Thorn Nomad Mk2 Bicycle Touring Review - BikeHikeSafari
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- A complete bicycle touring review of the Thorn Nomad Mk2 touring bicycle.
With more than 40000km of cycling in 4 continents I have a good idea about what is good and what is bad about this bicycle. What went wrong, what went right. What is the best bicycle touring bike for crossing continents?
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A nice review mate 👍👊💥👊👍
Thorn no longer offer a front fork suspension option as hardly anyone ever selected that option.
Thorn have now moved on to a Nomad Mk3. Only a few cosmetic differences as far as I can see and also more colours offered.
I too have a Nomad Mk2 Rohloff in “Tonka Yellow”
You mention a leak from the Rohloff
? Where from ? Can only assume from the non drive gasket side ? Although anything is possible. This would be highly unlikely to cause a failure as the oil only coats the internals. It is not an internal “oil bath” so to speak
Personally, I kind of over engineered my Nomad as much as possible as I am 110 kilos on a good day.
48 hole Phill Wood Touring Hub on the front.
A Thompson alloy seat post
I have a couple of Suntactics solar panels which even in overcast conditions do the job for my iPhone, camera and drone and power banks. They are not cheap but have always done the job as they are quality.
I tend to roll with a BOB Yak Ibex, with the “kitchen” up front....... Nanopresso etc etc amd plenty of food to cook on my Trangia. .I just refuse to scab on a certain things 🤗
Use the same rims as you. Apparently indefatigable by all accounts as far as braking surface wear is concerned.
Never much took to Brooks so a Selle SMP Stratos it is 👊👊💥💥👊👊
Well said. My leak seems to be at the axle seals or similar. I'm not too concerned but I'm taking a break from cycling now so probably should look to replace them.
I never bought the suspension option, I have the standard forks. I bought the suspension forks and did it myself. Not a big fan so I'll change them back to original soon.
I've just created a FB group for owners of Thorn Rohloff bikes. If you own one if these lovely machines, why not follow the link below and check it out.
Thank you 😊👍
facebook.com/groups/370472690607391/?ref=share
Nice review. I am about to set off for 6 months on a Thorn Sherpa, am debating mudguards. Here in the UK mudguards are a pain in the mud - I know that sounds stupid, but I find the wheel / mudguard clogging a real problem on dirt paths during winter, and so I leave the mudguards off. But it is REALLY shitty and muddy here in the winter, so maybe in USA / S. America mudguards are a good idea. Any thoughts?
Love mudguards. Only had to remove them 3-4 times in 4 years of cycling. That sounds like not much to me. When they clog up it's very annoying but you will appreciate not having cow poo flicking up on your more than 3-4 times.
Everyone seems to be going tubeless these days ,Did you have many problems with flats ?
Tanks for the very informative video , When you reduced the size of the front chain ring did you have to remove any chain links ?
what are those brake pads, i want some. great stuff fella
A proper bike review! Thanks.
Thanks for the kind words.
Nice detailed video. I just sold my Salsa Fargo. I had been debating between Rohloff and Pinion. I like to have two sets of wheels. Hence I decided to go with Pinion C1.12. Almost half the price of P1.18.
I love the idea of the pinion. Only a couple of frame manufacturers to choose from which is a good thing when you find what works. I think my next bike would be lightweight, designed for lighter loads. Time will tell
Great video Brad with lots of information. Rohlof is still too expensive for me and I am also not sure I could get the gearing right if I could afford to buy one.
Sounds like you living the dream though.Stay safe.
If you plan to do a lot of bicycle touring the Rohloff is a good investment that will save you money in the long term. If only riding a little bit save your money. Cheers
So where's that gear review? ;)
You obviously have a lot of knowledge and experience about long distance biking (love your hiking vids, btw), and generally seem like you have a very sensible and down to earth approach regarding your technique. Please please PLEASE keep sharing your expertise! It's all quite inspiring - and your editing is on point! Also, who the heck are you? What's your story? How did you get into this? Especially interesting would be to hear your take on such a lifestyle as someone who's not exactly a young little thing.
Cheers and keep up the good work! I hope you keep making these vide - assuming you're probably on some crazy adventure right now ;)
Sorry for the slow response. I'm just a regular guy who decided to go on an adventure. I was always interested in the outdoors and travel so this lifestyle seemed to work for me. Age doesn't seem to be an issue, there are many people out there living this life, they keep quiet about it.
