Thorn MK3 Audax Review - BikeRadar

Far more than just a fast-day-ride bike suitable for Audax events, the Thorn Mk 3 Audax is fun and superbly versatile machine that will take light touring and general riding comfortably in its stride.

Ride & handling: comfortable over smooth or rough & load capable

Take one bike tester and a four-hour ride that culminates with a few miles over the New Forest’s grit, gravel and wood-strewn tracks and what do you get? Aside from the frustration of being lost – well, the instructions were to look for a five-barred gate and there are lots of five-barred gates – and being late for a barbecue…

As happens in all the best rides, these feelings turned to elation when said rider realised just how much fun he was having – and just how good the Thorn was at handling what was an extremely variable surface at some surprisingly impressive speeds. His mood darkened slightly when a bag containing a bottle of Tesco’s chardonnay went flying off the back, but then it was entirely his fault for not packing it securely in the first place… Lesson learnt.

The other lesson learnt was that the Thorn Audax proved to be an impressively versatile machine. Yes, it makes a great audax machine, but its set-up, the inclusion of full braze-ons and its handling means it’ll easily cope with light touring.

The front fork isn’t intended for very heavy loads, though. Thorn emphasises that you shuldn’t treat it as a ‘full-blown touring fork’, but it’s still designed to carry two and a half kilos each side. Combine this with 10kg at the back and you can see that the Thorn Audax will double as quite a load-bearer.

If you’ve ever toured with 15kg, you’ll know this is quite a weight. In short, if you’re a one-bike-for-all-needs type rider then this would perhaps suit more than the other bikes on test.

Frame: Thorn’s own pipes with full braze-ons

The frame is made from Thorn’s own cold-drawn double butted chromoly 858, welded to a very high standard and fitted with a full complement of braze-ons.

Unlike the two other steel bikes on test, the Thorn isn’t custom built, but the five sizes on offer should suit virtually every size and shape of rider.

There’s also a more limited choice of colours available, the pearl-metallic cobalt blue of our test bike or blood red.

Equipment: a triple chainset! Hurrah!

Shimano’s second string Ultegra groupset contributes much of the kit, so you know what you’re going to get.

It was good to see a triple chainset, offering a 29in low gear. Not everybody wants to fly along at speed, many of us live and ride in areas with sharp hills, and rather than making you get out of the saddle and crank slowly and painfully up the slopes, the Thorn offers a knee-friendly twiddling option.

The slight weight penalty is more than worth it for a large number of riders.

Wheels: good quality handbuilts

The wheels are classic-looking with 32 spokes front and rear. DT Swiss provides rims and spokes, Shimano the cup and cone sealed Ultegra hubs, and Robin Thorn’s team provide the necessary wheelbuilding skills to do this quality of components justice.

It wasn’t just the bike that passed the New Forest riding test with flying colours, those 25mm Conti Ultra Gator Skins proved inspiring performers too.

Verdict: confidence justifies

While 1500 quid is a healthy amount for a bike, if your wallet doesn’t stretch that far, the Audax Mk3 actually starts at a shade under £900, with the same frame. It’ll last just as long, giving you the option to upgrade if you want to over time.

And one of the best things about Thorn? Its unique ‘pledge of satisfaction’. This states: ‘Buy a Mk3 Audax, ride it for 14 days and, if you are not totally delighted, upon its return, we will refund the purchase price.’

That’s quite a pledge and shows the confidence Thorn has in its products.

From our New Forest experience, that confidence is fully justified.

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