Folding Bikes - What have you done to your folder?

Whether its a hub dynamo subwoofer system, neon lights, hydraulic shocks, or maybe just a new set of grips, what have you done to change what you didn't like about a folding bike you own?

I personally have put Ergon grips on my tikit and am working on switching out the Microshift shifter/derailer combo for something a little better. Adding new components seems a little tricky on these things since tolerances are key for the fold, so I'm curious what others are doing to their bikes to improve and customize.

I just put Ergon grips on my Tikit as well. I swapped out the factory stem for a shorter one and the factory pedals for some MKS EZY pedals.

I just put Ergon grips on my Tikit as well. I swapped out the factory stem for a shorter one and the factory pedals for some MKS EZY pedals.

I should probably do something with the pedals, but I have been folding down the stock pedals a lot which makes me think I should maybe keep them. The rubber also bonds to the bottom of my leather soled wing-tips. Proper pedals would leave me bloody in those shoes. I commute dressed for work until it gets hot out.

Have you thought about messing with the crank set? I like the stock 175 mm cranks except when I'm cornering. I have noticed my knee getting a little pissy on this bike, so maybe I should bump down to a shorter length.

Are you happy with the microshift stuff? It's a little low end I thought for this bike's price. I'm pretty anxious to ditch it. I can't seem to dial in the derailer. It's usually off a little in 8th no matter what I do. I think it may be the shifter. I think I'll go rapid fire on the next shifter and see if a better derailer helps.

I ripped off the butt-ugly Ultralite stickers and replaced them with happy fun planet bike and indiebike advocacy ones. Other mods--basically just fredded it out with lights, mirror, milk crate, and 'flecty stuff.

Mechanical-wise, I should probably change the chainring to a bigger one, but I'm too lazy and cheap to do so.

Ergon R2M grips on the Dahon Curve (and a host of other changes). Currently playing with my new MU-P24. Just added fenders and a rack, and a trunk bag to it. Trunk bags rule. Probably going to change the chainring to a Vista Synchro Elliptical Chainwheel.

What have I done with it? Mostly I just ride it, but I also modified the Merc to have two front chain rings so that I could lower the ratios on steep hills. It's a Sturmey three speed hub gear and the stock 175% gear range can be a bit narrow if you live somewhere with steep hills, high head wind probability or if you want to ride longer than the typical commuting distances. I arranged a front derailier and handle bar lever which works very well indeed, but to be honest, I only rarely need to drop down onto the smaller chain wheel. Mostly, the bike is ridden as it was intended to be - a three gear bike for rides of about five miles. It isn't at all tiring at that sort of distance.



Please note, these pictures were taken during some filthy weather last winter. The bike is generally a lot smarter than this.

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/9849/dscn1208ma7.jpg


http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/8228/dscn1209lm5.jpg

The derailieur clamp is by Steve Parry of Bromton mods fame. It cost £40, but I think I have found an alternative that costs a mere £10. I need to do some accurate measurements to make sure it would fit as an alternative, but it looks a reasonable match. The whole job cost me about £60. If the alternative clamp will in fact work, it would have cost about £37 for the whole mod (39 tooth chain ring from Anita at Merc £4.50, handle bar lever C £5, cable £2.50, front mech £10, derailier frame clamp £10). You might have to add a bit of postage for some items. Take the figures as ballpark rather than exact. I had a couple of bits like the gear lever and cable lying around in the garage.

EvilV,

Are you using a chain tensioner or a rear derailluer?
I want to try this idea with my R20 with the 8 spd SA hub.

Mine is a sort of folder...1968 Raleigh Compact RSW. I just upgraded the front wheel to OEM Dynohub. The head light for the time being is going to be a chrome B&M Retro. I have an original RSW headlight that I may try and rework as an LED or restore. Added a much longer late model seat post and a leather saddle, currently a Wright 5N, but it will be replaced with a Brooks Champion Flyer or a B67. I don't want to do too many mods to it because it is an unusual little beast. Heavy as hell but fun to ride.

