weekend brompton run

stupot said:

2. Hub somtimes shifts up to middle gear when under pressure going up a
hill.

You had hub problems just after you bought it, didn't you?

Mine never does this. I think you've got something wrong with the
gearing. Take it back and get it seen to, this shouldn't be a problem.
Stop wishing it'll go away and might with time, it's not working
properly and it's your right under the warranty to get it fixed for free.

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:

You had hub problems just after you bought it, didn't you?
Mine never does this. I think you've got something wrong with the
gearing. Take it back and get it seen to, this shouldn't be a problem.
Stop wishing it'll go away and might with time, it's not working
properly and it's your right under the warranty to get it fixed for free.

Quite right. :-) The machine is due in for its 3 month service about
now. However I did see a review in a car mag (booo) that also complained
of auto gear changing on a brompton. And that 18th century designed gear
lever is the most in-distinct gear lever Ive used since my Mums 1940s two
tonne crate and I see that the 2005 bromptons have a different lever.

stupot said:

And that 18th century designed gear
lever is the most in-distinct gear lever Ive used since my Mums 1940s two
tonne crate and I see that the 2005 bromptons have a different lever.

But I've got the same one as you, and it clicks nicely between the 3
gears and never gives me any trouble or doubts about the sobriety and/or
sanity of the person that specified it. Did you (or Bikefix, or
anyone) ever try fettling the toggle chain?

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:

But I've got the same one as you, and it clicks nicely between the 3
gears and never gives me any trouble or doubts about the sobriety and/or
sanity of the person that specified it. Did you (or Bikefix, or
anyone) ever try fettling the toggle chain?

Not yet. Ill get bikefix to take a look during the service.

stupot said:

Complaints...
1. Those 16" wheels dont like to hit things - bumps in road, drain
covers etc.
2. Hub somtimes shifts up to middle gear when under pressure going up a
hill.

Pros...
1. Great views from upright comfy position.
2. Easy to travel with.

Another question?
Anyone here fitted bigger wheels to their brompton?

Stuart Barlow said:

Another question?
Anyone here fitted bigger wheels to their brompton?

I haven't, but if you want something that folds /almost/ as well but has
bigger wheels then the easiest answer (albeit a quite expensive one) is
"Birdy". Also gives you front suspension, a stiffer frame and numerous
gearing options, all of which make it a better bike for actually
covering serious miles on than a Brom.

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:

I haven't, but if you want something that folds /almost/ as well but has
bigger wheels then the easiest answer (albeit a quite expensive one) is
"Birdy". Also gives you front suspension, a stiffer frame and numerous
gearing options, all of which make it a better bike for actually
covering serious miles on than a Brom.

That Birdy thing is exactly what I was thinking too. :-) They do look nice.
But Ill have trouble getting two folding bikes past wife this year.
Are there any birdy owners on the list?

stupot said:

That Birdy thing is exactly what I was thinking too. :-) They do look nice.
But Ill have trouble getting two folding bikes past wife this year.
Are there any birdy owners on the list?

I don't know for sure, but you can have an extensive test ride at
Kinetics if Bikefix don't have any in. If I had one single bike for
everything then a Birdy Grey (though in a different colour!) would
certainly be one of the machines being considered. But I have the
option of several different bikes, so this is a moot point.

It does ride better than a Brom, but it doesn't fold as neatly or
quickly and costs a lot more. For short hacks where storage at one or
both ends is an issue then I'd say the Brom is the better machine.

Also the case that I think there are probably better companion machines
to a Brompton as there's a lot of overlap with what a Birdy can do.
Something like a Bike Friday, Moulton or Airnimal strikes me as making a
better partner to a Brompton for covering different folding (or
disassembling) bases optimally (Darth Ben has Airnimals in at Kinetics
now, I gather from the web site).

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:

Stuart Barlow said:

Another question?
Anyone here fitted bigger wheels to their brompton?

I haven't, but if you want something that folds /almost/ as well but has
bigger wheels then the easiest answer (albeit a quite expensive one) is
"Birdy". Also gives you front suspension, a stiffer frame and numerous
gearing options, all of which make it a better bike for actually
covering serious miles on than a Brom.

That was my thought and I've just been down to Bikefix to test one out
on some rough patches of road. Most impressive. A red one with
mudguards is now on order. I haven't bothered with the comfort stem
since the standard one is fine for me. Coming at it from a roadie's
perspective I like my bars low and forward.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

Phil Cook said:

That was my thought and I've just been down to Bikefix to test one out
on some rough patches of road. Most impressive. A red one with
mudguards is now on order. I haven't bothered with the comfort stem
since the standard one is fine for me. Coming at it from a roadie's
perspective I like my bars low and forward.

Have you used other folding bikes?
Does it seem fast?
Does it seem light?

