Pedalling on Regardless

First the sad news. Due to Jacqui’s serious ill-health, our touring days are over. There will be no more long cycle trips, matching pedal stroke with pedal stroke. No more time on our beloved Thorns. Those glory days are over for the two of us: There will be no more ThornRavens’s adventures.

This is not the end of the story however, merely the closing of a chapter. The Thorn Sport Tourers will go on sale soon as they make way for the next generation of bicycle. What do you imagine will be the next bike for me? Well, a gravel bike of course – what else in the current bike-fashion climate?

In my case I have been uncharacteristically cautious. For the last year I have been riding, and much enjoying, a Decathlon Triban RC120 GRVL bike.

I got mine from the Second Life Bike Rack in my local Decathlon Store. I paid the princely sum of £399. By the time I had ridden home with it I had a huge grin on my face and thought I had stolen it. I’d have thought it a bargain at £1000.

Second Life is Decathlon’s term for returned or second hand, but checked over and guaranteed perfect by a mechanic before they leave the store. Better still they come with a full year’s guarantee as if they were new bikes.

It’s such an eager little bike. It just wants to go and keep going. It’s good on trails, even better on the road.

Mine is a large (at 182cm tall I am just on the cusp between medium and large. There was no medium, so I took a punt on the large and it has proved to be just about perfect for me.

The wheels are 700c, the tyres 38mm. They are Tubeless Ready. The forks are carbon blades, the brakes disks – my first ever. More on these later. The stem 100mm and the gears are an entry level set from MicroShift. They are a 1 by 10 set and they have worked perfectly since the store mechanic set them up.

There is space for 40mm tyres, and lugs for all sorts including mudguards and water bottles. The bike’s weight is just under 10.5k.

Am I pleased? Only as Punch!