MTB routes

[KDean]

Using Komoot  I find I have to use the MTB option to include a lot of briddleways , As I haven't used my Nomad MK2 yet , I'd like  to know from experienced people if the Nomad is ok on MTB routes ?

[Danneaux]

Much depends on tires, of course but as for the bike, I use my Nomad Mk2 primarily on roughly ballasted logging roads, cross-country, on trails and in the desert. I find it brilliant in such conditions.

I did find the frame too stiff for my comfort on such surfaces when ridden without a load but fitting a Thudbuster LT (long travel) suspension seat post completely addressed that problem.

If the bridleways are wet and muddy, you may wish to extend your mudguard stays to minimize clogging.

Best,

Dan.

[martinf]

IMO a Nomad has two drawbacks over a dedicated mountain bike:

- it is designed as an expedition frame, so is heavy. More difficult to lift over gates, stiles, fences.
- no suspension. Dan's Thudbuster post should help. I have a sprung Brooks saddle on the bike I used most for survey work (a lot of riding on paths and tracks). Using the fattest possible tyres inflated to moderately low pressures also helps.

And one big advantage over derailleur-equipped mountain bikes:

- Rohloff hub gearing is much easier to keep clean, even more so with a Chainglider.

Mudguards are a nuisance off-road as they clog with mud/wet sand and trap twigs. But I prefer to have them in moist Atlantic coast conditions. As Dan says, leave plenty of clearance between tyre and mudguard, there will be more room for this on a Nomad frame as compared to the frames I have.

For survey work with a mix of riding on tarmac and paths/tracks I preferred to have a fairly smooth tyre, the fattest I could find that will fit the frame. Fat so it doesn't sink too much into soft surfaces, smooth so it rolls well on the tarmac stretches and so that it doesn't spray lots of dirt sideways like a proper off-road tyre. This is a compromise, and I sometimes had to push or carry the bike over some very muddy stretches that would probably have been rideable with dedicated mud tyres.

[steve216c]

I cannot comment on how your bike will fare as I don't have a Thorn. BUT I can say I have never regretted the switch from typical MTB tyres to fat smoother tyres. This means 85% of regular riding is likely to be more efficient, quieter and more comfortable over MTB off road tyres- even when riding off road with those tyres.

The only time I have missed my MTB tyres was in very muddy conditions and where the smoother tyres had less traction. But otherwise in drier offroad conditions or off the beaten track, but still on forest paths or on firm ground, the fatter smooth tyres perform just as well in my opionion.

I initially ran Schwalbe Big Apples, but eventually replaced them with Marathon Plus smoother tyres for the increase puncture protection. The Big Apples rolled slightly lighter, but the tiny increase in rolling resistance of the similar treaded Marathon Plus over the Big Apples is hardly noticeable, and a worthy trade off for me at least. And the Marathon Plus tyres are still better rolling in most conditions than typical MTB tyres with off-road tread in my opinion.

[KDean]

Thank you for your comments , Up until now I've had a Ribble Adventure 725 with 2.8" tyres , great off of road but hard going long distance on tarmac Plus I absolutely hated the noise the Sram 1x12 made every time I changed gear & when free wheeling  . I'm going to try Schwable Hurricane 2.1" on the Nomad with a thud buster .

[BrianW]

There are MTB routes and then there are MTB routes!  No one has mentioned steering and control as an issue. On rougher terrain you need bars a bit wider than a normal tourer to give you adequate leverage or you'll be forever coming off.  Of course it's not much hassle to fit a wider bar to your Nomad.  When I changed to a standard Raven Tour from an MTB the most noticeable difference in terms of handling was the width of the bars.

[mickeg]

What are you thinking for MTB routes?  Something that you need suspension for?  Is this for loaded touring with camping gear or is this for day tripping?

I found a suspension front fork turned my Mk II into a hard tail.  Several posts down from the top there is a post with UPDATE in bold print, start there.
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=11321.0

I did not do any trail riding in Iceland, that was loaded touring, but a lot of the distance was on 4X4 roads.  Solid fork.
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=11917.0

The first two attached photos were some of the worst of the roads I did in Iceland.  When you don't bother trying to steer around something because it is smaller than a tennis ball, that says something about what the road is built out of.  There were a few spots where the washboard was so bad I could not ride faster than 8 km/hr.

The second two photos are from White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park in USA, that is a 4X4 trail.  This was my first trip with the suspension fork.  The last photo if you look hard at the photo you can see the switch backs.  It was so steep that I had trouble with rear wheel grip, climbing in a really low gear, if I lost traction and spun the rear wheel, then the hill was so steep I would have to push to get to a flatter spot where I could start out riding again.

[KDean]

There are MTB routes and then there are MTB routes!  No one has mentioned steering and control as an issue. On rougher terrain you need bars a bit wider than a normal tourer to give you adequate leverage or you'll be forever coming off.  Of course it's not much hassle to fit a wider bar to your Nomad.  When I changed to a standard Raven Tour from an MTB the most noticeable difference in terms of handling was the width of the bars.

The Handles bars on my  Nomad are nearly 700mm