Best Thorn for 'everything'?

[Clive]

So, which Thorn do I invest my money in? Which bike would I be able to do all (or most) of my riding on; commuting 15 - 30 miles a day all year using local lanes (and bridleways when it is dry), weekly rides of 30 - 50 miles for fitness, fortnightly off road rides in the Dorset hills and, in the future, maybe some weekend touring when the children are older. Is there one that will do it all so I can do away with a garage full of bikes?

[ahconway]

I went with the Raven Tour with exactly the same rationale you have, Clive. It's perfectly able to negotiate rough tracks, bridleways, canals, etc., and 15-30 miles go by in a snap; I regularly do longer rides and Audax on it as well, and it's very comfortable but it's also happy eating up the miles in a forward riding position; and I fully intend to load it up for some heavy touring one of these days.

I've wondered about the Sport and a other shiny new Ravens, but in addition to costing a lot more, they would all compromise at least one of these areas (though excelling in others).

quote:Originally posted by Clive

So, which Thorn do I invest my money in? Which bike would I be able to do all (or most) of my riding on; commuting 15 - 30 miles a day all year using local lanes (and bridleways when it is dry), weekly rides of 30 - 50 miles for fitness, fortnightly off road rides in the Dorset hills and, in the future, maybe some weekend touring when the children are older. Is there one that will do it all so I can do away with a garage full of bikes?

[Clive]

I thought the Raven would be top of the list [] How is yours set-up?

[Roberto]

If the off-road stretches are not of the hard core mtb type, a Club Tour would also fit the description. Well, I do most of it with mine.

[TonySmith]

Another vote for the Raven Adventure Tour. I used to have a Nomad and that's just as good but deraillier gears take too much looking after for daily commuting.

[hoogie]

well i am very happy with my Nomad!