Brompton advice

While stranded on the hard shoulder of the information super highway [email hidden] typed:

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I'm just about to order a Brompton, and have a few questions about the spec. First, what gearing
should I get? Is the six speed necessary? Second, what saddle post should I get. I am 1.90m - do I
need the telescopic seat post? What tyres would people recommend? Any other tips appreciated.

Thankks Pinky.

I find the six speed a vast improvement over the three speed. I don't have the 18% reduction; it's
pretty flat around Brum so I don't need it. I guess if I lived somewhere very hilly I'd get it. As
for tyres, get the kevlar ones. The 42FT (green) reduces the risk of punctures. The Schwalbe
Marathon is heavier and not as free running, but is very robust. Must be fitted the right way
around. I'm 175cm and find the standard seat post right for me; I guess tall people might need the
extended post. You can always add this later, so if you can't try before you buy, I would suggest
ording without the extension.

Mine is the T model. Even though the rear carrier is almost useless for carrying stuff (the front
carrier is the way to go) I don't mind carrying the extra weight of the rear carrier. It means that
you always have a carrier with you should you need one.

Mods made to mine are :- -lock nuts fitted to longer clamp bolts. It stops them vibrating out when
the bike is in the boot of the cage; cross drilling for pins is a better option if you have the
facility. -turn the little cone shaped wheels around so you don't catch your heels on them. -MKS
ARS2 pedals and toe clips fitted. These come off so the overall folded size is no bigger. I like toe
clips and I couldn't see an effective way of fitting them to the folding pedal. Also the right hand
pedal is decidedly cheap and nasty, so it was a pleasure to chuck it away. -front carry block
fitted. I have the touring pannier which I use for large loads and I made a bracket to fit a handle
bar bag onto said block for day trips. -short bar ends fitted.

Possible mods to come :- Skateboard wheels on the rear carrier. I am toying with the idea of fitting
the standlights.

Check out the Brompton group available via yahoo groups; there are a lot of very friendly and
knowledgeable Brommie owners to be found.

--
Trog Woolley | trog at trog hyphen oz dot demon dot co dot uk (A Croweater back residing in Pommie
Land with Linux) Isis Astarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Inanna

"Pinky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I'm just about to order a Brompton, and have a few questions about the

spec.

Quoted message said:

First, what gearing should I get? Is the six speed necessary?

Don't whatever you do get the "standard" gearing. It is way too high unless you happen to use the
Brompton uniquely to go downhill. I don't know why Brompton claim that the standard gearing is
"standard". I expect a lot of customers feel vaguely cheated by this description - well I did
anyway. I ended up having to shell out for a Schlumpf speed drive and a smaller front cog to get
reasonable ratios on my "standard" T6 (it is now a T12). I know I could have bought just a bigger
front cog, but I thought if I were going to have to spend more money I would rather gain something
than just rectify a fault. If buying again, I would just get a T6 with optional "lower" gearing.

Second, what

Quoted message said:

saddle post should I get. I am 1.90m - do I need the telescopic seat post?

If you can get away with just an extended standard or carbon seat, then take that option. The
telescopic seat is a really poor piece of engineering. It is heavy, the folding/unfolding process is
encumbered by having two levers to fumble with, and as the inner tube rotates in the outer, and
there is no way to default it to a standard height it all gets very annoying if you are in a hurry.
I binned the telescopic seat post pretty quickly and replaced it with a carbon spring strut out of
an Airbus (I work in aerospace). It took a bit of adjustment to get it to work, but it is fantastic.
It is released by a little paddle under the seat, which causes it to pop up correctly aligned to my
correct seat height. To reset it, I just push down until it clicks in place - and it still hold
together the folded package. It is far lighter and more rigid than the useless telescopic thing too.
Don't ask me how much it would cost if you had to buy one though!

Quoted message said:

What tyres would people recommend?

I have the Schwalbes. I have Schwalbe kevlars on all my bikes - they are long-lasting, virtually
puncture-proof tyres. I've heard that they have more rolling resistance than some others, but I
can't say I have noticed it.

Any other tips appreciated.

The standard Brompton is a fantastic bike. You will not be disappointed with
it. But to my mind, there is still a lot of room for improvement. The folding and unfolding process
is very neat and head and shoulders above all the competition, but it could be made much much
better with a bit of attention to the fiddliness of the various clamps. I've already described
my pop-up seat, which dealt with the fiddly seat clamps. But I also replaced those silly fiddly
hinge-clamps on the frame and handlebar stem with a couple of spring-clamps that are used to
lock down the nosewheel undercarriage on a Dassault bizjet. They just snap together when the
bike is unfolded, and are more rigid than the standard clamps. They add a little weight, but
less than I gained by binning the telescopic junk seat pillar.

