My new touring bike

[The Jogger]

It's a classy bike...........

 

[potsy]

Had a bit of a collision with a car! Claim against her insurance under way, but it needs a new frame, forks, and handlebars. I wasn't badly injured, luckily - the poor bike took the brunt.

Aww, should have popped into the tea thread for some sympathy

 

[Rev]

That is what I would call bloody lovely!

 

[Herbie]

I finally decided to go to Bridgewater in Somerset to SJS Cycles, to look at the Thorn Audax Mk3. They only had the one small frame in stock, specced for someone else who didn't take it, in the 'guest' colour (British racing green) I would have wanted anyway, and they were happy to change the bar-end shifters for STIs and the honey-coloured saddle for a black one, so I bought it. I think it's rather beautiful.

View attachment 20508

very nice

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Two things

You didn't break your Orbea. A **** in a car did.
The drops... they look very very deep, wouldn't something shallower suit the smaller of stature person?

Moss? As in who do you think you are Stirling or the rolling stone gathers no variety?

 

[mmmmartin]

Ihave done 10,000k on mine and it's fine. The bottle cages are worth the extra as they are really easy to use. You might want to fit a Deda Dog Fang, which for £7 removes all worry of the chain coming off inside the small ring at the front but mychain never came off. If you want to fit a load of lights, GPS, trip computer etc etc Thorn do a natty little accesories bar, very easy to fit, does a good job, but it always takes ages to fettle a bike exactly the way you want it. If you are looking for small panniers for a tour to put on that rack, go for the smaller Ortlieb Front Panniers, which I used for two weeks in Spain and they were big enough. were you to be contemplating a trip to, say a French chateau with perhaps 49 other cyclists in perhaps June, there would be a washing machine, thus rendering the smaller panniers exactly the right size for such a trip. The big rear panniers are OK on a longer wheelbase exped bike but a bit too wide for this bike, esp in the small size. I had a new front wheel made with a dynohub to power a big light, which you might find handy were you to be thinking of a ride that might, for instance, last all night.

 

[Brains]

As an owner of a Thorn Nomad I like the bikes, but where did that rack come from ? Surely Thorn did not provide that ?
I'd suggest something a little more robust, Thorn have their own model, but Tubus and others do reasonable spec racks

 

[mmmmartin]

i had that rack on an MTB, it will be perfectly strong enough for the quantity of luggage you will be carrying. If I was going to France for a week in May, I would take two small Ortlieb panniers and the Carradice saddlebag and use only the saddlebag for the day rides. And that is what I'd do if I were contemplating a similar trip in, say, June. To a chateau, perhaps. It is, after all, an audax bike rather than an expedition bike.

And although I am not a fan of Bike Porn, it does look really rather nice.

And a comfy steel frame and decent kit on it should last for donkey's years.

It will be interesting to see if you are faster than me on your Moss (I suspect you will be), as you were on the late lamented Orbea (which, as a small factoid, was made by a Spanish workers' co-operative so was quite appropriate for taking on trips involving Lenin and his linoleum).

 

[srw]

Thanks mmmmartin, I knew you would approve! Funnily enough on an inaugural ride today the bottle cages were the only thing that I didn't like! I like to take a drink on the move, and they're too tight to be safe - are you meant to take the elastic thing off?

I rather like the bottle cages, and was slightly miffed when one of the bits of elastic broke. The trick is to find a bottle just the right size - from memory our aluminium bottles work better than the rather fatter plastic ones.

If those are panaracer tourguard tyres the sidewalls are made of condom rubber. Being about a third of the weight of the pair of us you might have better luck than we did - I think the second tyre got replaced after about 300 miles.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Sweet, very sweet!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

My barley self destructed after a period of intensive commuting use and is back in Nelson for some free tlc and repair.

My sqr frame broke and dumped my Nelson onto my back wheel on the fixed. At high speed. That was fun. Still if you can't fall off on the way home after a trying day in the office what's the point eh?

So I'm slightly out-of-love with Messrs Carradice at present.

 

[rb58]

I think all Thorn Audax owners should be allowed to go to the front of the queue for breakfast at the end of a night ride. That should be the law.

And I agree about the stock tyres - I ditched mine pretty quickly, but not before a couple of visitations.

 

[theloafer]

hey tiny .... congreats on the new bike its a beauty hope you have many happy mile,s togetyer

 

[mmmmartin]

I have had superb longevity from my Tourguards, about 3,000 kilometres from the back and a bit more from the front. I inspect the tyres with a big magnifying glass after every trip and pick out the flints with a small screwdriver and have a bout one puncture per year. I will replace the rear more often than the front as it seems to wear more. The tyres are light and springy. Recommended. If you want no punctures at all, fit Marathon Plus but they are a very stiff ride.

 

[jags]

enjoy every pedal stroke. its a class looking bike and hard to beat thorn for a quality bike.
hope you have a good strong lock for it.