Hard to believe a year has passed since that tour from St Malo to Cherbourg.
I just returned from a similar camping trip from Le Havre to Cherbourg (the east coast of the peninsula this time).
Once again it performed flawlessly. A dream to ride 50-60 miles a day for 4 days with full luggage on board.
I can't think what else to say about it any more. It sits in my garage most of the year and, when the time comes, I dig it out, squirt some oil on the chain, hang a ton of luggage on it and ride it between campsites. It's no fuss, comfy and works better the heavier you load it.
I'd probably recommend another Thorn for a general purpose bike. Unless you are going to carry a lot of luggage then the Raven is a bit of an overkill. For a start the gearing that suits loaded touring isn't ideal for the road, you just won't use those bottom 4 gears.
It's the perfect "mule" though.
OK, I admit it....I take pictures with a view to posting on this forum...marketing shots if you like.
However I know that many people, like me a couple of years ago, wanted to see as many photos of these "Mules" in as many situations as possible before buying.
I also know that others, like me even further back, just like looking at photos of Thorn Ravens.
Hope this provides a nice "fix".
Note. It still hasn't missed a gearshift. It gives you a smug feeling, hearing people with full luggage, desperately crunching gears when a hill kicks in. With a Rohloff you can (a) get in the correct gear while stationary at the traffic lights (b) just click-click-click as the gradient increases, knowing that a "click" means it's perfectly in gear. This is all very reassuring when you are hauling a big load up a steep hill.
