Nomad mk1 pros and cons

[ourclarioncall]

Thanks you very much chaps

Really appreciate the info and you’ve given me food for thought

There is also this one……. It’s about 15 years old , but hasn’t been used for 10 years. There is some rust around the Rohloff and I don’t know how good or bad it would be for a rohloff to be sitting unused for a decade ? Any thoughts?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185382713017?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=lvLKz_HEQMO&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=d0z8oqhvska&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[JohnR]

If you can change through all 14 gears on the Rohloff hub then it's very likely OK. It's more likely that the shifter and/or cables will have suffered from lack of use than the hub itself where a thin layer of oil should have stayed on the surface of all the parts. I bought my first Rohloff bike brand new in 2019 but the hub was made in 2013. Other parts suggest that the bike was assembled in 2013 or soon after and then sat unsold until I bought it. I had no problems caused by the bike  sitting unused for several years.

[PH]

Thanks you very much chaps

Really appreciate the info and you’ve given me food for thought

There is also this one……. It’s about 15 years old , but hasn’t been used for 10 years. There is some rust around the Rohloff and I don’t know how good or bad it would be for a rohloff to be sitting unused for a decade ? Any thoughts?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185382713017?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=lvLKz_HEQMO&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=d0z8oqhvska&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

So did you buy it?

[ourclarioncall]

No

I’ve seen two other Ravens for sale, so my brain is frazzled jumping back and forth comparing them all 😄 aswell as the other cheaper older nomads I was looking at

The one I linked will be £1000 + £100 shipping + close to £300 for new parts to give it a refresh. Compared to £900+ shipping and £1000+ Shipping . I don’t know if the other two bikes could use new components or not but they look well kept. In fact I think one of them is gone. It was on eBay.

[ourclarioncall]

If you can change through all 14 gears on the Rohloff hub then it's very likely OK. It's more likely that the shifter and/or cables will have suffered from lack of use than the hub itself where a thin layer of oil should have stayed on the surface of all the parts. I bought my first Rohloff bike brand new in 2019 but the hub was made in 2013. Other parts suggest that the bike was assembled in 2013 or soon after and then sat unsold until I bought it. I had no problems caused by the bike  sitting unused for several years.

Thanks JohnR

Wow that’s interesting.

[mickeg]

No

I’ve seen two other Ravens for sale, so my brain is frazzled jumping back and forth comparing them all ....

You have been doing this for a while now haven't you?

I am trying to remember, where are you, I think you said somewhere in USA?

[ourclarioncall]

Yes , quite a while !

I’m in Scotland, my wife is from Texas

I am a long way away from these bikes are for sale, usually in England or Wales . So it’s a bit impractical as I can’t try them out or check their quality .

Money is an issue too, sometimes there’s enough for a bike sometimes there is isn’t and usually things never line up , right bike, right time , right financial situation , right family situation etc.

I was keen for a mk3 from Thorn and new there was stock coming in but it was all pre-sold . I assumed they were getting a decent batch in for sale since I think it was over a year I had been waiting . I could pre-book one from the next batch which I think is coming in September/October (not totally sure , just what I heard) but I don’t any to miss another summer so would be willing to buy a cheaper bike temporarily. Getting one in your size /colour/decent condition is challenging

I was actually getting to buying one. The guy who was very helpful and sent me videos stopped responding after I asked about rust around the seat post tube and inside that I could see in the video  . I don’t know if I offended him or what . Oh well what can you do

[mickeg]

...
I was actually getting to buying one. The guy who was very helpful and sent me videos stopped responding after I asked about rust around the seat post tube and inside that I could see in the video  . I don’t know if I offended him or what . Oh well what can you do

I thought you were from Texas, guess I was wrong but not too far wrong.

It is better to ask about rust that you saw before you travel a great distance to ask.  I usually assume if someone does not answer my questions about something that they are selling, they know that the answer is probably a deal breaker.  So, I move on instead of pushing the issue.

[ourclarioncall]

Yeah

The rust looked superficial but I wondered how far down it went

He had sanded back a patch of rust on the frame to bare metal and treated it with rust prevention stuff

I don’t know

People leave bikes in sheds and garages over here in the UK an the climate can often be cold and damp. A decent bike that was kept in the houses might develop rust if ours moved outside into a shed for a couple years unused

One of the ravens I looked at hadn’t been used for ten years and the rohloff didn’t look good on the outside. I’m sure it was fine but it just puts me off

[PH]

One of the ravens I looked at hadn’t been used for ten years and the rohloff didn’t look good on the outside. I’m sure it was fine but it just puts me off

Was that the one from Bridgwater being sold by a Mr Thorn with a detailed breakdown of an optional workshop service?  Any and every secondhand bike purchase is a bit of a gamble,  I'd have thought that one less so than most.

Money is an issue too

I appreciate that, it's still nice to dream, I'd be inclined to dream of the perfect bike and postpone purchase till it was affordable. I'm an unrepentant self confessed bike nerd, before that obsession took over I rode cheap Halfords hybrids.  I like my bikes, all of them, but I'm also happy to admit I haven't done a single mile that couldn't have been ridden on one of the Halfords hybrids.  However much you might want one of these bikes, don't get trapped into thinking you need one.

[PH]

There's a Nomad for sale on the Audax, buy and sell facebook group:
"Thorn Nomad (Rohloff, S&S couplings).
Size 562L. Working perfectly.
Everything in photos included. £1400 o.n.o."

NE England so might be easier for you to get to than some.
it's a private FB group so you'll have to join to see the photos.

[JohnR]

It seems to be a fact of life that the only way to find out that a bike is ideal for the intended use is to buy it and ride it several times. A test ride on a dealer's demo bike might reveal if a bike is unsuitable but won't be enough to determine if a bike ticks all the boxes. Plus, as we who have too many bikes know, each is best suited to a different use.