Aaron:)

EvilV,

Are you using a chain tensioner or a rear derailluer?
I want to try this idea with my R20 with the 8 spd SA hub.

Hi Stevegor.

The bike has an aluminium chain tensioner. The copied Brompton design requires a tensioner. The rear hinge used in folding is behind the bottom bracket which would mean that the chain length was too great as you fold it under. The chain would fall off without. I suppose you could use either derailleur or tensioner on your R20 to accomodate the different sized chain rings. Maybe a cheap derailleur set with the adjusting screws into the right plane would work out. Can you lock out the sideways movement with the adjusting screws on those things? I'm not sure.

EvilV - does it fold with the chain on either front ring or is it more prone to a drop if on the smaller one?

The biggest mod I have made to my Downtube IX is to replace the shifter, chain and derailleur with SRAM. What a difference! Now it shifts like it really should, clean and crisp.

The flat bar was replaced with trekking handlebars and a longer stem. This was my setup for 6 months or so, mostly commuting. Only within the last week have I gone back to the shorter stem that came with the bike. This feels like a better fit for me.

I've added a Topeak rack that clamps onto the seatpost, and one pannier bag. Very handy. I'm not too wild about the constant extra weight, but I always seem to need to carry something. I've also added lights, a front fender from my long gone MTB, a bottle cage on the steeerer, a new saddle and standard platform pedals w/ clips.

I rarely fold it, but none of the additions interfere with the fold significantly. I can still fold it and pop it into the back of my car.

I am going to Yosemite in May and will be taking both my DT and R20 so that I and my friends can get around. Looking forward to taking pics of the bikes there.

Whether its a hub dynamo subwoofer system, neon lights, hydraulic shocks, or maybe just a new set of grips, what have you done to change what you didn't like about a folding bike you own?

....I'm curious what others are doing to their bikes to improve and customize.

Plenty over the last almost 5 years! Please see my Flickr photos to see the bikes and Geocities for descriptions below for links:

EvilV - does it fold with the chain on either front ring or is it more prone to a drop if on the smaller one?

I don't fold it that much Huw, but the inner ring is the one that has the exact same chainline as the original bike did. I always make a habit after folding, of lifting the rear wheel and spinning the pedals a couple of times to check that all is well. Once or twice I have had the chain come off the rear cog after folding. It would almost always be on the outer ring for me, since I rarely use the inner one except for climbing monster hills. On typical five mile rides, I can usually push the 45 inch bottom gear of the standard set up on almost all the hills I meet.

On my Twenty so far...

New alloy wheels and tyres, new alloy post, new rack, new brake levers and grips, new pedals, and new fenders.

To come: Looking at installing a new fork, headset, stem and bars as well as replacing the bb and cranks.

As it is now, it is a pretty decent ride and I will be leaving the drive (an SA AW) as is.

Before:
http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/yardobikes/phillipstwentya.jpg

After a few hours in the shop:
http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/phillips20b.jpg

Biggest modification I've done to a folder is to turn it into a recumbent. Apologies to those who have seen this picture before :o :

Downtube Front Suspension + Cruzbike conversion kit

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e157/sesamecrunch/dtcruz1.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kt_d3fy_pU

Biggest modification I've done to a folder is to turn it into a recumbent. Apologies to those who have seen this picture before :o :

Downtube Front Suspension + Cruzbike conversion kit

That is one radical set of modifications Sesame..... Makes the rest of our mods look like a wash and polish up, by comparison.

That is one radical set of modifications Sesame..... Makes the rest of our mods look like a wash and polish up, by comparison.

Thanks for the compliment, but I did use a commercial kit. Made it a lot easier. Believe me, if I could do it, anyone can ...

