S America Expedition - Thorn Raven?

[P.H]

And carbide rims? Why?

Long lasting, better wet weather braking and clean, what's not to like?. Oh yes;

carbide rims that require special brake blocks.

Swisstop blue are the only reccomemded blocks, but I've used all sorts, you're not going to damage the rim, just wear the blocks quicker. Wilcos £1.99 brakes work fine and seem to last about half as long as the Swisstop. Fibrax had a stall at York Rally and reccomended the brown compound, I bought some and will try them next. The Swisstop last very well and at £14 for 2 pairs are reasonable value, a couple of spare pairs would probably last a year.

 

[P.H]

If you go for a Rohloff there's plenty of advantages of a Rohloff specific frame. Cable routing to keep things neat, Rohloff dropouts to make wheel removal simple and a EBB for adjusting the chain without moving the wheel. I can see the advantages of a cheap bike, I can't see any in cutting corners on what will still be an expensive one.

 

[P.H]

P.H, these were the upgrades I was considering:

Basic price1699LX v-brakes+15andra 30 CSS rims+55marathon xr's+15mudguards+3front carrier+70rear carrier+70chain lube+4.99oil change kit+25torx screwdriver+7cable change kit+33Total1996.99

Is there anything I could do without?

Half the upgrade is for the racks, I hadn't factored this in, presumably you'll be spending this whatever bike you buy.
The rest looks OK to me, I wouldn't bother with the cable change kit, mine came with a spare cable, it is a bit fiddly to change the first time, have a practice at home. I use 3 in 1 oil on my chain...
Rohloff oil change - buying idividual kits is a very dear way of doing it. Try and find a couple of people to split litre tins with, Thorns own forum is good for this. I ended up with enough to last a lifetime for £30.

 

[AndrewClark]

I've got a Thorn Nomad which has been used for (unloaded) 3 week trip in the Himalaya, 3 week loaded trip from Seattle to San Francisco, several shorter tours & a good bit of commuting. The Rohloff has never given me any problems and I'm still on the original brake pads. Comfortable, tough, not especially light or cheap..

 

[andym]

Long lasting, better wet weather braking and clean, what's not to like?. Oh yes;

They still have all the inherent disadvantages of v-brakes - braking area exposed to muck and gunge, rim overheating (don't know about rim wear) - while losing the advantages of components that are easily available. If you're going to have to carry your own supply or pads then you might as well take the plunge and get disc brakes - especially if you better wet weather braking and cleanliness are important to you.

 

[climo]

They still have all the inherent disadvantages of v-brakes - braking area exposed to muck and gunge, rim overheating (don't know about rim wear) - while losing the advantages of components that are easily available. If you're going to have to carry your own supply or pads then you might as well take the plunge and get disc brakes - especially if you better wet weather braking and cleanliness are important to you.

I know nothing about disc brakes but what happens if the discs get bashed enough to bend / misalign them? Does this mean that they are useless and need replacing? If so then they may be the wrong choice for an extended tour in areas where good bike shops are few and far between.
Of course, the same could be said for rohloff hubs but they are tough and often the choice for tours to remote places.

 

[Bodhbh]

I know nothing about disc brakes but what happens if the discs get bashed enough to bend / misalign them? Does this mean that they are useless and need replacing? If so then they may be the wrong choice for an extended tour in areas where good bike shops are few and far between.

I do wonder how likely this is. I noticed on my bike the discs are caged by the rack/lowrider, furthermore when loaded with panniers, and pretty well protected. Although not like you couldn't be unlucky getting a stick pinging up under the rack or something. Always possible to carry a spare disc, if it's a big concern.

 

[vorsprung]

vorsprung: that was my origional plan (see here) but now i'm not so sure.

There are the extra difficulties in repairing it when it inevitably breaks, whereas the Thorn would probably manage a couple more tours, perhaps for the rest of my life.

So the Thorn is somehow immune to all forms of damage?
I don't think so

If you are going on a trip of this sort then you will have to get repairs done at some point
The question is, is the huge price of a Thorn worth the increase in reliability over a old MTB or a new MTB or any other sort of bike

For example a new Dawes Super Galaxy would be about half the price of a Thorn but I doubt that it would be half as reliable

Reliabilty isn't something that gets added inearly with price. Is the 5% extra (or whatever) worth it for the £1000?

 

[betty swollocks]

I have had a Thorn Raven Tour for four years now. It's done 35,000 miles and I have absolutely no complaints.
Got through a few chains, chainrings and sprockets and done some oil changes, but that's about it save a few punctures.
The frame, apart from a few superficial scratches (war wounds) is intact, undented and rock solid. Wheels are still true too.
Yes it feels a bit like a tractor ridden unladen, but loaded, strangely, it all seems to make sense, if you see what I mean - stable, reliable and confidence-inspiring.
It does what it says on the tin and keeps on doing so.
Wouldn't go back to derailleurs on a touring bike!

 

[Kirstie]

This is an aside: When you've got your route sorted please post it on here as I'm dying to read about it. A tour in S America is one thing I would love to do.

 

[hubbike]

Right, i'm still in two minds, I could finish off the mtb i've got by fitting it with v-brakes and getting some wheels made. racks and panniers are a cost either way so don't come in to it.
PRO's. won't cost much. won't matter much if it gets nicked. should be pretty easy to fix and maintain.
CON's probably not as comfortable, not as good a fit. not as reliable.

Thorn (or roughstuff or custom etc)
PRO's low maintainance, durable, better designed, more reliable, support by email if things go wrong, more of an investment.
CON's price tag! money that could go on the flight or more time on the road. . .

Ok, I have to decide by the end of the week for my own sanity. Thanks for all the imput. . .

Kirstie, I'll make a new thread to discuss the route now.

 

[willem]

I would go for the Raven. It is made for precisely this kind of tour. Their budget specs are quite sensible, and don't have horrible hidden weaknesses. Deore V brakes are fine. I would upgrade the front hub to XT. Get good racks such as Tubus Cargo and Duo, or Thorn's own offerings. And fit Marathon XR tyres. That's all, really.

 

[jags]

if you can afford it buy the thorn ,i have the sherps with full xt gear it's a super bike honestly.my buddy crashed in france two weeks age on his trek the bike is a total right off ,i had a few spills on my sherpa still as good as the day i bought it . thorn make quality bikes that's a fact.buy the thorn one less worry outof the way .
best of luck on the tour sounds fantastic..

 

[Penfold]

considering?

also could I still get hold of a Koga Miyata World Traveller if so how much are they now and who sells them?

Try here:
http://www.koga-signature.com/en/

You choose the frame and all bits and bobs. The price of the bike is shown at each stage. Order it and it gets delivered to a specified Koga dealer in the UK. Not many of them though so you may have to travel a bit to collect the beasty

 

[hubbike]

Bought a rohloff equipped Roberts Roughstuff!! Very pleased with it. Photos to come when I take it for a weekend spin in Scotland!!