Danneaux's Nomad

[Danneaux]

Hi Matt!

It is a little hard to see from the photo, but the bicycle has rod-actuated brakes and -- unless I miss my guess -- I believe the front brake is a spoon brake. A spoon brake is a primitive sort of brake that is simply a piece of metal that rubs against the tread of the tire. They're pretty reliable (till the tread wears) and they do stop (eventually).

The rigid structure of the rod-brake linkage means it has to press directly down. I'm pretty sure the front mudguard was cut off short so the linkage can clear and the brake can press directly on the tire.

I love this bike...it is such a wonderful mix of the old and new. I would never have thought to see a Tubus Tara front pannier rack on it, and the tape-affixed bottle cages indicate a certain genius in working with available materials and a frame with no bosses or available bottle clamps. That's a Schwalbe Marathon XR up front, and look at those grips and the traditional reinforced-canvas tool bag behind the seat tube. That's probably a sprung-leather saddle (Brooks?), but may have a rubber cover, as my father's 1938 Hercules was equipped. Now, *that's* a different material for a saddle cover, especially when it gets hard and pebbly and starts to disintegrate!

The long lower mudflap is really nice, and is an excellent design to prevent one's feet from getting wet from side-spash. The generous mudguard clearances will allow for a lot of mud and debris to cling to the tire before jamming it to a stop. As an aside, there's two schools of thought on mudguard clearances -- some feel close clearances will best prevent errant spray, while others say "No way; the 'guard has a much better chance of containing spray if it sits a ways from the tire". I've tried both and...except for extremes each way, they are both effective. If you're going into areas where mud, damp playa, or similar sticky-gummy debris can collect and stick to your tires, "More" clearance is definitely preferable to "Less".

So, there you have it; in my eyes, a pretty wonderful adaptation of the new to the traditional, probably extremely reliable and easily repaired in the areas where it'll be used. Perhaps not as efficient as purpose-built kit, but an awful lot of fun and absolutely dripping with the cachet of...Adventure!

Best,

Dan. (All the important bits are there...everything you need and nothing you don't)

[Matt2matt2002]

Pleased you liked it Dan. I always keep my eyes open for a vintage piece of kit.
Over here we often say, "they don't make 'em like that any more"
To which the answer is often, "and I can see why" but we know better, right?

[Matt2matt2002]

Over years of careful observation, I have found the common front mudguard really doesn't do a very good job keeping me dry when riding in the wet. They commonly end at about 90°/12 o'clock, and this is not the best design for use in foul weather. Especially when a treaded tire is used, the water clinging to it is still moving forward and out of these short mudguards at pretty high velocity and gets flung forward...just in time for me to run into it. As a result, my headlight gets splashed with mud and dirt, and a lot of the wet stuff catches me between my knees and thighs and the bike gets filthy with dirty water, most of which is blown back from the top of the short front mudguard.

I looked at photos and illustrations of French constructeurs' bikes from the Grand Era of touring in the years before and after World War II and again in the 1950s and 1960s; Herse and Singer are the most prominent examples. Nearly every constructeur's bike was fitted with generous front mudguards that curved well forward, over the crown of the tire. When viewed from the right side, they terminated about 1 o'clock to 2 o'clock, depending on the type of brakes used -- brazed-on centerpulls or cantilevers. It was common for the front of the mudguard to terminate at the same height as the brakes. In no case did the mudguard extend as far as the front of the tire; this to prevent damage if the tire contacted a wall. For some examples, see:
http://janheine.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/which-bike-to-ride/
http://janheine.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/windyridgefarewell.jpg
http://janheine.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/gburainier.jpg <-- A more recent recreation by Grand Bois

Andre will quickly recognize this as something Utopia Velo do as well, but with less extension:
http://www.utopia-velo.de/relaunch/index.a4d

Hi Dan.
Great post re the front guard issues.
An example ofcreative thinking for sure.
While out this afternoon on my usual 16 mile loop around the lanes of South West Scotlandshire, I took careful note of the splashes coming back at me as I whizzed through a few puddles and shallow streams.
(Over here we have a few odd wet days now and again)
And sure enough my guards threw back those pesky splashes you refer to.
Hats and helmet off to Dan I thought.

But then I had an idea. Perhaps it has occurred to you Dan but here goes.
Rather than extend the front guard why not experiment with a short/ shallow baffle just inside the end of the guard?
The baffle would catch the water drips being thrown forward into the air and then back towards the bike.

Any views?
I plan to experiment within the next couple of days but would appreciate your initial views and comments.
All the best
Matthew

[Danneaux]

But then I had an idea. Perhaps it has occurred to you Dan but here goes.
Rather than extend the front guard why not experiment with a short/ shallow baffle just inside the end of the guard?
The baffle would catch the water drips being thrown forward into the air and then back towards the bike.

