I was only looking...

[PH]

December 2019

First in the door was a bike I didn't recognise, a Nomad on 700c wheels and V brake fork, I have to remind myself I'm only killing time whilst I can feel my wallet throbbing in my pocket.  I chat a bit with Simon, who's happy to answer questions, the Nomad is being configured in all sorts of ways, I can see why it's replacing some other models.  There's several builds on show including one with an electric motor.  I don't look much further than the Nomads, I'm not really looking for another bike, but if I was...

August 2022
IMG_20220807_124312 by Paul, on Flickr

[Danneaux]

My What an absolute beauty, Paul! 😍

Congratulations!

There's always room for n+1.

Best, Dan.

[PH]

My What an absolute beauty, Paul! 😍

Thank you Dan.

There's always room for n+1.

In this case it's been N -3+1 so plenty of space! 

[Moronic]

Very nice looking bike, PH

I hope at some point you'll enlighten us on what plans you have for it, and where you think you would rather ride that than your Mercury.

Or should I not assume you are keeping your Mercury?

What width tyres are you running, BTW?

[PH]

Very nice looking bike, PH

I hope at some point you'll enlighten us on what plans you have for it, and where you think you would rather ride that than your Mercury.

Or should I not assume you are keeping your Mercury?

What width tyres are you running, BTW?

Thank you.
Yes at some point I'll do a proper review, though I've not got round to doing a Mercury one yet so no promises!
Over the last few years I've come to realise that the riding I enjoy falls into a fairly narrow band, far narrower than the range of bikes I'd collected covered. The only real differences are whether I'm carrying a load and whether I need to transport the bike.  So my collection of personal bikes* has reduced from five to three, Mercury, Nomad, Airnimal Joey.  Early days and it's not the first time I've thought I was set for life, though as I get older...
Tyres are 40mm Schwalbe Almotions, that's the maximum this fork will take, I'd have preferred a few more mm clearance for mucky winter lanes, I knew that before I started and dropping down a size at the front would be no big deal, the frame has plenty of space. These tyres came off the Alfine Mercury, indeed everything other than the frameset and mudguards has been re-cycled from other bikes.

* I also have a E-bike which only gets used for work and a Brompton which I only occasionally use as a slightly faster alternative to walking. I don't really count these as my bikes because I don't really count their use as cycling (Or am I in denial?)

[geocycle]

That’s a really well thought out bike. It somehow looks robust but not clunky or over engineered. It’s avery flexible frame with so many applications. Will be interesting to know how you get on with it, when mercury touring becomes loaded nomad touring and which bike you gravitate to first when heading off on general duties.

Well done!

[Moronic]

Over the last few years I've come to realise that the riding I enjoy falls into a fairly narrow band, far narrower than the range of bikes I'd collected covered. The only real differences are whether I'm carrying a load and whether I need to transport the bike. uards has been re-cycled from other bikes.

Was trying to work out whether you'd answered my question but recalling some history I think I get it. You've said that you find your Mercury a bit sketchy under a camping load. So the Nomad is for fun and for camping. Am I onto it?

And then maybe you are in denial. The Nomad is also because you have been thinking for years that a 700C Nomad woukd be a damn fine bike, and it satisfies you simply to own damn fine bikes. 

Forty mm sounds like plenty for 700cc tyres. Especially if you're mainly on tarmac.

[PH]

Over the last few years I've come to realise that the riding I enjoy falls into a fairly narrow band, far narrower than the range of bikes I'd collected covered. The only real differences are whether I'm carrying a load and whether I need to transport the bike. uards has been re-cycled from other bikes.

Was trying to work out whether you'd answered my question but recalling some history I think I get it. You've said that you find your Mercury a bit sketchy under a camping load. So the Nomad is for fun and for camping. Am I onto it?

Yes, sort of, I use a bike for transport as much as pleasure, probably a lot more.  The Mercury has never been the right bike for everything in the same way as it's predecessor was.

