I've written a separate blog comparing Rohloff and Alfine 11 gears, which explained how it is that I've managed to buy two expensive bikes in 12 months, after 20 years on my old Raleigh (clue: we left our car with the bike rack attached in a dodgy car park in Paris). However, I thought some people might find it useful to read a comparison of the Pompetamine and Thorn Mercury.
Apples and Pears
The first (and obvious) thing to point out is that I'm hardly making a fair comparison. The Pomp cost about £1,400 by the time I'd laden it with a dynamo light and some other accessories; the Thorn cost about £3,200 (over twice as much). So you'd expect the Thorn to be better. However ...
Customer Service
One big difference between Planet X (who sell the On-One) and Thorn is the level of customer service. Superficially, Planet X are the better company: they have a shiny new show-room on an industrial estate in Sheffield, whereas Thorn are based in a tatty shop-cum-warehouse in Bridgwater (off the M5 near Weston-Super-Mare). However, in all other respects Thorn were far better. I've written about my experiences with Planet X customer service elsewhere, but suffice it to say that Planet X continually fell short of my expectations while Thorn kept exceeding them, particularly with regard to delivery times. Thorn were also much better at listening to my needs and making suitable recommendations (I'm a 48-year-old casual rider with no techncial knowledge, and I continually got the impression that Planet X wanted me to be a 24-year-old racing geek).
The Bike Itself
The Pomp was better in a couple of respects (apart from the price): the brake levers are at the end of the flat bars, and so you could access them much more easily (and gain better leverage). I also think it was a bit lighter.
The main plus point of the Thorn is a surprising one: stability. On the Thorn I found downhills scary: I would never attempt to indicate while travelling quickly, and was nervous even turning round. The Thorn seems just a more comfortable and more stable ride. Thorn will tell me it's all about the steel frame, but can this really make so much difference? Whatever the reason, I've lost my fear of descents.
Looks
For many people, this will be the big turn-off for the Thorn. Its looks could be described as "retro" (it looks like something your grandard used to ride), whereas the Pomp had a racing style and looked young and trendy. It also got stolen.
Conclusion
The Thorn Mercury is a much nicer bike to ride: it feels safer, is more comfortable and the Rohloff gears are nicer to use. However, I don't think it jusitfies the huge price hike, and if On-One had had an Alfine 11 Pompetamine in stock at the same price again I'd have bought this instead. That said, if no one nicks this bike, it'll have been worth buying in 10 years or so ...
Hope someone found this useful!
Apples and Pears
The first (and obvious) thing to point out is that I'm hardly making a fair comparison. The Pomp cost about £1,400 by the time I'd laden it with a dynamo light and some other accessories; the Thorn cost about £3,200 (over twice as much). So you'd expect the Thorn to be better. However ...
Customer Service
One big difference between Planet X (who sell the On-One) and Thorn is the level of customer service. Superficially, Planet X are the better company: they have a shiny new show-room on an industrial estate in Sheffield, whereas Thorn are based in a tatty shop-cum-warehouse in Bridgwater (off the M5 near Weston-Super-Mare). However, in all other respects Thorn were far better. I've written about my experiences with Planet X customer service elsewhere, but suffice it to say that Planet X continually fell short of my expectations while Thorn kept exceeding them, particularly with regard to delivery times. Thorn were also much better at listening to my needs and making suitable recommendations (I'm a 48-year-old casual rider with no techncial knowledge, and I continually got the impression that Planet X wanted me to be a 24-year-old racing geek).
The Bike Itself
The Pomp was better in a couple of respects (apart from the price): the brake levers are at the end of the flat bars, and so you could access them much more easily (and gain better leverage). I also think it was a bit lighter.
The main plus point of the Thorn is a surprising one: stability. On the Thorn I found downhills scary: I would never attempt to indicate while travelling quickly, and was nervous even turning round. The Thorn seems just a more comfortable and more stable ride. Thorn will tell me it's all about the steel frame, but can this really make so much difference? Whatever the reason, I've lost my fear of descents.
Looks
For many people, this will be the big turn-off for the Thorn. Its looks could be described as "retro" (it looks like something your grandard used to ride), whereas the Pomp had a racing style and looked young and trendy. It also got stolen.
Conclusion
The Thorn Mercury is a much nicer bike to ride: it feels safer, is more comfortable and the Rohloff gears are nicer to use. However, I don't think it jusitfies the huge price hike, and if On-One had had an Alfine 11 Pompetamine in stock at the same price again I'd have bought this instead. That said, if no one nicks this bike, it'll have been worth buying in 10 years or so ...
Hope someone found this useful!
