Author Topic: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please  (Read 7354 times)

Eric

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #15 on: December 12, 2012, 10:27:26 am »
Loved mine since I've had it :-*. Comfortable, reliable, smart. Go for it!

Pic is just before setting off for Bavaria/Tyrol in September. ;D
 

freddered

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #16 on: December 12, 2012, 05:44:36 pm »
I've had a Raven Tour for 6 years.  The RT is a tank compared to the Sport Tour but I've done a 600km Audax on it (and 200 & 300 & 400).  It's fine.

Rotational mass of the rear wheel is affected more by tyre selection than a hub.  Mine feels sluggish because I have 23mm tyres on my road bike and 1.5" Marathons on my Raven.

It's really quiet when riding (no chain-slap or rattles) so it gives the impression of travelling quite slowly.

I'm sure a Sport Tour fitted with lightweight tyres would be pretty quick.

I use drop bars and a shifter mounted on an accessory bar.  Not as convenient as STI levers but better than downtube levers I used for a few decades (and some people still use).

It's sat in the garage, ready to go, next to my derailleur bikes (which all need a ton of maintenance to remove all the grunge from the mech).  It's a no fuss bike.  Gets the job done in comfort and requires just a squirt of chain oil to get it through winter.

As a rough guide I have a route I ride regularly, against the clock, so I know how fast I am (and my bikes are).  There are various factors, such as traffic, to take into account but:

My Orbit Road Bike (steel frame but light) - 47 mins ave
My Ribble Alu Winter Trainer/Audax - 49 mins
My Condor Fratello (Steel Audax) - 50 mins
My Thorn Raven Tour (with 1.5" Marathons) - 51 mins


For some reason I haven't yet figured out the Orbit just seems to generate a lot of speed.  The Raven Tour is set up as a bit of a beast and isn't that much slower than the other bikes (set up to be quite sprightly).

I'm sure the Sport Tour's (lack of) weight would knock a minute off the RT time and make it the equivalent of Steel, Deraill "fast Tourers".
« Last Edit: December 12, 2012, 05:54:01 pm by freddered »
 

Danneaux

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #17 on: December 12, 2012, 05:59:55 pm »
Wonderful review, Fred, complete with timed route results!
Quote
...better than downtube levers I used for a few decades (and some people still use).
Hey! I resemble that remark! :D Like you, I've found the T-bar mounted Rohloff shifter to be a handy thing, even more convenient than my downtube shifters! ;D Your setup was a model when I was brainstorming my own approach; thanks, Fred.

All the best,

Dan.

docmatix

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #18 on: December 14, 2012, 05:16:26 pm »
And here it is....
Possibly the most beautiful bike I've ever owned.
It's lighter than I was expecting and cobalt is a deeper blue.
Unfortunately it arrived after dark and in lashing rain so altho I've set it up just right and done a couple of laps of the garage, the maiden ride will have to wait until tomorrow.
The probability of this bike being returned to Bridgewater is approximately zero.

Mike
« Last Edit: December 14, 2012, 05:21:41 pm by docmatix »

Danneaux

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #19 on: December 14, 2012, 05:57:00 pm »
Ohhhhhh, Mike...as the saying goes, It's "lovely-and-a-half"!

Congratulations! My! What a stunning bike! I'm so happy for you!

I do so hope the clouds will miraculously part and you'll have a chance to get out on it for more than a Tour de Garage -- soonest!

Really looking forward to the ride reports on this one, some photos from the gallery, and of course...a name for it!

Thanks for sharing, Mike; joy shared...multiplies!

Best,

Dan.

Andybg

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #20 on: December 14, 2012, 07:37:50 pm »
Looks very sweet Mike.

Looking forward to the future adventures

Andy

Andre Jute

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #21 on: December 15, 2012, 09:33:37 am »
I've been looking at Thorn bikes from afar for over a decade but never thought that I could justify owning one (as I 'm not into off-road touring through distant parts of Asia). .... The bike is arriving on Friday and I'm anxious about whether I've made the right decision or whether spending such a lot on an untried bike was a mistake.

Thorn gives you the option of Plan B because they know that almost no-one takes it.

I think you can rest easy. In the last ten years I've bought three different expensive, rare and wonderful bikes sight unseen, from people I'd never met, who speak different languages, and in my case from several countries and two ocean crossings away (I live in Ireland). In not one of those cases did I have any intention, need, or, in some cases, capability, of using the bike to the fullest extent envisaged by the designer and builders. In no case was I disappointed. You can see the three bikes, in order the Gazelle Toulouse, the Trek Cyber Nexus, and the Utopia Kranich, at http://coolmainpress.com/BICYCLING.html

I bought them because I wanted them. I daily, as I ride my comfortable Kranich, thank my lucky stars I didn't cheap out and buy the cheap bike for a tenth the cost which is all that my few thousand kilometres a year really justifies if you just look at the thing as a bike. But I'm an artist and a critic, so I just say blandly, "The health of my psyche requires me to ride a work of art." Hell, it worked when i drove even more extravant cars.

