Thorn Nomad Mk2 disc brakes

[PH]

So with brakes , I’ve had both hydraulic and mechanical on mountain bikes and had problems with them . The hydraulic felt fantastic when they worked , but mine leaked or ceased can’t remember , then I found it difficult keeping things lined up . Very finickity trying to deal with the little pads etc. I yanked them off in the end and got a mechanical which worked quite well if I remember

My experience is the opposite, maybe things have moved on, or our usage is different.  I only have 18 months experience of the current Deore hydraulics, and a few years on mechanicals, BB7's, Spyres and Pauls Klamper.   They all work, the mechanicals stand a chance of being a roadside repair, the hydraulics take less week to week effort.  They all benefit from routine maintenance, the mechanicals a strip, clean and grease, the hydraulics a clean including the pistons and refreshing the fluid.
For my use it's hydraulics wherever possible (So not on the folder) I can think of some scenarios where they might not be the best choice for me, in those I'd probably skip mechanicals and go straight to V's.
The current Nomad MK3 frame would IMO be the best option for you, despite the colour (How could anyone not like the grey  ) You'd commit to the frame, but everything else is changeable.

[ourclarioncall]

Martinf

Very interesting thanks for the Info,

Some more food for thought for me

[Aleman]

On my Raven twin I have both I fitted Magura HS-33R hydraulic rim brakes, which I had bought to upgrade my previous tandem, I also opted for a Hope Tech 3 V4, 203mm hydraulic disc on the rear. Both rear brakes are controlled by the captain, which makes the right side of the handlebar look a bit busy with two brake levers.



It works because one is a 4 finger lever (Magura which is underneath) and the other (Hope) is a two finger lever, the other reason it works is that they are hydraulic and the force required to "Grab a big handful" is very low, indeed I can operate them with my index and middle finger if required. If I could only use the Hope Tech 3 Duo lever for the rears that would be perfect, but the brake fluid is different between the two options and no one makes a seal set for mineral oil for hope brakes

Although the Raven twin is capable of Round the world touring on all sorts of surface, it's really only ever going to get used on metaled roads in Europe, with the possibility of some gravel given my last experience of the back mountain roads in Yugoslavia in the early 90's

[Matt2matt2002]

Although the Raven twin is capable of Round the world touring on all sorts of surface, it's really only ever going to get used on metaled roads in Europe..

Mine ( a Tour ) was very happy in Tajikistan, Ethiopia and Morocco. In fact, it want so go back...

[JohnR]

But if folk are having problems with mechanical disc brakes and there is a lot of maintenance required I think I’d just want to go with v brakes . Set it and forget it type of thing

It's only just over 2 years since I got a bike with disc brakes and there was no turning back as I put a lot of value on the ability to stop irrespective of the conditions. The only maintenance has been the occasional adjustment of the gap between the pads and the disc which is easily done while turning an Allen key while looking at where the disc passes between the pads. One day I'll need to do some pad changing which does require removing the relevant wheel but is then easy.

I've always found it more fiddly trying to adjust rim brakes to ensure that they are centred and nothing rubs on the rim.

[GamblerGORD649]

I think it's bizarre how many guys are going hydro and/ or dissing the cable TRP Spyre, especially compared to the pathetic chunky BB7 which has one pad moving. My TRP has worked flawlessly from the start, easily locks INSTANTLY. A BIG gorilla couldn't make the wheel move if I'm holding the lever. LOL. Laughably EASY to install, IMO. And yet mine is with a homemade plate welded on and homemade adapter that I filed, drilled and threaded by hand with not even a drill press. It has 3,500 miles on my 120 lb loaded custom tour bike, Rohloff 203 disc > the only size I could make work. The resin pads still have half life I guess. For replacements, I heard a glowing testimony for DISCSTOP-HP BBB BBS-53 resin, same shape as standard Shimano ones. So I got 3 sets sent from Germany. Maybe in a couple years I can try them. ha. I sure as hell don't expect I can find my parts of any sort on a tour, except a 1/8" chain and a brake cable. I can't even find them here in big city bike shops. 
Spyre does NOT need any such fiddling or adjustments, not necessarily after a wheel removal either. This is with a track dropout and bolt axel too. I have it with more gap than usual and have my SA levers set to long pull, supposedly wrong also. LOL.

I do avoid gravel and winter muck at all cost. This hydraulics fad is equally bizarre too, IMO. How is it possible to beat my setup perfection?? YMMV. Are you really going to carry spare tube, a bleed kit and fluid on a world tour and or airplane?? LOL. I heard one guy complaining it went goofy after he turned his bike upside down to fix a flat. I haven't broken a cable during a ride in 35 years. The front one is unchanged in over 22,000 miles and both tours.

Then there is my flawless everlasting SA XL-FDD dyno drum, 27,000 miles now. On my first tour and 1000 mountain miles into the second, I happened to have a 95% useless old long reach caliper on the back. So the drum did 99% of the stopping. Drum brake truly is a bike part for the Armageddon. LOL. What is this overheating you speak of??? I brake hard for sharp turns and don't nibble them on hills. Neither brake ever has a slightest squeal.

I also had AVID BB5s on a hybrid for 18,000 miles. Neither easy, fun or better than mediocre in fair weather. One pad moving is a total JOKE. The last caliper rim pads I installed were pathetically HARD to setup. I couldn't even figure out which was L/R. Pffft. Fully inflated wheel removal is IMPOSSIBLE, even with the supposedly QR noodle removal I used to have. My front SA drum wheel I'm sure could be done blindfolded.

[ourclarioncall]

I never had much much with hydraulic discs. I think my mechanical one I replaced them with was great.

I like the look of the spyre ones that grip from both sides?