With the above modifications, to unfold my Brompton, I just put my left hand on the lh handlebar, my
right hand on the seat, squeeze up the seat release paddle, then sort of flip my left hand wrist,
and the whole bike unfolds and snaps together in the time it takes to stand up straight. Unfolding
the standard Brompton in public is a crowd stopper, but people just stop and gawp astounded when
they see mine. It is really magic. Last time I took it to Paris, two CRS riot cops (who normally
beat you up if you so much as ask them the time) had me folding it and unfolding while they giggled
like little kids outside the French interior ministry. Folding it back together is a little more
work as I have to squeeze the hinge-clamps to release and prime them for the next snap-together, and
I have to push down the seat until it locks down - but it is still way quicker than folding the
standard bike. I'm still working on improving it further I've even got a couple of elastomers from
work which I am trying to figure out how to mount inside the frame and handlebar stem so that it
will pull itself together without me even having to flip my left hand, and also find a better way to
release the handlebar-fork clip. Then I could just release the saddle one handed, and everything
would jump into place in the parked position - that would be coool!

There are a couple of other mods you can make. The handlebars are rather poor and wobble about, so I
am getting some of the apprentices at work to make me some nice one piece carbon-fibre ones. I saw
on the internet that you can also buy some decent replacement jobs from SP engineering. The brakes
too are only B+. I found an article in German about fitting disc brakes to a Brompton. But I think
that is perhaps going a bit far. But if you wanted to really throw the book at it a Rohloff-Brompton
would be the ultimate. Has anybody done that yet?

RichT said:

"Pinky" <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Don't whatever you do get the "standard" gearing. It is way too high unless you happen to use the
Brompton uniquely to go downhill.

It's not *quite* that bad, but it is bad... I've got the -18% on an L3, and it sees me around Dundee
fine. I've ridden the standard gearing on the same patch, and it involved a fair bit of walking!
Dundee has some good sizes of hills, both for length and steepness, so I think that's an indication
the -18% will get you round most places okay. I've tried the 6 and it works nicely, but faced with
the knowledge that I don't need it and it complicates matters I left well alone. If I was using a
Brommie as my main bike, rather than just one of them (have a tourer for heavy loads and/or
distance) I'd want the 6 (probably at -12%), otherwise I'd be happy (as indeed I am) with a 3 plus
gear reduction.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

saddle post should I get. I am 1.90m - do I need the telescopic seat post?

You're probably up for a longer one of some description: I'm 1.73 and have a standard post as high
as it'll go, and that's just nice for me. OTOH I seem to have saddles higher than most people of
equivalent leg length, but if you're near the "heel on pedal with leg almost but not quite fully
extended with pedal at the bottom" rule of thumb, you'll most likely want a longer one of some
description.

Quoted message said:

I have the Schwalbes. I have Schwalbe kevlars on all my bikes - they are long-lasting, virtually
puncture-proof tyres. I've heard that they have more rolling resistance than some others, but I
can't say I have noticed it.

This point seconded. I got Marathons on my tourer and was sufficiently impressed that it was a
no-brainer to go for the option. A friend uses B's own, which he's happy with on the whole but
reports as "a bit skittery in the wet", where I find the Schwalbe's fine. Also seem to do light off
road commendably well.

Quoted message said:

There are a couple of other mods you can make. The handlebars are rather poor and wobble about

"Yes, but..." The "but" being that it's only going to be a problem if your riding style involves
hauling hard on the bars. In practice I find that the upright riding position means I just use the
bars to steer the bike and I keep a very light touch on them, even up steep hills, so as a
consequence they don't wobble at all. But if you like getting out of the seat and/or giving the bars
a heave some attention may well be worth spending on them. Or of auditioning a Birdy and seeing if
you like it better: though it doesn't fold as well, in terms of riding just like a "normal" bike the
Birdy is the better machine IMHO judging from test rides I did.

Quoted message said:

But if you wanted to really throw the book at it a Rohloff-Brompton would be the ultimate. Has
anybody done that yet?

Yes, there was a picture in Velovision a couple of issues back. I think it's one of Steve Parry's
jobs, and "involved considerable modification of the rear triangle"... Again, if you want this
sort of thing it might be easier to start with a Birdy as the Grey has the Rohloff as standard
from the factory.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

"Ben Tansley" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:aumpln$pih$1> Which way is that? At
the bottom, should the blunt end be pointing forward

Quoted message said:

(to enhance braking) or back (to enhance traction)?

The front and rears go on in different directions. Rear orientated for traction, front for braking.
There are "back" and "front" arrows on the sidewalls to explain.

Yes there is a directional arrow on the sidewall.

--
Dave Watkins davewatkins.pwp.blueyonder.co.ukdavewatkins.pwp.blueyonder.co.ukOpen ↗ "Trog Woolley" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

While stranded on the hard shoulder of the information

super highway [email hidden] typed:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Trog Woolley" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
[snipped]

Quoted message said:

As for tyres, get the kevlar ones. The 42FT (green)

reduces the risk

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of punctures. The Schwalbe Marathon is heavier and not

as free

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running, but is very robust. Must be fitted the right

way around.

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[snipped]

Which way is that? At the bottom, should the blunt end

be pointing forward

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

(to enhance braking) or back (to enhance traction)?

Dunno! I don't have Marathons on mine. I recall reading

that there

Quoted message said:

is a directional arrow on them somewhere. Perhaps on the

sidewall?

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I do know the answer may be found on the Brompton yahoo

group archive.

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--