Actually, my psyche is armour-plated -- I stopped caring what people think on my thirteenth birthday -- and it's the comfort that's worth the extra money, but if I tell people that they try to buy my bike off me, and some can waste a lot of my time by being persistent once they discover how long the waiting lists are for a new one and how difficult it is actually to get the bike here.

The benefits of that comfort includes being alive. I'm not joking. On a cheap, uncomfortable bike, I would long since have stopped riding; more than one of the physicians on my cardiology team have expressed the opinion, some enviously, that it is cycling which keeps me alive. You don't need a better reason than that!

So, contrary to the advice received above, enjoy your bike -- and welcome the rationalisations for the expense that are certain to occur to you!

Mel Brooks said, "If you got it, flaunt it." It's not a bad reason. But I like Henry Royce's reason better: "The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten."

Andre Jute
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Swislon

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #22 on: December 15, 2012, 02:03:11 pm »
That looks great Mike.
looking forward to hearing what you think after a serious trial.

Steve

ZeroBike

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #23 on: December 15, 2012, 02:22:25 pm »
And here it is....
Possibly the most beautiful bike I've ever owned........


Thorns aren't exactly renowned for their beauty.  So if you think its good now.. wait until you ride it!

docmatix

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #24 on: December 21, 2012, 07:18:57 pm »
I've attached a photo of the bike in its new habitat, below Captain Cook's Monument at the northern edge of the North York Moors. I've had it for a week and have been able to take short rides of 25 - 50km almost every day; as luck would have it I'd booked some time off work before Christmas for domestic duties.

The bike looks the business. It rolls beautifully along gritty and wet winter roads, giving me a lot of confidence in the way it handles bumps and holds the tarmac on fast downhills. The Rholoff transmission is extremely quiet and the gear changes are very clean and positive; there's an obvious change in the way it feels and sounds from gear 7 on down but even then I don't think it's much more noticeable than a derailleur. It's also much quicker to clean at the end of a ride.

I'm not used to riding in the upright position and I'm finding it changes the way it feels to ride a bike, compared to drop handlebars which I ride leaning forwards, with hands on brake hoods or down in the drops some of the time. Being upright allows me more freedom to look around, and it's changing my relationship with my surroundings. I'm looking forward the effect this will have on longer day rides and tours. I haven't really ridden in traffic yet but I expect the higher position will be an advantage on my commute.

The only downside to the bike is that it's slower than my sporty road bike, but that's hardly surprising. I haven't really noticed weight to be an issue and it doesn't feel at all sluggish. I don't think the RST will take over duties from my road bike on fast summer rides or sportives but it should be first choice for commuting, winter rides and tours. I'm very pleased with my purchase and it won't be going back to Bridgewater - unless I ride the Sustrans route from Padstow to Bristol again and call in on the way past. :)

 
« Last Edit: December 22, 2012, 06:50:30 am by docmatix »

Matt2matt2002

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #25 on: December 21, 2012, 07:38:14 pm »
Great picture of a fantastic looking bike.
I hope to be riding a Raven myself in the near future.
May I ask...
Something on the front fork? Speedo sensor?
Will you be fitting a front bar bag or front panniers?
Saddle make?

Regards
Matt
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ZeroBike

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #26 on: December 21, 2012, 07:43:37 pm »
Fantastic.,  Im glad you like the bike.

docmatix

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #27 on: December 21, 2012, 08:25:31 pm »
May I ask...
Something on the front fork? Speedo sensor?
Will you be fitting a front bar bag or front panniers?
Saddle make?

Matt,

the computer sensor is on the fork, just where there's a braze-on for a pannier. The saddle is a Brooks B17; I'm finding it firmer than a gel but hoping it will wear in quite quickly. I have an Ortlieb compact bar bag which is currently on my other bike but I'll move it across soon; it's a useful size for phone, wallet, camera etc. I might even spoil myself and buy another one - or at least another bar fitting  - as it nicely fills the gap between back pocket and full size pannier.

Regards,

Mike

jags

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Re: Thinking of buying a Raven Sport. Advice please
« Reply #28 on: December 22, 2012, 02:58:38 pm »
i seen one of those bikes in real life and yeah very impressive indeed well put together making for a dream ride.enjoy every pedal stroke and for god sake keep it clean. ;)