Thorn Audax one part at a time

[Vintagetourer]

Over the last few months I've been gradually accumulating the makings of a Thorn Audax.
A cold, wet weekend here in Canberra Australia gave the excuse to take stock and lay out the pieces.
Almost every part needed is in hand, and ready to assemble.
Quite a sight:

[jags]

oh man this is gonna be worth watching


jags

[Danneaux]

oh man this is gonna be worth watching

I heartily agree!

Best of luck on your build, VT -- it has all the makings of one for the ages. I love the red theme as well.

Wonderful! All encouragement your way!

Best,

Dan. (...who thinks this may be the best "pre-build" photo yet!)

[jags]

Are you going with barend shifters looks like chris king headset and spacers,
is that tiagra chainset i had one on the raleigh but the rings were just that bit to big for me so changes to stronglight impact.

[brummie]

There's more red there than my RST ! ( You could paint & fit some mudguards to match you know ! )

[Danneaux]

Brummie!

Yours is still one of my all-time favorite Thorns *because* of this very color scheme and how nicely you executed it throughout.

Brilliant! (in oh, so many ways; I love it!)...maybe 'cos it reminds me of my first beloved bike at age 6 -- also red. VT has a wonderful one in the making.

Best,

Dan.

[Vintagetourer]

Are you going with barend shifters looks like chris king headset and spacers,
is that tiagra chainset i had one on the raleigh but the rings were just that bit to big for me so changes to stronglight impact.

I decided on down-tube shifters as that is what I have been using on my commuter/light tourer (an Ernie Clements Falcon Olympic) since 1979. I am well used to them. Old habits!

The stocktake is:

Frame - Thorn Audax Mk 3 steel Cro-Mo Thorn 858  Size: 570 medium/large
Forks - Thorn (Reynolds) 853c  steel 46mm offset
Hubs - Hope Pro3 Mono road 32H 130mm
Skewers -Hope QR steel, 100mm & 135mm
Handlebar -Ritchey 44cm WCS Logic II Road 31.8mm
Handlebar tape - ZIPP Service Course Bar Tape, or PRO Smart Silicon Bar Tape
Top cap and bolt - token pyro alloy, 1.1/8"
Spacers - Hope Space Doctor - 1.1-8", 1.1/8"
Front dérailleur - Shimano 105 FD-5703 10 Speed Triple Front Derailleur - Multi-Fit 28.6/31.8 mm
Rear dérailleur - Shimano 105 RD-5701 10 Speed Rear Derailleur - GS / Medium Cage
Front brake -Shimano R-650 Dual Pivot Calipers 47-57mm Deep Drop Allen Key Fitting
Rear brake - Shimano R650 Dual Pivot 57mm Drop Brake Caliper  
Brake levers - Shimano Ultegra BL-R600 SLR Aero Road Brake Levers
Shifters - Shimano Dura Ace SL-7900 10 spd braze-on downtube
Pedals - Shimano A530 Road Pedals
Chainset Shimano Ultegra 6703 Triple 10sp  130mm, 52.39.30
Cranks Shimano Ultegra 6703  175mm

Stem - 3T Arx Team  100mm, 31.8mm, 1.1/8", 17 Degrees
OR
Ritchey WCS 4-Axis 31.8 Stem 120mm

Headset - FSA Orbit  1 1/8"
Rims - 32 hole 700c DT Swiss RR 465 double road
Spokes 14g butted
Chain - Shimano 10 speed HG
Bottom bracket cups - Ultegra SM-BB6700
Cassette - Shimano Ultegra 10 spd 12-30 CS-6700
Seat-post - Thomson Elite Inline Black 27.2 x 250mm
Saddle - Brooks
Rear rack - Tubus Carry Ti
Tyres - Schwalbe Durano 700c 28mm folding (not red!)
Saddle Bag Scicon Elan 210 Carbonium White Carbon 210 cc
Pump - Lezyne
Bottle cages- Elite
Lights - Ay Up front, Knog flashers, Di Notte rear

[phopwood]

That is going to be a stunning build. Keep us all up to date.