I guess this qualifies. I just received a swift folder yesterday. I stripped everything off an now I am trying to decide what to do....

option1=fixed with vintage campy pista 165 track crank, IRO fixed/fixed track hubs built up with velocity aeroheat rims, brooks saddle, 52x14 gearing,no brakes

option2=campy 10sp group taken off my road bike,brooks saddle

option3=s/a internal 8speed taken off my commuter


I am leaning towards option numero uno.....keep it simple and light....for now at least;)

Nothing too fancy on my Dahon Jack:

Cannondale Bad Boy grips (with the right side poorly cut down to accommodate the shifter)
MKS FD6 folding pedals
Topeak Explorer Rack (w/ an MTX DX bag to go on top)
Blackburn Mars 3.0 in the back, Voyager 3.0 in the front
the obligatory no-name bottle cage

The rest is stock, for now...

On my Twenty so far...

New alloy wheels and tyres, new alloy post, new rack, new brake levers and grips, new pedals, and new fenders.

To come: Looking at installing a new fork, headset, stem and bars as well as replacing the bb and cranks.

As it is now, it is a pretty decent ride and I will be leaving the drive (an SA AW) as is.

Before:
http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/yardobikes/phillipstwentya.jpg

After a few hours in the shop:
http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/phillips20b.jpg

Have you sourced a new fork yet? I am looking for one myself. I am leaning towards the Sun EZ Sport recumbent fork, but haven't seriously searched or priced one yet. Another BF member used one on his R20 rebuild.

I've made the following modifications to my Tikit:

Built a custom front rack for holding cargo/luggage.
Replaced the rear wheel and brake with one built around a SRAM S7 internal hub gear.
Replaced the stock cranks with Shimano 105 cranks for a lower Q-factor.
Replaced the stock Marathon tires with Greenspeed Scorcher tires for a better ride.
Replaced the stock handlebars with Origin-8 Space Bars which sweep back for a more comfortable riding position.
Replaced the stock seatpost and saddle with a Brooks B17.
Replaced the stock pedals with MKS removable ones.
Upgraded to the new stem hinge.


Still to do is build a generator front wheel and add generator lighting.

The fenders, front wheel, front brake, frame, fork, and stem are original.

alex

Thanks for the compliment, but I did use a commercial kit. Made it a lot easier. Believe me, if I could do it, anyone can ...


Yeah - I'll spare his blushes by not mentioning him by name, but someone PMd me with a degree of indignation to suggest the same. I think he was upset at my not recognising his own contribution to bicycle modification.

ROFLMAO

I just posted as things struck me at a moment in time. Maybe your radical picture fired off some synapses in my enthusiasm centre. You're right - it's crap, and anybody could have done it.

:)

As for using commercial parts; I suppose that very few of us add parts that we fashioned from bar stock or from home made castings, so yours is at least as worthy of enthusiastic reception as others who fit bought in parts. Commercial kit or not, it is perhaps about as significant an alteration to a standard bicycle that one could imagine.

Yeah - I'll spare his blushes by not mentioning him by name, but someone PMd me with a degree of indignation to suggest the same. I think he was upset at my not recognising his own contribution to bicycle modification.

ROFLMAO



I'm stunned... :eek:. Oh well, let's celebrate the diversity of personalities in this world.

I love the Cruzbike recumbent. It is a good design and a pretty simple mod (2 days, slow tinkering). The end result is a head-turner, let me tell you, especially with my son in the back. I use it to take him to his pre-school and we both enjoy it lots.

My original intentions were to use it for a double century ride that I signed up for last year. But, I found out just how different recumbent muscles are from upright bikes. I didn't have the time (nor the desire) to build up my 'bent legs (especially for a 200 mile ride), so I didn't end up using it for that purpose.

Let's keep it civil, folks....

Don't make me put down my newspaper.....:(

Back to modification pictures....

Nothing too fancy, but I like the way it rides much better after the modification. It certainly changed the look!

Downtube Mini with SA-8. Old Scott AT4 handlebars, longer stem, Avid brakes levers, Big Apple tires, Shimano pedals, front and rear racks.

Next mod is Jur's doorstop suspension...


http://home.wavecable.com/~spholmen/things/Mini_Mod4.jpg

That mini looks like a stylish little 'pocket rocket' there Pinecone. Nice work.

