Thorn stock

[ourclarioncall]

Anyone know when or if Thorn are getting any new stock for the public ? Nomad mk3 for example

I’ve been checking on and off for a long time but never anything new

Are they only getting small quantities of stock that is already pre-sold in advance by those who get their foot in the door first ?

Cheers

[PH]

Be best to email or ring them.
What is it you're looking for?  They seem to have a fair few Mk3 frames in stock, though not all sizes in all colours.  There was a big delivery last July, I got one, and they seem to be depleting those.  Only they will know when the next batch is due.  I don't think they'll be getting small quantities, I don't know their business, but it's not the way such things usually work.
Frame price has shot up since then, I know everything has, but not by 50%   It's now the same price as the Mercury, though I expect the differential will be restored if/when they next batch of those come in.

[ourclarioncall]

Be best to email or ring them.
What is it you're looking for?  They seem to have a fair few Mk3 frames in stock, though not all sizes in all colours.  There was a big delivery last July, I got one, and they seem to be depleting those.  Only they will know when the next batch is due.  I don't think they'll be getting small quantities, I don't know their business, but it's not the way such things usually work.
Frame price has shot up since then, I know everything has, but not by 50%   It's now the same price as the Mercury, though I expect the differential will be restored if/when they next batch of those come in.

No way ! You’re right there is stock .

Ah ok, it’s confusing because when you look at the nomads mk3, it says 1 in stock , but there is actually loads

The last few times I looked it was the same there was only like a few left and some didn’t even have the matching colour forks to with them

So yeah now when I clicked on the actual bike and check the sizes available there is actually quite a few. Man I always seem to come at the wrong time ! Waited ages and ages for stock to come and then it was pre-sold before it came on the website . Then I gave up and bought a used bike.

[KDean]

i orderd my Surly Orge based on what they didn't have according to their Website . I was put off emailing due to a curt reply stating too many emails were sent .When I'm concidering spending around £4k I want to ask more than a couple of questons . looking at the company that built my Surly Orge with a rohloff ,80 plus emails were shared . & I'm very happy with what was built .

[Moronic]

The stuff available under 'Thorn Bikes' on the SJS website is just the stuff they've already built up and can sell you.

It is pretty much a) prototypes they're getting rid of; b) used bikes they've taken as trades; c) new bikes that they've built to order and that the depositor has backed out of.

Not sure how that applies to the frames and forks sold as components. I'm guessing what's on the website is not their entire remaining stock, but if not why are they offering these for sale and not others?

When I spoke to sales staffer Sarah when ordering mine - in the early days of the Covid pandemic - she said they needed to order about five years' worth of frames at a time - presumably to get a production run big enough to bring down unit cost to what they thought they could sell the bikes for.

They may have negotiated different deals since.

Anyone who wants a Thorn should just phone or email an inquiry, as PH suggests. They'll telli you straight away what they've got and whether or when you can have it.

What they can't tell you is when orders will be filled for parts they've run out of. I have a rim-brake rim on the disk-brake rear wheel of my Mercury, because per Sarah the disc version had been on back order for a year.

[WorldTourer]

i orderd my Surly Orge based on what they didn't have according to their Website . I was put off emailing due to a curt reply stating too many emails were sent .When I'm concidering spending around £4k I want to ask more than a couple of questons . looking at the company that built my Surly Orge with a rohloff ,80 plus emails were shared . & I'm very happy with what was built .

I too have noticed since around 2020 that Thorn/SJS’s replies are more curt than when I built up a bike based on their frame and recommendations over a decade ago. Have staff shortages and financial pressures impacted their business? Makes me wonder about Thorn/SJS’s long-term future as a major force in the bicycle-travel community, especially considering that their framebuilder retired. Moreover, they haven’t kept abreast of the whole “bikepacking” development of the last decade that younger generations of riders expect from a shop.

[PH]

I too have noticed since around 2020 that Thorn/SJS’s replies are more curt than when I built up a bike based on their frame and recommendations over a decade ago.

I think they've always had a bit of a reputation for what I think you mean.  A cycling companion I know and like considers them arrogant, yet still buys from them because the product speaks for itself. I'm not sure you can run a successful business without some arrogance, if you don't believe you're offering something better than your competitor, what's the point of doing it?  I've never had any issue with any of my communication, if I've needed to know something I've asked and it's been promptly answered.  I've always been happy with the level of service, even when stuff has gone wrong it's been handled to my satisfaction.
But before asking any questions, I've looked to see if the information has already been provided, what must be frustrating is people asking stuff they've already answered. I suffer a bit of this with some stuff I organise on a smaller scale, people not looking at the info provided because it's simpler to fire of an e-mail.  I have no idea what KDean's 80 email enquiries contained, I can't think of 80 things I'd ask about any bike. There is also the well understood principal of how a little knowledge can be a bad thing.  Cycling manufacturers often supply information that can't be treated in isolation but often is. For example top tube length is irrelevant if you don't also know, and understand the relevance of, all the corresponding dimensions.  Bike weight is another and a pet hate of mine, people make comparisons that are not between equivalents and nearly every time it's the wrong question. If I were to be asked what X weighs for the thousandth time, my answer might well be considered curt.  The big question when it come to bike buying is how does it ride? No number of emails will answer that.

[Matt2matt2002]

My last encounter with SJS was when I order a mirror.
It was described as folding.
It didn't fold.
I emailed my disappointment and received a full refund. Without returning the mirror.
They remarked that the manufacturer had described it was folding and they copied the description.

The funny thing was, after the dust had settled I happened to look at the product reviews.
( Yes, I should have done that before placing the order),
and a reviewer had complained several months ago that it didn't fold!
So SJS knew then that the description was wrong.

Ah well, we can all make mistakes.
As the dalek said climbing off the dustbin.

Cheers from a 30° Thailand

[JohnR]

I too have noticed since around 2020 that Thorn/SJS’s replies are more curt than when I built up a bike based on their frame and recommendations over a decade ago. Have staff shortages and financial pressures impacted their business? Makes me wonder about Thorn/SJS’s long-term future as a major force in the bicycle-travel community, especially considering that their framebuilder retired. Moreover, they haven’t kept abreast of the whole “bikepacking” development of the last decade that younger generations of riders expect from a shop.

There seems to be more to Thorn (including SJS Cycles) than is obvious. The latest accounts (for 2021) https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/04121096/filing-history show a payroll of over 40 people and nearly £2M of stock. I note that the recent bike listings such as https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bikes/thorn-258261/ includes "Please note that we no longer have an open showroom." However, there's nothing on the website to indicate that the physical shop isn't open so maybe they need the showroom space for other uses.

[PH]

I note that the recent bike listings such as https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bikes/thorn-258261/ includes "Please note that we no longer have an open showroom." However, there's nothing on the website to indicate that the physical shop isn't open so maybe they need the showroom space for other uses.

There is no shop, other than online, I don't think they're geared up to sell you anything over the counter.
I recounted a visit there a few years ago, the thread will be here somewhere, I'm not going to read it, I might have said I wasn't buying another bike.  When you walk into the premises, it's wall to wall Bromptons and an office!  You really wouldn't know it was the home of Thorn bikes, they were good enough to give ne a guided walk around, including upstairs to what might have been described as a showroom though it looked mostly workshop, I don't know if that's what's no longer open, it wasn't somewhere you could have a mooch around anyway.
I have no knowledge of their business other than as a satisfied customer, they have built a good reputation for parts, at one time getting good service and paying a little more for it, now they're frequently the most competitive on price as well.  I have no way of knowing how big a part of the business is Thorn bikes, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't the biggest part.