My new Sherpa build

[phopwood]

Hi,

I am new to this forum and also Thorn, over the last 18 years or so I have been riding alloy bikes mostly mountain bikes.  My biggest problem has always been i am not very tall and could never find the perfect fit, my racing bike is a ladies Dolce, a great bike but one of the only racing bikes I could find to fit.  I had been looking at Thorn for a while but they were a little out of my price range, So the other week I went to the bike show at the NEC and had a good look around and got to sit on what Andy would be my ideal size.  Not sure I will ever do any touring on it, but it will get plenty of use for fun and also commuting.

My wife had one of these kicking around in the shed, with mostly Deore LX components on it. http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2001&Brand=Schwinn&Model=Sierra+GSX&Type=bike#.UHGCd3m4UxI hers was a 9 speed so I think the UK and US version were a different spec.  And it only had a few hundred miles on it, so the components were in good condition.

So on Tuesday this week I ordered a 500s Sherpa in black and it arrived on Friday lunch time.  As of today this is my new Sherpa, I know the stem and early SPD pedels are rubbish, but these are all I had form the donor, I will replace over the next few weeks.  I have ordered a set of black SKS mudguards from the LBS should be here Tuesday.  So the only parts I need to replace (so far) from the donor were the front mech (seat tube size difference) and inner gear cables.

So I took it out today for a quick 10 miles hilly route and every thing is great, very comfy and reasonable quick, this little route I do I normal do an average speed of 13 mph on a racing bike, today I did it at 12.5MPH.  No road buz, no pains and the bumps seem to disappear.

Peter

[Danneaux]

Hi Peter!  Welcome to the Forum!

Thanks so much for posting the photo of your new ride...I hope we'll soon be seeing more if it in the Gallery, especially as it progresses -- it looks fantastic!

I'm especially glad you posted because the approach you took is one of the most cost-effective ways to "get into" a new Thorn. The heart of the bike -- the frame -- is yours right away. The rest (donor parts transferred over) get it out and on the road, and you can replace them over time as needed or desired.

The result looks like a fine bike, and I am so happy for you. I'll bet you still have that "new bike glow" and -- if you're like many of the rest of us -- detour over to where you can "check on it" (check it out and admire) several times a day.

Owning this new Sherpa in your size will make you a wonderful resource for our many other members who are not tall. It is hard to find bikes in a good fit at either end of the size spectrum, so it is encouraging and helpful to find you're comfortable on the 500S.

...every thing is great, very comfy and reasonable quick, this little route I do I normal do an average speed of 13 mph on a racing bike, today I did it at 12.5MPH.  No road buz, no pains and the bumps seem to disappear.

<nods> Yes, everything sounds as it is "supposed to be"; wonderful! Yours is also one of the earlier Mk3 Sherpas we've seen out in the wild; that will make any ride reports especially nice. It has the new tubing selection and the extended head tube, among other features.

Thanks again for sharing, it is always nice to see a new Thorn on the road and have another member in the fold.

Best,

Dan. (Oh, that new ca- er, new-bike smell! Nothing like it!)

[jags]

Hi Peter welcome, i done the same with my sherpa just bought frame and built it up myself well pleased.
you will find (guaranteed) that you will ride the sherpa all day in comfort.
one thing i would do put some slicks on it ,schwalble kojacks are a good choice i have supreams on mine great ride.
anyway enjoy the your bike if you get a chance take a camera with you on your next ride i'm a nosey bugger love to see the places people ride there bikes.
(Weird or what)

[phopwood]

Thanks both for your input. The tyres are continental tourists and very slick on the main contact part, but the picture does make them look much worse.  I stripped, cleaned and re greased the components before fitting and I will replace as they wear out. 

I did struggle with the headset, the lower ring that sits on the fork crown, does not seem to sit properly, but the head set is stable and there is no wobble, I will ride it for a few days and then strip it down and take a look to see if it is ok.

