Folding Bikes - My Brompton deserves a gift - Please help.

It is, once again, that time of the year that, after squeezing here and there, I end up with a little extra budget to send on my bike. One day i will travel to England and end up getting a new rear triangle and a Rohloff 14. Well, not really, I don't need that kind of gear range, it'will make the bike broader when folded than it is and heavier than I want. Well, still, let's talk about what CAN be done:

ISSUES:

1-I am not 100% happy with my cockpit space. After 50+ miles I really miss my Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra geometry.

2-I am not 100% happy with the lack of front suspension. Specially when riding in Rio de Janeiro, under "far from acceptable" asfalt conditions, I feel that my hands could benefit from some form of front relief.

3-I believe my bike deserves, after 500+ miles of riding and exactly 43000 miles of flying, to look sexier:roflmao:

Now based on that, what should I do:

1-Any suggestions on stem mods with tutorials?

2-Pantour hub?

3i-Brooks saddle? I really, REALLY don't get the Brooks fever: it's not comfortable "'till you brake them in", it's water sensitive (can't go to the beach with your bike? WTHell...) and there are a few options that are scientifically designed to avoid perineal ischemia.

3ii-HED wheels? (I know, they don't come on 16", and even if they did, they wouldn't survive the brutal asfalt from places I ride)

3iii-remove half of the spokes following the LittlePixel lighter-than-air vessel? (hmm..it might not survive the brutal asfalt from places I ride either)

3iv- Brompton official traveling hard case. Oh boy, that's an investment, but it looks so good!!

3v-Anything that would make roadies on lycra even more upset trying to figure out if it was a bird, an airplane,...:D

Lucky bike!





1-Any suggestions on stem mods with tutorials?

You're in luck - I did a stem mod just the other week!
Basically - if you extend the stem then you'll need to be able to rotate it from the fore position back to the vertical so it will clear the front wheel when you fold it. You'll need a pair of Syntace VRO (http://www.syntace.com/index.cfm?pid=3&pk=1574) or even better, some Satori (http://www.satoribike.com/page03_01_01.asp?ID=5B76B745-665F-4AFE-88D9-10B0EBD9DAE9) [aka Zoom] stem extenders, an old bar that fits into the current stem to chop down to about 3" in length and an old seat-post quick-release to mod so you can make it something that you don't need an allen key to use every time you fold.

Tutorial and pix are in this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=400500) - about half way down the page.

(Teaser)
http://www.littlepixel.info/twenty/mercton/clamp_open.jpg

With this fix it means you could even put drops or bullhorns in if you wanted (though drops will obviously add to the folded size)

It works really well though it only gives you about another few inches of reach (+/-) a bit of height.
More might be possible if use riser bars pushed forward for more reach and if you steal the design and get some custom-made with more length.

Also: I may be wrong but using a P-type stem might give a bit more reach at the cost of height.




2-Pantour hub?
It's a bit heavier than stock but I like mine...


3i-Brooks saddle?...it's water sensitive
Not if you use the proper treatment which comes with some models. I don't treat mine that often - How often is the bike in the wet without you on it?


3ii-HID wheels?
Do you mean HED? You could sneak in a pair of 17" moulton (ISO 369) ones perhaps? Would need skinny tyres and would make it more of a roady less of a toury machine but would look cool.

http://www.takehiroando.com/cgi_bin/2007/071215moultona.thumb.jpg


3iii-remove half of the spokes following the LittlePixel lighter-than-air vessel? (hmm..it might not survive the brutal asfalt from places I ride either)
You're quite tall and not a skinny fella aren't you? I've done this but I think on a more intensely used machine it might be an issue. I've not broken any yet but it doesn't really save a heap of weight and it might be better to be safe than sorry if you are somewhere where sourcing eensy-little spokes might be a problem


3iv- Brompton official traveling hard case. Oh boy, that's an investment, but it looks so good!!
How do you travel with it now?
I have one - it's good but it's huge! I wonder if dissassembling a bit and fitting it into a standard big Samsonite might be good after lugging it on the New York subway. It's good and durable - and there's lot's of spare room to fit in other things around the bike but check the outside dimensions - it really is massive.


