 Reynolds conical tubing
Investment cast lugs
Ritchey dropouts
Forks 531C, uncut steerer

Overall length 1650mm

Shimano Ultegra triple flight deck levers
Thorn 80mm silver stem
FSC head set
Shimano Ultegra front mech
Ultegra cranks
Chainrings XT 52-42-30
Cassette 32-12
Shimano Deore XT rear mech
Sunrims CR18 26” alloy rim front
Sputnik alloy rim rear
Shimano STX HB-MC30 front hub
Tyres Panaracer Tourguard 26x1.5 (front), Schwalbe Marathon Plus 26x1.35 (rear)
Avid Shorty 6 cantilever brakes front and rear
Charge Spoon saddle
Thorn layback seat post 27.2mm
MKS GR-9 platform pedals
Full mudguards, rear reflector and Secula rear light
Tubus stainless steel carrier

This bike has been well-used over its life. It has not been ridden for a while and it needs some tlc. Most seriously, the handlebars have been bent (they are still rideable but someone knocked the bike over when it was loaded and one handlebar took the brunt of it). The rubber brake hoods need replacing, the plastic ‘Ultegra’ on the brake levers is missing (cosmetic only), the chain, transmission and cables all have wear and you should plan on replacing in due course. The front mech needs adjusting. There is surface rust on bolts etc. The front rim is the original and I don’t know how much wear is left in it (the back rim has had little use).
The frame has various chips and scuffs to the paintwork as seen, but the frame and forks are straight with no dings.

£250 ono

Location: Horsham, West Sussex

Collection preferred so you can see what you are buying. If you come by train, we are less than a mile from the station. Otherwise, I can box it up and send it on receipt of full payment for +£80.

Today it looks like London temp is 35 (C), same with tomorrow.  At that high an altitude, I can't figure out what is going on, but I hope things are closer to normal when I am there, if I wanted to go somewhere that hot, I can think of a lot of other places to go.  If things look like this just before I leave home in a week, I may bring a pair of shorts and a short sleeve shirt.  But I really hate to bring anything that I might only use once or twice for a month and a half long trip.

That's British weather! A week ago we were emerging from an unusually cold period. Now it's uncomfortably hot. It depends on the weather patterns. High pressure west of UK pulls down cold air from the north. The high pressure has moved eastwards so we are currently getting hot air from the south. The general forecasts are now fairly good up to about 5 days ahead and two days ahead are quite good in predicting what time of day it might rain. The general recommendation for clothing is lots of thin layers which can be put on or removed according to the temperature.

I cycle in sandals throughout the summer. If it's warm then my feet get a patchy sun tan, if it's cool I use socks and if it's cold and wet I use waterproof socks. They eventually get wet through but still provide some warmth and are much easier to dry than soggy boots or cycling shoes.