New Arrival....

[ianshearin]

Dear Diary:
Today a nice man delivered a bouncing baby Thorn, the delivery was straightforward without complications.
I have named the new addition to the Family 'Rhett', he has his fathers Head but his Mothers Tubes.

The Christening took place at 'Our Lady of Southport' and consisted of a 25mile baptism.

[Andybg]

really pleased for you Ian and she looks great!!!

I see you have even started the personilisation process.

So how did you find her on your maiden trip?

Andy

[ianshearin]

Hi Andy,

The personalisations are just bits I had from my old bike, just place holders really until I eventually kit him out with new gear.

The first ride was a little confusing to be honest, I coudnt get comfortable.
For a while I was thinking I had maybe got the wrong size frame, took a lot of fiddling about with the headset and saddle, seatpost to get what I think seems to be right, but I was still struggling a bit with getting comfortable on the bars.

Problem is I have been using flat bars on a off the shelf MTB for the last few Years, so I attributing that to the feeling, Im hoping that will change over the next few rides.
The other issue is the short frame, it feels a little 'stubby' to me, all other bikes I have had have felt a little longer, again I am hoping that will settle down over time.

I do seem to be in the correct position now so it is in my head I think (I hope)

As for the bike, what a great ride! I felt like I could ride round the world tommorrow, in fact I even tried a few yards with no hands as it felt so solid (Dont do this at home kids)

All in all I love the bike but I hope these issues in my head go away....

[jags]

Ah its class Ian really smart how did you find the gears is it noisy or silent.
i had the same issues when i first bought the sherpa just could not get it to fit ,
but it was all in my mind  what there is of it.
if you have a slight bend in your elbows then relax you will soon get used to it,
btw i thought there would be more than one feckin photo 
best of luck Ian super bike.

jags.

[JWestland]

I never had a drop bar bike before the XTC (yes...really...) and it takes a while to put your weight such that there's enough on the saddle and enough on the hands while keeping the wrist neutral.

It goes away no doubt, me and the XTC had to go through some changes (different bar, saddle position, stem...) but now it's all good.

I actually had to get used to the semi-moustache bar on my fixie too.

(that's what you get for growing up on only roadsters)

[ianshearin]

Thanks guys, I needed a little support on getting used to it  

The shimano hub is wonderful, the shifter is 2 small levers on the right hand brake hood, shifting down is just a light flick of the lever. shifting up though is a little more difficult and requires me to push the lever a fair way before it engages, im not sure if I can reduce that with a tweak or if its normal.
Shifting feels smooth and noiseless and I just love the no derailleur setup.

Of course there will be more photos and reports on the bike and gear, I really wish I had my phone with me when I went to the front door to answer the delivery person, it was a slip of a girl holding over her head the Thorn Box, I just looked incredulous at her as she said "bloody hell this is a big bike, thought you would be 10ft tall"

Classic moment.....

[Danneaux]

Wonderful news on the fresh arrival, Ian -- All congratulations your way! I'm so happy for you!

Fantastic photo!

<nods> Yes, it can take awhile to get the "fit 'n' feel" just right for oneself. I find it takes a bit of fiddling to get things "just right" on a new bike.

Everyone is different, but I find it helps if I dial in my fit in this order:

1) Start with the saddle height-to-BB and saddle-nose-to-BB F/R offset so I have my seating position established and locked in place first.

2) Once that is done, I move forward and place the tops of my drops even with the top of the saddle.

3) I then adjust my reach to the brake hoods. I try for my preferred 45° back angle with slightly bent elbows while resting on the hoods (I like my brakes aligned so the top ramp of the handlebar leads horizontally directly into the brake hood.

Steps 1-3 usually get me pretty close to my ideal, though it can take some fussing and fidgeting to do so. If I use a Brooks B.17 saddle, then I often have to use a seatpost with long setback if I wish to get the clamp about midpoint on the saddle rails to avoid rail breakage down the road. I find myself using the drops more if I don't have a long reach down to them, so I prefer shallow-drop Maes- or randonneur-bend handlebars.

Maybe something in the above will help bring the feel closer to your needs. Sometimes, it just takes miles-on-bike to do it!

I think you'll get there soon, Ian; give it some time and don't be afraid to make some modifications to fit your needs and to fit the bike to you!

All the best, Proud Papa! Very happy for you!

Dan. (...who thinks Rhett looks very dashing)

[StuntPilot]

Congratulations on your new arrival. Rhett is a beautiful baby!

[JimK]

Looks beautiful! Thanks for the photo!

Yeah I am still tweaking my bike set-up now and then in little ways. I raised my seat a notch last year and may take it up a few more mm this year.

If you want to raise your handlebars you could always flip the stem and then move it down on the steerer a bit by swapping a few spacers above it. But year play with the angle of the handlebars first. I remember some rule from the old days that the last straight part of the drops should point back around the contact point of the rear wheel with the ground - i.e. not be horizontal. But any of that will depend on the shape of the bars. It's what's comfortable for you that counts.

Many miles of fun in store!
 

[Danneaux]

Goodness gracious, Ian...this jaded lot wants more photos of that handsome bike!

Rhett is demanding more screen time in this production.

Best,

Dan. (...who thinks Ian will soon be "Gone With the Wind" on his bright-red bike)

[Matt2matt2002]

Congrats on new arrival.
Yes, more pictures please.
Matt

[ianshearin]

Thank you for all the support....
Although I blame you lot for making me an Armchair expert     ..... I used to buy a bike, get on it and move the saddle up or down (If it needed it)
Now I play around with headsets, bars and think about things such as tube length..... what have you done to me!

Second ride today, I was a little tired due to being overweight and underfit, something that will change soon.....
I love the mapmyride system, works a treat, I just started the app on my iPhone, turned off the screen put it in my bag and didnt touch it again until the end when I pressed save and the website was updates automatically with all sorts of stats... brilliant motivational tool.
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/178740342

The bike was difficult to ride until I worked out I had to remove the cardboard....

[ianshearin]

Seems I have to compress the files quite a bit to get under the 1/2 Meg max per post.

Will look at hosting on my own site for future pics and link back..

[Danneaux]

Wonderful to see more of the new bike, Ian, and looking forward to future posts. It is looking good!

The bike was difficult to ride until I worked out I had to remove the cardboard...

Well! I'll bet that helped the fit as well!

You'll do fine, Ian! Many happy trips ahead for you and Rhett.

Best,

Dan.

[Matt2matt2002]

May I ask about the wee bag under the Brroks?
I have one from Halfords but it is not a snug fit against the rails.
What make is yours and does it slot in easily?

Matt