Compass Folding Bike

John B said:

Has anyone had any experience of the 'Compass Aluminium Folding Bike'?
A lady i know is looking for a folding bike with a back-pedalling brake.

Your first question, "no", but howzabout a Birdy City (TBFKA Birdy Green)

http://kinetics.org.uk/html/city2.shtml

Costs rather more, of course, but you get what you pay for, the fold is
rather more sophisticated and I know which one *I'd* sooner ride 10
miles on!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

John B said:

Has anyone had any experience of the 'Compass Aluminium Folding Bike'?
A lady i know is looking for a folding bike with a back-pedalling brake.

Your first question, "no", but howzabout a Birdy City (TBFKA Birdy Green)

http://kinetics.org.uk/html/city2.shtml

Costs rather more, of course, but you get what you pay for, the fold is
rather more sophisticated and I know which one *I'd* sooner ride 10
miles on!

Tremendous.
I don't know how I missed that one so many thanks.

Big problem will clearly be the price but the lady in question did say she
believes in getting what you pay for.

John B

John B said:

Peter Clinch said:

John B said:

Has anyone had any experience of the 'Compass Aluminium Folding Bike'?
A lady i know is looking for a folding bike with a back-pedalling brake.

Your first question, "no", but howzabout a Birdy City (TBFKA Birdy Green)

http://kinetics.org.uk/html/city2.shtml

Costs rather more, of course, but you get what you pay for, the fold is
rather more sophisticated and I know which one *I'd* sooner ride 10
miles on!

Tremendous.
I don't know how I missed that one so many thanks.

Big problem will clearly be the price but the lady in question did say she
believes in getting what you pay for.

Would there be any point in recommending a Brompton?

Al C-F said:

Would there be any point in recommending a Brompton?

Only if you find a rear hub with a back-pedal brake that will fit in the
Brompton's rather narrow dropouts. I'm hardly an expert on the back
pedal brake hub market, but I'm not immediately aware of such.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Al C-F said:

Would there be any point in recommending a Brompton?

Only if you find a rear hub with a back-pedal brake that will fit in the
Brompton's rather narrow dropouts. I'm hardly an expert on the back
pedal brake hub market, but I'm not immediately aware of such.

OK, sorry, I missed that part of the spec.

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> a écrit:

Quoted message said:

Al C-F wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Would there be any point in recommending a Brompton?

Quoted message said:

Only if you find a rear hub with a back-pedal brake that will fit in
the Brompton's rather narrow dropouts. I'm hardly an expert on
the back pedal brake hub market, but I'm not immediately aware
of such.

The Brompton's back end isn't narrower than most traditional hub-geared
bikes, so a standard Sturmey or SRAM coaster hub will fit. The problem is
that you can't use a coaster brake with a chain tensioner, and the Brompton
need its chain tensioner to fold.

James Thomson

James Thomson wrote on 27/06/2006 17:34 +0100:

Quoted message said:

The Brompton's back end isn't narrower than most traditional hub-geared
bikes, so a standard Sturmey or SRAM coaster hub will fit. The problem is
that you can't use a coaster brake with a chain tensioner, and the Brompton
need its chain tensioner to fold.

ITYM it is narrower than other bikes - 112mm IIRC vs typically 120mm+

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

"James Thomson" <[email hidden]> a écrit:

Quoted message said:

The problem is that you can't use a coaster brake with a chain tensioner

.... and the problem with that statement being that the Birdy City pictured
has a chain tensioner:

http://www.kinetics.org.uk/html/city2.shtml

Anyone know how this works?

James Thomson

in message <[email hidden]>, John B

(') said:

Has anyone had any experience of the 'Compass Aluminium Folding Bike'?
A lady i know is looking for a folding bike with a back-pedalling
brake.

she is looking for something for short trips, perhaps up to 10 miles
maximum.

All I've found is:

http://www.compass24.com/cgi-bin/abnetshop.pl?basket=lnquebrpwvfjvniwgeiqdkimcnmcteomwkbeqiigulgfs&nummernliste=976004

Quoted message said:

Any comments or other possibilities welcome.

