Prices in printed copies of this brochure may no longer be correct. Prices, given in the online brochure, are correct and will always be honoured. Mercury These bikes are designed specifically for use with the Rohloff EX hub Size 550S White Team 700c From: Issue 41 WINTER 2018 2811 Thorn Mercury - 8 sizes in 4 colours, drops or straights, rim brakes or discs. Short or Long frames, the choice is yours! You can see the 2 extremes of Mercury builds above and below. Whilst there s no such thing as a Typical Mercury, most customers seem to have spent around 3200 on their Dream Machine. SORRY, this is a temporary, not yet fully stripped-out brochure. There s much detail which is duplicated in the new THORN MEGA BROCHURE. CLICK HERE For THORN MEGA BROCHURE PARTS 1, 2, 3 and 4 This is a very large file (32Mb) it may take a considerable time to open, please be patient. To ORDER:- Phone 01278 441505 or email sales@thorncycles.co.uk The 4 current colour options for MERCURY FRAMES are:- GUNMETAL IMRON COBALT BLUE IMRON BLOOD RED IMRON and GREEN RETRO and Size 580L Black Retro Some of the original colours are still available in some frame sizes:- Matt Black, Black Retro, White Team and Sky Blue Team.
The Thorn Mercury frame is a 700c frame, built specifically for use with the Rohloff EX box hub. The frame has fairly tight geometry, similar to a modern Audax bike. The steel tubes are of the highest possible quality - I ve designed and specified every tube in the frame. The Mercury is the finest sport frame I ve ever ridden - it s responsive, comfortable and handles perfectly. Andy Blance Oct 2014 The symbol on the front cover and on the top left of this page, is the ancient and still current, internationally recognised astrological and astronomical symbol for the planet Mercury. I designed the Mercury to be exceptionally versatile. I designed 8 sizes of Mercury frame. Sorry but there are no extra small or extra large sizes. 4 sizes have long top tubes and should be chosen for use with straight bars. 4 sizes have short top tubes and should be chosen for Detailed specification of the frame tubes. The main triangle uses Reynolds 853 tubes in 0.8/0.5/0.8mm gauge. This is the lightest gauge that I d want to have a frame made from - which, after all, is why I chose it! The down tube is conical 34.9mm at the BB, tapering to 31.8mm at the head tube. The top tube and seat tube are 30.2mm, this, to my knowledge, is a size never used before. I thought that a 31.8mm top tube was not compliant enough and that a 28.6mm top tube was not stiff enough, on this type of frame. The only possible downside of this size tube is that it will be impossible for S&S couplings to ever be fitted to these frames. The 30.2mm seat tube allows the use of a very thin alloy shim to fit the standard 27.2mm seat post, having a shim ought to make seized seat posts a thing of the past. Having a shim also means that the shim can be greased into the frame and a carbon post can be fitted dry, which then means that it doesn t have to be clamped so tightly. The rear triangle uses heat treated Reynolds 725 tubes. The seat stays are 16mm tubes, which have been heavily ovalised, to give a huge degree of vertical compliance - this makes the frame extremely comfortable over very long distances. The chainstays are deeply ovalised and heavily cranked. The deep oval stays allow for tyres up to 40c, to fit between the stays and the cranked stays give plenty of heel clearance. use with drop bars, or by cyclists who need a very relaxed position with straight bars. These sizes are small, small/medium, medium/large and large. I designed the Mercury to accept a wide variety of forks. We offer a choice of 7 different forks. The specific fork chosen will determine the specific function of each Mercury bike. The choice of fork will also dictate which type of brakes must be used on each build. Please study pages 4 and 5 where I list these forks and describe the implications of choosing each of them in detail. The seat stay bridge accepts a special adaptor. The neat adaptor allows a deep drop calliper brake to be fitted, at close to its maximum drop. Without the adaptor, there is close but sufficient clearance for tyres up to 700 x 40c. To keep the neat lines and to keep up with customers requests, the Mercury is fitted with an ISO disc mount. This mount is cantilevered off the special LHS dropout and it will not interfere with our rear carriers. I ve designed a special, lightweight, stainless steel mini-eccentric BB shell for the Mercury. This new EBB saves considerable weight and is infinitely adjustable. I have saved weight by keeping the diameter of the EBB and shell to a minimum, however this means that the new eccentric will only throw a half link of chain. It is important that you have one of the correct combinations of ring and sprocket for this amount of adjustment to be sufficient. Probable height of cyclist suitable for this size frame. 