Technical > General Technical
New (old) bike help required
ourclarioncall:
--- Quote from: Danneaux on May 11, 2022, 09:10:12 pm ---
--- Quote ---This bike feels light to me! And it feels fast ! I don’t get it .
--- End quote ---
This is not a bad problem to have! ;D
All congratulations on your new bike. It is very nicely designed and constructed and I think will surprise you in many positive ways.
Best,
Dan.
--- End quote ---
Thanks Dan , absolutely, I’m blown away . It’s got a nice bouncy springy-ness to it. I don’t know if that because the tyres are not full enough or if it’s the frame or a combination of both .
Like being in another world , can’t go back to “normal “ bikes now. Almost feel guilty for paying so little for it .
PH:
And some might have thought the questions would end when you found a bike....
Only kidding, glad to see your enthusiasm, ask away ;)
It took me a while to get used to drops, I had them on my first proper touring bike because it was considered the right thing to have, I know some treat it as heresy, but I really don't know what the fuss is about. I still have one drop bar bike, but most of my riding has gravitated back to straight bars, for me there's no advantage or disadvantage in riding position, put the controls on straight bars are IMO superior, even more so with a Rohloff.
If you do swap - you might need a different stem, both for the clamp size and length to compensate for the shorter reach, it's hard to judge unless the position is already spot on, but there's plenty of cheap stems around to experiment with. The same gear shifters can be converted for straight bar use with an SJS part (I'll add the link) These make for my favorite type of shifter, friction on the front so never any chain rub and the option of friction on the rear. They're not cheap and they do paint you into a corner, you can probably find complete decent shifters for not my more. For rim brakes with flat bars, just get V's, i can't think of any reason anyone wouldn't.
As for what bike it is - I don't know much about Thorn earlier models, logic would suggest the beefed up bridge indicates heavier duty, but things are not always logical. Glad you like the feel, I don't like to put a damper on that, but new bikes always feel great, well nearly always, it takes me a while to decide.
It all looks in reasonable used but not abused condition, keep the rust off and the chain oiled and it could outlive us all.
Bar end to thumbie converters
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-spares/jtek-special-thumb-shifter-brackets-for-222-mm-bars-black/
martinf:
--- Quote from: ourclarioncall on May 11, 2022, 07:52:06 pm ---Wondering if the front bottle dynamo can be fixed
All the connections seem ok.
As I found out after I washed the bike and open the light , water gets in. The bulb seems ok. Can think of what it could be . Something internal where moisture has gotten in over the years? Something wrong with the bit that touches the tyre ? Well, it seems to spin fine.
Maybe me spinning the front wheel wasn’t fast enough to make the light work ?
--- End quote ---
IF the bulb is OK, maybe the wiring is broken somewhere ?
Anyway, I wouldn't use bike lamps with bulbs nowadays, modern LED lamps are much brighter and IMO safer as they are more visible to motor traffic.
I prefer a hub dynamo, but if it still works the bottle dynamo you have is one of the better ones and would be worth keeping if you don't leave your lighting on all the time as I do (Bottle dynamo a bit more drag than a hub dynamo when operating, but no drag at all when off, even the best hub dynamos have a bit of drag when the lighting is switched off)
If you don't intend riding much at night or in bad visibility (rain, fog, etc.) a LED front lamp that uses rechargeable batteries might be a good choice. No drag at all, but you need to think about recharging the batteries and maybe carrying spares.
ourclarioncall:
PH
LOL 😊
Indeed , I could hear the relief of the entire internet- “FINALLY he’s got a bike ! We can rest “ 😆
Yeah I’m ready to drop the drops (no offence drop fans 😬) I had a “woah” moment tonight while turning and it is hard to describe what happened but I was going slow-ish and turning and lost control for a second . Seems like the bars turn so fast and with the narrow position on the bars I felt out of control. Maybe not the drops daily but seemed like it was a contributing factor . I definitely want a wider position. Either straight bars or something like the thorn comfort bar.
I keep going into a position where I want to be more upright and my thumbs push gainer the bar. I want to be a few inches higher , few inches wider and a few inches back . I think the Thorn comfort bars will put me in the ballpark as they rise and sweep back . I was measuring today and looks good
ourclarioncall:
--- Quote from: martinf on May 11, 2022, 09:51:46 pm ---
--- Quote from: ourclarioncall on May 11, 2022, 07:52:06 pm ---Wondering if the front bottle dynamo can be fixed
All the connections seem ok.
As I found out after I washed the bike and open the light , water gets in. The bulb seems ok. Can think of what it could be . Something internal where moisture has gotten in over the years? Something wrong with the bit that touches the tyre ? Well, it seems to spin fine.
Maybe me spinning the front wheel wasn’t fast enough to make the light work ?
--- End quote ---
IF the bulb is OK, maybe the wiring is broken somewhere ?
Anyway, I wouldn't use bike lamps with bulbs nowadays, modern LED lamps are much brighter and IMO safer as they are more visible to motor traffic.
I prefer a hub dynamo, but if it still works the bottle dynamo you have is one of the better ones and would be worth keeping if you don't leave your lighting on all the time as I do (Bottle dynamo a bit more drag than a hub dynamo when operating, but no drag at all when off, even the best hub dynamos have a bit of drag when the lighting is switched off)
If you don't intend riding much at night or in bad visibility (rain, fog, etc.) a LED front lamp that uses rechargeable batteries might be a good choice. No drag at all, but you need to think about recharging the batteries and maybe carrying spares.
--- End quote ---
The wires and connections look ok, not seeing any damage . So, I dunno. I have been researching dynamo hubs and lighting solutions. I like the look of the klite usb powered Qube lights as well as a few others
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version