Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
> You can't go far wrong with a Dawes Galaxy. Thorn are good, too, but IMO the Galaxy is still the
> benchmark after more than 30 years.
I paid over £1100 for the previous generation Thorn Nomad. Unless their quality control has improved
since then, forget it if you're buying mail order. The paint finish is very rough, the front mech
appears to be the wrong clamp size, the LX bottom bracket [1] lasted 70 miles then seized, the front
brake hanger wasn't deep drop so the cable was bent with a *very* tight radius [2] and it had
suffered an almighty kick in transit
- the rear rack was bent beyond repair. SJSC replaced the rack with no quibbles but the BB seized
six weeks later (I caught the worst 'flu I've ever had just after taking delivery so didn't ride
it for a while) and I couldn't face paying postage to return such a heavy item. Likewise, the
hassle involved with returning the entire bike because of the paint finish was too much. The bike
is OK apart from those faults, and at some stage it will get a respray anyway, but at that price
it's unacceptable. If you can pick up a bike in person from Bridgwater this would be worth
considering, as it's easier to reject a lemon. I should have done this - it's would only have cost
me £10 in petrol.
[1] I replaced it with an XT BB which has been fine ever since - oddly, SJSC now make a point of
saying they don't skimp on "hidden" components like the BB. Maybe they've changed policy since I
got mine, because the rest of the kit is XT and only the BB was LX!
[2] again, now replaced with a more sensible design of hanger.