Proof that great minds think alike, Matt! In this case, we have to give the nod for "firsts" to Ian (triaesthete), who proposed this idea here:
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=4523.msg23865#msg23865

jags is giving it a try on his own Sherpa, and has used a two-pack epoxy to affix the little dam inside the mudguard.

Frankly, I think it is a great idea well worth a try. It is less expensive than acquiring a rear mudguard and stays to repurpose, and looks "factory original" as well.  It's something I'd like to try, and may give a shot on my rando bike, whose front 'guard ends early as well. I do know extending the length of the 'guard on my other Centurion was so successful I was inspired to give it a go on the Nomad, and who knows? This might be, too. It surely is worth a try, and I look forward to hearing how it works for jags and any others who give it a go.

The only caution I would offer is to make the little dam from a flexible material that can deflect or even break off if leaves or other debris get sucked up into the mudguard; you wouldn't want an outright blockage there that would halt the wheel (and you, shortly thereafter). I think the suggestion to use something like electrical tape is a really good idea, as it is durable in the right ways and frangible in the right ways as well, should the unforseen strike. Those SKS mudguards have a nifty little rubber cap at the end. It's removable, and offers a lot of opportunities for clever bodges.

Keep those ideas a-'comin' everyone; they're all welcome and well worth consideration!

All the best,

Dan. (Was feeling guarded about mud...but its just a small flap; I'll uh, "stay" the course...)

[Andybg]

We used to have a bike that looked very similar to that. It was on ald postmans bike probably dating back to the 50's or 60's. My father picked it up from a garage (yard for Dan) sale in Germany when we were posted there in the Late 70's

The only difference I can see is the front brake on ours pulled up under the rim rather than downn on to the tyre. The rear brake was a back pedal affair.

I can imagine a combination of loose front wheel nuts and an emergency stop being interesting.

Looking at the mudguard clearance it looks like the original wheels may have been replaced with 26 rather than the original 27?

When I got my first Thorn last year it was the first time I had cycled with mudguards in 20 years.

It was - wow - what a fantastic invention - why did I ever cycle without.

I blame it on the folly of youth and the mad search for lighter and lighter bikes.

The funny thing is that since I got my Thorn and started cycling much more than in previous years the combined weight of me and the Nomad now is less than it was a year ago with a sub 6kg bike.

Not quite as quick though. On my 20km run into the local town my personal best of 29:45 is still not attainable on the Nomad. I have managed a 30:12 so it is getting close.

I can tell you the ride back afterwards on both occassions has been at a much more sensible speed.

[Danneaux]

...a garage (yard for Dan) sale...

Oh, we have those too! I sometimes have fun asking those running such things if they'll include everything when they sell the garage, or if the side yard is available separately...by the um "yard". Somehow, they never find it as amusing as I do....

Know what's really scary? When the clothing and department stores hear'bouts advertise "Baby Sales".  

Best,

Dan. (who wonders why clothing stores have departments for women's "Foundations" and men's "Furnishings". People are not houses...)

P.S.

The funny thing is that since I got my Thorn and started cycling much more than in previous years the combined weight of me and the Nomad now is less than it was a year ago with a sub 6kg bike.

Good on ya, Andy! Everything's going the right way!

Not quite as quick though. On my 20km run into the local town my personal best of 29:45 is still not attainable on the Nomad. I have managed a 30:12 so it is getting close.

Waaaha! Andy! That's not shabby -- still awfully close to 40kph/25mph in round figures over 20km/12.4mi. With mudguards, Man! On your Nomad (an expedition touring bike, lemme remind you!).  

I can tell you the ride back afterwards on both occassions has been at a much more sensible speed.

I should think so! You still get my <applause> !

[Andybg]

Thanks for the comments Dan. I have to say that is not my normal speed on the bike which averages around the 24-28km/h mark dependant on route and loading but sometimes it is just nice to take the bike out for a blast.

I have very heavy wheels (40 spoke Rigida Andre Wheels on tandem hubs with Schwalbe 1.75 Marathon tyres) so it takes a different riding style. A bit like riding a fixed. All your work goes into the hills keeping it up to speed and then on the flat and downhills it almost powers itself.

Cheers

Andy

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

Several people have recenty asked me how I mounted my bottle cages to the steerer of my Sherpa in the past and now my Nomad.

How did you munt your two bottle holders ont your head spacers?

Here's what I did; you might try something else, but this worked for me...(evolution of the idea):

First on Sherpa...

