design me a bike

[Simon Ponsonby]

Hi everyone - 1st posting - serious request

I currently own a super 'Koga Miyata World Tourer' - It cost a lot but I knew I needed something special to get me cycling after 16 years not on any saddle & developing heart problems. But now I am fitter, healthier & happier (though not lighter??)and smitten by cycling. Trawling the internet it seems Thorn make the best of the best.

If I was buying the definitive, life-time purchase (cheaper than replacing the car) - which had to get me to work n back daily; cope with my 100kg weight, be able to be loaded up further for weekend/week tours; and keep my pulse racing in every sense - what would I need to buy?

I would value your considered opinions on everything from model, frame, gearing, brakes, wheels, tires etc. Assume there is no price limit (but dont tell my missus)

Cheers in advance

si

[bobs]

What's wrong with the bike you have ? By all accounts it's a great bike.

[Simon Ponsonby]

Thanks Bobs
Sure - my Koga is wonderful - but if I am dreaming of owning one 'bike for life' - I think a purpose built Thorn has got into my blood. The Koga is new enough to sell at a reasonable price and the money put to the 'dream bike'. When considering buying a bike, I looked long and hard at the Thorn but just couldnt justify the outlay (I can hardly justify the outlay on the Koga but being 100kg+ meant from the start I had to buy expensively to take my weight.)
But now having really taken by cycling - feeling it will be a whole lifetime hobby, lifestyle change I am musing about making the ultimate purchase.

However, if you think that unecessary - that is an important contribution to my thinking

si

[Fred A-M]

Assuming you mean road touring as opposed to expedition touring, I can't help feeling that the Raven Tour is probably the Thorn best suited to your needs.  This again assumes you want a Rohloff equipped bike.  It's rugged, reasonably versatile and has been voted on at least two occassions as touring bike of the year. It's far from the most expensive Thorn, but if really feel the need to maximise your expenditure, there's lots of upgrade potential!

[julk]

Simon,
If price is not an obstacle, then look at the Rohloff eXp, eXXp and eXp R range for all-round, off-road and on-tarmac use respectively.
I have a Rohloff eXp which I specced for heavy loads and purchased as my ultimate bike after I retired.
It has given me lots of cycling enjoyment, copes with whatever I demand of it and will probably be handed on as a family heirloom in the hopefully distant future.
Julian.

[lewis noble]

I agree with Fred A M and julk. I own a Raven Tour and am happy + +  with it.  There have been some posts about desirability of upgrades (black hub seems universally recommended) so there should be plenty of info to make a choice.

Lewis

[jags]

hi simon,well done on getting back cycling,i bought the sherpa frameset im building up the frame mostly with xt shimano,not only does it work but it looks fantastic,i cant give you a ride report just yet,but if looks are anything to go by,i would highly recommend the sherpa .
hope you get the bike of your dreams,think you might have come the right place.enjoy..

[freddered]

I bought my Raven Tour as my 'Bike for Life'.  Coming up to 2 years in Feb so it's too early to say.

At this early stage though I can say that it was a good decision.

[bobs]

The new Thorn Stirling looks very good and adaptable.

[geocycle]

I'm also very happy with my raven tour, it does everything I have asked of it.  I guess the exp will be better if you want a bespoke construction from top of the range steel, or have a serious expedition planned, but for most of us the 'off the peg' thorns are more than sufficient especially if highly specced.

[PH]

I think bobs has a point.  It's a matter of opinion whether the Thorn tourers are better than Koga's, either way I doubt there would be much in it unless you have a problem with yours, like size.  
Your wishlist covers a wide range, I'd suggest no one bike will cover it. I think you'd be better off looking for something to complement it rather than replace it.  Adding the Audax model to your stable will give more versitality than swapping... just my opinion...

[Simon Ponsonby]

Thanks everyone for your input - much to chew on - especially the notion I hadn't entertained previously of keeping my Koga for touring & getting something 'different' whether MTB or Audax? I'm sure the answer is on the web but eluding me - what essentially is the difference between a Raven frame and an Exp frame apart from being 'bespoke'?

cheers
s

[julk]

quote:what essentially is the difference between a Raven frame and an Exp frame

I am sure a phone call to SJSC or a close examination of the respective brochures will reveal all, but here is my interpretation :-

eXp - the steel tubes are Reynolds, the joints are fillet brazed, the cable guides are stainless and better placed near the headset, the gearbox can be external  or internal with cable guides to suit, S & S couplers can be fitted to the top and down tubes, the chain stays may be longer, a greater weight can be carried, paint colour scheme is your choice, costs about £1k more, made in England, takes months to appear from order.

Raven - the steel tubes are a SJSC special, the joints are tig welded, the cable guides near the headset appear to stress the cable outers, the gearbox is internal with cable guides to suit, S & S couplers are only available on the Sports Tour, the chain stays may be shorter, a lesser load can be carried (still huge though), paint scheme is choice from 4 colours, costs about £1k less, made in Taiwan, takes days/weeks to appear from order.

[SJSKyle]

In response to the above post, Raven Sport Tour is available S+S but it is very different to the Raven Tour. The Raven Nomad S+S is basically a much beefier Raven Tour with S+S couplings.  You can specify an external Rohloff box on the Raven Tour.

The eXp takes longer from order to complete bike as we have to build the frame from scratch. The eXp has a lot of minor aesthetic touches as well as the above.

[jonathan]

Excuse me, but could you clarify your comment about speccing an RT with an EX box. Andy Blance ruled that option out for me when I ordered my RT frame, even though I expressly told him that I would be using the EX.

Perhaps you mean the step through model? Certainly if there was another EX option and I did not hear of it I would be a bit cranky