At last....a Thorn in my stable!

[Paulson]

Ok, some more progress.  Today I fitted the black Brooks saddle, (the tan one has gone on ebay), a cateye TLD1100 light and carrier fixing (I had to wait a while before I could fix this, because I made the mistake of turning the light on to see whether it really was as bright as everyone says.....I went blind temporarily!!!),  one more thing on order and that's a Thorn 55mm accessory bar to put the front light and computer on (it wont fit the o/s handlebars).



The rear mech - Shimano 105:



The front mech - Shimano Tiagra, running a 52:39 compact road chainset:



The cockpit:



The new saddle and the saddlebag with SQR mount



The rear carrier (Topeak Super Tourist DX) and the offending rear light, a Cateye TL1100D:



The accessory bar arrived, and is also now fitted:

[Paulson]

Today I've ridden the Thorn 30 miles - its first 'big' ride.  However, It was in the pouring rain and because I was swathed in waterproofs, It felt more like I was riding a shopping bike as I boiled away.

I took to the country lanes around Stowmarket in Suffolk, territory which is generally flat and open countryside, with nice quiet roads.  I couldn't resist this picture, I hope the irony is not lost on you.



Lovely quiet roads today, albeit a little wet!



It's got dirty and wet at last!



I pass this building a fair bit - Finningham Gospel Hall.  As you can see from these pics, they have recently embarked on an advertising drive to make themselves more accessible and friendly to the local community!





The Thorn from the front, note accessory bar now fitted.



Hoping to get out again tomorrow n better weather!

[Paulson]

I managed a 40 miler yesterday in the balmy spring weather, making a foray into the fringes of Norfolk before retreating to safety again.  The bike is starting to reveal its qualities; the comfort on a longer ride is superb, and the average speed I am making is not significantly inferior to the road bike I was riding previously.  As I said before, the Audax is a fast bike when you want it to be.



I struck out through rolling countryside in North Suffolk, with a brisk westerly breeze making the first 2/3rd of the ride easy and a joy to experience after all the cold weather.  The picture below is Knetishall, the furthest point on the ride.



Most of the ride is lovely quiet roads like this; you have to make three hazardous road crossings on this route, two of which are the A143 Bury st Edmunds - Diss road.  Stopping in the village, I thought a nice Norfolk flint wall would make a good backdrop:





And on the way back, having passed a few other cyclists (the count was two mudguarded audax bikes of unknown origin, one lovely blue Mercian and a couple riding Dawes touring bikes), I stopped off for a short break to decant an energy gel into my water bottle, and the Thorn took on an urban mood, posing in the manner of a 1980s punk band against a grafitti'd bus shelter:



Now the milder weather seems to have arrived, I'll be continuing to push the frontiers of the mileage a bit; the Brooks is breaking in nicely too.

[Paulson]

A quick record of my fourth ride of last week - I make the week's riding about 120 miles in total, so the Audax is really getting broken in now the weather has got better.  Saturday saw me going on a normal route, with changeable weather and a stiff south westerly at my back, making the journey north out of Suffolk easy and quick.  The bike still keeps impressing me by slowly revealing its qualities - I am finding the comfort just makes me want to extend my rides!  The grey skies looked a bit forboding as I set out:



The following pic shows a bit of road that goes up towards the A143, fabulous and fast on a day when the wind is behind you:



I continued north and towards the border with Norfolk, realising with an ever deepening sense of desperation that I should soon be forced to turn west and into the wind, which seemed to be gathering strength all the time. The spitting rain was becoming showery now as well.  I decided to stop to put some waterproofs on and take a couple of pics of the Thorn:



By now heading in a westerly direction, the wind was blowing diagonally left to right as I rode.  Downhills were becoming as slow as the flat, but to stop myself boiling in the bag, I stopped again as the rain ceased.  Note the sign which has been used for gun/stone practice.....



The scenery has a bleakness about it at this time of year.



So, after 2 and 3/4 hours in the saddle (and doesn't a new Brooks make its err..presence felt!!), and 41 windy miles under my belt, I returned home, having thoroughly enjoyed the ride.  Incidentally, about 5 miles from home, I stopped at a busy junction next to a couple of roadies and enjoyed their looks of consternation as they saw the Thorn, luggaged up.  But as we set off from our short stop, I made a point of pacing them until they turned off.

