Looking for a 26" wheel tourer...

[ThousandYardStare]

...for a heavy-laden RTW ride. Leaning towards Rohloff (Raven, Nomad etc), but would also consider a Sherpa or similar. I'm 6'0", so if I understand Thorn's sizing at all correctly I'll be looking for something close to a size 560. Flat bars would be preferable.

Feel free to either leave a message here, or e-mail me at aroundtheworldin80years ((at)) yahoo.co.uk

Many thanks

[DrJim]

Good morning ThousandYardStare",

I have a Thorn Nomad MKII Rohloff frame that might fit you. Here are the specs,

    * Thorn Nomad S&S frame and fork
    * matt military green
    * size 562L [eff TT = 620mm, standover = 795mm]
    * S&S coupler and EBB tool
     * FSA Orbit XL-II headset
        * Thorn EBB with square taper BB installed
       * Continental Travel Contact tires [26" x 1.75"]

I bought this from Vic in Victoria BC in may of this year, knowing it was a bit larger for me than SJS would have sold me. I did ask SJS about the size and they said they wouldn't have sold the frame to me but that I would probably be alright. I am 5'9.5" with a stand over of 81cm.  I have built it up completely and I love it, (pause, sigh) but it is just a little too large to work with I think. Because of the length of the TT I had to use a riser bar 5 " and back to fit correctly. This changed the ride characteristics enough that I haven't been quite so happy with it. Also, we cut the fork by about 2", leaving it at 27" long to accommodate the bars and for making it easier to pack. It sounds like the fork still might be high enough for you and still be what you want, I would ask Thorn about the sizing and see what they say. Even so, the forks aren't all that much to get a new one at full 29" length. I can work with you on the price with that one.  I would just deduct the price of a new fork.

So what I want to do is sell the above frame, fork BB etc and get one that will fit me exactly. If I am going to spend this much money on a bike, it better damn well fit me perfectly.

Not a big deal, I have had fun building it up, but I want to get it perfect.....I want to keep all the components, they are top of the line stuff as recommended by Thorn, I just want to get the frame that will be right. I figure I will lose a little money on trading and shipping but that is the price to pay to get it right.

Yours in Biking,

Dr Jim

[ThousandYardStare]

Hey Dr Jim, thanks for the detailed reply. Shame about the fit- I can totally understand why you'd want things just right, especially for the money involved. I'm really looking for a complete bike, unless anyone can suggest where to source a bargain used Rohloff(?!). And importing a frame back east across the pond doesn't seem like the best financial proposition anyway. Thanks all the same. How much are you asking, out of interest? Good luck with the new build.

[DrJim]

Thanks for the quick feedback. I am not sure about what I am asking honestly. I had just been mulling it over when I saw your interest and fired off the response. I think the new frames and forks go for about $1400 or $1450 (Pounds 799-899) so I would probably go for something like $1200 (Roughly Pounds Sterling  750). I bought it from Vic for $1300 with some other goodies. I think it costs around $80-$100 dollars to send it back over the pond. Translate that to Pounds..........So I would lose some cash there for sure. I might go ahead and put it up for sale on this side and see what shakes.

I am not sure about the Internal gearing. I havn't seen any Rohloff's for sale second hand.

Good luck on your endeavors as well.

Dr  Jim

[DrJim]

BTW, I made a slight mistake. The frame I have is the 2009 version of the Nomad S&S, the MKI i think. The replacement for that is Pound Sterling 799 not 899 as the newer ones are. That means my price for my existing frame would be lower accordingly. In other words i would knock of another 100-125 pounds of what I sell my frame for. JO