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71
Thorn General / New to me Raven Tour
« Last post by Andyb1 on July 06, 2025, 05:11:00 PM »
A couple of days ago I did what I normally would never do: I bought a bike unseen on ebay.  A Raven Tour.  Not the Sport Tour and I don’t think it is a ‘New’ Raven Tour either.
Why?   Well I am planning a trip to Sri Lanka this winter and while my Sherpa is all set up and ready I would prefer to take a rohloff geared bike, maybe with a chainglider, as I am expecting that there will be some wet and gritty riding conditions.

The Raven had been advertised by a cycle dealer at £1000, then £900.  I offered £700 including delivery (it was of course on the other side of UK) and it arrives in a few days time.   There is a 30 day return period so if it is a total pup with a bent frame or anything silly it will go back, but the seller has told me the frame has no dents, the rohloff gears all work, and the wheels are true.  It looks like it might have scratches on the frame, or it may be dirt, and it generally looks ok from the photos.  The chain sits properly on the chainwheel, tyres (Marathon plus 1.75”) appear crack free, but photos can be deceptive.  It has a 537L frame and at 5ft 8” I should be in the middle of the size range.

I expect to spend some time and money on it.  And I need to try and keep it light.  Emirates have reduced their inclusive luggage allowance from 30kg to 25kg.  My Sherpa packed up in a cardboard box with panniers, tools etc was 27kg and I think the Raven with Rohloff will be heavier.  I can buy an additional 5kg luggage allowance for about US$75 each way, so 30kg is my absolute packed bike limit, but lighter will be easier when I take it on my train journey to Heathrow.

The Raven comes with mudguards, low rider racks and a sturdy rear rack.   The low riders (and probably the mudguards) will go and a lighter rear rack will be fitted.   But after that I am not sure how I can easily reduce weight.

The first mechanical things I will do when I get the bike are:
- check EBB and seatpost are not seized
- replace gearbox oil
- check all bearings
- check brakes / steering / chain
Anything else?

Then ride it a bit and see what else is needed.
I have not had a rohloff geared bike with internal changer before, and I will check or renew the cable.  Otherwise if it all works OK and does not leak I will leave well alone!

Photos will follow of the bike when it arrives.


72
Bike Bits / Accessories For Sale / Re: FOR SALE - Thorn Raven Tour 562L frame fork and accessories - red - £150
« Last post by mark s on July 05, 2025, 11:14:00 AM »
PM sent
73
Non-Thorn Related / Re: Bucket List Rides
« Last post by in4 on July 04, 2025, 08:10:18 AM »
Found it here!

https://youtu.be/JjKp5DSvIEI?feature=shared

Many thanks
74
Non-Thorn Related / Re: Bucket List Rides
« Last post by RonS on July 03, 2025, 10:55:03 PM »
When to go…When to go…..The never ending question.

 Spring and fall are generally regarded to be the best times of year to visit southern Japan and South Korea. Which one you pick, in my opinion, depends on how well you tolerate heat. I like taking my bike tours in either May or September, mainly to avoid the heat, as well as the tourists who have no choice but to travel when the children are out of school.

 Using the historical weather data feature of timeanddate.com, I looked at the last three Aprils and the last three Septembers in both Seoul and Fukuoka. It looks like daytime, highs start being reliably in the teens or better by the middle of April, and overnights are generally around 10 although it appears the odd night can get quite cool, as in low single digits. Last year, during my trip to Kyushu, which lasted from 10 April to 10 May, it was consistently in the low to mid 20s and overnight in the mid teens. That's right in my sweet spot.

 Once the summer heat arrives, however, it arrives with a vengeance, and really hangs in. Expect highs of 30 or above, with high humidity thrown in for good measure, until probably mid to late October. In 2023, during the latter part of my first Japan tour, I was in southern Japan from 16 September until 6 October. I do not think there were more than one or two days where the temperature was below 30 and nighttime lows didn’t drop much below 25. Throw in 70 to 80% humidity, and there were a lot of nights when I just laid in the tent sweating.

 If you'd like to see more info about cycling in Korea, there's a YouTube channel called. “lost then found”. It's a young Canadian Korean couple and they've made a series of videos about all the bike paths in Korea. A real fountain of information, including their recommendation for the best time to visit.
75
Non-Thorn Related / Re: Bucket List Rides
« Last post by in4 on July 03, 2025, 06:34:10 PM »
That ride starting in Seoul sounds really interesting, particularly with the prospect of a ferry to Japan too. I’ll have to check this out! What time of year would be best?
76
Non-Thorn Related / Re: Itchy Boots and Air Tags
« Last post by in4 on July 03, 2025, 06:31:23 PM »
A friend of mine’s wife has tagged him. Reason being he goes bird watching, sometimes in remote places and has form for falling over into ditches and knocking himself out!
Back to bikes: perhaps a hidden tag is best used as a recovery tool. I can’t imagine having an AirTag alert sticker on your bike would be much of a deterrent; potentially a challenge to some  miserable little oik.

When I do leave my bike outside a supermarket I always use a ‘gold standard’ cable lock and if necessary,  a length of steel wire to secure my panniers to the bike frame/rack.
 If nothing else it’s a visual deterrent to a would be thief who hopefully will move on elsewhere.
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Non-Thorn Related / Re: Itchy Boots and Air Tags
« Last post by RonS on July 03, 2025, 06:20:05 PM »
Quote from: Andyb1 on July 03, 2025, 04:12:38 PM
‘I also have one in a pannier paired with my wife's phone, so she can always see where I am.’

That explains why I keep seeing cycle panniers left outside pubs………

Lucky for me she’s OK with that! :)
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Non-Thorn Related / Re: Itchy Boots and Air Tags
« Last post by Andyb1 on July 03, 2025, 04:12:38 PM »
‘I also have one in a pannier paired with my wife's phone, so she can always see where I am.’

That explains why I keep seeing cycle panniers left outside pubs………


The trouble of something like an AirTag is that it does not really deter a thief in the same way that a big chain or an alarm does.   If they don’t know it is there it won’t stop them stealing it, and if they do know it is there (warning stickers?) then if it can not be in a tube, they will probably find it.
79
Muppets Threads! (And Anything Else) / Re: Windows frozen
« Last post by John Saxby on July 03, 2025, 03:06:34 PM »
Ah, jeez, hazards abound...

I was gonna suggest that, if you've got power, try a hair dryer around the edges of the windows.

If on the car, warm water or a hair dryer.  Then, after everything has been opened (windows, but esp doors) wipe all the rubber on the rubber/metal interfaces with a bit of olive oil on a paper towel.  As a rule, doing that once in late autumn does the trick.

Glad it's all sorted, Matt.  You can file away my tricks for similar problems with "the other windows".

Tangentially yours,  John
80
Muppets Threads! (And Anything Else) / Re: Windows frozen
« Last post by Mike Ayling on July 03, 2025, 03:38:01 AM »
After RonS reminds me of the joke that the home duties director phoned their partner saying that their windows were frozen and what should they do?
Answer - gently pour warm water over them!
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