Peter

[brummie]

Brummie!

Yours is still one of my all-time favorite Thorns *because* of this very color scheme and how nicely you executed it throughout.

Brilliant! (in oh, so many ways; I love it!)...maybe 'cos it reminds me of my first beloved bike at age 6 -- also red. VT has a wonderful one in the making.

Best,

Dan.

Thanks Dan !  - I'm liking the white trim on your 'fenders' ( Might make a nice finishing touch to my RST??? )

[nztony]

Vintagetourer
This looks fascinating. I'm a recent Nomad MK2 owner and it's a great bike, but 4 months in I'm thinking of getting something a bit quicker for day rides and subsequently have been reading up the Thorn PDFs on the Audax. You didn't say, but I assume you have bought the frame brand new from SJS Cycles? If so, how much did they charge to have it shipped to Canberra? I am in Wellington NZ, so it would be a good guide. I see SJS has Audax frames in stock for what seems to be an excellent price of £425.00 but their shipping seems to be on the high side?
Many thanks
Tony in NZ.

[Vintagetourer]

Tony freight total cost me 129 GBP. (Edit...Yes bought frame and forks new from Thorn)

This covered the frame and fork and as much else which would fit in the box including some parts eg brakes, down-tube shifters, and also tools/parts a friend wanted from SJSC which he reimbursed me for. It's charged on volume, not weight.

A slight complication is that I wanted the light Reynolds fork, but Thorn sent me the standard fork with braze-ons. Thorn accepted the error and shipped the lighter fork to me free of charge. So now I have two front fork which is OK because if I ever do want to use front panniers I can swap over the forks.

All the other bits were freight and VAT  free via Wiggle, ChainReaction, Bike24 or local online retailers. I hunted for these over a few months.

My two main indulgences in components have been the Ti rack and the Brooks Ti saddle. A bit excessive, though I got the saddle at about a 30% discount.  The rest of the components were also Sale prices. A friend built the wheels for me for a very reasonable fee.  

I haven't done a total costing yet, and even if I provided it, it wouldn't mean much unless you could chase up the one-off sales and discounts as they come up via the various retailers over time. It's been fun!

[nztony]

Vintagetourer
That is excellent info, and exactly what I was looking for, so thank you for that, and thank you for the headsup on Bike24, I hadn't heard of them, seems like a German version of Wiggle and Chainreaction? I can't believe I can buy a Rohloff Hub online, as I see they sell them, and Ortlieb, which is hard to find here in NZ.

Once again, very many thanks, very useful information.
Tony.

[Vintagetourer]

Yes the Bike24 site is always worth a look at Tony, especially for German brands.
They aren't particularly cheap, and they charge freight, but they seem to have a huge range.
The majority of the components for this current build came from Chainreaction, Wiggle, Torpedo, Bike24 and Thorn.

I could have saved a lot by getting a cheaper saddle, not getting a Ti rack and not getting the light Reynolds fork.
The rest of the build is a fairly good price.

My Thorn Audax should be finished in a couple of days. So far it's looking great. Tonight we did a few final measurements. The steerer tube is the key one, as it will have to be cut to length.
The rest of it seems to be a good fit, but only a ride will confirm that.

[nztony]

Vintagetourer,

Thanks for the info. I have just this very minute emailed SJS asking for an approx figure for shipping an Audax MK3 frame to NZ.
Although ... I should be saving my money for my UK trip, not thinking about adding new bikes to my collection! (collection of one that is.)
Tony

[Vintagetourer]

If you are going to the UK Tony, why don't order it ahead, collect it personally and bring it home as accompanied luggage? This is how I got my Thorn Sherpa. Saved freight, VAT and GST.
A bit more of the story here:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/reviews/board/message/?thread_id=565525