Taking this thread is an excuse to show you the wallpaper in my office, here is a photo. If you look closely you'll also see my Downtube Mini in its current state. Modifications include:

Fenders
Nexus dynamo hub and lights
Brooks saddle
140 mm FMF crank with 38T chain ring, 19 T cog, Hebe Chainglider, and a new chain
MKS folding pedals
front tire is Schwalbe Big Apple, rear tire is Schwalbe Marathon

---Rudi

Love the saddle and chain guard. I'm starting to crave a mini.... I must stop this. I don't need another small wheeled bike, or any bike come to that.

Taking this thread is an excuse to show you the wallpaper in my office, here is a photo. If you look closely you'll also see my Downtube Mini in its current state. Modifications include:

Fenders
Nexus dynamo hub and lights
Brooks saddle
140 mm FMF crank with 38T chain ring, 19 T cog, Hebe Chainglider, and a new chain
MKS folding pedals
front tire is Schwalbe Big Apple, rear tire is Schwalbe Marathon

---Rudi

Does the 38T chain ring n' 19T cog combo create gearing that is higher or lower than the stock gearing?

Does the 38T chain ring n' 19T cog combo create gearing that is higher or lower than the stock gearing?

Its virtually indistinguishable. By Sheldon Brown's gear calculator, the 19/38 combo gives you a range from
26.7 to 82.1. OEM was a 23/46 or something, I don't remember exactly.

Hi
This is Daigoro (from my favourite manga). Major modifications so far:
-Original brakes are replaced by dual-ones – the rear brake is now more efficient than the original front brake. In winter you must have a good rear brake. I attached the rear brake with a metal plate to be able to fit it so that it wouldn’t bend when the brake is operated and to be able to fit the brake pad as close to the joint as possible. The front brake is also fitted on the rider’s side so as not to hinder with the folding. I will attach it a bit lower later with an adapter. Pads are original. I talked with an old bike mechanic, and he said that salmon coloured pads wear aluminium rims excessively. ??
-Front fork, rear triangle and seat-tube are titanium painted black according to the instructions and material provided by a car paint company – the paint chips like hell – have to repaint soon. The weight saving was less than 1 kg, but front fork feels better now.
-The straight handle-bar is fitted with a bar-adapter – the cables run through the short tube of bar-adapter. Bar-ends are fitted. Handle-bar is wider than the original, so bar-ends fit next to the front tyre when folded.
-The seat is attached with an adapter made of aluminium bar-end – I’m a light-weight guy. Using the adapter the seat is raised about 3 cm and it can be further back – gives a better riding position.
-Saddle is the original Merc’s but modified – 100g lighter and comfy. Nylon seat-cover is used.
-Extra seat-clamp quick release is fitted around the seat-tube. When folded it is lifted near the saddle, when unfolded it is tightened above the original clamp. This has eliminated seat-post dropping completely.
-The original plastic door-stopper rear suspension is replaced with a rubber shock-absorber used under motors etc. Aluminium cylinder is fitted to make the length proper.
-Fenders are painted black and the rear one is attached so that when folded it just presses against the tyre – I don’t need to roll the bike folded. A patch of rubber is glued where the fender touches the ground when folded.
-At the lower end of the seat-tube there is a plastic cone attached with a rubber band to a small wooden ball at other end of the tube under the seat. This eliminates dirt entering inside the frame tube when riding in foul weather, and dirt getting between the seat-tube and frame when folded and then unfolded again. The rubber band runs inside the seat-tube and it’s length is such that the cone is always pressed against the frame tube/unfolded or against the seat-tube/folded.
-Rear tyre is Schwalbe Marathon Plus. In December I had 6 flats with Merc tyres. 5 with a tyre that had seen 2000 km, one with a brand new Merc tyre after 25 km ride – that was enough. While waiting for Schwalbe-tyre I bought a Brompton green tyre from LBS – no flats during 150 km. Communal authorities sand the bike-paths in Finland in winter for safety. The sand is grinded mechanically from rocks, the by-product is small nail-sharp and nail-shaped stones.
-I stripped the front pannier, modified the skeleton so that it’s now about 20 cm wide and attached rubber bands from the original rack on it. Skeleton fits inside my rucksack. If there is a lot to carry, I take it out, attach rucksack on it with the rubber bands and put in on the bike. Supporting rods will be welded on both sides of the skeleton.
-Pedals will be changed, gears modified etc.
Sorry this message came so long.