1) I used CatEye nylon bottle cages. Incredibly light, extremely flexible in al weather, and tough as can be. The back side is comprised of a vertical channel section that self-centers on round tubing. They can be mounted with allen bolts or zip ties. I chose the latter.

2) I plugged the holes from the back side with  rubber allen-socket plugs so the cage would have some "tooth" against the slick anodized surface of the spacers. A section of innertube stretched over the spacer stack would do the same, but look less elegant.

3) I used one zip (cable) tie at the top and bottom mounting slot of each CatEye cage. I use my 4th hand brake cable tool to get the zip ties really, really tight. I cut off the ends flush with the heads using a sharp Swiss Army knife.

All this was not enough to prevent the paired cages from "clocking" (rotating) around the steerer spacers if I struck them with moderate force.

On the Nomad, I improved things:

1) I used vinyl grommets stuffed in the bottle cage channels (I sliced off one of each grommet's "lips" using a single-edged craft razor blade...allowing for a better fit in the channel, while also providing greater friction against the slick surface of the spacers.

2) I used (2) zip ties per slot (4 total) and cross-matched them, so they all pulled tight from the front, with one head on each side at the top and one head at each side at the bottom.

As a result, the paired caged don't "clock" around the steerer, and they don't move in relation to each other. Whatever orientation they have on the steerer and in relation to each other remains fixed the way you installed them, so you really have just one shot. Get it wrong, and you have to redo it...but they're only zip ties, so the only cost is patience.

Next tip: I made sure the bottom of the cages cleared the upper headset race so if they vibrated (the nylon is slightly flexible with a bottle inside; without a bottle, you can step on them and they'll recover) they wouldn't mar the headset finish. On the Nomad, I placed the lower zip ties atop the clampt for the lower T-bar; that made it impossible for the cages to work downward.

Last tip: You can move the cages behind, even with, or ahead of the steerer center, depending on desired/needed  knee clearance when standing. I think the most stable position is co-located with the steerer (centered, in the same plane), but an inch or so either way doesn't move the weight much. I've foudn handling completely unaffected, and use two 1l Zefal Magnum bottles. I do try to drink out of them generally equally, though I've found they sit so close to the steerer, there was no bad effect when one bottle was full and the other half-full. I didn't try it with just one bottle or one full and one empty.

I found it is possible with care to remove the cages from the steerer, with the cages still zip-tied to the spacer stack. For those who also wondered, no, mounting the cages here does not make it more difficult to adjust the headset, provided it has already been adjusted when the cages are first mounted (the spacing between the upper and lower cage mounts is fixed, and so is the stack of spacers between them).

Hope this helps.

Best,

Dan.

[Danneaux]

[Posted on behalf of jags...]

Hi All!

Attached below is a photo of jags' front mudguard extension and "mudguard mascot". Both look good, and a neatly attached extension! Looking forward to hearing how they work in the wet stuff.

All the best,

Dan.

[jags]

haven'yt actually tried it out yet but that viser is abour an eight of an inch from the tire lets hope it keeps my little dog from getting splashed 

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

It has been pouring rain here to beat the band, with as much as 5-6 inches/13-15cm of rain expected to fall between Sunday morning and Monday morning in the Coast Range, where there are concerns about mudslides. It has been pouring in Eugene, as well, which meant it was perfect weather to get out on the Nomad and try out my new Louis Garneau thin neoprene rain booties. This is my first purchased pair; my previous effort produced on the sewing machine lasted 30 years, so not too bad for a bit of coated nylon, some velcro, and a cord and cordlock. They gave out on my 2010 tour, so I've been looking for a replacement ever since. BikeTiresDirect up in Portland has a "stacked" sale -- weekly special, discount, and Gold Member buyer discount, so these came in at only USD$15.

The extended front mudguard worked superbly, and I stayed so much drier than with the short original, just as I hoped. The bulk of the water is directed downward and has lost much of its velocity by the time it exits the 'guard. The bike looked largely unblemished on my return and cleaned up nicely with a blowoff of compressed air. I'm really happy I put the time and effort into making it workable while it was sunny and rain seemed to be in the distant future.

It was really too wet for much in the way of photos, so the best I could manage today came from the end of my own street, where the bike path crosses a small salmon estuary just three blocks from home. The rain paused just long enough for me to take the photos below, looking left (North) and right (South) from the bike path; the river is the Willamette (pronounced "Will-AM-ett" so you can sound like a local when you say it; newcomers invariably say "Willa-METT").

A pretty day all in all, and warm -- it's 10PM/22:00 as I type this, and the temp is still 63°F/17°C -- flood weather, for sure!

Best,

Dan.