Know nothing about the Compass. Several Dahons have back-pedal brakes.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; not so much a refugee from reality, more a bogus
;; asylum seeker

John B wrote on 27/06/2006 10:40 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Has anyone had any experience of the 'Compass Aluminium Folding
Bike'? A lady i know is looking for a folding bike with a
back-pedalling brake.

she is looking for something for short trips, perhaps up to 10 miles
maximum.

All I've found is:
http://www.compass24.com/cgi-bin/abnetshop.pl?basket=lnquebrpwvfjvniwgeiqdkimcnmcteomwkbeqiigulgfs&nummernliste=976004

Any comments or other possibilities welcome.

John B

It was mentioned in the latest AtoB magazine.

AtoB said
"Our favourite cheapie is the Compass Marine single speed 20" folder
with back pedal rear brake. A good simple rideable bike for only £69.
Compass currently sell the cheapest hub geared bike too - a 16" folder
for £117."

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

John B said:

Has anyone had any experience of the 'Compass Aluminium Folding Bike'?
A lady i know is looking for a folding bike with a back-pedalling brake.

she is looking for something for short trips, perhaps up to 10 miles
maximum.

All I've found is:
http://www.compass24.com/cgi-bin/abnetshop.pl?basket=lnquebrpwvfjvniwgeiqdkimcnmcteomwkbeqiigulgfs&nummernliste=976004

Any comments or other possibilities welcome.

John B

When yotties ask me about folding bikes, I warn them off anything
bought from a chandlery (which is what compass24 is). I would no more
recommend buying a boat from the LBS than I would suggest buying a bike
from a chandlery.

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> a écrit:

Quoted message said:

James Thomson wrote on 27/06/2006 17:34 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Brompton's back end isn't narrower than most traditional hub-geared
bikes, so a standard Sturmey or SRAM coaster hub will fit. The problem is
that you can't use a coaster brake with a chain tensioner, and the
Brompton needs its chain tensioner to fold.

Quoted message said:

ITYM it is narrower than other bikes - 112mm IIRC vs typically 120mm+

Not at all. You may be familiar with derailleur bikes with wider rear ends,
but in the world of hub gears, coasters, and single speeds (being the
context), 112mm isn't particularly narrow.

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/sa/safitadj.pdf

The over-all width of Sturmey-Archer rear hubs over the cone locknuts,
as supplied from the Works, is 4 5/16" [109.5mm]. If necessary, it can
be reduced to 4 1/16" [103.2mm] by removing the spacing washer on
the left-hand side and the cone locknut on the right-hand side.

That applies to all the 3- and 4-speed hubs Sturmey made at the time that
was written, and the many of the fives that came along later. The Sprinter
fives and sevens were broader.

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/s3c.pdf

Over Locknut Dimensions: 4 7/16" (112.7mm) (Note - this dimension
can be varied to suit customer's requirements)

The AW is still available from the factory right down to 107.7mm (4 1/4"😉
oln.

James Thomson

In article <[email hidden]>
Not Responding <[email hidden]> wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

When yotties ask me about folding bikes, I warn them off anything
bought from a chandlery (which is what compass24 is). I would no more
recommend buying a boat from the LBS than I would suggest buying a bike
from a chandlery.

The shop I bought my Holdsworth from also sold rigging and outboard
motors :-)

James Thomson wrote on 27/06/2006 23:34 +0100:

Quoted message said:

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> a écrit:

Quoted message said:

James Thomson wrote on 27/06/2006 17:34 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Brompton's back end isn't narrower than most traditional hub-geared
bikes, so a standard Sturmey or SRAM coaster hub will fit. The problem is
that you can't use a coaster brake with a chain tensioner, and the
Brompton needs its chain tensioner to fold.

Quoted message said:

ITYM it is narrower than other bikes - 112mm IIRC vs typically 120mm+

Not at all. You may be familiar with derailleur bikes with wider rear ends,
but in the world of hub gears, coasters, and single speeds (being the
context), 112mm isn't particularly narrow.

My apologies. When you wrote "traditional hub-geared bikes" I thought
you were referring to the bikes being traditional not the hub gears.
Yes you may be able to find old style SA hubs that fit the Brompton and
there are even three speed hubs still available from SA and SRAM, but
try finding any other current hub gear that fits a Brompton rear as
standard. Rohloff, SRAM, Shimano, SA, none of them fit without
resetting the rear triangle (possible on the steel but essentially
impossible on the Ti triangle).