Maranen:

You have made some very clever mods to the Merc. I may "borrow" the extra seat post clamp idea. I have problems with the post slipping also.

On the seat post adaptor to move the seat back - is that the part that Brompton sells? I am interested in moving the seat backwards a bit too, for more comfort.

Nice work!

Hi SesameCrunch
Thanks for the compliment. Yes, the seat is attached with the Brompton penta-clip - very nice piece of work. This mod increases the folded size a little - but you can remove the seat with one hexa screw, if there is need for smaller size.

Hi
This is Daigoro (from my favourite manga). Major modifications so far:

Wow - that's a heavily modified Merc there Maranan. I need to soak up these changes and think about them, but I'm wondering how you managed to get all those punctures with the merc tyres. They must be a different type to the ones I got, since at 2840 miles, I just got my first puncture TODAY!!! I ran over some horrible thorns on an off road track and pricked the front tube. After walking to the road, I managed to still ride it by pumping it regularly and riding slowly on a soft tyre - a good thing since I was nine and a half miles from home when it happened. I can't complain, I have led a charmed life with these tyres so far.

I like the new handlebars and the new brakes. Mine are acceptable now, but better would be good, so I'm going to study yours. Are they Brompton ones?

Maranen:

You have made some very clever mods to the Merc. I may "borrow" the extra seat post clamp idea. I have problems with the post slipping also.

I used to have that problem but solved it by rigorous degreasing and tightening the clamp a bit. It does take a bit of force to push it over now, but it keeps my 168 pound backside at a fixed height above the road now, unlike before.

I took a Dahon Helos and made it into a 9-speed Travel bike/commuting machine. I put on a Zorin Seat Post pump, 9-Speed Dura-ace shifters, bull horns (later replaced by flipped and chopped drop bars), Wireless cycling computer, Leather-based bar tape, Travel Agent brake boosters, SPD road pedals, 11-26 Custom Dura-Ace cassette, Dura-Ace chain, Specialized Avatar 143 saddle.

I have pictures and a full write up at: http://www.addictedtocookies.com/soapboxfoldingbike.htm

The bike has been my daily ride for over a year and I couldn't be happier with it.

Mods to my boardwalk 6 include.Front chainring to 60T ,Lepper 65 leather saddle with springs ,Gel grips & cloth handlebar tape,friction shifter instead of gripshift,better tires. I changed the freewheel to 13 -30.wine corks in bar ends and a cork in the bottom of the seatpost.

Have you sourced a new fork yet? I am looking for one myself. I am leaning towards the Sun EZ Sport recumbent fork, but haven't seriously searched or priced one yet. Another BF member used one on his R20 rebuild.

I just ordered a couple of Suntour Suspension forks to see how they might work out... I will let you know how they work.

Started on another Phillip's Twenty tonight... it is the identical twin to my other '73 Phillip's and started out the day as being 100% stock.

I removed the stock fenders and chain guard and replaced the bars with some drops and nice Weinmann levers... I figure this one needs 451's and when I get the crank done, it will be a fixed gear.

Until then, I can lace up a 406 to the SA hub and fit a new wheel to the front.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/P20roadie1.jpg

Wow - that's a heavily modified Merc there Maranan.
Almost all mods are for practical reasons, except the bell - being able to operate it with my little finger makes me feel sophisticated.:)

I'm wondering how you managed to get all those punctures with the merc tyres.
I believe we have the same tyres. If you look at the profile of the tyre, you see that those grooves can pick a small - about 1mm diameter - sharp stone and on every revolution it goes deeper and deeper. But of course there might be a lot of quality variation with cheap tyres.[/quote]

new handlebars and the new brakes. Mine are acceptable now, but better would be good, so I'm going to study yours. Are they Brompton ones? The brakes are not Brompton's - I found them at LBS, they are an old model, got them cheaply.

