Migrating the Club Tour from 700c to 26" would be flying against the tide of the rest of the cycle industry. But given their apparent stance against disc brakes, that is nothing new for Thorn bikes. Reading the CT brochures I got the impression Thorn were somewhat reluctant to build and sell this bike i.e. "the Sherpa is a better touring bike" and the Audax is a better bike for day trips/sportives and of course Audaxes. Why then did the CT survive in the Thorn stable? Was it down to the resistance to change of British 'traditional' touring cyclists?
So now the CT as we know it is running down and hopefully we will see something new in its place. Is this because the market for the traditional touring bike is waning? Surely even Thorn can't ignore market forces forever and the threat of profits being lost to other bike manufacturers cashing in on the hype around disc brakes and new tyre sizes is bound to be strong. Andy Blance has argued that potential damage to disc brakes could be catastrophic on tour in remote regions, but the counter argument is that it is so very easy to carry a spare rotor.
If market forces are the determining factor then perhaps we could be see a
cross function type CT, disc brake equipped with capacity for wide tyres, like a derailleur version of the new Mercury? Or if they really push the boat out maybe even a 650B Club Tour? And of course the marketing men will insist tubeless is de rigeur!
