A second blood red Thorn

[Paulson]

I have already posted many pictures of my Audax Mk 3 on this forum, so it's time to post some early pics of my newest acquisition, a Rohloff-equipped RST. 



I have hankered after a Rohloff bike for a long time and this is everything I hoped for and more.  It's a beautifully maintained bike, and came with numerous upgrades including XTR componentry.  I have made a few changes to it, because it had been specced for the hilly north of England whereas I live in flat East Anglia!!

I have so far got my hands dirty a fair bit - the mods I have made to get it spot on are as follows:

- Rohloff oil change

- Swapped the 1.75 Panaracers for 1.25's

- Replaced the 42t chainring with a 46, and lengthened the chain with some kindly donated extra links (it has the Rohloff ST-99 chain and I didn't want to lose this)

- Put on my trusty Brooks saddle and SQR bag

- Added a set of Ergon grips.

It rides beautifully, and the Rohloff fulfils its promise.  My buddy and fellow Thorn owner, Crudson, said ages ago that once you ride a Rohloff you will never want to go back to derailleur again.  And he's right.  The new chainring has given me a set of ratios that really span every possible scenario.  The ride is wonderful - it's a very fast bike, and I am getting an average speed on rides that is very comparable to the Audax, if not a little better in fact!!



I'll post some updated pictures in the next week; these are from day one when it arrived and prior to most of the mods.

[Crudson]

and the general feel of the weighty rear end

I'm not even nearly correct; I'm just very, very, lazy.

Surely we don't want to get into the Hub Vs Derailleur debate yet again,
which let's face it, is like two bald men fighting over a comb.

Maybe John28July it was the weight of your rear end that was the restrictive factor?!!!!

[Cake]

I may be in the minority

Yup!

Thats a beauty, Paulson, enjoy!

Gary.

[john28july]

I'm not even nearly correct; I'm just very, very, lazy.

Surely we don't want to get into the Hub Vs Derailleur debate yet again,
which let's face it, is like two bald men fighting over a comb.

Maybe John28July it was the weight of your rear end that was the restrictive factor?!!!!

I was attempting to respond but inadvertantly deleted my original post! I therefore repeat for those who missed out.
I was merely attempting to say that to go to Rohloff is not for everyone at all. Indeed I spent a great deal buying a Raven Tour. I did not really get on with heavy rear end or the straight type bars, I could not live with drops and the ungainly attachment of a Rohloff shifter. No rudeness meant but my back end is not really large
John.

[Relayer]

Very nice bike Paulson.   

I'm a little surprised you say it's at least as fast as the Audax, it must be the 1.25" being a bigger advantage over the 1.75" than I would have imagined.  Having said that, I don't think I'll switch because I like the comfort of the 1.75" tyres.

[Fred A-M]

Looking good Paulson - good to hear that it's all you hoped for and some by the sounds of it.

[Paulson]

Thanks everyone; been away for a few days and not sure what's been going on here - but will post some more pics soonish.  Just changed the brake pads on the xtr brakes - what a difference!!

[Paulson]

Here are the latest pics of the RST; you can see the changes I have made.  These were taken last night after a lovely evening ride.  Every time I ride the RST it just seems to get better and better.

So, in summary, you will now notice thinner tyres (1.25" Panaracer TG), 46t chainring (really transforms the bike - fantastic range of gears), longer chain with sincere thanks to one of my fellow Thorn forum members (yes, it meant I was able to keep the Rohloff chain), ergon grips and no bar ends.

When I put the bigger chainring on, and lengthened the chain, I must admit it was a learning experience.  I thought I had made the chain too tight, but in just 50 miles it has slackened off perfectly.  I used a normal chain tool, although I understand that you can buy a Rohloff specific one for a reasonable £120, which will rivet the pins for you.  Next time, I will also take the 'link sequencing' into account as well; but chains are complicated things to work on!

Truly, truly wonderful, and looking forward to some bigger rides when time allows.





Plus a couple from this evening's 20 mile trundle:





And the Suffolk sky at 7.25 pm:

[Paulson]

Thought this homemade hack might be of interest to some.  I've had a problem for ages in siting my rear light with the saddlebag in place [I use a Carradice Barley periodically when I need to carry more gear than the 'tube and levers' seatpack'.  This rules out the Cateye seatpost rear light mount I have fitted, because the bag obscures the light when it's in place. 

As I don't now have a rear rack, I was forced to rely on those little Cateye belt clips fixed to the loop on the saddlebag.  As anybody who has used one of them may know, they are a bit ropey!  So yesterday, while listening to raucous music in the garage, I had an idea - essentially what I did was to snip the belt loop in half (i.e. take the back bit off), drill two small holes in the bit below the light holder, and then attach these with nut, bolt and washer to the rear mudguard.  It's pretty solid and seems to be a good position, the light faces slightly upward.  Because it seemed rather exposed to road water/grime, I then cannibalised a mudflap from an old sks front 'guard I had, and bolted this on to the base of the rear 'guard.  Seems like a good solution - let's see how it goes!!!





Further pics - new 130mm stem now fitted, plus also replaced shimano v-brake pads with red koolstops, awesome brake pads!  You can also see the thorn comfort bars and recently added sjs bar ends, which I think make an absolutely great riding position, this bike is so comfortable.  I've done a 1/4 turn of the adjuster on the B17 as well now, which has stopped the creaking for the time being.

[Blacksail]

Always good to see another RST, they are great aren't they.

I bought myself one of these cat eye brackets http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Cateye-Cateye-Rear-Carrier-Mounting-Bracket-15303.htm and used the holes left after removing the reflector to mount it - a brilliant invention till I realised the side lights on the cat eye now light the sky and the floor. A must for all of us who dangle stuff off the saddle.

[Paulson]

Well, the Thorn is no longer blood red!!!  After 2 bikes (a MK3 and this RST) in the same colour, I have made a frame upgrade to the larger size (587L as opposed to the red one's 561L) which I think suits my dimensions better. 

The red frame and forks are for sale in the 'Bikes and bits' section!!!!!

So today I have been putting the finishing touches to it in the garage, including replacing the Rohloff shifter cables which is a fiddly job!  I hope you think it's a decent job, my test ride today confirms this to me...





Today I also replaced the flat bars in the pic (cheapos from Halfords) with a pair of risers exactly the same shape as Thorn's comfort bars, but only £15 from the local bike shop as they had some scratches (now covered up by the grips). 

[Relayer]

Lookin good!!