Catalyst vs Raven Sport Tour

[geeb]

Hi all,

I've been spending some (well, too much) time reading the Thorn brochures, and I'm pretty dazzled by the Rohloff bikes - the only problem is deciding which would suit me best! Wondering if anyone out there can shed some light...

I'm looking for something that will cope with a commute on poorly-maintained cycle paths, and some leisure cycling on trails and towpaths (credit-card touring, not carrying anything too heavy).

In practical terms, what difference would I notice between a Sport Tour with a fairly rugged configuration, and a Catalyst with reasonably smooth tyres?

Really appreciate any comments here.

Thanks

[strat]

An interesting question, I am going to go for the sport, but if I had more money might have considered the Catalyst. An e-mail to Robin Thorn might be the best way to get some advic.e - he tends not to reply to questions on the forum

[Chris Land]

I haven't ridden either bike but I suspect that for the kind of riding you are thinking of the Raven tour would be the best bet.  I have a Nomad, which looks pretty similar apart from the gears, and have used that for regular commuting and heavy touring, including some fairly serious off-road bridleways and paths in the Peak district.  If I ever do more serious off-road touring then I would definitely go for a Catalyst, but for other kinds of work the Tour would be more at home I think.

[Frenchie]

I ride a Raven Tour daily and sometimes at the WE -- I like it so much. It is easy to live with and sooo comfortable even on rural lanes. It is no slouch either when unladen (on the road). Love it, no regret. I do not miss not buying the Sportier version (I went for the 531C fork to make it lighter and nimbler).