MartinF's Raven Sport Tour

[martinf]

Finally got around to taping the bars (over the foam).

I've been using the bike with just the Grab-On foam up till now.

Also changed the location of the shifter, from accessory bar to Hubbub at the RHS bar end.

[PhilD28]

That’s a really nice build well done

[PH]

Very nice, I think that red is the best red I've seen on a bike, one of the few colours that look good whatever the light and better in reality than in a photo.  But IMO (And I know I may be obsessive about it...) the first thing I see on your bike is all those zip ties!

[Neil Jones]

Beautiful bike Martin, looks the business. Those handlebars looks very comfortable indeed. I've got a flat barred Sport Tour that I had from new and love it for my commute to work although if I was buying again I'd opt for drops like yours.

Regards,
Neil

[John Saxby]

Nicely done, Martin, and the red-with-black is splendid.  (Red is my preferred colour, but I chose black for my Raven with a view to making the bike as unobtrusive as possible, with just the alloy 'guards for a bit of zing.)

[martinf]

Those handlebars looks very comfortable indeed.

I was a bit sceptical at first with these shallow drop bars, an idea that I (again) copied from Dan.

But after using them for some time I now prefer them over the more traditional drops I have on my Raven Tour and my old lightweight derailleur tourer.

On my Raven Sport Tour I use 4 hand positions in order of increased aerodynamics - on the tops (this is for urban riding to see over the tops of cars. I have auxiliary brake levers for safety), on the hoods (braking possible, but not full power), holding the brake levers fully (hands usually here on fast descents), and hands on the lowest part of the drops (no immediate access to the brakes). I very rarely use this last position on my two other drop handlebar bikes, it is much more comfortable with these shallow drops.

[martinf]

the first thing I see on your bike is all those zip ties!

Function over beauty. I like a hub generator rear lamp. And on this bike I have a cadence function, so another wire. The easiest way is zip ties.

Much less visible on my black Raven Tour.

I also have a front reflector, but it must be reasonably unobtrusive as Jags hasn't yet told me to chuck it over a hedge.

[jags]

  ;DMartin you can get RED zipties ya know 
lovely bike buddy i don't think i'd be firing anything over the hedge belonging to that beauty, well ok the zip ties maybe but other  than that  the job's a good one.

anto.

[David Simpson]

Nice bike. I like the red.

I don't mind the zip ties. To some people, they may detract from the visual aesthetics of the bike. But to me, they are a simple solution to an engineering problem (cable routing). To each, his/her own.

- DaveS

[Danneaux]

[...Those handlebars looks very comfortable indeed.]

I was a bit sceptical at first with these shallow drop bars, an idea that I (again) copied from Dan.

So glad they're working out well for you, Martin. They continue to work well for me also; perhaps my close-second favorite to randonneur-bend 'bars.

Fantastic job on the bike; looks fast just sitting still and a real joy to behold.

All the best,

Dan.

[jul]

Lovely mounting Martin, you have eye for detail , well done

[martinf]

Update on my Raven Sport Tour.

Since I retired in 2018 I have been hankering after fatter tyres, to make the bike more suitable for the occasional "short cut" on paths and tracks.

So I swapped out the Kojaks for 42 mm Supremes (true width about 37-38 mm). These are much more comfortable both on and off tarmac, and I haven't noticed any significant performance hit over the Kojaks when I ride exclusively on good roads.

As the Kojaks weren't all that worn I sold them on, they have gone to a new home on a recumbent bike.

The 50x19 gearing still suits me, and the 1st chain I fitted, a  KMC X1, did 1300 kms on the factory lube before I swapped it off for cleaning and relubing. Less distance between maintenance intervals than with a Chainglider, but still reasonably good, and much better than I used to get on my derailleur bikes.

[RST Scout]

Update on my Raven Sport Tour.

Since I retired in 2018 I have been hankering after fatter tyres, to make the bike more suitable for the occasional "short cut" on paths and tracks.

So I swapped out the Kojaks for 42 mm Supremes (true width about 37-38 mm). These are much more comfortable both on and off tarmac, and I haven't noticed any significant performance hit over the Kojaks when I ride exclusively on good roads.

As the Kojaks weren't all that worn I sold them on, they have gone to a new home on a recumbent bike.

Martin, how do you find the Supremes on a RST? Mine came with Schwalbe Marathon Classic’s on and I haven’t changed them yet.

Janet

[jul]

Supreme Evolution from Schwalbe should be my next tires in 2" 

Lightweight and probably  safe on wet roads..

[martinf]

Martin, how do you find the Supremes on a RST? Mine came with Schwalbe Marathon Classic’s on and I haven’t changed them yet.

Despite being bigger (rated size 42x559) and slightly heavier, On my Raven Sport Tour the Supremes are at least as fast as the 35 mm Kojaks they replaced on good tarmac roads and are much better (improved comfort and grip) on rougher roads and occasional forays on tracks and paths. The 42x559 Supremes are probably about the largest tyre that you can fit on an RST while still keeping a reasonable amount of mudguard clearance.

I can directly compare Schwalbe Marathon Classics in 44x584 size with Schwalbe Supremes in 42x584 size, as I have used both these tyres on my old 650B utility bike. Both these tyres are slightly smaller than their rated sizes. The Schwalbe Marathon Classics were already a great improvement on the previous tyres I had, the Supremes were even better, giving lower rolling resistance while keeping roughly the same level of comfort and puncture protection. The Supremes look more fragile than Marathon Classics and are much lighter in weight, but in practice (about 20,000 kms of riding Supremes in various sizes) I have not yet had any problems with them.

When fatter 50x584 Schwalbe Supremes become available with the "new" 27.5" size (same as the very old French 650B size) there was just enough room to fit these on my old 650B utility bike, I found 50x584 very slightly slower than the 42x584 but significantly more capable and comfortable off-road.

I then used the 42x584 Supremes as a replacement for the Marathon Classics on my wife's bike, which doesn't quite have enough clearance for the 50x584 size. For my wife, in addition to the gain in rolling resistance, the fairly substantial weight saving from changing from Marathon Classics to Supremes makes a bit of difference, the lighter bike is easier to handle when pushing on very steep hills or simply when getting the bike out of the garage.

The only downside I can see is that Supremes are quite a bit more expensive than Marathon Classics, probably not too much of an issue as they seem to last for a long time.