Thorn Audax: Conceding to mudguards

Picked up this around Christmas. I've already got a nice 853 lemond for summer riding and hopefully racing, so the plan for this is to be the winter/rain bike. I'm also doing an easy light tour to Paris this summer, so I'd like to have it built up by then. The plan is to keep the build sensible price wise.

1 Attachment

The geometry corresponds quite well to lemond so the idea is to to run 2cm spacers and flip the stem for touring or rides over 100 miles and then run slammed and negative rise for winter training

3 Attachments

@Gaston?

So far the parts I know i'll be using and already have:

Hope headset, gore ride on cables, 6800 shifters, 5800 front mech, ambrosio excellight on 6800 hubs, ritchey stem, 5800 bb

For the rest of the build, what i have planned is:

Cheap compact chainset prob shimano
5800 rear mech, chain, and 11-32 cassette
arundel gecko grip tape
thomson elite post, and smp composit or dynamic - whichever one comes up cheap first

Still need to decide on which long drop brakes (thinking shimano), which bars (like the look of 3t tornova pro but theyre expensive), which mudguards and therefore also which tyres. I'd like to go as wide as possible and want to try out gravel kings. Question is whether i could fit 32s in there or whether i't be sensible to put them on 14mm internal wheels.

Ok finally finished scouring eBay for all the parts and built it up. I like a build list so:

Frame- thorn audax mk3 w/ 853 forks size 590
Headset- hope
Stem-ritchey pro 4 axis 120
Bars- 3t tornova 420
Seatpost- Thomson elite 410
Groupset- 5800 bar shifters (6800) and brakes (a550 long drop)
Wheels- 6800 on excel light (though front buckled currently)
Tyres- marathon supreme wired 32
Cables and tape- transfil + lifeline performance
Saddle- brooks b17 for summer, Romin/smp for winter

Test run with carradice camper long flap and saddlebag rack, as it was hitting my legs without the rack.

1 Attachment

Accessories are:
Zefal hpx size 1, Planet X stainless cages, cateye strada speedo.

Still thinking of getting a rear rack, in case I want to carry camping stuff + lock in future.

Need to fit mudguards as well. Not sure which ones just yet but likely sks in 35/45.

Very happy with initial test run. Bit of toe overlap and marathons feels sluggish but too be expected I suppose.

35 in 32 tires is too close, get 45 long boards and enjoy dry feet

Cheers. The surpremes come up quite small more like ~29mm, so wasn't sure. Better safe than sorry I suppose

Well i used 35mm in 28mm tyres, but they were more like 30mm in my rims. I had to open the stays and fiddle a lot to make it work, but still useable. Not much clearance for leaves and such, mind

Yeah 45s probably a better shout then. Might have to scallop them slightly then to get them under the long drops, which'll be a faff.

What size frame is this please?

Biggest one, 600 or 590 I think?

Nice. I'm looking for one in the same size.

May be up for sale so pm me