Gumtree : Thorn Nomad Alfine X540M

[humedavid]

Not mine

https://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/thorn-nomad-touring-bike/1226730247

[bobs]

I thought it was a great buy until I saw it had a Shimano Alpine hub.

[humedavid]

Happens! 
That's why I put it in the title.

[bobs]

Missed that,  too early in the morning.

[Danneaux]

Lots to see in the details here!

The four cable guides under the top tube appear to be open, the housing secured by cable ties. A bit different from my larger 590M Nomad, which uses five through-guides. Did Thorn make a switch after my 2012 production? Perhaps to better accommodate rear hydraulic disc brakes?

There seems to be some variation in Nomad cable guides over time. For example, the chainstay Rohloff cable housing guides on mine are the same J-hook style used on the S&S Nomad, though my frame is not separable.

Bike's black, but the fork's green. Wonder if this is a replacement due to crash damage or a later replacement for a sus-fork?

Nice reflective stripes on the mudguards.

Best,

Dan.

[in4]

I think this is or was for sale on eBay quite recently. 

[David Simpson]

The four cable guides under the top tube appear to be open, the housing secured by cable ties. A bit different from my larger 590M Nomad, which uses five through-guides. Did Thorn make a switch after my 2012 production? Perhaps to better accommodate rear hydraulic disc brakes?

There seems to be some variation in Nomad cable guides over time. For example, the chainstay Rohloff cable housing guides on mine are the same J-hook style used on the S&S Nomad, though my frame is not separable.

I believe that the X version of the Nomad frame had open guides for the brake cables in order to better accommodate hydraulic brakes. I'll need to check my older Nomad brochure to be sure.

The X version was intended to be a lighter-weight Nomad, and had smaller-diameter frame tubing. Unfortunately it did not sell as well as Thorn had hoped, and was discontinued.

- DaveS

[Danneaux]

Sounds right, Dave. It seemed familiar, yet...not, as there are no examples in current brochures.  It seems a logical pairing as a closeout build with an Alfine.

Well remembered, I think. 

If it was a closeout,  it might even explain the oddly colored fork.

All the best,

Dan.

[gebeesley]

Hey guys,

Were cycling from Alaska to Argentina next month via the great divide route.

We love adventure but dont know too much about bikes (looking forward to learning though).

What would you think about this bikes suitability for that?

Why were people excited about this until they saw the shimano Alfine 11 speed rear hub? Is that a bad one?

Would love to hear what bike and set up you would take if you were doing the same journey

Thanks very much
G

[martinf]

Personally, I wouldn't trust an Alfine 11 for a long-distance tour.

I would recommend either :

Rohloff - mostly quite reliable, but you might have to send it back to Germany for replacement if it does go wrong.
Derailleur equipped bike - substantially more maintenance, but spares are fairly easy to find.

[Pavel]

I second Martin's thoughts. Except for the second part ... Rohloff or bust ... life is too short for third best, except for Anto.   . Just get the best and be done with it. I mean, you bought a Thorn, right?

[humedavid]

Would this be hard to convert to a Rohloff bike ? I happen to have a Rohloff wheel from another Raven.
Cable routing, dropouts I guess.
Any ideas?

[JimK]

I think that frame was built for a Rohloff & then just built up with the Shimano. It should be easy to switch to a Rohloff!

[Danneaux]

Would this be hard to convert to a Rohloff bike ? I happen to have a Rohloff wheel from another Raven.

David, the one thing to watch for would be if the donor wheel is configured for internal shifting (i.e. from a Raven or Raven Tour instead of a Nomad), as the Nomad requires the EX (external) shift-box. The conversion can be made by SJS Cycles for a pretty reasonable cost...certainly when compared to a whole new Rohloff-hubbed wheel.

Best,

Dan.

[macspud]

I don't see why you couldn't use your Rolhoff hub with an internal shifter? You wouldn't be using the disc mount as you don't have a disc wheel, You would have to use the brake post cable mount, https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brakes/rohloff-cable-guide-13-deg-type-to-fit-v-brake-boss-8259-8259/  which you already have on your Raven Tour. You could get Rohloff Cable Manager Kit https://www.rohloff.de/de/produkte/speedhub/cable-manager-kit/index.html to help keep the the cable rerouting tidy.

Otherwise, if you wanted to convert the wheel, you'd need a Rohloff EX Transfer Box https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hub-spares/rohloff-ex-transfer-box-8216/ and a Rohloff External Cable Box https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hub-spares/rohloff-cable-box-external-8212/ and cables https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cables/rohloff-shifter-cable-set-18m-2-x-11-mm-inners-housing-8268/