Quoted message said:

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/sa/safitadj.pdf

The over-all width of Sturmey-Archer rear hubs over the cone locknuts,
as supplied from the Works, is 4 5/16" [109.5mm]. If necessary, it can
be reduced to 4 1/16" [103.2mm] by removing the spacing washer on
the left-hand side and the cone locknut on the right-hand side.

If you are going to look at the SA range, at least look at the current
range - http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/sturmeyupdate.pdf

Tony Hadland's site is full of historical stuff but even then AFAIK only
the 3 and 5 speed hubs were available in a size that fitted the Brompton
rear.

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

On Tue, 27 Jun 2006 22:01:51 +0100, Tony Raven <[email hidden]>
said in <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

"Our favourite cheapie is the Compass Marine single speed 20" folder
with back pedal rear brake. A good simple rideable bike for only £69.

That frame looks like a Dahon.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> a écrit:

Quoted message said:

When you wrote "traditional hub-geared bikes" I thought you
were referring to the bikes being traditional not the hub gears.

I was referring to both.

Quoted message said:

Yes you may be able to find old style SA hubs that fit the Brompton
and there are even three speed hubs still available from SA and SRAM,
but try finding any other current hub gear that fits a Brompton rear as
standard.

The Sturmey fives are also available in a narrow fitting, and there's talk
of a narrow 8-speed in the pipeline. But the context isn't whether or not a
112mm oln is universal, but whether or not it's unusual. In hub gear (and
more general) terms, it isn't.

Quoted message said:

Rohloff, SRAM, Shimano, SA, none of them fit without
resetting the rear triangle.

Of course not, and neither will they fit most traditional bikes without a
similar operation.

Quoted message said:

(possible on the steel but essentially impossible on the Ti triangle).

Again, the context isn't whether or not it's possible to fit all hub gears
to all Bromptons. It's not difficult to find combinations that won't work.

Quoted message said:

Tony Hadland's site is full of historical stuff but even then AFAIK
only the 3 and 5 speed hubs were available in a size that fitted
the Brompton rear.

The fours as well, as I wrote previously. And of course many single speed
coaster hubs will fit.

I went to Hadland not because his data is historical, but because its
authoritative, and shows clearly that there's nothing unusally narrow about
the Sturmey hub as fitted to the Brompton.

James Thomson

Tony Raven said:

James Thomson wrote on 27/06/2006 23:34 +0100:

Quoted message said:

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> a écrit:

Quoted message said:

James Thomson wrote on 27/06/2006 17:34 +0100:

Quoted message said:

> The Brompton's back end isn't narrower than most traditional hub-geared
> bikes, so a standard Sturmey or SRAM coaster hub will fit. The
> problem is
> that you can't use a coaster brake with a chain tensioner, and the
> Brompton needs its chain tensioner to fold.

Quoted message said:

ITYM it is narrower than other bikes - 112mm IIRC vs typically 120mm+

Not at all. You may be familiar with derailleur bikes with wider rear
ends,
but in the world of hub gears, coasters, and single speeds (being the
context), 112mm isn't particularly narrow.

My apologies. When you wrote "traditional hub-geared bikes" I thought
you were referring to the bikes being traditional not the hub gears. Yes
you may be able to find old style SA hubs that fit the Brompton and
there are even three speed hubs still available from SA and SRAM, but
try finding any other current hub gear that fits a Brompton rear as
standard. Rohloff, SRAM, Shimano, SA, none of them fit without
resetting the rear triangle (possible on the steel but essentially
impossible on the Ti triangle).

So you can't get an 8-Speed Brompton? Thats bad, I would have thought
it'd be crying out for that solution.

<snip>

Tosspot said:

So you can't get an 8-Speed Brompton? Thats bad, I would have thought
it'd be crying out for that solution.

On this years IoW trip, I met a lady with a Rolhoff-equipped Brompton.

Would that be enough gears for you?

Al C-F wrote on 28/06/2006 22:18 +0100:

Quoted message said:

On this years IoW trip, I met a lady with a Rolhoff-equipped Brompton.

Would that be enough gears for you?

Mary Jane. Her's is a Steve Parry special rather than a standard
Brompton. He does lots of bending and special parts to do that.

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci