buying a Raven Sport Tourer in Australia

[simonsydney]

Hi, first post here.
I am looking to buy a rohloff hub Thorn Raven Sport Tourer, and I believe my only option in Australia is to buy from sjccyles and have shipped to Australia ?
Is this correct (for all the Australians with Thorn bikes?)

Could you advise of how easy/simply/straighforward this process was ?
I understand I will be up for 5% duty and 10% GST when the bike lands in Australia.
thanks for any advise/help
cheers,
Simon

[Francois]

Dead easy, mate !

First you download the brochures and order forms.
Take your measurements,select the options required and fill in the order form as best as you can. SJC have a service where they ring you at your selected time of the day to discuss your requirements and advise you. Been new to all this technical jargon this service was of great help to me.
You pay over the phone using your credit card.
From memory it took a week to put the thing together (Stealth Black Raven Sport Tour with Red Rohloff hub - my very own Redback !).
They email you a tracking number when the bike (packed in two boxes) leaves Thorn so that you can follow its progress towards Australia.
My bike arrived at the Australia Post depot at Perth International Airport. I got all the paperwork and went across the road to Customs
and completed the formalities myself. I returned 24 hours later, paid the 5% import duty and 10%GST by credit card and collected the bike.
You can use the services of a customs agent; that will cost you a little bit more and take a couple of days longer.
The bike was easy to assemble, the hub was already filled with oil.
The best bike I ever owned, it has radically changed my riding.
It is not cheap (in my case, being self employed,the purchase price represents three months income )but excellent value.Unless you are into serious road racing you'll never go back to derailleur gears.
Believe me, just do it and you won't regret it.

Francois (I'm actually Arnaud but the bloody computer won't let me log in under that name !)

[simonsydney]

Francois, thanks for your reply.
Could I ask for the options or upgrades you went for on your bike ? There are so many !!
I am looking at the sport, with ex721 rims, xtr v-brakes, black (or red) rohloff hub, but not sure if the front hub should be upgraded, etc.
What rims did you go with ? Did you get a rack, if so, do you mind me asking which one ?
I have downloaded the price/options list and am undecided on which ones I should tick, easier to get them first time around though.
cheers,
Simon

[Francois]

Hi Simon,

Right now I'm at work so I don't have the details here. Tomorrow I'll give you the list of options I selected.
Post purchase (in Australia)I added Shimano clipless pedals and a Cateye computer (with cadence indicator).
By the way, SJC will sell you the bike VAT free (I think it is around 17.5%).

Arnaud

[simonsydney]

Thanks Arnaud, I was quoted 220pounds to ship the bike to Oz, is this about what you were charged ? (I am in Sydney, so might be a bit different to yours).

sjscycles have been great, answering all my questions re: options, etc. so am close to placing my order !!

cheers,
Simon

[Francois]

Hi Simon,

I paid 195.70 pounds.
I use my Sport Tour mainly on local roads (gravel and bitumen). I took it on the Great WA Bike Ride and next February I'm off to the Great Tasmanian Bike Ride. Being 57 years old and of average fitness I appreciate the 38x16 combination with the first two gears still unused so far.
Tyres are Panaracer Hi-Road 1.5" on the standard Sunrim CR18 rims, speeds of up to 60km/h on good gravel (downhill of course !)are no problem.
No mudguards, a San Marco Rolls Classic saddle and a black Blackburn rear carrier.
I upgraded to Shimano Deore LX brakes, a Shimano Deore M510 chainset and Shimano XT M760 front hub.
Very happy with everything after five months of very regular use (2,500kms), exept for the totally useless Zefal Ping bell. I am qualified to say that it is a piece of French made crap !
Finally, I would say don't let the price interfere too much with your final choice of bike.
You will part with the money only once but will spend many hours and ride lots of kms on it, so make sure it is the right choice.
Will we meet on the 2007 Great Tasmanian Bike Ride ?

Arnaud (alias Francois)

[simonsydney]

Thanks Arnaud, I have taken your advise (re: price) and that is no longer a consideration. Just now deciding in the tour or sport tour.

my upgrades will be
brakes - lx
front hub - xt
rohloff - black or red
chain - rohloff
crank - deore
rack - blackburn ex1

Have read all the posts and reviews, lots of great information on this forum.
How do you find the heel clearance on the RST for your panniers ? I use ortlieb roller types on  the rear.

Gotta stop thinking now and just place my order !!  Thanks for your help and advise.

cheers,
Simon
ps: will be in Tassie in December for a few weeks of touring. Just got back (well, a week ago) from doing the Brisbane to Sydney ride, took 13days, 1200km. I find the Big Rides a bit crowded for me, I do the Sydney to the Gong ride each year (98km and 10,000 people !!) which is fun.

[aqualung]

Francois,what is the cost of the Thorn after all costs?.

I have been looking at other options like Surly LHT and Trek 520 but I would like to compare costs.

Many thanks

[Francois]

Hi,
All up including the spares and tools for the Rohloff,freight, duty, GST, customs clearing fees,etc...it cost me A$4,400.
Being a small business owner myself I have this theory that for the same amount of money you generally get better value and better service from the small guy than from big business.
Big business has to satisfy the shareholders, feed hungry top management and spend large amounts on marketing to retain market share.
Guess who is paying for all of this.
Knowing that the teams guided by Mr Thorn and Mr Rohloff have created my bike gives me great satisfaction and I'm prepared to pay for the privilege.
" Le prix s'oublie, la qualite reste."

Arnaud

[aqualung]

Thanks Francois,by the time you add the cost of a Rohloff that means that the Thorn costs as much as a Trek 520. A bargain!

[aqualung]

Francois,what is the weight of your bike?

[simonsydney]

Francois, what size bike did you buy and what size are you ?
I am 181cm tall, 84kg, will do my standover height tonight, but wondered about top tube length and stem length.

cheers,
Simon
ps: decision has been made, RST !! just got to work out the colour now, thinking green, but the blue looks nice...

[Arnaud]

Hi all,
Today, for the first time ever, I checked the weight of my RST on our big commercial scales (accurate to 1kg): 14 kg including the rear rack, bottle holders, pump, computer, bike stand and some mud. So, I guess "naked" it would be 13kg or even less.
I am 1.85m tall (and shrinking !) for 84kg ( standover height with cycling shoes: 95cm) and the frame size recommended to me by SJC was ...I can't find the information, it is not mentioned on the invoice.
The real lenght of the top tube is 600mm and the seat tube is 520mm long.These are real measurements, not virtual ones. I hope this helps.

Arnaud

[aqualung]

thanks for that