Swithering over Audax and Club Tour

[leftpoole]

john your an awful man  

Anto,
I speak as I find, after reading this persons 'Blog' I discover that most of what he is complaing about is because he likes complaining! He shows a picture of his bar tape which is slightly over centre-big deal-peel it back.
He chose the gearing setup. I mean for heavens sake who rides with down tube levers? He does apparently. A bit odd really.
He says the frame is not the correct size-he chose it- and I say, send it back.
Setup of a bike is personal, take a look at mine!
Written on the Blog
1. the MERVC fork being too springy
2. saddle position not being comfortable

component changes to improve things (£££):

1. replace the drop-bars
2. replace the brake levers
3. replace the shifters
4. replace the bar-tape
5. probably change the whole chain-set to 8-speed
6. replace the Deore v-brake (when it wears out) with an LX or higher

  However, the fundamental frame questions (fork and saddle position) are not really solvable.

Unfortunately, for now, the (slightly too big for me) Long Haul Trucker is a better riding bike than the Club Tour.   I’ll take the CT out tomorrow for 80km or so and see how things go.  
Obviously the purchaser is not very good at choosing components, nor judging by the Surly being incorrect size, is he good at choosing the correct size?
I rest my case. Enjoy your day.
John

[triaesthete]

Err John, they are Tektro levers, he'll get told off if he does that. "Speaking as you find": are you from Yorkshire?      I love your contributions!

Doug bear in mind also that they are super cheap levers and very functional so cut them some slack.  I suspect the tooling will wear as time goes on and more recent ones will be sloppier. 

This is a positive transmission, mind you it sounds more like a Rohloff     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ9fGZOcj_A
 Happy pedalling all.
Ian

[leftpoole]

Err John, they are Tektro levers, he'll get told off if he does that. "Speaking as you find": are you from Yorkshire?      I love your contributions!

Doug bear in mind also that they are super cheap levers and very functional so cut them some slack.  I suspect the tooling will wear as time goes on and more recent ones will be sloppier. 

This is a positive transmission, mind you it sounds more like a Rohloff     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ9fGZOcj_A
 Happy pedalling all.
Ian

Ian,
Thank you for the comment regarding my contributions.
I feel now that I am retired and well experienced in bikes, cycling and tour camping that I just say as it comes!
Too old to 'swither' like the originating poster?
John

[triaesthete]

Friends, as they say, are the most energy efficient form of entertainment.

T'would we boring if we all agreed all the time.

Yours in the spirit of robust debate
Ian

[jags]

John no harm complaining, i think the op just wants things to be perfect and who can blame him you and me both are bike fanatics we have to have things spot on.when i bought the hilleberg akto  after getting loads of thumbs up about it  when i first pitched it in my back garden (i had a garden then) man i hated the fecking thing totally useless bit of kit and the money i paid for it, but i persevered with it hoping i'd get used to it but no when i sold all my gear  i included tent as well.so I'd say to the op get the bike exactly the way you want it no matter if  you have to change things       its gonna be worth it in the end.

[triaesthete]

Ah, Father Anto, that would be an ecumenical matter.   Bikes!  BIKES!! Nuns!  BIKES!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptd_h0dF7NE

[jags]

god bless you ian.

[leftpoole]

John no harm complaining, i think the op just wants things to be perfect and who can blame him you and me both are bike fanatics we have to have things spot on.when i bought the hilleberg akto  after getting loads of thumbs up about it  when i first pitched it in my back garden (i had a garden then) man i hated the fecking thing totally useless bit of kit and the money i paid for it, but i persevered with it hoping i'd get used to it but no when i sold all my gear  i included tent as well.so I'd say to the op get the bike exactly the way you want it no matter if  you have to change things       its gonna be worth it in the end.

Anto,
I think from what I read of his rant on his Blog, that he has the wrong size frame?
Send it back or stop moaning!
All great to laugh about but I guess the OP made an error and wishes he had not bought the Thorn. It is really up to him, but to openly complain without recourse to Thorn is a little silly?
John

[jags]

ah i don't mind slagging them off every now and again keeps them on their toes, but your right me thinks wrong size frame wonder if he went with the size of his  surley  instead of starting from scratch.
but I'm only guessing just hope he gets it sorted           one way or the other.


anto.

got treatment on my back  just now feeling a bit better.let you know more later.

[Far-Oeuf]

after the initial 10 mile ride, I spent Friday sorting the front-end.  with the saddle up a bit and some new (shallow drop) bars and a new stem, I manage to get a pretty comfortable position while riding around town.   Dropped the front tyre pressure by 5 PSI (to somewhere around 70).

just back from a 200km Audax (Erit Lass).   The bike felt great, position-wise.   As was the case with my first impression, it is much smoother over the bumps than the LHT.   Also, as per my first impression, the reach is perfect.   The frame is a 56 (ETT in Surly speak, VTT in Thorn speak), and the LHT is a 58cm.   The frame is the right size.

About 60km or so into the ride the first climb came.   Shifted to the second largest sprocket and the rear mech was pinging off the spokes.   Out with the tools to adjust the limit screws, and I find that the problem is actually a bent hanger.   On my first 10 mile ride the rear mech looked a bit twisted, but I was so busy thinking about the front-end changes that I didn't really investigate.   Let me tell you, some 15% climbs without the use of the lower two sprockets was interesting!

Pretty sad news really.   I had already decided just to suck it up, and tinker with the bike myself and make it right, rather than return it.   I am due on a ferry to Holland (riding to Slovenia) on the 27th, so hopefully this can all be sorted by then.   Given that the bike actually feels good now, better than the LHT ever did, I think it only makes sense to send only the frame back and rebuild the replacement myself.   

I just don't know how things could be this wrong.   Whether it was a returned bike, a demo bike, built on a Friday after a pub-lunch.  Who knows.



onwards and upwards...

[jags]

glad you like the frame ,and glad your sending it back the right thing to do.

jags.

[brummie]

Breaking news: Thorn Club Tour "Best in Test " in the October issue of Cycling Active magazine !

[jags]

except for this one brummie

[Far-Oeuf]

btw..  a fresh out the box Brooks Team Pro, bars slightly below the saddle, and not one iota of discomfort over a 200km ride.   It was most comfortable when riding on the drops, comfortable when riding on the hoods, and least comfortable when sitting up riding on the tops.  Almost the reverse of my B17 (bars level with the saddle).

cheers,

[Far-Oeuf]

@jags, regardless of the journey to get here, I can't ignore the fact that after a 200km test ride this frame is exactly what I was looking for.