ton – Member
just a quickie…………i have owned 2 thorn bikes, 1 mtb, 1 tourer.
both were extremely overpriced.

Hi In what way were they overpriced? Can you be a bit more pacific as this is quite important to me? Why did you buy 2 by the way or did you get them both at the same time. Looking at the prices without rohloff nothing looks very expensive to me. At least not for a once in a lifetime purchase but would love to hear your views. Thanks JB

davidtaylforth – Member

A life saver if you go down in a hidden pot hole (hidden in a puddle) and do a super man over the handle bars!

Going down on superman in a pot hole. I guess every super hero has there needs

What are you talking about you sad little man. I once hit a pothole which was not visible in a big puddle and I flew over the top of the handlebars just missing the back of a lorry on a busy dual carriage way. I assume that wouldn’t have happened if I had front suspension. Where does it say I have a gay fantasy about superman….are you sure it isn’t one of your fantasies?

brandeberryj, have you no idea what irony is?

Or with your knowledge of metal, perhaps you think it’s like goldy and bronzey, only made of iron…

Sorry for the Blackadder reference but it just seemed so appropriate!

😉

Anyone else hearing Duelling Banjos from Deliverance?

crazy-legs – Member
brandeberryj, have you no idea what irony is?”

I was fully aware that you were joking thats why I said you were ammusing??

Or with your knowledge of metal, perhaps you think it’s like goldy and bronzey, only made of iron…”

although I have feeling this isn’t irony?

davidtaylforth – Member
brandeberryj – sort yer life out

Right oh……….What particular aspect of my life did you have in mind?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BARE-METAL-REYNOLDS-853-STEEL-TRACK-BIKE-FRAME-22247-/390152995471?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item5ad6ee428f

700 quid unpainted they were trying to get a grand for it!!

well i’ve never been in trouble for saying sorry before.

The track frame in that ebay link above…
Why would you make a lugged frame out of 853?? 853 is designed to be welded, not lugged.
I had a beautiful 853 road frame for about 10 years, the welds on it were impeccable. Nice dark to light blue fade paint job too.

Who else has already got their bike for life? – I think I’ve got mine.
It’s a 97 Trek 970 mountain bike which I’ve had disc mounts fitted by M Steels when they still made frames.
Its current incarnation is as a heavy duty road tourer with dropped handle bars, cantis and horrible wheels in desperate need of an upgrade.

p.s. this thread is crying out for some bad taste Frankie Boyle joke about how long you’re likely to last on a bike on British roads.

Steve-Austin – Member
Have you seen the headset spacers on Thorns Brandeberryj?
One of the best examples of a bad frame design i have seen.

Hi Steve-Austin
Thanks for that I won’t go for the Thorn as unlike other bikes it is not absolutely perfect? Now as you may have guessed there is a certain amount of irony in that! But I am actually happy to consider anything else that would meet my criteria of an all rounder (please see all my requirements plus I have a liking for all night cycle rides which I thinks that meets the definition of Audax?) It must must be strong as I have to regularly cycle of road in the dark just to get to places (or back from them) without doing much greater distances. Thanks for your time (not being ironic) JB

i have a thorn raven enduro – thoses frames are cheap ….. nothing special at all – hell it wasnt even average … lardy as **** !

i bought mines as part of a complete bike second hand that i wanted the hub from …. thats now being built into my fast ti MTB tourer

oh and they it didnt handle very nice , it had a very steep head angle , it has very tight tire clearance – 2.1 max ….

who ever designed it must have been riding in the mid 90s – thats the last time i rode a bike that handled like this thing – and i have a full on carbon race bike with head down arse up position and this trys to marry that racy geometry with a touring position ……

trail_rat – Member
i have a thorn raven enduro – thoses frames are cheap ….. nothing special at all – hell it wasnt even average … lardy as **** !

i bought mines as part of a complete bike second hand that i wanted the hub from …. thats now being built into my fast ti MTB tourer
The Hub as in Rohloff hub?????

it has very tight tire clearance – 2.1 max ….

They do actually state this in there brochure it seems adequate to me???……why so angry

yes the hub . yes then add some mud ….

rear end clogs nicely with only that much clearance – i had a 1.9 in the rear and there still isnt much room

the hub is good , the frame is definantly to a price.

lucky for me it was just temporary !

– still has the rohloff drop out and clearance for 29 x 2.5 in the back – no really rough ebb (i have a nice ebb on another frame – the thorn solution is rough ! )

it is worth noting that they have discontinued the above frame and that the new sterling might be nicer !

How about one from JRD?

If I was going custom I’d go for a road bike.

As far as the Rohloff hub is concerned, they are ideal for your intended use.

My brother has done much of the Millenium Trail in Oz pulling a trailer – we’re talking thousands of kms on very rough ground – and has had absolutely no problems. Meanwhile his travelling companions were wearing out derailleurs/cassettes or breaking them. He’s also competed in 7 day desert races and it still hasn’t needed attention.

Personally I don’t like them, and prefer an Alfine, but for reliability and gear range the Rohloff scores.

I looked at a Thorn Raven years ago, soon after I first heard of the Rohloff, it did look like the most economical way of buying one but if I remember correctly they were making out that the frame was worth £650. Obviously subsidising the Rohloff by (massively) over valuing the rather average frame.

epicyclo – Member
As far as the Rohloff hub is concerned, they are ideal for your intended use. My brother has done much of the Millennium Trail in Oz pulling a trailer – we’re talking thousands of kms on very rough ground – and has had absolutely no problems. Meanwhile his traveling companions were wearing out derailleurs/cassettes or breaking them. He’s also competed in 7 day desert races and it still hasn’t needed attention.

