A while ago, someone posted some pictures of their step-through Sherpa, a model not often illustrated here. I thought I would do the same of my Ripio, another model not often mentioned. I have tried much of today to post a few pictures, but cannot work out how to resize them, so for the time being I will just write about it.
The Ripio is no longer made - I think Thorn introduced it as a frame-only mountain bike, perhaps a dérailleur equivalent of the Rohloff equipped Catalyst? Fitted with disc mounts at rear, originally intended I guess for use with a suspension fork. But the sales proved disappointing, I guess such a crowded market, and it was discontinued a year or so ago. Thorn sold off their last frames last year, and built one up with basic components in an effort to attract a buyer - at about the time I was looking for a new bike! My Cube Acid had been stolen.
So I bought the Ripio in summer 2013. It was the 3rd Thorn I had purchased - a Raven Tour in 2006, which I used a lot and liked, but I never used it on anything other than relatively lightweight rides - my expedition ambitions never materialised. And the frame was too long for me, I think, I could never get it right and as I developed arthritic wrists, found the bike increasingly uncomfortable.
And I also bought one of the last dérailleur tandems in 2009, my wife and I have enjoyed riding it.
I sold the RT to a guy who was planning to use it 'properly' - Phil - he rode it most of the way to Vietnam / Cambodia. I bought a Cube Acid, thinking that a sus fork would solve my wrist problem - yes, it helped, but at the expense of having a bike that lacked feel and precision, and whilst the brakes, gears etc were superb, I never quite . . . . got on with it.
When it was stolen, I looked around for something else. Almost bought a Cube hybrid, but I was mucked about by the dealer and cancelled order - and then, the Ripio turned up. Trip to Bridgewater, and I just knew the bike was right. Sus fork swapped for a Mt Tura, guards fitted, money paid, and off I went.
It has taken me almost a year to perfect it. Various changes - initially geared too high for my style / preference, basic chainset swapped for Deore. Standard shifters did hurt my hands after an hour or so, I could not comfortably push the lower lever to change gear, so changed to thumbies - much better for me. Tyres - eventually settled on 26 x 1.6 Supremes - very good, and OK on trails in the dry at least.
So I now have a bike that suits me very well. Yes, it has cost me in total probably as much as a new Club Tour, but I prefer the low top tube / open feeling of the mountain bike genre. I have also swapped the wheels - now on DT Swiss - much livelier than before. I have the advantage that my son 'takes over' a lot of my surplus kit for his commuting bike, and the Grizzlys as originally fitted suit him well; he is a hard rider who gives his bikes quite a bashing.
The only real trouble I have had with the bike is the rear brake - XT rim brake. Kept going out of adjustment, the springs needing centring etc almost every outing. Very annoying - until I tracked it down, I think, to the fact that the brake outer clips holding the cable on the disc hose / cable supports gave little fore / aft security - so the brake pipe ended up getting moved as the cable assembly 'pulled through'. The frame has hose suports rather than cable stops to the rear. I secured the cable / outer with cable ties, and problem solved - I'll work out a tidier solution in due course. So I will stick with the rim brake for now, light, perhaps not quite as 'sharp' as the discs on the Cube Acid, but good enough.
Yes, the bike is on the heavy side, but with the new tyres / wheels, and careful trimming of everything, I think it is lighter than most Sherpas - I do not have reliable scales at present.
I no longer do big mileages, joints getting stiff etc. But the Ripio gives me a feeling of security that I have not had for a while, important for me as I have difficulty focussing on trails at present - awaiting surgery. It also seems to encourage a 'keep going, you are nearly at the top' frame of mind - whereas the Acid led to a 'time to have a breather' way of thinking - 'Posture, Pedalling and Perception' - a good PhD subject there for someone.
And as soon as I can figure out how to downsize pictures, I will post some.
Thanks to members here for their advice, and to Dave, Steve, Robin and the others at Thorn.
Lewis - Sheffield
