My RST has arrived

[freddered]

I rode the Sport Tour at SJSC (demonstrator) and bought the Tour.

The RST may be nippier that the Tour but it depends on what wheels and tyres you select also.  It makes sense to take the RST with lightweight wheels and tyres or you could lose any performance in rotational inertia.

I wanted something I could load up like a Mule if I wanted.  The RST has heel-clearance & max-load issues with large Panniers & big loads so it was a non-starter (for me)

I think it's a relativly simple question:
Will you ever want to pile it high with luggage/tent?

If NO, get the RST
If YES, get the Tour

Both bikes get rave reviews from their owners so it's unlikely you'll make a mistake.  

[efpw]

Freddered, thanks for that.  It is exactly the sort of informed opinion that I was after.  I was thinking of specifying Schwalbe Marathons, simply because they have reflective walls and I need every chance of being seen in traffic here (London)..

[simonsydney]

Hi efpw, I had the same dilema with getting the Tour or sports tour. I ended up with the sports tour and while I can't compare it to the tour it does everything I could want. Realistically I don't do long long distance full camping touring. I do credit card touring, ie: staying in youth hostels or cabins in caravan parks, so can get away with 10-15kg of gear in panniers for up to a week or two at a time. I also wanted a bike that I would use as my commuter, daily ride, shopping cart and have fun with it. I am sure I would have been happy with eithor model and went with Thorns suggestion on the Sports Tour.
I have a blackburn rack, use large ortlieb rollerback panniers and have size 44 euro feet, and don't hit the panniers (I have the panniers set back as far as possible) when I have clip ons on, when I ride with runners/trainers I sometimes clip my heel, but that is when my foot is back a bit on the pedal, but no worries for me, I just move my foot forward a bit (I'll take some photo's).

I agree with freddered, decide what you really want to use the bike for. Realistically, if I was going to ride the Silk Road in China (which I will do one of these days) I will not take a $5,000AUD bike to do it on, I'll hire one for a few weeks while I am there, but I will ride the bike just about everywhere else. I'm taking it to Tassie for a few weeks this Christmas, and am back from a week riding down the South coast of NSW.

If you go the RST, keep it light, I use the panaracer high road tyres and ride on some pretty ordinary roads/bike paths (in Australia the roads are not that crash hot) and have had no problems, I find them fast and responsive. I had marathons on my previous cannondale T2000 and they were bulletproof, but a tad heavy and a bit slow, ideal for long distance touring but probably overkill for commuting, etc.

I couldn't decide on drops or flat bar eithor, and had in my head that I wanted drops, then thought that as the bike (with rohloff) etc was different to what I have had before, I should go for flat bar (or riser bar) as the rohloff changing is designed for this, and so I had extra bar ends added, inboard and outboard, so have plenty of hand positions and find the flat bar great. The longest ride so far is >100km (plus about 15km when I got to town riding around looking for the pub and the youth hostel) and I was keen to jump on the bike the next morning, so that to me is a sign that the bike is set up right for me. My mate (with a drop bar racing/touring bike) didn't want to get on his bike the next day ,and complained for the first couple of hours of stiffness and sore neck, etc. He doesn't ride as much as me, and I think it is because his bike is not quite right (for him) for what he uses it for, as a result he doesn't ride it much.  I have a 110mm stem, so have a slightly stretched out position, frame is 561L I am 181cm tall.

I find myself finding excuses to go for a ride, I am 44years old, pretty fit, and still love riding, and do more of it with the RST.

Arnaud, thanks for your advise, I am very happy I took the plunge !!

cheers,
Simon

[efpw]

It's the RST for me!  Probably without the Marathons.  Thanks for all of your feedback.  Now I have to take a deep breath and a deep dig into my pockets.  Will let you know how I get on..
Ellis
PS  Probably also going for the S+S fittings, so that I can pack it in the back of the car..

[simonsydney]

efpw, try the panaracers, I find them fine, fast and low resistance. The marathons are great tyres, but I think overkill.

What colour did you get ? and options

[geocycle]

I agree the Panaracers ride well (at least as good if not better than marathons on tarmac), but literally the first time I took them onto a forest track (only 100 miles on the clock) I ripped the side wall and punctured.  I also didn't like the way they pick up grit in the treads.  The puncture was probably just bad luck but after 10,000 miles on standard Schwalbe marathons you can understand why i was keen to get rid of them.  My reason for buying the RT was for exceptional reliability when touring/commuting on mixed surfaces so I couldn't risk being let down again.  I find standard marathons fine (200g heavier than panaracers) and would probably agree that the heavier marathon plus (500g heavier) would be overkill for most routes.  Both marathons and panaracer TG have kevlar reinforcement (marathon plus is thicker) but marathons have a much stronger side wall which is important on rocky surfaces or when carrying weight.

