Replace this with a Thorn ... Nomad or xTc???

[Istanbul_Tea]

Great Hoogie!!  Glad to hear the Nomad is coming up spades for you... yeah, check out the flat bar side of things too.  I've done it with some spiffy Dia Compe levers, Paul's Thumbies w/Dura Ace barcons, a nice Profile h-bar & Profile bar ends.  So far so good.

[luceberg]

Hi Hoogie, regarding your experience with drop bars, I think that the ones you've got are not the best for touring. I changed over to TTT Morphe Randonneur drop bars and find them extremely comfortable. They have a slight angle back on the tops which fit the hands nicely and a shorter distance to brake hoods meaning a less extreme stretch. The drops are closer too. All of this means you can achieve a set up with a semi sit-up-and-beg position on the tops, a moderate stretch to the hoods for faster riding and a lowish position for pelting along or slipsteaming a headwind while still being able raise your head enough to see. Of course, everyones anatomy and usage is different, but that's how it works for me. Cheers, luceberg.

[Pedaldog]

Hey Hoogie,
I just did a long weekend in the English Lake District (Bloody 1 in 3 hills") on the Nomad loaded up. The bike was excellent but I have decided to change the bars and spoke to SJSC to order a pair of the Modolo Traveller bars, they're the ones shaped like a pair of glasses, as I had them on an old Peugot tourer and they were fine. The bars arrived and got put on today and they are excellent with loads of hand positions. Means you can use the V-brakes etc and they are a bit better for "Panic Braking" as the driver of the car on Hawkshead Hill would appreciate!

[hoogie]

Hi there,
would be interested to hear what you think of those bars ... am definitely leaning towards a flat bar set up on the Nomad now ...
Hills??? you want to see some of them around here as well!
cheers,
hoogie

[George]

Please do tell us what you think of the bars -- they look great for usable hand positions, but they don't really look as though you could use a front bag with them. Has anyone tried the ITM butterfly bars? They do come with a bag mount extension (www.detours.us has them). I've been using drop bars (I don't think plain old straight bars give me much in the way of hand positions), but I hardly ever use the deep drops, so these butterfly type bars look interesting.

I hope Cephas survived his 300k brevet today -- it's been well into the 90s; I found even my 50 miler a struggle.

[Pedaldog]

Replying to Georges query about handlebar bags with the Traveller bars.
St John Street have a Klik Fix type extension thingy that I got to use my Carradice bag with them. It would be difficult to use a bar bag without the extension though. Took a ride with them on today and it was excellent. Had a few non responses from Roady types in Lycra with the "That's not a proper Bike" type expressions on their Titanium, holes drilled for weight saving faces!

[hoogie]

well after much thought and deliberation, I have swapped the drop bar setup on my Nomad with a flat bar setup ...

drop bar setup: 44cm drop bars, 105 brake levers, Avid Shorty 6 cantis, 9sp barend shifters, bar phat bar tape.
flat bar set up: amoeba flat bars with barends, deore v-brake levers, deore v-brakes, pauls components thumbies with 9sp levers.

will update my website soon with pics and comments of the new setuphttp://www.hoogie.co.nz/nomad.htm, but even riding the new setup on the windtrainer it feels so much more comfortable. the windtrainer actually makes a really good poor-mans workstand. not sure how the new/retro thumbies will work with a barbag.

one question though ... are the deore v-brakes universal and not a rear set and a front set???

if anyone is interested in a set of slightly used Avid Shorty 6 cantis with 105 aero brake levers, or maybe even some Diacompe 287V aero brake levers [for use with V-brakes ... bought on eBay but not used], then please get in touch ... trades welcome.

cheers hoogie
timaru/oamaru, new zealand

don't you just hate it when you move the bike and you find a washer sitting there ... after some searching i figured it came from the v-brake pad i pulled to bits to clean ... well i dropped it on the ground and thought i had all the bits ...

[Pedaldog]

Sounds good Hoogie.
I managed to let one of the Nomads go with the flat bars and kept the one with drops. Half regret that now but I can't afford to change it!

[hoogie]

i went out for a ride with a workmate yesterday, he was on a mountainbike and i took my Nomad ... we rode a mix of tracks, including road, rail trails, gravel roads, singletrack, and beach tracks ... the Nomad went really well on all the surfaces ... just missed the front suspension on the singletrack and also the 26x1.5" slick tyres running at 100psi don't brake too well on damp singletrack ... other than that it went fine everywhere ... a truly versatile bike!!!!
cheers,
hoogie