nomad build

[dick220369]

The wheel arrived today but I forgot to order css brake pads at the same time as the wheel build. They are ordered now but probably won't get them till Monday. Is there any harm in using normal brake pads for a couple of days on the css rim until I get the css pads?

[geocycle]

The wheel arrived today but I forgot to order css brake pads at the same time as the wheel build. They are ordered now but probably won't get them till Monday. Is there any harm in using normal brake pads for a couple of days on the css rim until I get the css pads?

Probably not, ordinary blocks will wear quickly and some can leave a residue on the carbide.  I have used them once in an emergency with no ill effects.  The swiss stop blues last forever so don't over-order!

[Paul S]

The wheel arrived today but I forgot to order css brake pads at the same time as the wheel build. They are ordered now but probably won't get them till Monday. Is there any harm in using normal brake pads for a couple of days on the css rim until I get the css pads?

I would not try it in the wet but this weekends forecast looks ok.

[Pavel]

Not directly pertinent, but my RST and Nomad are COMPLETELY different bikes.  The geometry changes result in radically different personalities, and I expect that the Sherpa is quite a different ride that a Nomad by extension.

I've got a pile of parts, enough to build two 700cc derailleur frames up, but after living with a Rolloff, I don't think I can go back to slumming it, so I encourage the change-over. My experience in the past has led me to vow to not compromise, so in your shoes, I'd not try to adapt the sherpa.  Live is shorter that we always think, and we can't take it with us ... so spend the money, do it right, and get a Nomad - or a Raven, if you can live with less that 60 pounds on the bike.  I find that the Nomad is really at home with very high loads only. For the 45-50 pounds that I tend to lug around, the RST seems to be much more lively and fun.

[mickeg]

The wheel arrived today but I forgot to order css brake pads at the same time as the wheel build. They are ordered now but probably won't get them till Monday. Is there any harm in using normal brake pads for a couple of days on the css rim until I get the css pads?

I tried that when I built up my Nomad four years ago.  I had CSS pads, but I was curious what would happen with regular pads so I tried them.  The softer brake pads left a residue on the rim.  I put the CSS pads on after only a couple miles.

The CSS rims start out with exceptionally good braking capability, but that eventually wears down to the same as a typical rim.  I think that the CSS surface starts out much rougher and the brake pads are very grippy then, but eventually the rims smooth down a bit after some braking.

Some have said that CSS rims eventually after a lot of distance are very poor when wet, but mine are still about the same as a normal rim when wet.  I have CSS front and rear.

You have a front brake, do you think you would remember to favor the front and only use the rear in emergency?  If so, I would not tell you to stay off of your new wheel, I know how much you will really want to get out and test it.

You might be tempted to tighten up the cables tighter than they should be.  When the cables are too tight, sometimes when you shift you land in between gears.  Start out with them quite loose and gradually tighten until you find that your shifting no longer works well, then slack off a bit.  I have enough slack in my cables so that if I am in for example gear 11, the twist grip shifter will move from about 10.5 to 11.5 due to the slack.  I probably have them looser than they need to be but if you were to start out that way, it should work well.  You could always try them tighter later if you want.

[dick220369]

Everything fitted and was a lot easier than I thought it would be. One issue is that I have to pull the forks slightly apart to get the wheel in otherwise it doesn't sit properly in the non-drive side dropout. No a big deal but the old wheel just dropped in without issue. Also gearing isn't as low as I'd like it but I'm away in a month's time and I'll be doing a few hills then so that will be a good test to see if the range of gears work for me. One of the days is Aviemore to Strathdon via Tomintoul - Scotland - so there will plenty of climbing to put the gears through their paces. I took the bike out just for a quick test ride but I kept looking for the thumb shifters when trying to change gear. Old habits die hard I suppose.

No pics at the moment but will post some in a few days time.

One other problem I had was that the manual said I should drop the chain tensioner so that the top jokey wheel sat about 1 mm from the sprocket. Couldn't figure it out so the jockey wheel is probably too high but I'll try and remedy that over the next few days.

[Paul S]

gearing isn't as low as I'd like it

The Range of gearing with the hub is fixed. Your Sproket has ? teeth. Your Ring has ? teeth.

[dick220369]

I know you alter the gear ratios via the sprocket/chain ring combo. I probably should have worded my last post a little better so that I didn't appear ignorant. Currently I have a 16 teeth sprocket and 41 teeth chain ring. I have to watch what combo I go for if I want to make sure I don't undercut the minimum factor of 2.50 according to Rohloff - I'm 110 kgs. My Sherpa was running a 48/36/26 chainset and a 11-36 cassette before I made the change.

[dick220369]

I ain't changing anything at the moment though because I am skint after buying the Rohloff.

[Paul S]

I know you alter the gear ratios via the sprocket/chain ring combo. I probably should have worded my last post a little better so that I didn't appear ignorant. Currently I have a 16 teeth sprocket and 41 teeth chain ring. I have to watch what combo I go for if I want to make sure I don't undercut the minimum factor of 2.50 according to Rohloff - I'm 110 kgs. My Sherpa was running a 48/36/26 chainset and a 11-36 cassette before I made the change.

So Gear 1 has dropped from 18.6 to 18.1 dependent on crank length & tire with. That's not exactly a big difference.

[dick220369]

Probably just requires some time for me to get accustomed to the new setup. I'll take it out for a longer run tomorrow and climb a few hills then. I'm still glad I did the retrofit though. A lot less to think about over a derailleur setup as long as the hub behaves itself.

[David Simpson]

I have 38-16 on my Nomad. If I was carrying a full load, I would probably go with 36-16 or 36-17. I have a lot of hills in my area, so I want low gearing. With my current gearing, 1st gear is just right for the steep hills (9-10%) and my top pedalling speed (downhill!) is about 45 km/h. Above that I coast.

I wonder if the gearing feels higher than your derailleur bike because of the extra weight of the Nomad. I certainly feel the weight when accelerating from a stop.

- DaveS

[Danneaux]

If I was carrying a full load, I would probably go with 36-16 or 36-17...

<nods> Echoing Dave, I have 36 x 17 on my own Nomad for expedition touring. It is something I'm grateful for when cranking up 24% grades on logging roads unladen, also.

Best,

Dan.

[martinf]

I have to watch what combo I go for if I want to make sure I don't undercut the minimum factor of 2.50 according to Rohloff - I'm 110 kgs.

As you said your weight fluctuates between 90 and 110 Kg, you could perhaps ignore the 2.5 minimum. At 90 Kg, the minimum is 1.9.

Like several others, I went for a fairly low ratio of 38x16 on my Raven Tour heavy tourer. When the 16T sprocket wears out I will drop slightly to 38x17 (the minimum possible with a Chainglider, but still well over the Rohloff 1.9 limit)

I currently have a higher ratio of 50x19 on my Raven Sport Tour, which is used on good roads and only lightly loaded. I chose the 19T because I have a stock of TA chainrings from 42 to 54, so I can easily change the gearing if I feel the need.

[Paul S]

I am with the guys above.
My nomad is 42 x 19 at the moment which produces a low gear of 16.00 But for Iceland it is going to 40 x19 which = 15.3 gear 1.

My Mercury is 49 x19 but it is only used on good roads with next to no luggage.

As martin says I would not get to hung up about the 2.5 limit , the hub is pretty tough.