Catskills Nomad

[Andybg]

A fantastic thread that makes me just want to get out on the road and stop sitting here at the pc. Nice to see the use of  the saddle bag and handle bar bag. Getting more into utility riding than sport riding and it is great to see you getting lots of use out of yours.

Keep up riding and the posts

Andy

[JimK]

Putting an S & S Nomad together, in pictures...

The bike fits in the trunk when broken into three parts:


The frame fits together easily, with two couplers to tighten, the down tube:


and the top tube:


A bit of wrestling is required to get the front skewer through the front rack:


The front pitlock gets tightened:


Then the generator gets connected:


The wires to the rear light need to be connected at the down tube coupler:


The shifter cables gets hooked to the chain stay:


Then the external shift box is connected to the hub:


The rear brake cable is then reattached with a screw coupler to the rear brake.


Also, the couplers need to be tightened with the S & S wrench and the brake cable guides hooked to the brake arms.

My hands didn't get too dirty:


The whole operation is probably under five minutes and quite straightforward!

[JimK]

ooops - the wires to the rear light - one is white and one is black - the polarity has to be correct, or the system won't work!

[Danneaux]

Jim,

You (and your girlfriend, the photographer) have done a really outstanding job documenting the process of reassembling your S&S-equipped Thorn.  I really haven't seen anything similar on the 'Net, and it surely helps to visualize the entire process.  It really is amazing, isn't it?

I'm kinda interested to hear about the light wire polarity....oh, wait a minute; this is the taillight, isn't it?  Its connections slave off the headlight, so that means current reaching it is rectified DC and has to be the correct polarity.  It doesn't matter on the headlight, since the source to it is AC and the headlight rectifies it internally.

One of the more interesting aspects to all this for me is your vertical reassembly. I would have though it necessary to lay the bike on its side, but this is much more straightforward and would be so much easier to accomplish in, say, a semi-crowded airport.  

And....not a grease mark on ya Sir!  Well-done!

Best,

Dan.

[JimK]

The forecast was for 8 to 16 inches of snow. We didn't get any down here in the valley, but I wasn't sure how things would look a thousand feet higher. But, just a dusting there. Still, having the studded tires gave me confidence as I headed into unknown conditions!

[Danneaux]

Jim!

I look forward to hearing what life of the studs themselves might be.  I understand they can be replaced individually if necessary, using pliers.  It would be terrific to hear how the tires ride compared to your usual fare, and what pressures you're using.  How did you happen to choose studs over a heavily siped, studless winter/snow tire?  I'm guessing it was the expected prevalence of ice.

I made my own studded tires back in the very early 1980s, and found they worked remarkably well in winter.  As an added bonus, they threw up pretty sparks when braking at night on pavement, but that was beside the point.  The thing is, they gave me all-weather capability and allowed me to ride through ice I couldn't stand up on.  They even let me climb to the wintry summits of both Skinner's and Kelly Buttes locally.  The real trick was getting down again, so be a bit on the careful side going down those hills of yours.  I feel sure these more refined versions will do well you, and of course, we want photos of it all.

Great job, as usual, in piquing our collective interest.  More pics, Jim!

Best,

Dan.

[scotian]

Hi Jim,

How are the studs on tarmac?
Haven't put mine on yet, only frost and black ice so far this winter.

Merry Christmas

Ian

[JimK]

The black ice is where the studs really shine. For plain snow, I think just knobby tires will do the job. The Marathon Winter tires are knobby enough, of course, along with the studs.

We haven't had any weather where the studs have any use so far. But snow has been in the forecast and it's been well below freezing a lot, so I am happy enough to have them on, just in case.

The studs are definitely slower on tarmac - I can see my times on standard routes are off maybe 10% or 15%. They're also rather noisy - not deafening or anything, but quite a definite buzzing. And I have certainly noticed I get less traction on tarmac than I do with the Supremes. Coming fast down a curvy hill, I can feel some slipping and have to slow down a bit. I wouldn't want to try an emergency stop. Some extra caution is required.

[jags]

jim take it easy buddy on those studs  i would imagine you could come a cropper quiet easy. couple years back i came down on black ice broke my collorbone, man did it hurt put me out of action for 2 months just be careful an have a great christmas .

[Danneaux]

...I wouldn't want to try an emergency stop. Some extra caution is required...

B-bu-but Jim...if you do it at night...there's >>sparks<<!!!   

All the best, and -- yes! -- do be careful!

Dan.

[JimK]

I was a sophomore in college in 1974-1975, when I bought my beautiful Legnano - Campagnolo derailleurs, sew-up tires, etc. I bought it right at the beginning of 1975, the first week of January or so. And of course I couldn't resist taking it out for a first spin. Cold overcast day, no snow or anything on the ground. But when I was out on my ride, a freezing rain started up. I was riding down a busy road, big tractor-trailer rigs going by. Then my bike slid out from under me and left me sprawled across the road... my luck, right at that moment there was no traffic. Forget getting back on the bike, I couldn't even walk on the road! It was like a skating rink!

That incident certainly goes near the top of my list of moments where I came scary close to lights out.

It's not like the studs let you do any crazy stunts on ice. But, riding carefully, one can actually get across occasional patches of ice. Without studs, I just stay off the roads if there is any risk of ice at all.

Thanks for the good wishes!

[Relayer]

Here's my Nomad Mk2 in the trunk of my 2003 Toyota Corolla. My first time using the S&S couplers to break the bike apart. Just took a few minutes & no surprises along the way.

I had to take the front wheel off - between the wheel and the handlebars, I couldn't find a way to tuck that front unit in. With the wheel off, everything fits - though a bit tricky still.

Jim

For packing your bike into the boot of your car I'm just wondering if unhooking the handlebars could be an alternative option to removing the front wheel?  Not necessarily any quicker/easier but it might fit better and also lessen the risk of damage to your front mudguard?

[julk]

Jim,
Relayer suggests unhooking your handlebars to keep the front wheel on.
You already have a Thorn accessory bar fitted below the handlebars and this will hold the headset bearing tension if you release the stem bolts and rotate the handlebars in line with the front wheel.

Just a thought.
Julian.

[JimK]

release the stem bolts and rotate the handlebars in line with the front wheel.

Ah, thanks for this suggestion! It had never occurred to me to try something like that! Very likely that it would work, and be significantly easier!

[JimK]

Average high temp on this date, 36F. Today's forecast high, 47F. Record high, 70F.