Thorn Rohloff touring bicycle Raven Nomad bike

[owenwilliams]

Hello all on the Thorn forum,

I thought I try here to see if someone may have their beloved thorn touring bicycle they might be thinking of parting with. One with a Rohloff hub is what I am after such as the Raven Tour or Nomad suitable for my 5ft 10" height. Please get in touch if you do as I don't mind travelling the country to come view and buy.

Best Owen

[in4]

Welcome to the forum  It might be worth your while checking the 'bikes for sale' part of the forum from time to time. Refining things down a little further; the size of bike you want will be influenced in part by whether you want drop or straight bars. In this regard its worth reading the Thorn megabrochure, which, apart from being a factual mine of information is a very good read - if you like bikes of course. You can download it here: http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/thorn_mega_brochure.pdf

There are some very knowledgable and helpful people on the forum so ask away!

PS did you see this one. It might have been sold by now but you might want to ask the seller.

http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=11825.msg85967#msg85967

[owenwilliams]

Hello in4,

Thank you for your helpful reply, your advice is much appreciated. I be sure to keep watch in the sale section and of course welcome people to send me an email or personal message via the forum. I don't have a preference over flat or drop bar bicycle so for the Raven or Nomad I will consider any of the respective frame sizes ones I can tweak to fit - 530L/565S/565L/600S/540L/565M/565L/590M/590L
Indeed I did just check out the X590M as you linked and although looks near perfect for my needs, I think the load carrying recommendation in the manual for this X series is 18Kg and may fall short of my equipment. Not sure if this takes into account weight of the rider though I'm about 65Kg. This bicycle will be for my first cycle tour and being Type 1 Diabetic, I want to carry enough supplies and surplus food with me to be able to manage with confidence. Also the reason why the Rohloff hub for me seems the best option for minimal road maintenance during the journey :-)
Hopeful a trade may come up soon that both me and the seller be happy with so any progress I shall keep the thread updated.

Owen

[jul]

There are some very knowledgable and helpful people on the forum so ask away!

PS did you see this one. It might have been sold by now but you might want to ask the seller.

http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=11825.msg85967#msg85967

For information, this bike can not carry as much as a Nomad , because it is a "X-series"

Owen, 530L Raven, 540L Nomad will be to short for you, i think

[in4]

There might be one for you here Owen but check the size first. Photos should appear soon, although  think the SJS site might be having a refresh. S/H Nomad 537L + S&S too.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/new-used-cycles-frames/

[owenwilliams]

Thank you julio and in4 for your input. I be interested to check out the spec of that S&S nomad when it gets updated. I haven't read up yet on the warranty terms Thorn offers on pre-owned cycles as opposed to a new bicycle. Even though S&S looks incredibly useful, a standard frame I be more than happy with and with respect to the price of this one (assuming its a basic spec) the small additional cost might be highly beneficial.
Will keep an eye on auctions on ebay though I do not know the ins and outs of it totally. Cash would be my preferred choice to purchase.

[John Saxby]

Owen, a quick note on sizing:  I'm a bit over 5'10", and my Raven 565S is perfect for me with drop bars.

I did consider a Nomad X590M, which has a lower stepover height and longer chainstays. That model is robust, if a bit lighter than the Nomad. In the end, I opted for the lighter and versatile Raven.

I do most of my riding on tarmac, though the Raven is a sturdy bike, and handles gravel, logging roads and the like very well. I weigh rather more than you (85 kg), but the Raven seems unfussed by that  :-)

Good luck, and enjoy your search -- and even more, the bike you find!  You've come to a good place to search for bikes & ask for advice.

[mickeg]

...I'm a bit over 5'10",
...
I did consider a Nomad X590M, which has a lower stepover height and longer chainstays. ...

I am 72.5 inches tall, I use drop bars on my Nomad 590M.  My seatpost is almost all the way up to the limit.