© Copyright 2018 - All rights reserved.
St John Street Cycles - Thorn Cycles Ltd. Company no. 123142 VAT no. 406 7053 70
Sherpa Mk3
A stunning, derailleur geared, rugged 26” wheel touring bike
May also be built into a 26” wheel hybrid trekking bike or a bike for general-purpose commuting and day rides.
Issue 40 WINTER
2018
Please read and note. Prices are rising all the time and we do not wish to waste resources; consequently the prices, in printed copies of this brochure, may no longer be correct. The current prices, given in the on line brochure, are correct and will always be honoured.
Available in a choice of 2 colours and 10 sizes
Blood Red
Stealth Black
#We’ve HUNDREDS
of DELIGHTED
Sherpa Owners -
some have
cycled around the world -
others have simply enjoyed
reliable day to day transport.
Size shown
500L With ST 26
Fork
Size shown
565S
With ST 26 Fork
This is what you get for £1299, except the bike shown is 27 speed and you’ll get 30speed!
This is also what you get for £1299, except the bike shown is 27 speed and you’ll get 30 speed and, for some weird reason, this bike has RED HOPE HUBS, which are a charged upgrade.
Sherpa
30 speed
Straight bars
or Drops
Straights from:-
£1368
or
CLICK HERE For
THORN MEGA BROCHURE
PARTS 1, 2, 3 and 4
This is a very large file (30Mb) it may take a
considerable time to open, please be patient.
Phone: 01278 441505
or email:
Or complete an order form - this can be
found in Part 3 of the Mega Brochure
To ORDER:-
You can now have NEW Schwalbe
Marathon
Supreme
(HS 469) or a variety of Schwalbe Tyres at no extra cost.
You can now have NEW Schwalbe
Marathon Supreme
(HS 469) or a variety of Schwalbe Tyres at no extra cost.
2
Thorn Sherpa Issue 40 - WINTER 2018
SPECIFICATIONS
The THORN 30 speed Specs have been chosen specifically to be the longest-
lasting, most reliable specification possible, with due regard to cost! You can choose to have the spread of your gears to be greater than anything currently offered by other manufacturers. We had to “think outside the box” and add mountain bike transmission to our Sherpa because we know how essential it is have really low gears, in severe terrain...especially when you have a touring load and more especially, when you are really tired!
Transmission.
The transmission we have selected, whilst not being expensive, is really rather nice.
You have 4 choices of gearing, each of which is available with either 170 or 175
cranks, the choices are:-
[1] Our exclusive Shimano Deore quality 10sp 26/36/48 chainset with an 11-36 10sp
MTB cassette. We call this ULTRA WIDE RANGE GEARING.
[2] The above 10sp 26/36/48 chainset with a 12-28 Tiagra 10sp cassette,
we call this WIDE RANGE GEARING.
[3] You can choose a 10sp Deore 24/32/42 chainset with the 11-36 cassette, we call
this EXTRA LOW ULTRA WIDE RANGE GEARING.
[4] Or you can choose the above chainset with the 12-28 cassette,
We call this EXTRA LOW WIDE RANGE GEARING.
Brakes. We fit Sherpa specs A, B and C with Shimano Deore V brakes. In the
case of option C (with bar end shifters) we use Tektro V brake specific drop bar levers.
These Tektro levers, unlike other manufacturer’s previous attempts to marry drops with V’s, actually work and have great “feel”.
IMPORTANT NOTE;- The 2 drop bar STI options (D and E) have to use cantilever
brakes - using V brakes with these STI levers is dangerous - the levers will hit the bars before full braking effort can be applied.
Wheels and tyres.
The beauty of 26” wheels is that very strong and reliable, yet not excessively heavy wheels can be built economically. We equip the THORN SHERPA 30Sp with a set of “proper wheels”, hand built by a master wheel-builder. We can use black Rigida grizzly rims, with 36 top quality stainless spokes to promise long-term reliability. We’ve specified the very durable and reliable Shimano Deore sealed MTB hubs with 135mm axle spacing, to reduce wheel dish. We NOW fit the NEW 1.6" Schwalbe Supreme tyres at the START PRICE. You can have a variety of Schwalbe Tyres fitted for no extra charge. Please see page 99 of the MEGA BROCHURE At the start price your bike can be equipped with either Ergon GP1 grips or Herrmans DD08B Dual Density ergonomic grips and SJSC Ergo control bar ends For information on recommended and desirable upgrades, please see the THORN MEGA BROCHURE.
