Thorn Audax mark 3 Winter bike
sparquin
Posts: 69
Over a year ago now I set out to put together a bike from an old steel frame and my spares box. While I succeeded in putting a bike together, it was a long way from perfect: the old Weinmann brakes were so feeble as to be dangerous, in particular. Here it is:
So I went the more sensible route of getting a decent frame and swapping some of my spares box for other, more suitable parts. And here is the result . . .
[Note that since this picture was taken, I've fixed the stem to be the right way up - this was pure carelessness.]
The result is fairly heavy but really pleasant to ride - the springiness of the steel frame works well on poor road surfaces and gravel tracks. As a welcome change from the previous attempt, the brakes (deep drop TRP sidepulls) are excellent. The drivetrain is almost silent in all 11 gears, and there's something very comforting in knowing that the wheels are not far off a mountain bike spec of a few years ago. It feels like this second attempt has produced a very usable winter bike!
So I went the more sensible route of getting a decent frame and swapping some of my spares box for other, more suitable parts. And here is the result . . .
[Note that since this picture was taken, I've fixed the stem to be the right way up - this was pure carelessness.]
The result is fairly heavy but really pleasant to ride - the springiness of the steel frame works well on poor road surfaces and gravel tracks. As a welcome change from the previous attempt, the brakes (deep drop TRP sidepulls) are excellent. The drivetrain is almost silent in all 11 gears, and there's something very comforting in knowing that the wheels are not far off a mountain bike spec of a few years ago. It feels like this second attempt has produced a very usable winter bike!
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