Hi New to thorn but not new to bikes

[stutho]

jawj,

(tongue in cheek mode on)

Stop me everyone!

Think of all the extra cleaning that you have to do with a derailer - do you REALLY want to go back to that?
(tongue in cheek mode off)

[pastafarian]

Living in Norfolk a trip down to Thorn would be a day/night and day thing so cost of fuel and nights b&b would be pennies from the fund but as the thorn edges ahead I think it will be money well spent.

A humble suggestion: Take the bus/train/hitch a ride, then ride your new Nomad S&S on the way home 

Has anyone actually had a Rohloff "break down", except for spokes tearing the hub flange? Not having much experience of my own, I thought the whole point of the Rohloff hub is less maintenance. In the (unlikely) case of a total hub breakdown on a Rohloff specific bike, would it not be possible to use any internal hub found nearby or go singlespeed while the hub is in RMA?

Also, less risk of mud clogging, as Stutho pointed out just now.

[jawj]

Think of all the extra cleaning that you have to do with a derailer - do you REALLY want to go back to that?

Aah, but Stu, cleaning the black gunk off idler wheels is my raisin d'etre!

And it wouldn't really be a case of going back to it, as I have a couple of derailer-equipped bikes knocking about already, it would just be a case of having another very shiny bike that I lust over but gets used far less than my Thorn (Raven).

Actually, that says a lot about what bike you should go for, Spoon Boy...

[mervynyan]

I am leaning ever more to the thorn

Especially as the Koga is Dutch and the Euro/pound rate has seen the world traveller rise from £1,347 to £1,500 within the last few weeks so pound for pound the Thorn is starting to look as a very complete bike that's excellent value for money.

I also noticed. I have been keeping an eye on Koga Signature. The price last month was about a little bit under 1600GBP, now it is 1790GBP. I will keep looking, but I am keen on Koga at the moment.

[freddered]

My friend fell off on ice last weekend and rendered his rear derailleur unusable.  It really doesn't take that much to wreck one.  On long distance rides I regularly see people putting their chain back on and I hear the clunking and rattling of derailleurs as they climb under load (which is what annoys me slightly when they comment on the whirring of my hub).

My chain has never fallen off (even when I've let it get very slack).  I've never missed a shift.  my hub is unlikely to get damaged in a fall.  It will continue to work in muddy, sandy, dusty conditions without any cleaning required.

In 3 years I have spent a couple of hours servicing it (most of which is allowing time for the old oil to drain thoroughly).

It's quite conceivable that, during 5 years of travel, you may only really need to adjust/replace a chain and add a tiny amount of oil a few times. You could be talking about 5 hours of gear maintenance in 5 years.

[ians]

what fred said plus  ... if the Rolhoff should fail then spares will be sent to you where ever you happen to be (if I read the guarantee correctly).  If you're taking 6-8 years then a week spent waiting for a fedex delivery is neither here nor there.  I'm so impressed with Rohloff that I now have 2. 

Of course they are expensive but over the trip of a lifetime such as the one you're planning it's money well spent (in my view).  You cannot afford to compromise.  If you're concerned about value for money, then go round again.  As my old grand daddy said "always buy the best you can't quite afford'.  Unless it's a house.  Then you're really in trouble.

ians

[spoon boy]

Well that went well

I went to a official koga dealer in London just to have a look ...They actually had a display model in, right size but some bits missing, I asked about it, they had taken some bits off for a bike that had similar bits missing. So asked if they had the bits to replace it they said yes, I asked how much it would be as it's clearly been a display model? 1,599 came back the answer!

I pointed out it had bits missing and it was clearly a display model...still 1,599!!! I said that I may as well order a BRAND NEW one for the same money!

The shop bloke then said suprisingly, that Koga are telling thier dealers that in the new year due to the exchange rate the bike will be 2,000!!

Guess koga's well off the list now.

Buy british...clearly cheaper and far less hassle

[mervynyan]

Well that went well

I went to a official koga dealer in London just to have a look ...They actually had a display model in, right size but some bits missing, I asked about it, they had taken some bits off for a bike that had similar bits missing. So asked if they had the bits to replace it they said yes, I asked how much it would be as it's clearly been a display model? 1,599 came back the answer!

I pointed out it had bits missing and it was clearly a display model...still 1,599!!! I said that I may as well order a BRAND NEW one for the same money!

The shop bloke then said suprisingly, that Koga are telling thier dealers that in the new year due to the exchange rate the bike will be 2,000!!

Guess koga's well off the list now.

Buy british...clearly cheaper and far less hassle

Sterling is weak so I guess 2000 is not unthinkable. You can check the signature model (koga-signature.com???) It is not 2000 euro yet but certainly less competitive with Thorn these days.

[spoon boy]

I think this may lead into the other post of sherpa vs

Pound for pound I think the sherpa looks brilliant value for money

My main worry is that I over buy, i.e. that I spend more than I need too on the bike leaving my travellling budget short by a few hundred when the cheaper model would have done

[JohnWay]

Hi, just to let you know that I paid a visit to Thorn yesterday (30/12/08) and have just put down a deposit on two EXP spec Sherpas for myself and the wife! (lovely bike) and they said that they will be going up by £100 in January due to the weakness of sterling, so just got in in time.

By the way in 30 years of various types of cycling I've never seriously damaged a rear mech and as you will be carrying a chain tool you can always put it in a fixed gear until you can get a replacement.

[bobs]

Well done, we will all be looking forward to seeing some photo's when you get your Sherpas. Have to agree about the rear mech, done a lot of mountain biking in Scotland over the years and yet to damage a rear mech. In fact still have the origional mech off my 90's Cannondale somewhere and it still works.

Bob.

[rualexander]

Haven't damaged a rear mech as such but I have had my derailleur hanger bent a couple of times on public transport, easy enough to bend it back on a steel frame if you notice it in time, but the first time it happened to me I didn't notice and after cycling about a mile after getting off a bus in Australia I changed down gears and put the derailleur into the spokes and came to an abrupt halt with several broken spokes! Luckily I was only about two miles walk from my cousin's house and there was a bike shop reasonably nearby but it could have been a disaster. I now always check my hanger after public transport journeys.

[mervynyan]

Hi, just to let you know that I paid a visit to Thorn yesterday (30/12/08) and have just put down a deposit on two EXP spec Sherpas for myself and the wife! (lovely bike) and they said that they will be going up by £100 in January due to the weakness of sterling, so just got in in time.

Impressive.

I also wonder if the EXP frame is worth extra grand. The default frame is nice enough. Just wondering why you want EXP?

[JohnWay]

Sorry, when I said EXP spec I meant the standard frame with all the goodies, XT, XTR Kit Rigida Rims, racks etc, not the custom built frame, as you say the standard frame is very good.