Tiroll by Paul, on Flickr

I still have this frame, though it's cracked beyond repair, it's a lot closer to the Nomad than the Mercury.  If it works out, I can see me using the Nomad far more than the Mercury, which has never been my most used bike. Not because I don't like it, I certainly do! Just because it isn't always the most appropriate bike.

[mickeg]

Looks very nice.

If you flip the stem upside down, the number of spacers above it on the steerer tube is much less, I think it looks better that way if you chose not to cut it.  I have a 17 degree stem on my Sherpa that is horizontal, I think that looks better.

[PH]

Looks very nice.

If you flip the stem upside down, the number of spacers above it on the steerer tube is much less, I think it looks better that way if you chose not to cut it.  I have a 17 degree stem on my Sherpa that is horizontal, I think that looks better.

Cheers, i'll cut the steerer when i'm settled on fit, I wouldn't want anyone to think I didn't care about the weight 
Plus it'll keep the stem mount Garmin at the right angle.

[JohnR]

Am I right in thinking that you routed the Nomad's Rohloff cables on the right side of the head tube? I've got them on the left side where they rub the paint off.

[Danneaux]

Am I right in thinking that you routed the Nomad's Rohloff cables on the right side of the head tube? I've got them on the left side where they rub the paint off.

John,

An enlarged photo showing Paul's cable routing can be found if you clip on the original picture stored here...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/phbike/52269241411/
Looks to me like one Rohloff cable with some sleeved padding on each side of the headtube, just above the headset.

If you wish to change your routing, you may find it easier/faster to simply undo the front brake caliper from its mount, loosen the stem, drop the fork and then reinsert the steerer between the cable housings and then reaffix the brake and tighten the stem. This avoids having to redo the cable fittings at the EX box. I did something similar when I was fooling around with different Rohloff shifter placements for use with my drop handlebars and found it quick and easy.

Best, Dan.

[PH]

Am I right in thinking that you routed the Nomad's Rohloff cables on the right side of the head tube? I've got them on the left side where they rub the paint off.

Dan has it right, one either side.  The Nomad's guides are positioned different to the Mercury, directly underneath rather than off to one side. So one cable each side on the H/tube gives an even curve, not that it matters for anything other than aesthetics. On the Merc, they're the same side of the H/tube as the guides.
Whatever you do it's going to rub paint off if you don't protect it, proper 3M Helicopter Tape (Not the stuff claiming to be such that's all over eBay) disappears into the paintwork and is hard to spot even when you know it's there.

There's also some Jagwire rubber sleeves which I think slow the effects of rubbing rather than eliminate it, but I had them anyway! You can see one of those on the Ti bike where I obviously have no paint to worry about, it does stop the cable clattering against the H/tube on rough ground. I have them on the Mercury underneath the downtube for the same reason.
I don't know if it's those or the heat shrink on the brake hose that eagle-eyed Dan spotted, the latter is waiting for the rear dynamo cable when I fit the lights, which will be when I cut the steerer (Or when the evenings get dark, whichever comes sooner)

[mickeg]

As I mentioned earlier, if you want to keep the steerer tube longer, you can flip the stem so that less spacers are above the stem and it does not look so odd.

Years after I took this photo, I decided that I wanted different bars and also to raise the bars as my lower back gets worse.  I was glad I did not cut the steerer tube.  And if you want to sell later, a taller steerer tube may help make the sale.

This old photo has the flipped 17 degree stem I mentioned earlier.

Right now my fleet of bikes includes four that I built up from the frame and fork.  The only one where I cut the steerer, I cut it because it was hard to fit in the S&S case for packing, so I had a reason other than aesthetics to want that one shorter.

Do what you want, but I am content to keep the steerers longer than I need and sometimes I have been glad that i did.

[PH]

As I mentioned earlier, if you want to keep the steerer tube longer, you can flip the stem so that less spacers are above the stem and it does not look so odd.

I thought I'd answered that.  I'm not suggesting what you've done isn't in some way fine, but I've clearly decided it isn't what I intend to do.