MartinF's second Raven Tour

[martinf]

Finished building up the red Raven Tour clearance frame I bought a month or so ago.

I've set it up for utility use. The wheels have Nexus 8 premium and Son Delux hubs, they came off my old MTB frame.

New Surly stainless steel chainring so I can use a Chainglider.

Steel seatpin with shim, this is so I can pull heavy loads in my old trailer (wouldn't trust an aluminium seatpin for that).

The flat bars and bar-ends came from my trials before buying my first Raven Tour, they should be OK for local use, but I prefer drops for touring and long rides.

[julk]

Looks good and very useable.

That saddle is a long way up on a large frame, too big for me.

[phopwood]

Martin,

That is a very nice looking bike well done, not get out on it and ride, I like the way you have made the light wires very neat and tidy.

Peter

[Danneaux]

What a lovely build, Martin! I recognize the extended front mudguard. 

Is that a Karrimor rear rack? I always liked those, and lusted after one back in the late 1970s, when they were unobtainable stateside.

It looks mighty fine to me -- terrific result!

All the best,

Dan.

[martinf]

That saddle is a long way up on a large frame, too big for me.

I use 150 mm cranks, so the saddle is 2 cms higher than it would be with 170 mm.

[martinf]

What a lovely build, Martin! I recognize the extended front mudguard. 

Is that a Karrimor rear rack? I always liked those, and lusted after one back in the late 1970s, when they were unobtainable stateside.

Bike uses a mix of new, fairly recent used, and downright old parts.

Bought new mudguards, SKS 65 mm width mounted as close to the frame as possible to allow maximum clearance for studded tyres in the winter. The extended front mudguard isn't quite so neat without a low-loader front rack.

The Karrimor rear rack was salvaged from my brother's old bike and dates from the late 1970s. I have another one of these in more or less constant service since 1977, used it for my 2011 tour to Spain/Portugal and it coped OK. But not as stiff as the current Thorn or Tubus racks.

Pedals are even older. I bought them second hand in the late 1970s and have done about 45,000 kms on them.

The brakes are "Lizard" brand and seem fairly good quality, they came from the box of used spares at my local bike shop.

[martinf]

My Raven Tour "utility", 16 months on. Made a few small changes.

Added a mirror, fitted a 1.5 litre bottle cage on the down tube, fitted Thorn racks front and rear instead of the old Karrimor to make it easier to share pannier bags between this bike and my other Raven Tour, and added a second rack-mounted rear light.

I've left the gearing as built, Nexus Premium 8, 38T chainring and 22T sprocket. The spread of gears from 23" to 71" has proved suitable for local utility use, including pulling my loaded trailer up the hill to the recycling centre. Top gear is sufficient for about 40 km/h, a speed I can only maintain for extremely short distances or downhill.

Though I use mirrors all the time when driving a motor vehicle, on a bicycle I generally rely on hearing and frequently looking behind - this is the first time I have tried mirrors.

I started with one of the little spectacles mirrors, but didn't like it, found it hard to focus on the small mirror. Then two of the larger size B&M bar-mounted mirrors, nearside one for checking position of trailer, offside for overtaking traffic. For the moment I have removed the nearside mirror, and I still have to be careful parking the bike (easy to knock the mirror).

So far, the mirror is most useful when cycling with my wife. She likes to ride behind, but tends to be slower. The mirror lets me adjust my speed without turning my head too often.

Photos show the loaded bike back from a supermarket trip.

 

[in4]

Which 1.5 litre bottle cage is that please? I'm looking for a cage that will take a 40oz stainless bottle and wonder if yours might suit.
Thanks

[martinf]

Basic BBB cage from LBS.

Works well with 1.5 litre plastic mineral water bottles from the supermarket (pretty standard here in France), but I have added an O-ring to make the hinged clip that holds the top of the bottle more secure.

[martinf]

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

[Dave B]

1.5 litre bottle holder. Purchased mine online via a company called Y FRAMES.  Could work for you as it is adjustable.

[jul]

On my BBB cage, i replaced the original screw by an hexagonal screw, to make it easier when ajusting ..

[martinf]

Changed the bars and saddle on my Raven Tour utility bike.

The bars are now "sit up and beg". And, to go with the more upright position, I have fitted a wider B67 saddle instead of the Flyer.

[martinf]

I have just overhauled my second Raven Tour.

I swapped from "sit up and beg" bars to drops about 3 years ago, the wide saddle and "sit up and beg" bars went to the visitor bike at our island flat.

The plastic mudguards I fitted back in 2014 have warped a bit. So as I wanted a bit more clearance I fitted stainless-steel mudguards from Gilles Berthoud here in France. These are a tad wider than the plastic ones, and a bit flatter. As there was a cold spell in December I currently have the Nokian Hakkapeliitta W240 studded tyres on the bike, these are about 47 mm in width. I will probably put the 55 mm Marathon Mondials back on when the risk of ice is over in March.

As before, I used a rear mudguard on the front, but even longer this time. It extends further at the front to stop spray getting at the front lamp or (hopefully) the tops of the front panniers. And lower at the back of the mudguard, with a short mudflap that stops spray getting on my shoes or the bottom bracket area. Downside of the latter is that it is more likely to pick up debris.

[Danneaux]

The bike looks lovely with its freshening, Martin. You wrote...

As before, I used a rear mudguard on the front, but even longer this time.

Oh, I agree! I have been using my rear-on-front mudguard equipped Nomad since 2012 and in heavy rains consistently since the start of Fall this year and it makes such a positive difference in keeping me dry and the bike clean.

All the best, Dan.