Looking forward particularly to the clocks changing in less than a week!

[jags]

ah great stuff really enjoyed the pic's can i ask you to give me the low down on your carradice bag the black one attached to rear rack,im thinking of getting one i have the camper but it's a bit big for day rides
cheers
jags..

[Paulson]

ah great stuff really enjoyed the pic's can i ask you to give me the low down on your carradice bag the black one attached to rear rack,im thinking of getting one i have the camper but it's a bit big for day rides
cheers
jags..

Sure - at risk of sounding like the Imelda Marcos of cycle luggage, it's a Super C rackbag, http://www.carradice.co.uk/products/type/superc-rackpack

I bought it because it's big enough to put waterproofs in, which is ideal for this time of year, but it can double up as a light touring bag as the top is 'stuffable' - i.e. you can pack it oversize and still get it closed.

The super C range is not as trendy as the other carradice stuff, it seems to be more of the serious and old fashioned range, but the quality as you would expect is first rate.  It also has sensible plastic click fixings instead of the great looking but somewhat impractical leather straps, meaning that even with gloved hands you can open and close it.



You can also pick it up using the top handle, and it comes with a neat strap for your shoulder as well.
I bought mine from SJSC, who seem to offer a price as good as anybody's.

Incidentally, you probably notice the ever changing luggage on the bike!!!!  I had a Junior bag in the garage which I bought a while back for another bike.  Then there's the Barley:



I bought the green Barley because it had pockets for stuffing things like tubes, gels, etc which made access a little easier, and I have fitted the sqr bracket so I can easily put the Barley on for summer riding when I don't need to carry so much kit; so the rackbag is really my winter bag with which I hope to do a spot of CC touring with my RST riding, wheel destroying buddy, Crudson at some point. 

The front bar bag - pure self indulgence!  But to be fair, also very useful for carrying stuff that's easily accessible.

[Crudson]

Note the sign which has been used for gun/stone practice.....

Sure they weren't just aiming at you Paulson?
Probably mistook you for the postman on that thing....

[Paulson]

Sure they weren't just aiming at you Paulson?
Probably mistook you for the postman on that thing....

I have thought a number of times recently that the general colour scheme is in line with a post bike.  And yes, the shots were aimed at me, I find that whenever I ride through a village, children come out and hurl eggs and old fruit at me.  But then, their parents won't get their letters!

[mikerr]

I decided a long time ago to hide my red Sherpa from the postie, just in case he takes a shine to it.
But to be fair, apart from the frame and wheels, he has carried and delivered most of the parts for my bike.
Mike

[jags]

thank's paulson for the review on the rackbag look's like the perfect bag for me.

[Paulson]

A few weeks on, and there have been a couple of changes to the bike.  Yesterday I took a couple of pictures on my 70 mile sojourn through the cold and driving rain of East Suffolk and Norfolk.

First, the wheels are now 36 spoke Deore LX hubs coupled to Rigida Snyper rims from Spa cycles.  I have put 28mm Conti Gatorskins on them for increased comfort.





Secondly, as you can see from the pics, the rack is currently off as I really didn't need to be carrying that much weight - it will be useful for touring but for the moment it's the small bag (carradice barley) ot the big one in the picture (carradice sqr tour).



Above is the bike resting with me in Debenham after about 17 miles riding into a cold headwind and persistent rain.  Lovely.



Above, lunch break by the side of the road in a pretty bleak part of Norfolk, with wet fields behind.  At least the rain had stopped by this time.

The bike is vastly improved by the new wheels and tyres, and also by the increasingly broken in Brooks saddle.

[Durban-Road]

Paulson,

You have a great bike there. The Brooks saddle will take some breaking in, but once it is, you have a 'family seat' for life.
I can't say I rave about the colour. It reminds me too much of a "Pusser's Red Devil"! (Sit-up-and-beg, Service bikes in the RN!) But the colour is your choice and that's what matters.

I really like the Carradice 'Honey' Saddle-bag, and I am awaiting delivery of mine.
My B17 is already broken in, being a 1965 model.

Oh for the flat countryside you have though.

Happy Rides and safe going

John 

[Paulson]

John, thanks for the comments.  I have recently sold the bike to a friend and he is enjoying it immensely - my 'new' steed is a Raven Sport Tour pictured elsewhere on the forum.