3v-Anything that would make roadies on lycra even more upset trying to figure out if it was a bird, an airplane,...:D
You could lose the heavy hub and go for a dura ace gruppo with a Steve Parry front derailleur mod and a big-ass stronglight pair of chainrings for some serious speed. Plus a couple of 17" moulton wheels, black Bridgestone Moulton fenders and Campag Delta brake calipers. That would look pretty sweet... :)

3-I believe my bike deserves, after 500+ miles of riding and exactly 43000 miles of flying, to look sexier

This (http://www.abikestore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=abs&Product_Code=sport-cruiser-basket) is what you bike wants! Roadies in lycra wouldn't know whether to s*&% or go blind.

Speedo

14R:

It seems to me that changes typically fall into two categories: Aesthetics and Performance. Your bike is already pretty good looking, so I don't have a lot to say there. Perhaps only the lower spoke wheels. I do agree with LP that too low may not be right for your type of riding. But perhaps 4 spokes in, 2 out pattern might be OK for you, particularly in rear. Like this one, shown previously by MnHPVA in another thread:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e157/sesamecrunch/24spoke-rear.jpg

And this pattern for the front - but 16 spokes may be cutting it close for you....

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e157/sesamecrunch/16x1wheel.jpg

But I think the highest impact upgrade is the drivetrain, especially given your comments about staying with the roadies. Having a front derailleur and a full range cassette lightens up the bike and gives you so many more options. That's the biggest issue with my folders when I take them on group rides with my roadie friends, the lack of a full range of gearing.

Good luck in your choices. Be sure to post pictures when you're done!

3i-Brooks saddle? I really, REALLY don't get the Brooks fever: it's not comfortable "'till you brake them in", ...)

Yes .. but with Jur's Mod (http://members.iinet.net.au/~jdekter/misc/brooks.html)... to at least look cool.

Front suspension .... Pah ! .. Nice gel gloves

More gears ... Pah ! really needed ?? .. you'll regret their weight when you carry it.

Otherwise anything that saves weight, and anything that Little Pixel has done to his .. drewl.

Lucky bike!
You're in luck - I did a stem mod just the other week!
Basically - if you extend the stem then you'll need to be able to rotate it from the fore position back to the vertical so it will clear the front wheel when you fold it. You'll need a pair of Syntace VRO (http://www.syntace.com/index.cfm?pid=3&pk=1574) or even better, some Satori (http://www.satoribike.com/page03_01_01.asp?ID=5B76B745-665F-4AFE-88D9-10B0EBD9DAE9) [aka Zoom] stem extenders, an old bar that fits into the current stem to chop down to about 3" in length and an old seat-post quick-release to mod so you can make it something that you don't need an allen key to use every time you fold.

Tutorial and pix are in this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=400500) - about half way down the page.

I might go after that, it is the most "impacting" mod for my current needs.


How often is the bike in the wet without you on it?

NEVER. It's just that in Rio de Janeiro I use the bike to go to the beach, and the last thing I need isa saddle that is expensive, uncomfortable and will not last. But it does look good lol.



You're quite tall and not a skinny fella aren't you?

It all depends where you are coming from lol. When I am in Rio I am the "fat american boy" while here in the USA I am the ripped boy from Brazil. I'm 5'9" (174cm) and aproximately 168Lbs (aprox. 80Kg). Body fat currently 16%.




How do you travel with it now?

I have a generic, cheap US$48.00 hard luggage that is about to expire due to frequent abuse from handlers.



You could lose the heavy hub and go for a dura ace gruppo with a Steve Parry front derailleur mod and a big-ass stronglight pair of chainrings for some serious speed. Plus a couple of 17" moulton wheels, black Bridgestone Moulton fenders and Campag Delta brake calipers. That would look pretty sweet... :)

Not sure I need the SP FD, but I am tempted to go after the 17"moulton wheels. Any place I can find more info about them? Will they fit without frame mods (just by using skinnier tires)?



14R:

(...)And this pattern for the front - but 16 spokes may be cutting it close for you....

