Advice Sought

[Andybg]

I have been looking at the mk2 nomad frame that is up for sale at the moment and considering buying it. The question is do you think the rear wheel of my RST is up to the job? It is a Mavic 717 on the back and a Mavic 217 on the front. Obviously the front is an easier change than the rear.

I only ask as my MK1 Nomad is seeing high mileage while the RST has only been out twice.

It is not that I dont like the RST because it is lovely  - it is just that most of my miles are utility miles with a load so it seems a shame to be leaving the rohloff at home

I assume all the other componentry would be moveable?

Is this a sensible idea or plain madness

I have been known to come up with both.

Regards

Andy 

[Cambirder]

I would have thought those rims would be fine for your purposes, no need to change unless you are planning a tour to the back of beyond.

[Hamish]

Just one thought... the RST is an internal mechanism frame but the nomad uses a click box.  Not sure how much it would cost to convert?

[JimK]

The picture in this short blurb makes conversion of the hub look not too difficult:

http://www.rohloff.de/en/service/faq/faq_detail/archive/2005/11/july/article/Conversion_of_internal_to_an_external_gear_mech-1/index.html

[Relayer]

I would think that having invested in a Rohloff you need to maximise the return on your investment, it therefore makes perfect sense for you to migrate it to a Nomad Mk 2 (subject to conversion to EX box).

I am not an expert on rims and could not advise on load bearing properties of your Mavics, but it shouldn't be too problematic to get new rims fitted - I daresay if this could not be done locally posting your wheels to SJSC might be an option?

Migrating your RST kit and Rohloff to the Nomad frame isn't a straightforward job, but it is far from insurmountable.

[Andybg]

I have looked at my RST and am pretty sure it has already been converted to EX box. I will take a picture so someone can confirm.

However I have decided it would be a tragedy to pillage the RST for parts so have decided that I will save the RST for the occasional joy ride and next time I am in the UK I am going to visit thorn and try both the Raven Tour and the Nomad MK2 and treat myself.

In the meantime I will just have to live with cleaning and maintaining the MK1 Nomad over these foul months.

Cheers

Andy

[Danneaux]

Andy,

If I may offer a suggestion...adding a lengthy mudflap to your front fender will greatly reduce the needed cleanup on your Mark 1 Nomad.  I have one I am very pleased with on my Sherpa.  It is a Buddy Flap ( http://www.buddyflaps.com/ ) made of heavyweight 3mm thick high-quality vinyl, stiff in a breeze yet flexible enough to clear house steps and such without endangering the fender.  I just removed the little "kicker-flip" from the bottom of my front SKS fender and transferred it to the rear fender before installing the Buddy Flap up front with a couple "pop" rivets.  The upper rivet replaced one of the SKS originals, though Buddy Flap also include their own hardware should one wish to use it.

It wouldn't take much to cut your own flap from a section of similarly thick rubber door-matting.

In my experience, the front tire kicks up a lot of road debris directly onto the chain where it wraps around the forward edges of the chainrings.  The mudflap protects that area below the fender, as well as a good portion of the lower chain run where it matters.  A straight-edge from the front tire's ground contact point to the lower edge of the mudflap shows a contact point with the chain midway between the 'rings and the cassette, at which point the debris doesn't have much upward velocity left to dirty the chain.  Fenders help tremendously over none, and I think a good front mudflap makes almost as much difference beyond that.  Keeps one's feet drier and cleaner as well.  Looking at your Nomad in the "Sunday Run" pics, I think it would help a lot.  I would suggest securing it to the tire with a rubber band when car-topping, as you wouldn't want it whipping around to place a stress on the fenders at highway speeds while in-transit.

It might be worth a try, Andy, at least till you can try the other bikes on your next trip to Thorn.  My cleanup is almost nil, even after riding in rain and over Fall leaves and assorted debris.  Dead angle-worms are the worst, 'cos they stick once they harden and are terribly difficult to remove.  Now, they land on the flap and can be left or are easily hosed off with a squirt from the water bottle.

Best,

Dan.