1620 to 1710mm 1660 to 1780mm 1730 to 1835mm 1790 to 1905mm Such an eccentric could be a problem on an expedition bike, where a chain may have to be used beyond its service life but I believe that customers choosing a Mercury, will be prepared to replace a worn chain before setting out on a tour, before commencing an epic ride, or before starting on a special long distance event. For more information please see our document Living with a Rohloff hub. Above, you can see the deep drop calliper brake adaptor and the clearance with 25c tyres. Below, you can see the Mercury also has clearance for 40c tyres. Thorn Size Matrix Description of size [1] Size [2] Actual Seat tube C to C Slope [1] minus [2] Seat Tube centre of EBB to top of clamp Head Tube length Virtual Top Tube C to C Seat Angle With 380mm Fork Chain stay Mid Tube Stand Over Stand over at front of top tube Small Short top tube 520S 440 80 475 125 555 73.5 431 755 785 Small Long top tube 520L 440 80 475 117 580 73 431 755 785 Small/Med Short top tube 550S 480 70 515 154 565 73 431 785 815 Small/Med Long top tube 550L 480 70 515 144 590 72.5 431 785 815 Med/Large Short top tube 580S 520 60 555 188 575 73 431 820 842 Med/Large Long top tube 580L 520 60 555 179 600 72.5 431 820 842 Large Short top tube 610S 560 50 595 214 585 72.5 431 850 865 Large Long top tube 610L 560 50 595 205 615 72 431 850 865 2 2
New THORN mini eccentric. I ve designed a new mini eccentric for the Thorn Mercury. I wish to state clearly that there s no intention of offering this on any of the other models. In order to actually save weight, the eccentric had to be smaller in diameter. Being smaller in diameter means that it can only adjust a little more than half a link of chain. When no more adjustment can be made with the eccentric, a new chain must be fitted. By choosing one of the ideal chain ring and sprocket combinations, the service life of the chain is maximised. I believe that customers, who require a sports bike, will be prepared to replace the chain. Such cyclists will certainly find obtaining and fitting a replacement chain and servicing the mini eccentric, easier than the expedition cyclist. Servicing and preparing the bike for an important event ought to be normal practice. The 4 x M5 screws need to be tightened and loosened in a particular sequence, please see diagram. As soon as each screw becomes tight, each screw must only be turned a sixth of a turn (60 ) at a time until they are tight. Experience has now shown that the mini EBB screws don t need to be very tight, to prevent the eccentric from turning. 5 Nm is more than sufficient and there is zero chance of shearing a greased M5 screw at this torque. The screws must be removed at least every year and fresh copper slip must be applied to the threads. If the bike is used in harsh conditions, such as on salted roads or beaches, re-lubrication, with copper slip, must be more frequent. The KMC Rohloff specific chain, which we now fit to all Mercury bikes, is the best you can get - it can be run for up to 1500 km before it needs to be tensioned and it will last many times longer than any other chain. In good conditions and if kept clean and lubricated, the KMC chain ought to last 20,00km+ 1 2 THORN 3 Tightening & loosening Sequence; 1, 3, 4, 2, 1, 3, 4, 2, etc. 8mm ring 4 Turn screws 60 turn at a time until fairly tight - the maximum torque of 5Nm is usually NOT necessary. Once screws are loose, insert supplied peg tool into holes in the eccentric. Rotate the eccentric to tighten or loosen the chain. Then re-tighten screws in sequence to secure the eccentric. The peg spanner is supplied with the bike. A B C Size 550L with Fork 2 A has all adjustment remaining, B has half adjustment remaining, C has no adjustment remaining. Note that thin part of eccentric is at the bottom of the shell, to prevent ingress of water through the slots. Please see pic of alloy eccentric on the right to understand why this is so. Finish The Mercury frames and the THORN steel forks. have a multi stage finish. The tubes are treated internally, with a rust inhibitor. The outside surfaces are sprayed, with a rust-inhibiting primer. The frames are then sprayed with Twin Pack Aircraft paint - Du Pont s Imron. The decals are applied and a clear coat or Imron is applied over them. The decals are effectively sealed into the finish and you couldn t pick them off if you wanted to. Imron is a twin pack polyester paint - it s very resistant to chips and has excellent adhesion. The Mercury frames are finished in 4 different designs. See page 6 Gunmetal Imron, this is our most popular colour. The Gunmetal colour has a very deep lustre. I ve used black decals, so it s a semi-stealthy finish. It doesn t shout at you but you can read that it s a Thorn Mercury - although only when you get up close. Blood Red Imron, this is a new colour and it has silver and Black THORN decals. On Page 5 you can see that I tried this colour out myself in the last batch. Cobalt Blue Imron this is a new colour and it has silver and Black THORN decals. This is gorgeous. BRG Retro Imron, this is another very tasteful and elegant finish. The gloss Racing Green frame has a painted ivory head tube and ivory snooker cue points painted and stencilled on the top and down tubes. The seat tube has ivory Celtic bands, with an ivory zigzag between them. Discrete green and clear Thorn and Mercury decals are positioned under powder lacquer, on the ivory points. A stainless Thorn head badge is fitted to the head tube. There MAY still some stock in some sizes of the following outgoing colours:- White Team, this is a flashy, in your face finish. The intense white frame has red, white and blue decals on every tube. The decals are sealed in under a gloss powder lacquer. A stainless Thorn head badge is fitted to the head tube. I designed this finish to look special for the rider - it certainly brings a smile to