Rohloff / Audax frame

[thenandrins]

I do a fair amount of audaxing and I've fancied a Rohloff for quite some time now.
Is the Mercury frame able to be built in such a way/appropriate for this sort of ride? I do like to nip along.... Most of the builds I see come with on the large size rims and tyres. I would prefer a bike at the lighter end of the spectrum. 28mm tyres or more of a racing rim, for example. Is this realistic with this frame? Rim suggestions?
Any owners out there who have gone down this route?
This certainly looks the part (it's not my size!)
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bikes/thorn-mercury-580s-reynolds-853-rohloff-sport-touring-bike-new/
Many thanks

[Hubs]

My Mercury runs 700X 25c tyres and is on 47 by 17 gearing, giving me about 21 to 110 range - which for the bit of South Devon I live in is just manageable.

The set up lets me post Strava times on flat segments which are fine compared to some local triathlon enthusiasts, although I'm slower up hill - more about me than the bike.

It's a lovely ride: 853 tubes, no great weight in it, takes light luggage just fine, quick handling.

Have a look at the Thorn Mercury brochure, which goes through a few faster build options.

http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/ThornMercuryHiRes.pdf

[thenandrins]

Great. Thanks for your quick reply.
What rims are you running on?

[Neil Jones]

I've often wondered how a Mercury set up in lightweight spec would compare to say a Thorn Audax.

I'm fortunate enough to own a Raven Tour, Sport Tour and an Audax 853. To be honest I don't notice a lot of difference between the Sport (my commuting bike) and Tour speed wise although the Sport is flat barred and the Tour has drops. The Sport also has heavier wheels (Grizzly CSS) whereas the Tour has Mavic 717 Ceramic. I should really swap both sets of wheels over thinking about it. The Audax is faster and much more responsive, especially from standstill and on climbs, averaging about 2.5mph more on the same routes.

Having said all that I prefer Rohloff over derailleurs and a lightweight spec Mercury could effectively take the place of the Sport and Audax.

Keep us informed of any developments on the Mercury front.

Regards,
Neil

[Hubs]

Interesting - just went out to have a look, and there's not a mark on the rims to suggest what they are.  As they are double eyelet and 25c, it suggests that they are DT Swiss TK540's and they do look like that.

The no marking thing is likely because the bike is in matt black, with black accessories (much like Disaster Area's spaceship at Milliways) (except for red hubs) and matt black rims, so I suspect the rim markings went to follow the general tone.

[thenandrins]

Thanks Hubs!
That looks like a good rim choice, in that, it's fairly light at 540g, is good for 25mm to 35mm tyres but it's described as a touring rim...? I note that some of the more racing style DT Swiss ones, are heavier though. I'll call SJS about this - I'm a bit confused!

I'll keep everyone posted.

[Hubs]

Wheels are pretty solid, and I'm on Schwalbe Duramo Plus  - largely because I cycle in a pothole strewn bramble infested wilderness, so rock solid build and a layer of solid between tube and road is a good idea!

[thenandrins]

Hubs - so would you describe your ride as exactly in between a carbon racing machine and a tourer? That's what I'm after really..... With "solid rims" and thick rubber, I doubt it, no? More 20% racing, 80% touring...??

Thanks again for your time and patience in answering me! I do not want to go to the time and expense of building one only to find out it's a bit of a slug.

Neil, further up hit the nail on the head. I want a lighter audax with a Rohloff.

[martinf]

Having said all that I prefer Rohloff over derailleurs and a lightweight spec Mercury could effectively take the place of the Sport and Audax.

Apart from wheel size and the disc fittings, not sure that there is a huge amount of difference between the Raven Sport Tour and Mercury frames. They both use lightweight 853 tubing for the main frame.

I bought one of the clearance Raven Sport Tour frames a few months ago. This autumn/winter I intend building it up as a fairly light bike to replace my last derailleur bike, an old 531 frame light tourer I use for day rides on good roads.

I intend using Mavic 717 rims with 35 mm Schwalbe Kojak tyres to start with. The Raven Sport Tour has clearance for fatter tyres, so if I want more comfort after using the Kojaks I can fit 42 mm Schwalbe Supremes. Or (less probable) go the other way and fit 25 mm Schwalbe One tyres at 215 g each. 

[Hubs]

No idea, never ridden a carbon racing machine!

 It's quick enough to stick with club riders who stray into the Devon lanes, it'll let me post Strava times which I know are as quick as local triathletes, the handling is certainly nimble.

It also depends what you mean by tourer; I used to have a Thorn eXp, and it's quite different to that in handling, acceleration, posted speeds.

From that perspective, the Mercury isn't very tourer like at all..

And there is the issue of tyre choice. I'm sure I could fit Continental GP TTtyres and have a more responsive ride, but given the conditions locally, I'd get bored doing repairs.

Wheels are a different matter. I bought my Mercury second hand, so I've got the wheels it came with. If I was specifying new, I'd go as light as I could, as I'm not using it for heavily loaded touring. As I said, I don't really know which rims I've got, but I do like a strong  wheel anyway, so I'm not complaining!

It's designed to work as an Audax bike ( according to the designer) and is clearly positioned at the light / fast end of the Thorn spectrum. I find it quick, responsive, and a delight to ride. And it's Rohloff optimised. Eccentric BB, Rohloff specific dropouts, cable mounts for the Ex box, etc so the delights of the hub are perfectly catered for.

[thenandrins]

Hubs -Thanks for your notes. Really appreciated.
I'll let you know what I end up doing!

[Neil Jones]

Just a thought but don't forget that Thorn offer a 100 day money back pledge if you aren't happy with the bike although I think that may be for complete bikes only. Perhaps that could be an option if you unsure whether the Mercury would be suitable for your needs.

Best,
Neil

[IronMac]

Gee, I am considering the same sort of build! I currently have a touring bike equipped with a Rohloff hub and due to circumstances beyond my control I am now looking at only being able to do fast, long distance rides a la audax.

[thenandrins]

As "luck" would have it, there's one on the SJS site at my size. As soon as I saw it, I got excited !!! 
Trouble is that it's in the sky blue frame colour. uumm. Whilst it's a bargin price, if I'm going to be spending £2000+, I do NEED to love it and I can not bring myself to.....!
They are clearance frames with clearance Rohloff hubs, apparently.
I'd snap it up in the blue or grey - I'm asked but it's not possible for that price. In these colours, the price goes up to £2800. Unfortunately for that sort of money, I could buy a wheelset and a made to measure frame. So, I'm back to square one! 
Almost! Pity.

[geocycle]

Martinf: I was interested in your comment about there not being much difference between a sport tour and a mercury other than wheel size.  I'm inclined to agree with you but I'd be really interested to hear from anyone who has ridden both. Not least because a mercury is currently n+1 and I already have a sport tour!