Author Topic: Thorn for Arizona?  (Read 9802 times)

ahconway

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Re: Thorn for Arizona?
« Reply #30 on: November 05, 2005, 03:11:09 PM »
Vanity, thy name is Tubus!

When I bought my Raven Tour, I got a Tubus rack with it - primarily for aesthetic reasons. They do look pretty damned cool! I really wanted all the trimmings to be a silvery finish, which ruled out the Thorn racks. I almost went for a Blackburn rack (which would have matched the rest of my bits better), but Blackburn was a little too pedestrian for me.

And I've really liked my Tubus rack for the most part, that is, until I bought an Altura rack-top bag. I was convinced that the design of the bag was flawed, since it's meant to be secured to the rack with two straps underneath and a couple velcro flaps on the front end. But because of the narrow top of the Tubus rack and lack of a "stop" at the front of the rack for the velcro to attach to, the bag cannot be secured properly without the ingenious use of bungee cords, which I have now mastered.

Only today, when I strapped the bag to the £15 Pletscher rack on my utility bike did I realise how it's supposed to work! With a nice wide rack surface and a flip-up bar at the front end, the bag is securely fastened.

It's too late to turn back now, and I do love the look of the rack (I also really like the lower bars for mounting panniers), so I'll have to make do with my bungee arrangement for the bag... Next time, though, I'll go with Thorn!

Andrew
 

Desertrider

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Re: Thorn for Arizona?
« Reply #31 on: November 06, 2005, 01:19:38 AM »
Thanks for that input! It's good to know about the top of the rack. I do like to use a rack trunk for day rides; I have an insulated one that's nice for cold drinks on warm Arizona days.

Robin Thorn pointed out that he uses closed tubes for his racks (implying, I guess, that Tubus does not?). He also said that he has never had a rear rack fail, but has seen Tubus racks fail. Robin doesn't seem like the type who needs to falsely put down other products. But I'll bet it took some doing to break a Tubus rack.

 

jgrgilbert

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Re: Thorn for Arizona?
« Reply #32 on: November 06, 2005, 12:47:42 PM »
I decided on Thorn's new Expedition Rack on the Raven Sport Tour I have just ordered. Despite it being stronger (and therefore heavier) than I need it had a number of features I like:

It has a rear plate with holes drilled for mounting rear lights and reflectors.

It projects back a bit further so I should be able to adjust my panniers so that they clear my heels easily.

It has the mudguard stay mounts which looks neater and holds the mudguard stiffer so that it won't rub the tyres.

I think it looks good. It has a clean, practical appearance. (They don't have a picture in the parts web store but it is fitted to the Rohloff eXp in this picture: http://www.sjscycles.com/thornwebsite/Images/bikeenlargerohloffexp.jpg)
 

PH

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Re: Thorn for Arizona?
« Reply #33 on: November 06, 2005, 02:39:02 PM »
quote:
Originally posted by jgrgilbert


I think it looks good. It has a clean, practical appearance. (They don't have a picture in the parts web store but it is fitted to the Rohloff eXp in this picture: http://www.sjscycles.com/thornwebsite/Images/bikeenlargerohloffexp.jpg)



OK, I admit to being vain, but IMO that looks awful[}:)]
It looks like someone has bodged it together in their garage, they couldn't even find a bit of Maccano the right colour to attach it to the seat stays.
Now if Thorn started powder coating them to match the frames, I'd be first in the queue.
I take the point about fitting a rack pack, I prefer a saddlebag for day rides anyway. The lower pannier rails on a Tubus are great when you've got a tent bungeed to the top plate, you can get it on and off without disturbing anything else.

« Last Edit: November 06, 2005, 02:49:09 PM by PH »

Robin Thorn

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Re: Thorn for Arizona?
« Reply #34 on: December 03, 2005, 01:57:24 PM »
The meccano bits are stainless, left natural because they need to be cut to length, having colour coordinated racks would be impractical unless ALL of our bikes were supplied with one @ the outset.