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e157/sesamecrunch/16x1wheel.jpg


Good luck in your choices. Be sure to post pictures when you're done!

If I end up getting the Pantour hub, I'll have two front wheels. If I can't afford the 17" wheels, I'll go after this config for the ultimate rodie humiliation Brompton lol!!

Thank you for all the help.

Ahh spring time, I can almost see my bike smile expecting the mods I've collected over winter...

SPEED: *L* You realize downtube has an FS that would match that bright colour (maybe too exactly!)

14: Hmm... the bikey definitely deserves something after that...

Brooks saddle, it works for a lot of people... but not for me...

Pantour hubs... nah....

I'd go with the 1, 2, and 3III (little pixel spoke mod). Cockpit size is major priority for me, together with easing the wrist pain.

I'd go after some Schwalbe big apples (assuming they fit, though I don't know what Brommie's ISO sizes are, I heard the big apples are availabe in 16s but forgot the specific ISO). Okay, it may make your bikey a bit heavier but it may help your wrist, and dealing with the hostile grounds you ride (I'm sure the 1.5 on it are probably taking a beating and a half). I plan on grabbing a Merc or Brommie soon.. and this will be the first mod I'd try go after.

Happy bikey!!!

Don't think you can get Big Apples for the ISO 349 size; I think they're for the smaller ones used on Dahon curve etc...314? 310?

Regarding wheels - you can got up to 19-369 size (Moulton 17" as long as you have skinny tyres). Whether you can still use the standard fenders/mudguards as well I do not know.

Simon Koorn on the BromptonTalk mailing list puts it thus:


For a narrow tyres one can/should convert to a (narrow) rim that is
slightly bigger in diameter, this has two benefits:

• the bracket height will not be reduced (that much) and thus ensures
safe cornering and pedals staying clear of the ground.

• one can use shorter, less flexible, more sophisticated and powerful
brake-callipers.

Below is a list of sizes that virtually have no effect on the bottom-
bracket height.

In theory other sizes are possible as well (20-382) but having from a
new and non-ETRTO rimsize will make it hard get any tyres made for
it in small/medium quantities.

All the sizes below are available, be it sometimes very very very
hard to find, and they all fit the Brompton rearframe (be it only
just in case of anything over the Brompton size of 422mm, sometimes
it even is hard to fit tyres with slightly to much rubber/thick
profile like the Schwalbe Marathons)

37-349 349mm + 2*37mm Å ¿422mm (16 x 1 3/8)
35-355 355mm + 2*34mm Å ¿422mm (18 x 1.35)
35-356 356mm + 2*34mm Å ¿423mm (16 x 1.35) (nowadays very much
unused ETRTO rimsize)
32-357 357mm + 2*32mm Å ¿421mm (17 x 1 1/4)
28-369 369mm + 2*28mm Å ¿425mm (17 x 1 1/8) available size for Moulton
26-369 369mm + 2*26mm Å ¿421mm (17 x 1) alternative size for Moulton

Simon


I just ordered the other type of stem extender. It means I can swap out the bars easily without having to take off the lever/grips etc.
I have also ordered some skinnier AeroHeaD rims and 19mm Primo Champ tyres so it will look like those Moulton Speeds in Sesamecrunch's Moulton build (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=404689) thread.

You must get the dog basket! :)

I have also ordered some skinnier AeroHeaD rims ...

Ah, good to hear! So have I. So you will be the happiest boy in Christendom soon? :D
BTW: were you able to order 16Holes AeroHead - and were from?

Hehe - no - they're 32s; I found some 20s and 24s but after lots of lacing prototyping in Illustrator, and finding somewhere where they're actually in stock it had to be these

You can go with 24 spoke 355 wheels with Big Apples. Don George at Black Dog will sell a set for very cheap. (I will be getting rid of a pair of Capreo 355s soon, but the back rim is shot.)

A possibly better option is to just throw on a pair of kevlar belted Greenspeed Scorcher slick tires. I had the ones without the belt and got a flat literally every 10 miles, but the belted ones are probably a bit more reliable. Great shock absorption and fast.

