Any thoughts on this bike?

[horizon]

Just wondered as it's an older Thorn:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thorn-Brevet-touring-bike/282854430289?hash=item41db701651:g:DcsAAOSwPypaifxr

[humedavid]

Not strictly about the bike, but it's advertised on Gumtree as well, so if you are local, you might get a better price ( no Ebay fees to pay ).

[horizon]

On the Gumtree ad he put:

£1,500 new 2 years ago

Quite how he expects to attract buyers while at the same time putting them off I don't know. It's so stupid.

[rualexander]

On the Gumtree ad he put:

£1,500 new 2 years ago

Thorn Brevet hasn't been made for ten years or so as far as I can recall so not sure how it was new 2 years ago, unless it was one Thorn had lying around in their attic.

[PH]

I had one for a while, bought S/H and not quite the right size for me so passed it on.
It's a decent enough frame, without being anything special, that's one of the earlier models, the later ones had thread-less headsets and no lugs. I don't know when they changed, I was told mine was from 1998. I think all Reynolds tubing, the add shows 531 but I thought mine was from one of the lower groups (Could be wrong)  Nice 531 forks, IMO nicer than anything Thorn produce today, usual clearance with deep drop calipers, 28mm tyres maximum.  I'm pretty sure it would have been UK made, if that sort of thing matters to you.
Thorn sold off the last of the newer ones as straight bar builds, probably with whatever components they had lying about, and ridiculously chap, it's one of my few cycling regrets that I didn't snap one up.

Whether that bike is worth £350 will depend entirely on it's condition, which would have to be pretty good to tempt me.  That one doesn't look like it is,  bit of surface rust on the frame, the aluminium well weathered, just looks like if it was anyones pride and joy that would have been some time ago.

[horizon]

Thanks PH - they were mostly my thoughts about the condition as well, especially the alu parts.

Two things I would like to know (there doesn't seem to be a brochure on line or in the archive) is whether Thorn had started their two size (L and S) frames by then (which are in the 2003 brochure but these are later bikes) and the OLN.

[geocycle]

It looks very different from the 2003 mk2 still for sale as SJS. https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bikes/thorn-brevet-mk2-554l-reynolds-525-fillet-brazed-uk-built-new/

I still like the look of this bike which seems to be in mid metamorphosis toward the audax.

[PH]

Two things I would like to know (there doesn't seem to be a brochure on line or in the archive) is whether Thorn had started their two size (L and S) frames by then (which are in the 2003 brochure but these are later bikes) and the OLN.

Can't help with the sizing, but mine had Deore hubs which I'm assuming were standard so 135 OLN.

[PH]

I still like the look of this bike which seems to be in mid metamorphosis toward the audax.

Indeed, the words - audax, randonnée or brevet are often interchangeable and have slightly different meaning (And regulations) in different parts of the world.  It's quite likely that when the model was launched the word Brevet would have been more familiar.  So yes, it's basically what would be considered a traditional Audax bike (Though such bikes are becoming less common on those Audax rides I've done recently)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randonneuring