Raven Enduro

[Joe B]

I’ve been watching with for a little while now the current surge of interest in touring coming from our mountain biking chums.  I’m not really sure why light weight touring by mountain bike needs to be renamed ‘bike packing’ as apposed to just ‘light weight touring’ but that’s bye-the-bye.

What appeals to me is the idea of short duration, off the beaten track tours that can be undertaken over just two or three days.  Particularly as I live in a part of the UK that actually has some vast, sparsely populated areas. 

So it was with this idea in mind that I recently purchased one of the few remaining Raven Enduro frames from SJS.

Its going to be a while before the bike gets built up as I am currently working away and won’t be returning home until August.  Even when I do get home having been away for so long building the bike up won’t be a high priority either. 

But get built it certainly will which leads on to thoughts of specification and components.  Two things are certain:

·         It will share a Rohloff wheel with either my Raven Twin or Challenge Seiran recumbent.  Both use the external gear box, the Seiran already has a rear disk, the Raven Twin can accept one.

·         When riding the Enduro I shall use the Thud-Buster seatpost currently used by the Raven Twin’s stoker.

The rest of the build is still up in the air; should I go for a rigid or sus front end? What bars? Will my trusty Brooks suit a mountain bike?

Anyway, I’d be very interested to hear from existing or former Enduro/Sterling owners as to what worked for them.

Best Regards
Joe

[David Simpson]

Hi Joe --

I come from a mountain biking background, and I now have a Thorn Nomad that I use for commuting, some trailing riding, and eventually (hopefully) touring. I live on the North Shore of Vancouver, which has some of the best mountain biking single track trails in the world, and anyone that I know that rides a bike has a mountain bike. I say that just so that you can put my comments into perspective.

What bars?

I have the Thorn Flat Track bars on my Nomad, and I love them. They have enough sweep back to be very comfortable, but not so much as to lose the precise handling. On my old mountain bike, I had bars with less of a sweep back, and I got pain between my shoulder blades because my elbows were out due to the angle of the bars. When you see mountain bikers, watch how far their elbows are out. That is good for control of the bike on trails, but not as comfortable. I also tried Jones H-Bar, which is the other extreme (very swept back). They were very comfortable for "cruising", but not so good in traffic, because I felt that I didn't have precise steering. It's a little hard to explain.

However, bars are very much a personal taste. Everyone has a different riding style. Don't be afraid to try something different -- it just may work for you. In the same way, what works for others may not work for you.

Will my trusty Brooks suit a mountain bike?

Absolutely! I have a Brooks B17 with a ThudBuster LT on my Nomad, and it's great for trails. I happened to ride my old mountain bike a few weeks ago, and it was very uncomfortable compared to my Nomad. That was partly because of the geometry of the bike, but also because of the saddle. I (or rather, a certain part of me) have gotten used to my Brooks, and anything else is uncomfortable.

should I go for a rigid or sus front end?

That may come down to personal taste. Don't forget that people were riding mountain bikes for years before suspension forks came along. You lose a little energy when climbing with a sus fork, but it does smooth out the bumps. If it was me, I would lean towards a rigid fork, unless the trail was quite rough. But that's just me.

- DaveS

[Danneaux]

Everyone has a different riding style. Don't be afraid to try something different -- it just may work for you. In the same way, what works for others may not work for you.

Dave speaks True Words™ here, and I couldn't agree more.

As for bikes and riding, I am based in Oregon USA south of Dave, but the terrain is remarkably similar to his area. I also ride a Nomad frequently loaded and unladen on logging roads, rough single-track and cross-country (i.e. through brush and natural features in areas where I won't damage the terrain), and find it works well with my Thudbuster LT suspension seatpost and...drop handlebars. Go figure. I come from more of a road-bike background and believe strongly that most bikes can be used in an array of conditions with only minor modifications, primarily through rider technique and skill. I've never felt any bike I've owned has held me back, though some are more well-suited to a specific use.

As for a sus-fork, I share Dave's preference for rigid, mostly for the more precise feel and reduced maintenance. Tire volume and pressure can help a great deal in reducing vibration and shock transmission.

Looking forward to the day your Enduro is complete and we can see photos in the gallery! Your proposed build makes good use of existing resources to create a spare bike with little cost outlay. Well done.

Best,

Dan.

[in4]

There is still an Enduro frame available at SJS. Its a 565. I'm not sure what height rider it would fit.
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-clearance-frames-dept983_pg1/

Lovely project, particularly if you already have a rohloff wheel etc.