369s may require new brakes and the Hed wheels are heavy--not too practical if you have to lug it.

Little update:

LP: Do you know a U.S. provider of the Syntace VRO or the Satori stem extenders you mentioned? I haven't visited the bike shop yet (just got back from a trip) but I would like to proceed with this mod.

I ended up purchasing the Sella Italia SLC Gel Flow:

http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/500/50-6740-BLK-ANGLE.jpg

However, I am still educating myself about the beauty of leather saddles and both the Brooks Swift or the Selle An-atomica are a possible go in a near future. After all my bad Boy Ultra had her saddle "stolen" by this girl that recently bought a Scott but wasn't happy with the saddle...so now I have a ultra light road saddle that is officially a pain in my 455.

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/4726/g4ef2.jpg

http://www.mcmwin.com/images/R0010582.JPG

So far, all I got (on it's way by mail) were new handlebar grips and the Sella Italia. Bfold is actually closed on Mondays, but I'll be speaking to David soon about my Ti Seatpost.

I'll leave the spokes they way they are. My friend (the one that bought my Black Brompton S6R) already broke spokes in Rio. This are evil down there.

I came back from a job interview. Depending on the sign up bonus, we might be able to work on some crankset/chainring upgrade in a very near future (that is, if I get hired lol).

Back home,

14R.

Littlepixel: Do you know a U.S. provider of the Syntace VRO or the Satori stem extenders you mentioned? I haven't visited the bike shop yet (just got back from a trip) but I would like to proceed with this mod.

I don't I'm afraid as I'm not in the US! But... we all have the same Google so I'm sure you'll be able to find one. I just got mine today actually and would recommend it over the Syntace. You don't need to hack an old handlebar for one -it comes with it's own purpose made stumpy little bar, and it's a bit more elegant and lighter (and will let you hot-swap bars if need be without having to remove the grips/brakelevers.

Search for 'Satori Aberhallo Stem' or 'Zoom Aberhallo' or possibly look for 'Acor' as this is also screen printed on the component. If you draw a blank - PM me and I'll give you the details of my supplier - I'll happily source one and get it posted to you if need be...

I just ordered the other type of stem extender. It means I can swap out the bars easily without having to take off the lever/grips etc.
I have also ordered some skinnier AeroHeaD rims and 19mm Primo Champ tyres so it will look like those Moulton Speeds in Sesamecrunch's Moulton build (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=404689) thread.

You must get the dog basket! :)

I've mentioned before that the Champs are recommended for wheelchair use - I'd be uncomfortable with that skinny tyre beneath me...

Thanx LP, I knew you were not in the Americas, I was just wondering if on your searches you bumped into any provider on this side of the Atlantic. My google attempts are falling short on a local provider, but I will dedicate my time to this.

Once again, thank you for your help.

Or, you could just get it a card.:eek:

14:

Nice seat buddy... must be this years, I haven't seen that one... I've heard the arguments, and I can see how the brooks can be comfy... I just don't think I'd want to spend the time breaking it in... that thing must be sub 200gs

wonder if anyone on the forum has put Big Apples on a Brommie (I am pretty sure this has been done, and that someone got a buddy or a friend who has one).

Hope you get the job.7

wonder if anyone on the forum has put Big Apples on a Brommie (I am pretty sure this has been done, and that someone got a buddy or a friend who has one).

Never heard if it ... I don't think that the fork is wide or tall enough if you switched to ERTO 355. Perhaps you could switch to ERTO 305 and fit the Big Apple. However, you would still have the issue of whether the fork was wide enough plus brake caliper reach.

Search BromptonTalk. If anyone ever did it, you would find it there.

Without serious modification eg. using longer (less powerfull) brakes, rearframe and frontfork mod´s - no 50mm tyre will fit. In the front it is rubbing the forks and the rearframe is even tighter =450mm. A 40mm tyre (like the greenspeed scorcher) may be an option but I doubt that also - has anybody tried?

INV and SOM: Ah darn it... there goes my dream Brompton... and I presuppose the same limitation goes for the Mercs...