Personally I don’t like them, and prefer an Alfine, but for reliability and gear range the Rohloff scores.

Thank you epicyclo it appears that some people cannot grasp that people have different needs TO THEMSELVES. As I have cycled the west coast of the US on an old bike I leave at my brothers, I may if I go again I may actually use my as yet non existing Rohloff bike. Although taking it there maybe a little too expensive. I would definatly consider an alfine with 11 gears “if they release ever it” for a spare bike assuming it reasonbly priced

Bimbler – Member
But if I remember correctly they were making out that the frame was worth £650. Obviously subsidizing the Rohloff by (massively) over valuing the rather average frame.

Now Bibler for this to be true they would have to be selling the frame with different gears at a lower price as they don’t then your statement is untrue………not the the bit about the frame being over priced that is obviously a matter of opinion but the bit about subsidizing this can only be true, as stated, if they sell the frame without the Rohloff cheaper??

trail_rat – Member
Yes the hub. Yes then add some mud ….

Rear end clogs nicely with only that much clearance – I had a 1.9 in the rear and there still isn’t much room

The hub is good; the frame is definitely to a price

Hello again what bike/frame did you put the hub on? Were the drop outs a problem on the replacement bike? The drop outs on the silver frame looks like the Rohloff drop outs??
The Thorn you are showing is a mountain bike have you any idea what the clearance is on the tourers. I don’t do a massive amount off road but have no choice at times so may need a decent amount of clearance at times. Thanks for your time JB

Now Bibler for this to be true they would have to be selling the frame with different gears at a lower price as they don’t then your statement is untrue

*shrugs*, it’s what they told me, I believe it was even in their sales literature from then

As far as the Alfine 11 is concerned, I wouldn’t put my faith in it for long distance heavy touring until it had been proved.

I’m sure it will be excellent etc…

epicyclo – Member
As far as the Alfine 11 is concerned, I wouldn’t put my faith in it for long distance heavy touring until it had been proved.

I’m sure it will be excellent etc…
Very very good point but I may ignore you on this if the price is not to high IE £300? Hopeful? I know, but with time they will probably fall AND I think we maybe about to see a considerable increase in the availbitly of hub gears. I would even go as far as saying that in the future we may only find derailleur on Apollo’s and other cheapo bikes!! They will become the norm

As a dérailleur and hub user I’d say hub will NEVER become the norm on race orientated bikes (on and off road)- too much weight in a single place is not great for handling when on the edge of performance.

Hubs should dominate elsewhere though – commuting, touring, recreational cycling.

Rohloff – I’d go for one if I was going to do a Mark Beaumont or tug around a heavy trailer like you which does little for handling already. IMO alfine better for dynamic riding as there is white a weight difference.

Thorn – if hub bike do take off s you say I’d imagine they will be swept aside pretty quickly if their particular niche goes mainstream. Their website’s clunkiness epitomises the companies general lack of keeping up with modern standards. The thorn frames I have handled left we very cold – really not impressed with standard of finish compared to other steel frames I’ve owned or played with. There are companies doing much better things with the same material and where they move in on Thorns USP they will come up short.

brandeberryj – Member
…AND I think we maybe about to see a considerable increase in the availbitly of hub gears. I would even go as far as saying that in the future we may only find derailleur on Apollo’s and other cheapo bikes!! They will become the norm

My name says it all 🙂

You forgot to mention belt drive as the natural corollary.

silver frame is a ragley TD-1

I have been waiting on some stans arches which came in to stock earlier this week are are on their way to me to finish the build !

In the future we use nano-mechs with a monomolecular chain, the cogs increase or decrease their diameters automagically to provide the correct ratios as demanded by direct brain to bike interface technology.

WRITTEN FROM MY TIME MACHINE

trail_rat – Member
Silver frame is a ragley TD-1

Can you tell me the site? Am I right in thinking that the frame is designed to take rohloff? The most important thing for me is the Rohloff or to be more precise a huge range of gears. As not only do I need it for trailer but surprisingly I have a big problem with standing up on a bike. Surprisingly (as cycling is zero impact) if I do it too often I get a huge amount of pain in my right knee. Now no doubt this is due to torn and ruptured a cruciate ligament which has also led to arthritis (not that it arthritis is ever a problem when sat down no matter how far I ride). Can you think of any other manufacturers whose frames have good rohloff drop outs? The latter is addressed to anyone on the forum. Thanks JB

I think it’s ragley.co.uk

Frame not designed for rohloff – it’s designed by brant but made by lynskey and has the same drop outs on it as ragleys frame so the ragley left hand rohloff drop out fits on

The td1 is a race orientated rigid only frame but If that doesn’t suit look at lynskey and raglys other offering

I have 2 rear wheels for it one rohloff and one ss depending on mood .

Watch out for pictures at end of the week once I get the rear wheel built !

I have no opinion on a bike for life. I just wanted to quote this…

brandeberryj – Member

What are you talking about you sad little man. I once hit a pothole which was not visible in a big puddle and I flew over the top of the handlebars just missing the back of a lorry on a busy dual carriage way. I assume that wouldn’t have happened if I had front suspension. Where does it say I have a gay fantasy about superman….are you sure it isn’t one of your fantasies?

… because it made me laugh 😆