[efpw]

Well, right now my current specification would be:

RST 561L frame, matt black with no markings (don't want to attract thieves in London)
Comfort bars with Cork handles
Standard brakes
Blackburn rear rack
Brooks Champion Flyer seat (B17 on springs), pre-aged
Schmidt hub dynamo, black anodised, wired front and rear with Lumotec Retro front light
Standard rims with (probably) Panaracer tyres (although still tempted by reflective Schwalbes)
S & S fittings (2mins to split bike into two; 5mins to reassemble)
Pitlock skewers and seat bolt (security again)
Mudguards front and rear
Black anodised Rohloff
Hebie chainglide, if possible.

There will be an interval now before I order, because I need time to percolate, so the spec. may change.  Essentially, I want the bike to be as unnoticable as possible to anyone other than the very few..  There are too many bike thieves in London and I have too many friends who have fabulous, exotic bikes that they keep in their bedrooms, while they ride other bikes for fear of theft!  So this has to be usable in an everyday way.

I have bared my soul!

[geocycle]

An excellent choice!  My RT is all black for similiar reasons -understated excellence!  The B17 saddle also distracts attention from thieves looking for saleable bling.  I have even disguised the garish rohloff sticker on the hub with black tape as someone here recommended.  I was tempted by cork grips but in the end went for ergogrips at Robin T's suggestion to give more positions on the bars and a better wrist position.  I am very pleased with them and have no problem with my wrists now even after 60 mile+ days.  I went for a Blackburn Mtn rack which is fine but in hindsight I might have gone for something a bit more substantial at the expense of a bit more weight.  I also wish I'd specced a schmidt dynamo but was getting to the end of my budget.

[efpw]

Aha, 'understated excellence'!  We are obviously thinking along similar lines.  I had also been thinking of black gaffer tape to hide the sticker on the hub; and, dare I admit it in this company, even applying a little fake rust here and there!
Do you have any pics of yours?

[efpw]

Okay, so the fake rust is a step too far!  Wouldn't it just be too much to hope that bicycle theft was not so prevalent.  I mean 500,000 bikes a year is one figure that I read. . can that be right?

[geocycle]

Yes fake rust might be a bit much!  I have had several comments along the lines of 'no-one would nick a bike with such girly handlebars' which I took to be reassurring.  Incidentally I think the comfort bars work well although do not look as sporty as true flats or drops.  500,000 bikes a year does sound incredible but would explain the kind of insurance premiums we are charged for bikes.  I'll try and find a way of posting a picture on the forum -not quite sure how to do this.....

[efpw]

I feel a bit silly about the rust!  It's too easy to get paranoid about theft.  I live in Lambeth and I think most of the thieves probably live here and travel over the river for their spoils!  My major obstacle at the moment is my wife(!), who cannot understand why a bike would cost this much.  I am bringing her around, but I get more than my share of old-fashioned looks.

[Arnaud]

Talking about Panaracers...
This morning, after over 3.200kms of use,I got my first flat. I also noticed the central groove was almost gone on the rear tyre, so I'll rotate the tyres to get a few extra miles out of them. Don't know if you can buy Panaracers in Australia, if not I'll probably go for similar Continentals or Michelins (Allons enfants de la patrie...).
How do you convince your wife/partner that the purchase of a nice Thorn bike is a wise investment? I don't know as I haven't yet told my wife; she is doing volunteer work in Niger and will be back next month. What she will notice is that I am in better shape than twelve months ago and I think this is worth heaps of $$$.
Why don't you buy your wife a similar bike ?
If she hates cycling (mine does)upgrade the TV-Stereo combination (I did)!

[geocycle]

Well Ravens certainly are a lot of money but I rationalised it by expecting it to last significantly longer than the £500 bikes I wear out and give away every 3 years.  On top of this I must save some money on chains and cassettes.  Moreover, I've just spent £600 servcing the car not to mention running costs, so my commuting to work means we save at least a Ravens-worth every two years by not running a second vehicle!  However, it might be worth costing in a family break to deflect criticism.....

[nnnmvg]

Question for epfg. How do you lock a bike with S&S fittings? I know little about these fittings but am attracted to the idea for being able to fit the bike easibly into the back of the car and also to transport it on buses and trains -- as surprisingly in Sweden where I live bikes have to be packed to take them on most public transport.

My first concern (being an Engineer) as the structural strength of the frame would be impair by fitting S&S, however this I'm assured is not the case. Now after reading recent correspondence I would be worried about losing half the bike, unless two locks are used probable a U lock to secure the rear wheel and frame to a solid object and a wire with a lock to secure the front wheel to the rest of the bike.

I am also on the cusp of placing an order -- just now measuring up existing bikes and going through the decision making process RT/RST, drop or straight bars - then the hardest one of all the COLOUR!