We offer the THORN SHERPA 30Sp with a choice of either dropped or straight bars:-
Thorn Sherpa Mk3
22 years have passed since we first introduced our original innovative 26" wheel tourer. Over this period, the bike has evolved into the superbly refined Thorn Sherpa Mk3 which we’re able to offer to you today. You can choose to have your Sherpa Mk3 built with drop bars, or with straight bars - either option can be built up with key components, which are heavy duty enough to be reliable on genuine around the world trips. At the other extreme, the Mk3 can be built with reasonably lightweight components, to create a superbly responsive, yet reliable bike, for assertive and athletic commuting through broken city streets. However, most customers tend to have their Sherpas built up as general purpose bikes - such bikes spend most of their time acting as reliable personal transport but are always ready for a long (or short!) cycle camping (or shopping) trip.
At the heart of every Sherpa is a superb steel frame, with perfect geometry, which is designed for a lifetime of service. Unlike its imitators, every tube in a Sherpa’s frame is seamless, cold drawn, double butted and heat treated Cro-Mo - this gives a wonderfully comfortable and compliant ride - with precise handling, whilst efficiently transforming the riders’ efforts into forward motion. We then fit good quality, reliable components, a super pair of hand-built wheels and we encourage you to choose the best possible tyres for your Sherpa’s intended purpose. The Sherpa ethos is high quality, comfort and reliability achieved through the old school virtues of simplicity, durability and longevity - these are nice qualities to have in a day to day bike and, in my opinion, essential qualities in an expedition bike. I like to think that the Sherpa stands out as a supremely sensible choice, in a world awash with eye candy and bling. Andy B. May 2016
Ergon GP5-L grips
Shimano
TIAGRA
10sp STI
Many bar and shifter options are available on your Sherpa - please see the Mega Brochure - You’ll find the link on page 1 of this brochure.
3
Thorn Sherpa
Size Shown 560S
This bike has many upgrades
and is ready for a Sunday ride, a
week in France
or a World Tour!
Size shown
420S-T
with
ST 26 FORK
Size shown
500S
With ST 26 fork
Size Shown is
475M With upgrade
RAV853VC Fork
Size shown
500L
With ST 26 fork
Size shown
600L
With ST 26 fork
Size shown
530S
With ST 26 fork
On this page you can see 7
of the 10 sizes of Sherpa
that we offer.
Above and on the Left you
can see 2 Sherpas that
have been built up for
loaded touring.
You’ll find lots of
helpful
advice and
all the
upgrade
options and
prices, in
the MEGA
BROCHURE.
See the link
on page 1
4
Issue 13 - Jan 2011
Finish The Sherpa frames and forks have a
multi stage finish. The frames are treated internally, with a rust inhibitor. The outside surfaces are sprayed, with a rust-inhibiting primer. The frames are then coated, with a super tough and environmentally friendly powder coat finish, the decals are applied and the frames are given a second coat of powder, this time it’s clear powder “lacquer”. The decals are effectively “sealed into the finish” and you couldn’t pick them off if you wanted to.
Colour options The Sherpa frames
are available in a choice of two colours… a very bold red, which we call “blood red”, with silver decals or you can choose “satin black” with silver decals. The red is completely “in your face”, whilst the satin black is cool, sophisticated and melts into the background. I can’t advise you on colour, other than to repeat, what is surely common knowledge, “red bikes are invariably the quickest”.
Probable height of cyclist, for whom this is likely to be a suitably sized frame.
THORN
FRAME
SIZE
FORK
offset Reqd.
Frame tube diameters
Max Load
Using Front and Rear Panniers, 3kg bar bag + 3 cages.
Max Load
Using REAR ONLY
Panniers with 2kg bar bag + 3 cages.
