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Brains
Legendary Member
Brains
Legendary Member
Thorn Cycles are sold exclusively by SJSC (they are in effect the same company)
SJSC is here https://www.sjscycles.co.uk
Thorn is here http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/
They are based in Bridgewater in Somerset and sell arguably one of the worlds best touring bikes by mail order all over the world, each one is made to order.
Given the special paint job on the one you have I'd have thought it fairly easy to match to the original owner.
The bikes also came in multiple sizes, like clothing,
No point in keeping it if it's not your size
SJSC is here https://www.sjscycles.co.uk
Thorn is here http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/
They are based in Bridgewater in Somerset and sell arguably one of the worlds best touring bikes by mail order all over the world, each one is made to order.
Given the special paint job on the one you have I'd have thought it fairly easy to match to the original owner.
The bikes also came in multiple sizes, like clothing,
No point in keeping it if it's not your size
Brains
Legendary Member
Here is the original brochure
http://web.archive.org/web/20070518003938/http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/xtc.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20070518003938/http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/xtc.html
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
Nice find.
Profpointy, why are we thinking it is stolen? It' probably been left in a garage for years and whoever is throwing it out thinks they have an old knackered bike worth nothing. That's what it looks like. Isnt that scenario more likely in this case?
Profpointy, why are we thinking it is stolen? It' probably been left in a garage for years and whoever is throwing it out thinks they have an old knackered bike worth nothing. That's what it looks like. Isnt that scenario more likely in this case?
raleighnut
Legendary Member
Could be either nicked or as @steveindenmark says abandoned and left to rust, my 653 bike was given to Cyclemagic in Leicester for 'recycling' and that's a gorgeous frame.
hoopdriver
Guru
Either way that is a very interesting find. I have a similar vintage Thorn eXp which I bought from new in 1999 and yes, no change from £2000 at the time. I still have the bike, love it, ride it all the time. It has about 90,000 miles on it and looks good fr many thousands more. Thorn make great tourers.
Thorn Sherpa
Veteran
Great bikes the best bike I've owned so far I wont be putting mine in the skip I know that for sure! Hope you find out what's what with the bike and if it is stolen can be reunited with the owner
Bodhbh
Guru
tbh it does look some old 80s MTB. With the seatpost etc missing I could well believe someone thinking the only thing worth doing with it is putting it in the skip. Whatever else they are, Thorns are not blingy bikes. Mind it takes 5mins to google or list on eBay and let it finds it's own worth.
srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
https://engineering.leeds.ac.uk/academic-industry-profiles/single/756/dr-steven-freear
See bottom of the page.
I'd suggest contacting him directly to see if the bike is his and he's missing it.
Steve Freear
New Member
Hi,
Robin at SJSC has alerted me to this post. I'm Steve Freear and it was my bike. It hasn't been stolen, so who ever has it is welcome to keep it and enjoy it. I purchased it in 2001 but it has barely been used for the last 5 years and has been kept outside under a bike cover, hence it probably needing some TLC.
I now live on a narrowboat and don't have room to store it, so now use a Brompton. I moved the boat from Cambridgeshire to Shropshire this year and had forgotten that I had left the bike at my old marina. It wasn't really viable to bring it back, so it was put in a skip at the marina where he was having a clear out. I had already taken the Brooks saddle off to use on the Brompton.
It was a really good bike and has been round New Zealand and done the end to end.
Thanks for the honesty and concern from the finder.
I have also uploaded a photo of it at John O'Groats, to show it really was mine.
Steve Freear
Robin at SJSC has alerted me to this post. I'm Steve Freear and it was my bike. It hasn't been stolen, so who ever has it is welcome to keep it and enjoy it. I purchased it in 2001 but it has barely been used for the last 5 years and has been kept outside under a bike cover, hence it probably needing some TLC.
I now live on a narrowboat and don't have room to store it, so now use a Brompton. I moved the boat from Cambridgeshire to Shropshire this year and had forgotten that I had left the bike at my old marina. It wasn't really viable to bring it back, so it was put in a skip at the marina where he was having a clear out. I had already taken the Brooks saddle off to use on the Brompton.
It was a really good bike and has been round New Zealand and done the end to end.
Thanks for the honesty and concern from the finder.
I have also uploaded a photo of it at John O'Groats, to show it really was mine.
Steve Freear
