The new bike has arrived

[Yellow Fang]

The spacers look ugly but presumably their logic is that supplying bikes with long steerers and plenty of spacers allows the customers to find the handlebar height that suits them.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I have had a friend move more than half those spacer and it looks much better and the position feels OK. Tomorrow I am taking it to my local bike shop to ask if they think this is the correct size frame Thorn have given me (I can't help wondering if it required that many spacers then the size may be incorrect). If they think the frame size is correct then I will ride it for a week to see if the position is comfortable before getting my LBS to cut the top of the tube off and lose those extra spacers.

I have a different thorn model and it has slightly less spacers. They are actually quite useful if you need to mount anything on the handlebars and don't like doing so, or don't have the space to mount everything you want on the bars. SJSC do an accessory bar which goes in place of those spacers. As for the size, Thorn got it spot on for both my husband and myself for our bikes for our (aborted) world tour and 12 months on those bikes convinced me that the size was exactly right. It just seems to be the way they build them.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-accessory-bar-t-shaped-105-mm-extension-0-deg-prod11040/ 105mm accessory bar
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-accessory-bar-t-shaped-55-mm-extension-0-deg-prod11041/ 55mm accessory bar

 

[London Female]

Thank you everyone for all your suggestions, hopefully I will have it all sorted tomorrow.

 

[billflat12]

The spacers look ugly but presumably their logic is that supplying bikes with long steerers and plenty of spacers allows the customers to find the handlebar height that suits them.

Better to be oversize than cut down too short , maybe fitting is wrong, compare measurements between seat post & centre of crank to any other bikes you ride or try a bigger frame etc., they are playing safe by leaving it long , just don,t jump into cutting it until your happy as comfort is usually most important.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I have had a friend move more than half those spacer and it looks much better and the position feels OK. Tomorrow I am taking it to my local bike shop to ask if they think this is the correct size frame Thorn have given me (I can't help wondering if it required that many spacers then the size may be incorrect). If they think the frame size is correct then I will ride it for a week to see if the position is comfortable before getting my LBS to cut the top of the tube off and lose those extra spacers.

Bear in mind that if you lower the handlebars you may find that riding on the drops then becomes uncomfortable - they are rather deep drop. And if you lose the possibility of riding on the drops, you'll lose a lot of riding position variety.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I hardly ever ride on the drops on my Thorn - it's a touring bike btw. If it's a problem there are shallower drops available.

Me neither, to tell the truth. But at least we have that option. I was just concerned that in lowering the handlebars too far, the drops option might become too uncomfortable. Of course, more compact drops are available but that also might mean more shopping to deal with a problem that didn't exist in the first place.

Anyhow, it might not be a problem for the OP, I only mentioned it as a consideration.

 

[mustang1]

The more I read this thread, the less I think its a joke.

Well its not my style of bike but if you're comfortable with it then who is anyone else to judge. BUT if you were to really press me on my opinion.... And I say this humbly, not being a bike expert, but perhaps you could take advantage of that money back guarantee.

 

[tigger]

I'm with @Rob3rt with this. Looks absolutely terrible to me. Even if you drop the bars down the spacers will take your eye out. Why don't they just have the correct frame geometry to suit the riders? I can't see any craft in that

 

[Rob3rt]

This. It's not a racing bike. They have done what the customer asked them to do, what is so 'disgraceful' about that? The idea is that you get the fit right before you burn your bridges by cutting off the redundant spacers. Honestly, the pish some people spout on here

Regardless of the end use of the bike, if they need to resort to such stacks of spacers, which seems common on their bikes, then the design is poor or they have a gap in their product range and are having to shoehorn a none optimal bike into the gap through the use of so many spacers.

 

[London Female]

Sure thing, and I wasn't arguing - sorry if it seemed like it! When I test rode my Thorn I rode in all the positions on the bars, so I assume the OP would have done the same.

I wasn't allowed to test ride the bike.

 

[London Female]

Bear in mind that if you lower the handlebars you may find that riding on the drops then becomes uncomfortable - they are rather deep drop. And if you lose the possibility of riding on the drops, you'll lose a lot of riding position variety.

Actually glad you mentioned the drops because I have just checked my paperwork and according to the invoice which came in the box those drops are PRO PLT 31.8 Clamp-Anatomic. What I ordered which is clearly stated on my quote invoice are the shallower PRO PLT 31.8 Compact. I did not order anatomical drops. I have looked on their website and they are both very different in shape and size.

 

[London Female]

Oh dear, maybe the Thorn wasn't the bike for you then? I must say that when I researched them, one thing that came up again and again was the spacers thang - you either get the reason for them and think they're lovely bikes, or you don't. Odd that you couldn't test ride the bike, when I could in March; they must have changed their minds about that one. I wouldn't have bought a bike I hadn't ridden at all.

They said it was their policy not to allow their derallieur equipped bikes out on test rides and they compensate for this by giving you the 14 day money back guarantee.

 

[vickster]

PRO PLT 31.8 Compact - I think I have these now on my Pearson. I feel much more upright than previously

Why is it that drops with black tape and black hoods look really weird and massive always!?

 

[ayceejay]

That bike reminds me of those African women with rings around their neck.

 

[gbb]

JMO but the spacers business...these bikes are what you might call niche...they are specific and the spacers allow them to be as versatile as the owners doubtless need them to be for touring, thats what the bike is, a tourer.

Take away some major aspects of it, like the spacers...and it ceases to be the bike most tourers want...surely.