Gear review was put on hold when I decided to go for a long hike instead of continuing cycling. Takes a lot to put these videos together. I'll get around to it
Great review buddy. thanks and subscribed. Ive just ordered the new Nomad mk3 with 27.5s and hydraulic discs. can't wait to pick it up!
How would that Rohloff compare to the Alfine hub gears?
Never used Alfine and in all my travels I have never met another cyclist with that hub.
Innocentius Lacrim the alfine just does not last. Check reviews
Great honest review of the Thorn Nomad MkII. I have done over 60,000km on mine in just over 11 years now. Agree very much with your ideas on the front suspension, the kickstand, on gearing and on the rims. I have used the Pletscher Multizoom kickstand for the whole time (which as you stated voids the warranty.... but ONLY on any damage due to the kickstand) and I absolutely love the kickstand and have found it invaluable. In the past two years I have replaced the V-brakes for a conversion to hydraulic disc brakes (Shimano SLX) and I love the results of this. MUCH more reliable, easy-to-use brakes. Have used Mondial tyres too, but a lot of the time the Vittoria Randonneur Cross tyres have been my go-to normal touring and commuting tyres. Recently I discovered an old set of Schwalbe Marathon XRs in a box at home and have them fitted now. The Thorn is no lightweight but it is just an indestructible beast.
Maintenance/replacements:
BB - still the same one that I fitted 11 years ago
Headset bearings - first lower bearing failed just last year.
Cables - still the original cables & twist-shifter after 60,000km. Need to replace it as the rubber is well-worn and the EX-box has stripped the mounting bolt thread. New ones ordered, will replace cables as well.
Grips - same Ergon GP3 with long bar-ends, replaced 2 years ago as the rubber wore out.
Do you have anything against mechanical disc brakes? Drop bars and plastic toe clips? Very interested to hear reactions and views.
Disc brakes are great, brake pads are very easy to find nowadays compared with 10 years ago. Personal choice but I dont like drop bars, just not for me as I prefer to be off the main roads. If I only toured on good quality roads they might be an option. Toe clips or clipless pedals are not for me. I have tried both and dont like them, just my personal choice.
Thanks mate. I am just about to pull the trigger on one. Non suss folks for sure, I will be doing more road traveling, dropped bars, smaller road tyres. But great review. Loved it
Very good
Great video mate, many thanks. Confirms everything I'd heard about the Nomad, I'll be getting one soon with most of the other kit you mention for touring in the Pyrennes. Stay safe.
The nomad is a tank. Heavy but unbreakable.
I guess I'm pretty off topic but do anybody know of a good site to stream new movies online?
@Lucian Kendrick Meh I watch on flixportal. Just search on google after it:D -james
@James Jameson thank you, I went there and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :D Appreciate it !!
DOOD!
Hi, what is the size of your bike please ?
bikehikesafari.com/bicycle-review-thorn-nomad-mk2/ medium sized frame
The KMC X1 chain on my Rohloff lasted about 30k kilometres, 18 months. I do have a full chain guard though. The Rohloff is the best hub I have ever bought without exception. I wish I hadn't wasted so many years and money riding bikes with crappy derailleurs.
Agreed, not many people know about the saving in money and time over the long term. Less chains, derailleurs, chain rings to buy. Just keep the chain clean and oiled.
Excuse me , it's aluminium ?
Only in USA, everywhere else its aluminium. :)
Great review, thanks for sharing this. Safe riding, cheers from the UK. I've subscribed.
Great, glad you found it useful
Schwalbe Dureme tyres are available from SJS. CS rims I believe are no longer available.
Thanks for the heads up
First time I’ve seen your videos. Really glad I did as this was most enjoyable. It’s helping me specify my endurance bike, but I’m unlikely to get out of this armchair. Wish I’d taken your path years ago when I had the fitness. Enjoy your route through life. :-)
Many years ago I had health issues that helped me make the decision to have some adventure in life. Glad I did it.
A real-world review made by a human being and not someone who tries to sell me stuff. Refreshing :)
No paid advertising here. Maybe that's why I have no money!!!
thank you for your precious informations, I live in Morocco we hope you can visit us some day ,could you tell me please why you don't use belt in the place of the chain ? I see most of Rohloff hubs hubs, good luck. Abdel
I visited Morocco about 10 years ago, a great country to travel. The belt can only be used on Bicycle frames have have a cut away section to allow the belt to be fitted and removed. Not all frames are able to do this.
Good to see your alive and well.
Back in Oz for a short visit.
I love your attitude. You're such a kind man
Cheers thank you for the kind words.