[jags]

well done Dan always worth the efford getting your bike ready for anything you care to throw at it
the sun is shining here in good auld ireland but to change mid week
i have spent the entire morning cleaning my sons van ,
he's a great painter but crap at cleaning.
anyway i'm knackered now so no cycling until tomorrow.

[Andre Jute]

[Posted on behalf of jags...]

Hi All!

Attached below is a photo of jags' front mudguard extension and "mudguard mascot". Both look good, and a neatly attached extension! Looking forward to hearing how they work in the wet stuff.

All the best,

Dan.

That's clever, and I have suitable parts in my trousseau. I might try it as even the so-called "long" SKS P65 is too short. Thanks for the idea, Jags. -- Andre

[jags]

no problem Andre i have it stuck on though with 2 pack opoxy glue very strong stuff might leave a glue mark be warned.

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

Time for a Nomad update...

I still love the drop handlebars on my Nomad, but over the course of time and use, found I needed a different bend so I could enjoy the same riding position with a more usual lever placement and feel to match my other single bikes and tandem. This is all according to plan; I figured I would need a change, but wanted to confirm my needs with mileage and use and do the job right once. Besides the lever position being too high, I found the drops on the Zoom anatomic handlebars were too low for comfort in regular use compared to my other single bikes and the tandem.

Andy Blance did a nice job matching my Sherpa riding position on the Nomad by using a 90mm stem and placing the levers high up the 'bars. The problem was the lever placement and also the "open" bend of the anatomic 'bars meant the drops were effectively too low for comfortable regular use.

A couple issues made this change a challenge:

1) Thanks to the influence of "brifters" (brake and shift levers combined, as with Shimano's STI), brake lever hoods have become longer by about 1cm, so handlebars need a shorter reach by about the same amount. I've attached a photo comparing my current (longer) Tektro RL520 levers with the hood from my other bikes' old (and shorter) Dia-Compe AGC levers.

This can be accomplished with a compact handlebar (that has less reach and drop) and by a shorter stem.

The solution was a Bontrager (Trek) 26mm x 44cm SSR VR-C (Variable-Ratio bend, Compact) GC drop handlebar. This is a standard Maes-bend road 'bar, with no cable grooves and parallel tops and drops. What makes it different and "compact" is a shallow reach of 85mm and drop of only 125mm, the latter matching the very useful shallow drop on my other bikes. The shallow reach means I have truly different, more upright position on the tops that is ideal with the interrupter levers for getting my weight rearward on steep downhill single-track.

2) Moving the brake levers forward and down to a more usual position still left me too stretched out with the original stem and the Nomad's longish top tube, so I addressed that problem with a Dimension 26.0 x 60mm uplift stem that I inverted so my 'bar-tops are the same height as the saddle, as I prefer.

Everything fits even better than before. I have my two steerer-mounted 1l water bottles and bottle cap-lifter, compass bell, interrupter levers, bike computer, cue-sheet clip, inclinometer, GPS, Rohloff shifter and room for the pocket tripod/clamp that mounts my GoPro to the left side of the upper T-bar. Even the Ortlieb handlebar bag mounted on the 50mm lower T-bar nicely clears my fingers and the interrupter levers.

Today's long shakedown ride has confirmed the "rightness" of this setup for me, so I'll be padding the 'bars with closed-cell foam Grab-On grips compression-wrapped with Origin-8 padded, textured vinyl tape. The result will be waterproof, dense padding and a slightly larger diameter, a combo that has worked well on my tandem the last 20-odd years.

The only remaining issue will be padding while riding on the hoods. As the attached photo shows, nearly my entire hand rests on these longer hoods, so for added comfort I will need to make or buy some pads for the hoods. It seems I'm not alone in needing these, as they are becoming more available by the day:
http://g-form.com/products/brake-hood-overgrip/
http://www.thegearcaster.com/the_gearcaster/2010/09/g-form-shock-absorbing-brake-hoods-and-pads.html
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/788083-Gel-pads-for-brake-hoods

In other matters, I think I am finally coming to terms with my 26x2.0 Schwalbe Duremes. This will come as no surprise to Andre, but I have evidently been running them at unnecessarily high pressures for my largely unladen day rides. I have recently been running my front tire at 27psi/1.86bar and my read at 43psi/3bar and may go even lower on the rear. I have not yet completed my "load-drop" tests, but the bike runs very comfortably and coasts nicely. Before trying it, I would have sworn only 27psi in the front tire would be akin to pushing a loaded wheelbarrow through sand, but that has not been the case so far. The tire deforms very little at the sidewall, and rolls nicely. Tests will continue, and I'll report my full results in a later post.

Best,

Dan.