Slope Seat Tube C to C
Virtual top tube
Seat Angle
Chain Stay
Mid-Tube S/O (Standover height)
Height of top tube @ junction with head tube
1490-1570mm 475M 52 Standard 33kg 17kg 60 415 550 74 432 715 750
1525-1660mm 500S 52 Standard 33kg 17kg 55 445 540 73.5 432 740 770
1525-1660mm 500L 52 Oversize 36kg 21kg 55 445 575 73 438 740 770
1600-1770mm 530S 52 Oversize 36kg 21kg 50 480 550 73.5 438 780 805
1600-1770mm 530L 46 Oversize 35kg 20kg 50 480 590 73 445 780 805
1700-1820mm 565S 52 Oversize 36kg 21kg 45 520 560 73 438 815 835
1700-1820mm 565L 46 EXTRA
Oversize 40kg 24kg 45 520 605 72.5 445 815 835
1780-1920mm 600S 46 EXTRA
Oversize 40kg 24kg 40 560 575 72.5 445 850 870
1780-1920mm 600L 46 EXTRA
Oversize 38kg 23kg 40 560 620 72 451 850 870
1565-1790mm 420S-T 52 Step
Through
33kg 17kg N/A 450 555 73.5 438 N/A N/A
Important notes on
Sherpa Mk3 frames. The smallest frames now use standard size tubing, which is 1" Top tube and 1⅛" down tube. The small to medium size frames use oversize tubes 1⅛" top tube and 1¼" down tube. The larger frames use extra oversize tubes 1¼" top tubes and 1⅜" down tubes. I believe that this makes good sense. Small frames are inevitably stronger than large frames and riders of small frames are usually lighter than riders of large frames. The Mk3 frames now have a cast stainless seat clamp.
The majority of customers choosing drop
bars need one of the Short S frames.
Most male customers choosing straight
bars need one of the Long L frames.
Many female customers, most male customers seeking very relaxed positions and some male customers seeking relaxed positions, probably need one of the short S frames.
Mk3 Sherpa frames have the choice of 2 different steel forks.
FORK CHOICE see page 89 of
the Mega Brochure
We have Reynolds Super Tourist Cro-Mo
forks, which we call ST 26, these forks have
cast crowns, safety drop outs and provision for Lo-Loader carriers, as well as our trademark provision for directly mounting the mudguards. The ST 26 forks will carry up to 6Kg on each side!
We also have an optional fork made from Competition weight Reynolds 853, which we
call RAV853VC These forks have safety
dropouts and stainless bosses for the direct fitting of mudguards but they don’t have provision for Lo-Loader carriers. This fork is exceptionally comfortable, the Reynolds 853 blades are the most comfortable I’ve ever ridden. RAV853VC forks will suit riders who wish to use a Sherpa for commuting, or for lighter touring.
Both the ST 26 and RAV853VC forks will take a 2.0” tyre if required.
I’ve also introduced a step-through Sherpa frame, which is strong enough for serious touring.
Gearing...a personal
view.
Most bikes, in most bike shops, are geared too high. Pushing hard on the pedals at low revs is another sure way of damaging your knees. There are touring bikes available, off the shelf, which have significantly higher gears than the 110” gear (53/13) that Eddy Merckx occasionally used...when he was sprinting for the line - at 50mph! This is silly - but when such bikes lay claim to being touring bikes and also don’t have sufficiently low gears, it’s more than silly - it’s reprehensible! Some cycle tourists, of course, are strong
enough not to need low gears, especially if
they have come from a racing background.
However many cyclists, contemplating loaded touring for the first time, grossly underestimate just how low their gearing needs to be, in order to haul a heavy load over a big climb, especially after a hard day in the saddle. Believe me, if you also factor in altitude and sickness, most people simply can’t gear too low - with derailleur gears!
We give you 4 gearing options on
the Sherpa.
ULTRA WIDE RANGE GEARING: 11-36
cassette with the 26/36/48 chainset . Choose this and you’ll have gears from 19” to 113”. The top gear is probably higher than you need, with a load but at least you have plenty of really low gears for hauling big loads over steep hills, when you are tired.
WIDE RANGE GEARING: 12-28 cassette with
the 26/36/48 chainset . Choose this and you’ll have gears from 24” to 104” with a superb choice of fairly close ratio gears within this range. In my opinion, this range is ideally suited to fast touring, with moderately heavy loads, over rolling terrain...which of course may be just what you’re planning!
EXTRA LOW ULTRA WIDE RANGE
GEARING: 11-36 cassette with the 22/32/42
chainset . Choose this and you’ll have a fantastic
range of gears from 16” to 99”. This is what
I’d use for expedition touring.
EXTRA LOW WIDE RANGE GEARING: 12-28
cassette with the 22/32/42 chainset . Choose this and you’ll have gears from 20” to 91” with a superb choice of fairly close ratio gears within this range. These ratios are ideal for experienced, moderately loaded cyclists, who ride with a high cadence*. (*They spin at high RPM)
RAV853VC
FORK
Sherpa size matrix
See page 67 of the
Mega Brochure for details of
our LIFETIME frame warranty
and 14 day money back guarantee of satisfaction.