Yes I did go to the garage this evening and have a look, how sad that  .

[jags]

hah not sad at all ,when the wife is out  i put mine in front of the telly .
i kinda forget how that headset fits but i'm nearly sure theres a top and a bottom but dan will sort you out on that, important you get the headset fitted properly .
btw the slicks will give you loads more speed much lighter for a start but you know all this 

[Danneaux]

Hi Peter!

Welcome to the larger group of bike-admirers as well as the Forum. I've found myself regularly detouring to where mine is parked against the fireplace...just to check things out, you understand.  Looking at it from different angles and petting it occasionally is part of the process. Yes, it is sad... 

If the headset came supplied with the frame (which it should have) it may simply not be fully seated. The lower crown race is an interference fit (about .2mm, generally) and may simply not have slipped all the way down. Your body weight and a little riding might well see it right and fully seated in that case, but do check to be sure. If you take it apart, be sure to check the stack-order of the pieces. This often gives people problems if they aren't familiar with this model. A handy diagram to check the proper order of things appears here: http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/5164/fsaorbitxliidiagram.jpg

Speaking of headsets, nearly all newly-installed headsets "seat" further with initial use, and this is why they require adjustment after a few rides.

Hopefully, yours will settle in soon. If not, give a shout and we'll weigh in from there. If you do run into problems, be sure to include some photos as well; pictures are easily worth a thousand words!

Best,

Dan. (whose own head is often set...sometimes on a pillow)

[Andybg]

The bike looks fantastic Peter and am glad you are really chuffed.

It is nice to see the bike with diffrent components than the norm. The Thorn broshures tend to push you down certain paths (dependant on your budget) and many of the bikes end up looking very similar.

I think the red pedals look very funky, especially when combined with the wheel reflectors.

Keep us informed of how life goes with the bike

Cheers

Andy

[Andybg]

PS - It is totaly normal to keep popping past your bike to check it still looks the same.

[phopwood]

Well I found the problem with my headset, I had not seated the crown race square, I took it off but could not get it back on (damaged it by it not being square), so I ordered two new ones today and will give it another go.  If I still can't get it seated properly I will take the forks the LBS, for some professional bodging.  I am in London for the next few days, so I will not need it, I will take my Brompton.

The big red platform SDP pedals have grown on me in the last 24 hours, I did another 20 miles today before dismantling my headset, and I noticed that they were much more comfy than the small SPD pedals. So they may end up staying

It has that strange retro 1990’s look, when every bike came with a bell, skinny tubes and full reflectors.  But every manufacturer will push you down a route, it is cheaper for them, and to be honest the components on my wife’s old bike were far superior to her new bike, so they will do until they wear out.

I can’t keep going to the garage my wife will think me strange, well more strange.

Peter

[Erudin]

You've done a great job, amazing how many of the parts from the donor bike swapped over. I find putting crown races on can be tough even with the Cyclus crown race fitting tool I have (basically heavy steel tube), ideally the crown race should be faced (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W47Fcb6VvPw). The crown race seat should larger then the race by 0.1mm to 0.15. Much more difference may stress and crack the bearing race, and the heavy hammering may damage the fork (from http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/threadless-headset-service).

My cheap bodge for fitting a crown race to a new fork is to measure the crown seat and if the crown race looks too tight a fit I file lightly around the crown seat until the crown race fits on with a couple of sharp taps. I file the top of the seat more than the base so that the crown race fits square to start with, normally very little filing needs to be done its just a case of smoothing the rough finish off.

This Youtube shows how to fit a crown race with hammer and screwdriver.

[phopwood]

Went to the LBS today and they gently persuaded my crown race on, and I have fitted my mudguards.  So it is all ready for action.

Thanks all for comments and help.

[Danneaux]

Ah! Perfect!

...the rest of the story, with a happy ending. Thanks!

Best wishes for much happy use ahead,

Dan.