New (old) bike help required

[ourclarioncall]

Ok, wondering if you folks could give me some advice and thoughts on my new bike . I believe it’s a thorn exp but could be wrong . It seems to tick all the boxes

I made a YouTube video going round the bike to show the condition and components here https://youtu.be/fFg4OgeprHk

I took it out for its first ride and wow, what a bike ! I can see why they have a good rep. Or steelbikes in general.

Before I rode the bike my thoughts were that I would not get on with drop bars . My suspicion was right . They are definitely not for me, but I wanted to give them a chance. They actually feel quite dangerous . There could be reasons for that tho. Such as they are not at the right position and the steering is very fast and twitchy. I don’t like that I have to move down to the drops to use the brakes and change gears. And the brakes and gears are not close to each other as on straight bars. I did like some of the positions up top but too narrow for me. I could use the brakes on the hoods but didn’t feel right . That was my impression anyway. Felt very unsecure and having to keep moving hand positions seems like sooner or later an accident waiting to happen. Sorry to bash dropbars, perhaps on a different bike setup differently I’d like them but I’m just reviews this bike . The drops are pretty cool for hills .

Kinda like the gears but not where they are located on the bars

The bike feels totally different to everything I’ve ever heard about Thorn bikes ! Well , heavier duty bikes like the Raven up through to the nomad .

This bike feels light to me! And it feels fast ! I don’t get it . It makes me wonder if I really do have an exp or if it’s a different lighter model

It could be that it’s a bit of an illusion. It’s got 1.75 tyres which are the thinnest I’ve had on a bike and also the steering is so fast and twitchy.

Not sure if they wheels are true , they look a bit wobbly when spinning

Tyres I’m not sure , I don’t know what pressure they are at and how much tread is left but they feel good to ride

Rims , not sure how worn , could check with a straight edge?

Front bottle dynamo doesn’t work , will have to take a closer look

Rear lights works and has different settings

Zepal frame pump - after I figured out how to get it off the frame I was really impressed with it . I normally dislike presta valves but I managed to pump the tyre up which was flat first time and the pump had a great stable feel while pumping .

Frame had rust and was sanded to bare steel and  treated . There are some rust spots and I think inside the seat tube is a bit of superficial rust . The seat post is well oiled .

I’m looking at leaving the bike as is for the moment but definitely want to convey to straight bars or thorns comfort bars look good . Was just dining some measurements and thinking about the position they would put me in

The problems are what to do about brakes and gears when doing the conversion

Thanks 😊

Very happy with my new bike !

[julk]

Bike looks good if a bit under lubricated on the moving parts.
It is worth trying the drop bars for some time to see if you get to like them.

Moving to straight type bars will put you in a more upright position for braking and changing gear as all the bar is nearer to you.
A wider bar can be more comfortable for your stance and gripping the bars, it depends on your body shape and what you are used to.
If you do go to straight bars I recommend the handlebar grips with platform extensions to reduce pressure such as ergon gp1.
You may find a more upright position needs a slightly wider saddle for comfort.

Gear changers and brake levers for straight bars will probably need to be different ones from the drop handlebar ones.
I suspect you would need to replace the cables at the same time to get them all working.
I would look for recommendations from other forum users as just what to decide on given a variety of costs, someone will have done this in the past.

I hope this helps.
Julian

[in4]

Have a look in the archive for further, useful info

http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=6975.0

[ourclarioncall]

Gave her a bath and some Lube

Some close up of the dropouts etc . Should this area have any sort of lubricant /protection on it? There was plenty grime I cleaned out but not sure if there is supposed to be grease or oil of anything . Or would the axl/the bit that touches the drop out be lubricated ?


https://youtu.be/weagL50OvEY

[ourclarioncall]

Have a look in the archive for further, useful info

http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=6975.0

Thanks , yeah had a good trawl through there recently and it seemed to me the exp was the one that looked most likely .

The pannier racks, the double crown fork, the fillet brazing, the “x” piece at the seat stays .

Maybe if I had heavier wheels with bigger tyres it would “feel” a bit more heavy 🤔 I dunno

[ourclarioncall]

Bike looks good if a bit under lubricated on the moving parts.
It is worth trying the drop bars for some time to see if you get to like them.

Moving to straight type bars will put you in a more upright position for braking and changing gear as all the bar is nearer to you.
A wider bar can be more comfortable for your stance and gripping the bars, it depends on your body shape and what you are used to.
If you do go to straight bars I recommend the handlebar grips with platform extensions to reduce pressure such as ergon gp1.
You may find a more upright position needs a slightly wider saddle for comfort.

Gear changers and brake levers for straight bars will probably need to be different ones from the drop handlebar ones.
I suspect you would need to replace the cables at the same time to get them all working.
I would look for recommendations from other forum users as just what to decide on given a variety of costs, someone will have done this in the past.

I hope this helps.
Julian

Just gave it a good clean and got some gt58 lube on it

I’ve adjusted the drops into a more extreme upright position and hopefully go for a run tonight and see how it feels. I guess I’m just used to straight bars on mountain bikes /hybrid bikes. I only ever had a drop bar bike once for a short time before I got a puncture and it was relegated to the shed. I’m sure I went over the handlebars when pulling the front brake. All my friends started getting mountain bikes so I got one too , about age 10 I think it was .

Thanks Julian , yeah my body shape is a bit quirky , long legs short torso , tight hamstrings /lower back . I could never cross my legs like all the other to eat kids In primary school 😊

[ourclarioncall]

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 ?

[Danneaux]

This bike feels light to me! And it feels fast ! I don’t get it .

This is not a bad problem to have!

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.

[Prince of Darkness]

Just passed ourclarioncall and this fine machine, at about 8:45 PM I was returning from work on my Raven Sport Tour and he was going the other way. Really sorry I didn't stop for a quick chat, but I was a bit slow figuring out who it was Great machine, with a frame built by Kevin Sayles (you can see the KS stamp on the bottom bracket). Dynamo seemed to be working fine, but if you have any problems with it, I have one going spare

[ourclarioncall]

Just passed ourclarioncall and this fine machine, at about 8:45 PM I was returning from work on my Raven Sport Tour and he was going the other way. Really sorry I didn't stop for a quick chat, but I was a bit slow figuring out who it was Great machine, with a frame built by Kevin Sayles (you can see the KS stamp on the bottom bracket). Dynamo seemed to be working fine, but if you have any problems with it, I have one going spare

How’s it going !! I was just thinking about you recently when I got the bike and went and re-read the messages you had posted as I couldn’t remember what bike it was you said you had

So it’s the xtc you have ? And a Raven sport  tour

I thought about saying hello properly but didn’t know if you’d recognise me and didn’t want to make you abruptly stop while you were cycling ! Next time we can can chat if you have a minute 

[ourclarioncall]

This bike feels light to me! And it feels fast ! I don’t get it .

This is not a bad problem to have!

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.

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]

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 ?

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]

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 ?

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.

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