-At the lower end of the seat-tube there is a plastic cone attached with a rubber band to a small wooden ball at other end of the tube under the seat. This eliminates dirt entering inside the frame tube when riding in foul weather, and dirt getting between the seat-tube and frame when folded and then unfolded again. The rubber band runs inside the seat-tube and it’s length is such that the cone is always pressed against the frame tube/unfolded or against the seat-tube/folded.

I've been thinking about doing something like this. What holds the small wooden ball inside the seatpost?

I've been thinking about doing something like this. What holds the small wooden ball inside the seatpost?

It's not inside the seatpost - its size is such that it's only half inside - you can see it in the picture "seat_adapter" - it's red. You can use anything else, even tie the rubber band to the seat rail - I didn't do it, because I want to be able to remove the seat easily.

-Fenders are painted black –

which paint did you use to color the (plastic?) fenders?
Did the paint hold easy an the fenders? (I suppose this are the same fenders as on the Brompton.)

I personally would love to color my fenders.

Thanks for the info (BTW your bike looks great!)

Brommie

Played with the new Twenty this afternoon and even went out on a test ride...the best part was when I was blowing by guys on real bikes... :lol:

Swapped out the quill pedals and replaced the old brake shoes so now it will stop when it's wet.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/P20roadiefront1.jpg

I got the bars taped and dressed up the saddle to match...

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/P20roadie2.jpg

Love that tape.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/P20roadiebars1.jpg

-which paint did you use to color the (plastic?) fenders?
(BTW your bike looks great!) Brommie

Thanks - I first painted them with a spray that is intended for plastic, but it didn’t hold. Then I removed that paint, sanded with very fine paper, and sprayed them with car-paint. So far it has held.

I am planning to convert a Dahon Speed D7 bike to use an internal hub gear and some kind of hub brakes. I am considering SRAM or Sturmey Archer hub brakes or even Shimano roller brakes. As there are no frame fittings I will be using P clips to fix the torque arms and some kind of chain tensioning device.
The front fork spacing is 74mm which will restrict my choice of hub brakes. Does any one know of a hub brake in that width?

Replaced and repacked all the bearings on my Twenty, fitted some new 1.75 tyres, and added a rear fender since it's still a little wet in places.

Rode it 10 km and was most pleased with everything I have done so far... now I need to build some new wheels even though the stock ones roll plenty fast.

Also saw a nearly mint 1969 Phillips Twenty at the shop and had to take a pic of the girls together.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/P20two1.jpg

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/P20two2.jpg

...The straight handle-bar is fitted with a bar-adapter – the cables run through the short tube of bar-adapter ...
-

Nice mods Maranen,

What brand is the bar adapter, and where can I get it.

Nice mods Maranen,
What brand is the bar adapter, and where can I get it.

Thanks - I bought this <MOUNTY SPECIAL MTB / ATB Ahead-Vorbau "Vario-Stem"> from here http://www.fahrradversand.de/bikes/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/02027/page/1/language/en
There are different types available from other manufacturers, but this rised the handle bar to right height for me (I'm 175cm).

My other Twenty has been a busy little commuter and I figured she needed folding baskets, a cup holder, a folding mirror, and I installed new performance slicks and put new reflectors on the baskets last night.

I also removed the stock stand and mounted a centre stand which is great for when I have luggage and when she gets folded up in the rear porch... she's not a frequent flyer.

Oh... I can't forget the dual drive on the 3 speed... that rocks.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/gracecommute2.jpg

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/gracecommute3.jpg

Whether its a hub dynamo subwoofer system, neon lights, hydraulic shocks, or maybe just a new set of grips, what have you done to change what you didn't like about a folding bike you own?

I put a Brooks saddle and a Schmidt dynamo disc hub on my Mobiky.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/238/456379674_e460e297eb.jpg http://farm1.static.flickr.com/219/456386367_c3fbbaa1d9.jpg