St John Street Cycles

great company

After many years of procrastination, we finally decided to take the plunge and buy a Thorn Raven Dynamic childback tandem from SJS Cycles. Several things contributed to this… the 100 day moneyback guarantee, the low maintenance Rohloff internal hub gear, and the option to upgrade at a discount to the next size frame.
As a test, we took the new bike to Devon for a two week holiday. The Rohloff gears (20-100”) were perfect for the 1:4 climbs to and from the beaches, and the unseasonally wet weather gave the components a thorough test.
Overall, the bike is very light, my 6-year old finds the upright pedalling position comfortable, and my 2-year old enjoys travelling in his childseat behind. Despite the weather, the hub gear meant all we had to do was apply some oil to the chain over the 2 week holiday.
However, the allen key bolts on the Thorn-specific components had rusted after only a few days in the wet, and even the frame had a spot of rust. Considering the amount of money we paid for the bike, this was a real disappointment. If you like your toys to keep their 'new’ look you will be very disappointed. Thorn have moved their frame-building offshore to Taiwan and branded their own products for seat posts, cranks and stems, and while this has kept them in business when many UK tandem manufacturers have gone bust, that is no excuse for poor quality materials.
We still have 80-days to decide what to do. it would be a real shame to return the bike, so it will be interesting to see what Thorn offer as a solution.