[KDean]

I have a Nomad Mk2 I have a rear disk brake , I didn't realise I could fit one on the front , I find it a lot easier taking the wheel off with disk brakes .

[JohnR]

Are both the hub and forks ready for a disc brake? See page 44 of http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/thorn_mega_brochure.pdf which explains why Thorn recommend a rim brake on the front. Some of us, however, put higher weighting on reliable stopping power.

[UKTony]

I have a Nomad Mk2 I have a rear disk brake , I didn't realise I could fit one on the front , I find it a lot easier taking the wheel off with disk brakes .

The original fork that came with the Nomad mk2 frame is not disc brake compatible. Thorn did produce a disc brake version of the original Nomad Mk2 twin plate fork but it doesn’t appear to be available now. The problem will be finding a disc brake compatible fork that is suitable for the Nomad mk2 frame geometry.

I can see one fork in Thorn’s range of forks in their online shop - the disc brake fork for the Nomad mk3. The offset of 48mm is the same as the Mk 2 fork but the axle to crown measurement (L1) is 410mm, which is 10mm less than the mk2 fork. According to Robin Thorn using the Mk 3 disc fork on the Mk2 Nomad frame reduces the L1 (axle to crown) by 10mm so will lower the head and slightly increase the head angle of a mk2 Nomad and lower the b/b by perhaps 4mm (not much). I’ve no idea if there’d be a noticeable effect on ride quality.

Might be an idea to ask Thorn sales team what they think.

[PH]

I find it a lot easier taking the wheel off with disk brakes .

Why is this? Once the V brake has been released you can forget about it, or is it getting a wide tyre through the gap?  I had a bike that needed the tyre deflating to fit the wheel, a decent pump and it's no big deal.  Then replacing the wheel just means getting it in the dropouts, with a disc you also have to line up the rotor with the caliper and it's not unheard of for people to damage the pad doing so.  Plus with hydraulics, you have to be ultra careful not to knock the lever while the wheel is out. 
That's not to diss disc brakes, I really like them.  If there was a simple solution I might consider swapping forks for them, I'd be a bit wary of changing steering geometry, I wouldn't do so for ease of wheel removal.  If you're looking to improve braking, you might consider hydraulic rim brakes, though I don't think wheel removal will be any different to other rim brakes.

[mickeg]

I have a Nomad Mk2 I have a rear disk brake , I didn't realise I could fit one on the front , I find it a lot easier taking the wheel off with disk brakes .

The original fork that came with the Nomad mk2 frame is not disc brake compatible. Thorn did produce a disc brake version of the original Nomad Mk2 twin plate fork but it doesn’t appear to be available now. The problem will be finding a disc brake compatible fork that is suitable for the Nomad mk2 frame geometry.

I can see one fork in Thorn’s range of forks in their online shop - the disc brake fork for the Nomad mk3. The offset of 48mm is the same as the Mk 2 fork but the axle to crown measurement (L1) is 410mm, which is 10mm less than the mk2 fork. According to Robin Thorn using the Mk 3 disc fork on the Mk2 Nomad frame reduces the L1 (axle to crown) by 10mm so will lower the head and slightly increase the head angle of a mk2 Nomad and lower the b/b by perhaps 4mm (not much). I’ve no idea if there’d be a noticeable effect on ride quality.

Might be an idea to ask Thorn sales team what they think.

On a different forum, someone was looking for a new fork for his 26 inch hybrid bike that had a problem with his suspension fork.  Someone on that forum suggested a 29 inch solid fork that had a fork crown to axle distance that was quite similar.  That might be something to look into if getting a disc on front is that important to you.

That said, my Lynskey that I built up five years ago, I built that with disc in back (that frame was disc only) and rim brake front.  In my case I had a rim brake fork that had the right rake and axle to crown length, thus I did not need to buy a $300 fork for the frame.  And I did not need to buy the disc brake unit for the front which saved some more.  I have salmon pads on that front wheel with V brakes and the braking in dry weather is just as good as the rear.  I only notice poorer braking on the rim brake front when it is wet, but when it is wet out, I ride a bit slower and a bit more careful so it is not a problem.

[il padrone]

I bought the disc fork in 2019, when I saw it on the SJS site. Thought that Andy Blance had finally woken up to the rest of the touring bike market. Shame if they have dropped it now. I have been running the disc brakes for over 2 years now, somewhat restricted by COVID lockdowns, but they have given me no problems in that time. Soon might need to get them bled; I carry a set of spare pads as routine in my toolkit. My son does his own brake-bleeds for Magura hydraulic rim brakes, and I do not see it being a huge issue to carry a simple bleed kit on tour (mineral oil is a lot less critical than Dot 4). At a last chance, the technology is what most auto mechanics deal with on a daily basis.

[CycleTourer]

I bought the disc fork in 2019, when I saw it on the SJS site. Thought that Andy Blance had finally woken up to the rest of the touring bike market. Shame if they have dropped it now.

The disc fork available for the Nomad Mk2 was a QR fork. It seems companies are moving away from these due to the potential liability issues (there has been at least one successful lawsuit when a rider was injured due to a disc brake’s force throwing a QR out from the fork). So, the only remaining option for a disc brake is the Nomad Mk3 with its thru-axle fork.

[il padrone]

My QR disc-fork has VERY deep lawyer-lugs, and as well as that the drop-out faces slightly forwards, so the reaction from the disc brake operation will not force it out of the drop-outs. I am very confident and happy about this design. I am NOT interested  in converting to through-axles either. It'd mean trashing a perfectly good touring bike, one that I spent a lot on and which has served me very well. 

Most of my fellow riders who use disc brakes also do not use through-axles, and I have never seen any push-out problems to date.