Peter Clinch said:

I don't know for sure, but you can have an extensive test ride at
Kinetics if Bikefix don't have any in. If I had one single bike for
everything then a Birdy Grey (though in a different colour!) would
certainly be one of the machines being considered. But I have the
option of several different bikes, so this is a moot point.

I think Im a one bike person. I can really only lurve and be bothered
to maintain one bike. Well, maybe one serious bike and one dirty, child
transporting, corner shop trip bike.

stupot said:

Phil Cook said:

That was my thought and I've just been down to Bikefix to test one out
on some rough patches of road. Most impressive.

Quoted message said:

Have you used other folding bikes?

Other than an odd pootle on a Brom no. But then I have hardly used a
Birdy yet...

Quoted message said:

Does it seem fast?
Does it seem light?

Yes to both. 10.6kg and as fast as you can push it. :-)
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

stupot wrote:
[Birdy]

Quoted message said:

Does it seem fast?
Does it seem light?

B-Black is a shade under 10 Kgs. Though not /ideal/ for the job, I
understand they have graced the odd triathlon. You'd certainly
leave your Brompton mounted twin in the dust on one, especially if
hauling on the handlebars up a hill was required.

Ride is such that if you averted your eyes from the bike itself
you'd be hard pushed to tell you weren't on something quite sporty
yet much more conventional (at least that's with the usual Birdy
bars, which are set like an MTB flat bar. The 10th anniversary
special has optional drop bars (and 20" rather than the usual 18"
wheels), the Green comes with a more upright "comfort bar" as
standard, but you can order that as an option on any other Birdy,
or the standard bar on the green: I've not tried the Comfort bars).

All the colours share the same frame but the gearing options and
other component specifications vary. Red is the "vanilla" model,
Blue has DualDrive gears for most flexibility, Black is the
lightest, Grey has a Rohloff, Green has a nexus hub gear and more
upright position for more urban use, White uses Shimano's Capreo
groupset designed for small wheel bikes.

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/

stupot said:

And that 18th century designed gear
lever is the most in-distinct gear lever Ive used since my Mums 1940s two
tonne crate and I see that the 2005 bromptons have a different lever.

I've swapped mine for the twist grip that goes with the hub. Cost about
£11 IIRC and had to be ordered by the LBS but I would never revert to
the original shifter.

--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

stupot said:

Took the brompton on a 70 mile trip around loch rannoch and loch
tummel at the weekend. And a shorter 35 mile on Sunday. Brompton ran
well and even
had to be pushed along while I rode a mountain bike (rider had fallen
off
and taken to hospital) - Brompton travelled well with no rider while
pushed from the seat!

Complaints...
1. Those 16" wheels dont like to hit things - bumps in road, drain
covers etc.
2. Hub somtimes shifts up to middle gear when under pressure going up
a hill.

I had this problem with slipping gears with my wifes Brommie.

In the ownwers manual it says that the indicator rod going into the hub
should be screwed home (ooer missus ) and then backed off by not more than
half a turn.If I did this,the hub slipped.If I srewed it fully home and left
it at that,no problem , perfect shifting and no problem since.

Hope this helps,

Sam Salt

stupot said:

Took the brompton on a 70 mile trip around loch rannoch and loch tummel at
the weekend.

And what happened to Lochaber then?
I'm thinking in my inner heart there's braggart in your pedals.

ps. Just back from that area. Wonderful week - climbed Schehallion on
Thursday. But no cycling (sorry).

John Hearns said:

And what happened to Lochaber then?

Google is telling me that there is a song in your message?

Quoted message said:

I'm thinking in my inner heart there's braggart in your pedals.

We were tooo tired to get up Schehallion. :-( But it looked enticing.

Peter Clinch said:

B-Black is a shade under 10 Kgs. Though not /ideal/ for the job, I
understand they have graced the odd triathlon. You'd certainly leave
your Brompton mounted twin in the dust on one, especially if hauling on
the handlebars up a hill was required.
Ride is such that if you averted your eyes from the bike itself you'd be
hard pushed to tell you weren't on something quite sporty yet much more
conventional (at least that's with the usual Birdy bars, which are set
like an MTB flat bar. The 10th anniversary special has optional drop
bars (and 20" rather than the usual 18" wheels), the Green comes with a
more upright "comfort bar" as standard, but you can order that as an
option on any other Birdy, or the standard bar on the green: I've not
tried the Comfort bars).
All the colours share the same frame but the gearing options and other
component specifications vary. Red is the "vanilla" model, Blue has
DualDrive gears for most flexibility, Black is the lightest, Grey has a
Rohloff, Green has a nexus hub gear and more upright position for more
urban use, White uses Shimano's Capreo groupset designed for small wheel
bikes.

thanks Mike and Pete. mmmmmmmmmmm. tasty. Ill have to get over to Kinetics
to sit on one.

stupot said:

John Hearns said:

And what happened to Lochaber then?

Google is telling me that there is a song in your message?

I think the far Cuillins are pulling you away.