Nomad mk1 pros and cons

[ourclarioncall]

Thinking of buying a cheaper Thorn to have something to tide this year . I’m still looking at getting a Mk3 at some point but this could potentially do me for the moment

I know nothing much about mk1’s

I’m just looking for a bike that fits me okay. I’m about 6 foot . I would prefer to have straight bars and a more upright posture but at this price I wouldn’t be too fussy

What are the pros and cons of these models ? Anything I should be aware of ? I have found 3 available. Two of them should fit me, the other one with beige big apple tyres? I don’t know but there is specs in his description which don’t make much sense to me. I did try and hunt online for a mk1 pdf brochure but couldn’t find one that I was looking for


Thanks


1.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265637814343?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=4J8Gel4nRV6&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=d0z8oqhvska&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY


2.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175200939216?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=zBu3G64gRjW&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=d0z8oqhvska&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY


3.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/985913332029496/

[ourclarioncall]

I got a reply

The second one only has the frame number under the bottom bracket, however, the down tube measures 20” from the centre of the bottom bracket to the seat post entry point.

[mickeg]

The Nomad Mk I was a Rohloff version, the two Ebay links you posted are derailleur bikes, they pre-date the Mk I designation.  I do not do Facebook, did not try that one.

I do not know much about the early Thorn Nomads, can't help on that.

[ourclarioncall]

Ah right , so just because it’s called a Nomad, doesn’t mean it’s a Mk1.

I went on a family holiday and was at a caravan /camping place and in came some cyclist and one was riding a black Thorn bike and I got really excited as it’s the first time I’ve seen one in real life and I later approached the owner and I thought it was a Sherpa because it was derailleur and he said no it’s a nomad , so I got a shock. Think he said it was about 20 years old.

[mickeg]

I bought my Sherpa frame used in 2010, that was welded in Asia.  So I do not have a lot of knowledge on the early Thorns that pre-date that.  But it is my understanding that the early derailleur Nomads were brazed with filet brazing in the UK.  Then as the cost of labor went up and import costs went down, Thorn instead ordered frames welded from Asia.  So, I think that a early derailleur Nomad would mean that it was brazed in the UK.

And everything I just said could be completely wrong.

This website has hundreds of photos of touring bikes, but most of the photos are over a decade old, the person that updates the site has not updated it in years.  If you pull up the page and do a word search for Thorn, you will find early ones.  My computer counts 21 hits for the word Thorn.
https://www.pbase.com/canyonlands/fullyloaded

Derailleur version, I think the frame made in UK.  Note the quill type stem and the cables come out of the top of the brake levers, this is at least a few decades old.
https://pbase.com/canyonlands/image/164945475

At that website, this looks like a Mk I.  Lacks the extra reinforcing at the downtube and headtube.  But is a Rohloff model with S&S couplings.
https://pbase.com/canyonlands/image/158909822

Since they have not added bikes to this site for several years, I think you won't find a Mk II version there.  Almost all the bikes on that site are rim brake, discs were starting to displace rim brake bikes about a decade ago.

[in4]

My MK1 Nomad was a complete joy to ride. In comparison to my MK2 rohloff Nomad it felt light, sprightly and very responsive. I only sold it to help pay for my MK2. The MK2 is a much more robust, heavy-duty bike that feels very comfortable under load but also no slouch unladen. I still get an exhilarating buzz when riding down hill like a crackpot! Photos available on request

[ourclarioncall]

How would I find out how much weight these bikes can carry ? Wondering if I’m too heavy as these frames look a lot thinner/weaker than the nomad mk2 for example

I’m kind of interested in the third one on Facebook marketplace. I think it might be fillet brazed and 725 frame which I understand to be heat treated and strong. But maybe the pieces are of thinner dimensions so it balances out with other thorn nomads made of 531 like the one on eBay

Could i easily convert this to straight bar if I wanted to ?

This was some rust and it looks as if the paint had been sanded back to bare steel and rust preventer has been applied. I’m just wondering if there is more rust elsewhere inside or outside of the frame. There is another less rusty option on eBay but that’s the 531 frame

[ourclarioncall]

I think the other one on eBay is too small for me, it’s also fillet brazed and 725 like the one on Facebook marketplace

[ourclarioncall]

Mickeg

Thanks 👍

The one I’m looking at on Facebook looks like it has 7 numbers then underneath KS which I’m thinking is Kevin Sayles initials who haha built frames in uk so I read

It’s a bit on the rusty side but think would fit me . It also has the same type of fork as the nomad mk2. The heavy duty looking one with the double bit.

[JohnR]

Could i easily convert this to straight bar if I wanted to ?

Yes, but you may need to change the stem to get your most comfortable handlebar height and saddle to handlebar distance and possibly acommodate a different clamp diameter. While Thorn usually make two lengths of frame (shorter for drops, longer for straight bars) a longer stem can adequately compensate for a shorter frame. I would check if the saddle to handlebar clamp distance is close to what you find is good on a bike with straight bars.

[PH]

They all look nice enough bikes, but don't get carried away, if it's not exactly what you want you'll need to be careful to cost the conversion, bars, stem, shifters, brake levers, maybe brakes, it isn't complicated stuff and as John says a change of stem will compensate fore the shorter TT, though less so if you're already near the upper limit for that size.
I understand if someone needed an expedition ready touring bike on a budget, then spending £600 on a used Nomad would make sense.  If that isn't your need, it looks like a lot of money for an old bike.

[mickeg]

The best bike is the bike that fits.  Looking at a internet posting for a used bike, then planning changes you would make to that bike when you have not seen it yet, you are rolling the dice on whether or not it would fit you well after you have made modifications.

I have built up several bikes from the frames that I had bought, but I had the advantage of starting with a bike that fit me well.  So, I could apply measurements from one that fit, see how those dimensions varied from the frames that I was looking at and make a pretty good estimate on whether or not I could make the potential purchases fit well.  In my case, I was making those estimates based on using the same kinds of handlebars on the bikes that I built up as I had on the bike that I already knew fit me well.

[Danneaux]

I understand if someone needed an expedition ready touring bike on a budget, then spending £600 on a used Nomad would make sense.  If that isn't your need, it looks like a lot of money for an old bike.

<nods> Not meaning to disparage these bikes in any way (I know nothing about their provenance and condition), in general it is possible to sink a lot of money into making an old bike reliable for long touring/expedition use, where reliability is essential. If you can do the work yourself -- or are willing to borrow/buy the tools to do so -- you can save money and it can make for a great learning experience, the benefit being self-sufficiency in case a problem crops up while touring.

Depending on the price/condition of any used bike, I'd figure tools and possible replacement component costs atop the asking price. Sometimes 25-50% is not unusual to splash out to achieve a really reliable used bike that suits your needs. I'm thinking a possible new cassette and chain, some new brake pads, the cost of handlebars, brake levers and grips if you wish to do a conversion. Add to that personalized items like mudguards, your favorite saddle and pedals, a bell, computer and lights and it all adds up.

Several years ago I did something like this, taking a 1987-vintage steel road frame in super-good shape and updating it with shopworn but new Shimano 105 9-sp components (discounted) and a brand-new set of aero road wheels (closeout priced). I had much on-hand, but to do the same on a typical used bike would have seen costs rise close to a pre-assembled bike in nearly new condition.

Sometimes a more expensive bike can be cheaper if it puts you closer to your goals as-is.

Best,

Dan.

[in4]

You might strike lucky and buy a used Nomad from a knowledgable seller who has taken care of it. I was twice lucky in that regard or perhaps a little discerning. Perhaps it’s not unreasonable to think that people look after premium-quality bikes better than they do cheaper, high street products. I wouldn’t put money on that though. Personally. If it looks uncared for and has had a seemingly rough life I’d walk away. As Dan says the costs of a refurbishment can be simply uneconomic.

[mickeg]

Several years ago a neighbor had a yard sale to get rid of stuff before he moved.  He had a couple bikes in the back yard.  He said when his kids moved out he was tired of taking care of their stuff, so he left the bikes where they had left them.  Not sure how many years had passed but a two inch (~~5cm) diameter tree had grown up through the frame of one of them, so it has been at least a decade that they sat outside.

I went home and did an internet search on one of them.  This one.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1994/pages/36.htm

Went back, handed him the $5 that he asked for it.  He got out an electric saw and cut down the tree so the bike could be removed from the tree trunk.  And I wheeled it home.  (First photo.)

All the rubber and plastic had to be discarded and replaced, even rim strips.  Needed new chain, some new cables, new bottom bracket, new pedals, front shifter (used a friction thumb shifter for a while).  Re-grease everything I could.  It took two days of off and on work to get the bottom bracket out.  Added Frame Saver to the frame to prevent further frame rusting.

And it turned into a great errand bike.  (Second photo.)  For the past decade I had made most of my grocery store trips in summer on that bike.

For the next decade I continued to store it outside, it gets no use in winter. (Third photo.)

I think I put about $50 USD into it.  I got rid of a lot of the stuff that filled up my garage, so now I store that bike indoors.

That said, I could easily have found a frame with rust perforations, so it is a roll of the dice when you buy something that has been neglected.  I got lucky.