nomad build

[dick220369]

Hi All,

I currently have a Thorn Sherpa which is just over a year old. I love the bike but I have always had a burning desire to get a rohloff. I was hoping to buy a Thorn Nomad frame, get SJS to build me a rohloff rear wheel, and hopefully transfer most of the Sherpa's components across to complete most of the build. I'm thinking the only other components I need to buy would be a single-speed crank set, a rear sprocket, and a chain. Am I missing anything? I built my existing Sherpa from the frame up so I don't think building the Nomad will cause me many headaches. My other reason for going Nomad/rohloff is because I'm a heavy guy, 90 KGs at my lightest and 110 KGs at my heaviest - my weight fluctuates a lot over a year, so I think the stronger frame will be more suited for loaded touring.

Thanks,

Richard 

[rualexander]

You could keep the Sherpa and stick a Rohloff wheel on it.
Thats what I did, http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=3235.0
But if you really need an even stronger frame then go for the Nomad I guess.

[bobs]

If you could buy a suitable secondhand Nomad you could sell the Sherpa.   Sherpa  worth £750,  secondhand  Nomad £1500..  New wheel from Sjsc  £1000. New Nomad frame £600. The figures are approximate but you can get the idea.

Bob

[jags]

The sherpa will handle your weight no. Problem why would u think the rohloff is going to make your cycling easier.the new tiagra ten speed is a great set up every bit as good as rohloff and if it does  break  u can fix it.keep your money and maybe buy better camping gear light weight and the price of that rohloff wheel would finance a good tour .

[bobs]

Anto, it's  all about desire.

[Danneaux]

I'm thinking the only other components I need to buy would be a single-speed crank set, a rear sprocket, and a chain. Am I missing anything?

Hi Richard!

Best of luck on your project; it can be a viable way to go.

By way of saving a bit, you don't have to buy a new single-speed crankset. Simply replace the bolts (shorter chainring bolts and sleeve nuts with back-spacers) and use the triple crank you have. With luck, you might be able to use it by moving your middle chainring to the outer position to get by until you can add a singlespeed-specific 'ring. The Rohloff is designed for a ~54-55mm chainline (depending on whether the original threaded sprocket is used or the slim carrier), but this can be "fudged" a few mm each way at some cost in overall efficiency/drivetrain life.

In any case, you should be able to avoid buying a new crankset unless you wish to. 

Other considerations: Your Sherpa wheels likely use 36 spokes and the Rohloff will usually have 32, though a 36-hole version can be ordered. It can be "nice" to have the same number of spokes in both rims so in case of a problem one rim could conceivably be swapped for the other, but in practice this seldom seems to happen. Just a thought to keep in mind.

If you get the Nomad, the Frame Prep option can be a useful one so the bike arrives with all threads freshly retapped and ready to accept bolts (otherwise, some of the powdercoat can settle in the threads, making first-time bolt installations Adventurous). Get the bike with a headset already installed and you'll be ready to go with it (it can be difficult to set the lower crown race on a full-length, uncut 400mm steerer) and the old headset will still be in the Sherpa frame to aid resale. If you choose to transfer your seatpost over, be sure to also get the seat tube shim used in the Nomad to make up the size difference. Overall, your plan should work well.

Best,

Dan.

[jags]

true enough Bob but the sherpa is a great bike  the nomad is good but it's not  750 quid better imho..if i  had kept my lovely sherpa it would have a carbon fork by this stage other than that  i would leave it as it is.
 few of the lads here do adventure touring  so i suppose they going to need  4 panniers but if your touring local  (tarmac) i don't see the point , if you get the packing list right you could tour most nearly anywhere with 2 panniers maybe barbag and be a comfy as a pig in s..t ..

anto.

[bobs]

You are right Anto the Sherpa is a great bike and will do what a Nomad will do, but It's all about the desire
Always fancied a Porsche.

Bob

[jags]

i'm a camper van man meself Bob 

[bobs]

I've a caravan but would love a camper but the boss says no

[jags]

i know the feeling Bob  ,
i had my eye on a pair of wheels  for my Dolan . i said to the boss innocent like.
ah i might buy these wheels, she just looked at me and said  You Wont .
end of story,

Anto.

[dick220369]

I agree the Sherpa is a great bike and I have never had an issue with it. When I got the Sherpa I had the desire for a rohloff but thought "I don't need it, go for the Sherpa, and save some money". Unfortunately the desire for a rohloff never left and it has gotten stronger over the last month or so. I won't buy second hand so that's not an option for me. I was going to just buy a new Nomad and sell the Sherpa on. But the frame/wheel/transfer components across seems the cheaper option. I can always sell the Sherpa frame after but, to be honest, I have almost enough spares to build the Sherpa back up and sell on as a complete bike.

[Danneaux]

I have almost enough spares to build the Sherpa back up and sell on as a complete bike.

...or keep also, thus immediately fulfilling the law of n+1 bikes.

 

All the best,

Dan. (CBI...Certified Bad Influence when it comes to encouraging n+1 fulfillment)

[mickeg]

When I bought my Rohloff hub, it included five small spacers that I believe were intended to allow a double crank with double crank sized bolts to use a single chainring on the crank.  In other words, those spacers were about the thickness of a chainring so you could remove the chainring and use those spacers instead.  I bought it in 2013 and I do not know if they still include those spacers with a new hub or not.  But if they do, you could convert a double (or triple) into a single chainring crank.  That said, you would have to figure out if your sherpa crank can take the desired chainring, if your crank has a 130 BCD then it probably would not work for you.  I use a double crank with 110 BCD on my Nomad, I usually have a bashguard in the outer position and the chainring in the inner.

The Nomad uses a 73 mm bottom bracket, the Sherpa a 68 mm.  Also, the Rohloff may have enough of a chainline difference that you might need a different length bottom bracket spindle.

I have both a Nomad and Sherpa, I like and use both bikes.  Don't rule that option out either.

Regarding mixing 32 and 36 spoke wheels on the same bike, my next build (I will start building up the bike on Saturday, had the headset installed today) will have a 32 on the front and 36 in back, so that is not a problem.  For a touring bike, you really can get by with 32 spokes in front.  But in the back I am a firm believer in 36.  (I would use more if hubs were readily available.)  My Rohloff has 36 spokes, but I built that wheel, did not buy it from SJS.  SJS supplied my Rohloff drilled 36 spoke rim.

...the new tiagra ten speed is a great set up every bit as good as rohloff and...

I do not concur.  And if you were correct, Rohloff would go out of business. 

Do you still have a light on your bike aimed at the cassette so you can check to see which sprocket your chain is on at night?  Only one sprocket on a Rohloff, no need for a light.

[martinf]

When I bought my Rohloff hub, it included five small spacers that I believe were intended to allow a double crank with double crank sized bolts to use a single chainring on the crank.  In other words, those spacers were about the thickness of a chainring so you could remove the chainring and use those spacers instead.  I bought it in 2013 and I do not know if they still include those spacers with a new hub or not. 

Still included with the Rohloff wheel I bought for my RST mid-2016.