Excellent. Look forward to the next episode to see your set up. Love the Ortlieb bags. I prefer your top bag versus my current trunk bag. Appears you get more storage space. Thanks for bringing us along for the ride.
Cheers thank you. The ortieb rack bag works great and makes things easily accessible if needed. But part of me thinks there is a better way to store things for bicycle touring. My mind is working overtime to find an even better, lighter and cheaper way. Stay tuned. Unfortunately I have run out of time to film and edit my complete gear set up. Next week I'll be in new Zealand hiking for 4 months. I'd already filmed and edited this video and thought I'd have enough time to make and edit the gear video. So it will be several months till I get round to a video version. Sorry. The blog version can be found here. www.bikehikesafari.com/bicycle-touring-gear-list/
Nice bike Sir.hope you come here in the Philippines.
thank you, would love to go there one day
Good day. Thanks for uploading. I have a question about the Rohloff gearing you mentioned. I've seen information at www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/rohloff-impressions.html that indicates that running a 34 in front and a 17 in back, voids the Rohloff warranty. Is this information still accurate or did you decide to throw caution to the wind in terms of warranty and run those gears anyway? I'm going to be building up a Surly Troll w/ a Rohloff and would like the identical gearing that you are running to save on my retired middle age knees. Thanks again, and be safe out there. Cheers. Mitch
Sorry for the slow response, just getting round to answering messages now. Check the Rohloff website, they have significantly decreased the gear ratios they allow. This is to allow tandem cycles to use rohloff. It's much lower than Sheldon Brown's very old articles
@@bikehikesafari Thank you and safe and happy travels!
Good review... I'm after a good kick stand as well. .. can you recommend a good make? Atb
bikehikesafari.com/bicycle-review-thorn-nomad-mk2/ love my kickstand
@@bikehikesafari thanks for the reply that is very kind of you. Your videos have inspired me.
I’m really enjoying your videos ! Great advice! 👍 cheers!
Cheers hope it all made sense for you
I toured on a mountain bike with a rack & panniers with probably a similar load to what you have & I sort of agree, with all the weight bias (including the rider of course) over the back wheel, suspension forks were a bit redundant. I've now evolved to a pure bikepacking setup where all the gear is strapped to the bars & forks, no panniers - just a seat pack which contains clothes & now the 32mm Fox forks are worthwhile.
I'd love to hey rid of the panniers etc, but I travel with a computer and all the cables, back up hard drives etc. They just dont fit in other bags too well. If I went to a full bikepacking setup, I'd get I lighter mountain bike as I wouldn't need such a strong bike
@@bikehikesafari I have the laptop & two gopros (& all the cables etc) in a backpack. If you get something with a fancy harness & an air zone to keep you from overheating too much, it's not so bad.
I have a Nomad & a lighter Ribble Adventure & to be honest I don't notice any difference when ridding between them ,It's only if you have to lift it over anything .
@@kevindean9613 Agreed, saving weight on a bike is overrated big time in 99% of situations.
Great content. Subscribed!
Thanks for the kind words.
You are a very practical person.
Hope the info helped in some way.
perhaps try a click-stand? Can resolve the kickstand warranty thing?
I tried a kickstand many years ago on a previous tour. It broke within the first week. Not good enough quality for me to use a click stand ever again.
I like the idea of the click stand, but they’re not available in UK, so I cut a hazel stick with a V branch....really light works well, is free, and easy to replace
Have you ever seen bikes out there using that 11 speed Shimano Alfine internal gear hub? They cost so much less than the Rohloff.
Funny things about Alfine is not every lbs has it but rohloff they deliver worldwide
In all my travels I've never seen one. Wish rohloff was cheaper, thats the main turn off for most people.
@@bikehikesafari It might be expensive compared to cheap derailleurs but the Rohloff hub is streets ahead in terms of everything.
@@alexmorgan3435 agreed
Still waiting for the lightweight gear review 😎
Bit slow. I've been actively avoiding social media for a while ill get it happening soon.
@@bikehikesafari Is RUclips classed as social media? I also have no facebook or Instagram but tell myself that RUclips is not social media, haha
that chain looks slack
Yep, just a little bit. Nothing to worry about
Void the warranty with a stand?! Thorn are taking the piss especially with the prices they charge.
They also believe that the bike is designed to carry heavy loads. If a riders loads their bike with very heavy panniers and has all that weight on a small section of the frame then it may fail. I can see their point of view. Luckily I don't load my bike up with too much gear.