my face. Sky Blue Team, this is a very flashy, totally in your face finish. The Thorn Sky Blue frame has red, white and blue decals on every tube. The decals are sealed in under a gloss powder lacquer. A stainless Thorn head badge is fitted to the head tube. Note, the Thorn Sky Blue is actually a cross between sky blue and duck egg green, it is reminiscent of the under wing colour used on WW2 Spitfires - this effect is only enhanced by the use of the red, white and blue decals! Fiona calls hers WRAAFA Black Retro, this is a very tasteful and elegant finish. The gloss black frame has a painted ivory head tube and ivory snooker cue points painted and stencilled on the top and down tubes. The seat tube has ivory Celtic bands with an ivory zigzag between them. Discrete black and clear Thorn and Mercury decals are positioned under powder lacquer, on the ivory points. A stainless Thorn head badge is fitted to the head tube. Stealth (matt black), this is black powder with a matt powder lacquer. The frames have micro sized decals under the base of the down tube, where they can t be seen. We supply the bike with 2 self adhesive stainless steel Thorn head badges. You can decide whether you fit one of them or not. 3 3
BLACK RETRO Size 550L Size 550L with withfork Fork 6 4 The Avid BB7 cable disc brake (above) has proved to be progressive, powerful and completely reliable. GUNMETAL Size 550S with Fork 5 NEW GUNMETAL IMRON FINISH. Size 550S with Fork 5 Notice how different this rich colour looks in bright lighting (above) and in shade (right). These pics can be enlarged to fill your screen - if you have the necessary kit. Size 520S with Fork 4 GREEN RETRO Size 550S with Fork 4 STEALTH Size 610S with Fork 3 4 4
The 2 extremes of Mercury builds are shown on the front cover - here s something in between. These bikes belong to Fiona and myself - they were perfect for our September 2013 holiday in the French Alps. We were in France for 20 days and, in that time, we managed 14 big alpine rides. We lost a few days driving there and back and a few more relocating our base camp. These bikes have been touring in Northern Thailand twice (which made the Alps seem easy), Cuba once and Southern Thailand since then - they are still brilliant! 5 5
COBALT BLUE IMRON Here are the 4 different colour options for 2018 BLOOD RED Here are IMRON some customers Mercuries that we ve custom built. Some of these set ups are very relaxed others are quite sporty. GUNMETAL IMRON BRG RETRO IMRON 6 6
Size 520L Stealth Size 550L Sky Blue Team Fork 7 Fork 2 Here you can see 4 of our current Demo bikes. They all have Long Top Tube frames. You can make an appointment to take one out on a test ride. I ve specified them all with 700 x 32c Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tyres and as few accessories as possible. The idea being, to demonstrate how light and quick a Mercury can be. I ve shown them all at exactly the same scale on this page. Our other 2 current Mercury Demo bikes can be seen on the front cover. The plan is to be able to adjust one of these bikes to enable 95% of customers to test ride a Mercury. In order to facilitate this, we ve left the fork steerers longer than we d need to, with the majority of Mercury builds. If you re exceptionally short, or tall - we can t supply you with a Mercury but one of our other Rohloff bikes will almost certainly fit you. Andy Blance May 2016 Size 580L BRG Retro Size 600L Gunmetal Imron 7 Fork 5 Fork 4 Since MAYDAY 2016, we ve offered to fit any tubed Schwalbe tyres that you fancy at no upcharge. We ve also fitted a variety of Schwalbe s new TUBELESS tyres, with suitable rims as an upgrade. The Tubeless Tyres are fantastic and you can read my report on them on pages 36 and 37 of the Mega Brochure and see the upgrade prices on page 85. Also since MAYDAY 2016, we ve been supplying Rohloff hubs fitted with the new SPLINED SPROCKET. This makes changing sprockets very easy and will also allow owners to change their gearing very easily, particularly as there are many more size options available. In the style we ve become accustomed to with Rohloff, this mod is retro-compatible. The splined sprocket carrier fits in place of the screw on sprocket, meaning that this modification can be carried out quickly, cheaply and easily on every Rohloff hub ever made. Unique and exclusive to THORN We re so confident that we have built the wheels perfectly that we give a 10 year warranty on the Hub Flange of all of our Rohloff equipped bikes with 32 spoke hubs. This is for the original owner and is dependant upon you ensuring that ROHLOFF spokes are used if ever you need to have a spoke replaced. Of course our wheel building is so good that it s highly unlikely that you ll break a spoke whilst cycling - no matter how hard you ride or how many miles you clock up. However accidental damage whilst touring is always a possibility. We now supply all of our bikes with spare spokes - make certain that you at least take your Rohloff spokes with you on tour. Andy B. Autumn 2017 7
WHITE TEAM Size 580L with Fork 7 This is my bike, it s so quick...i just love it! AB 2011 This bike now has a Thorn 853c fork, calliper front brake and S-One Tubeless tyres...it s even quicker and I love it even more! Andy May 2016 SKY BLUE TEAM Size 550S with Fork 7 Copyright 2018 - All rights reserved. St John Street Cycles Ltd - Thorn Cycles Ltd. Company no. 123142 VAT no. 406 7053 70