Folding Bikes - Brompton speed unfolding: tips?

First, hello to everyone on the forum; always great to find people with an interest in folders.

Lately, I've been trying to unfold my M3L the same way it's done in the Brompton Bicycle Origami (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3tgdlk8xlc&feature=related)video.

That is, I've been swinging the head tube around while lifting the bike, so I can unfold both the rear triangle and head tube at once--the way Rob1790 does it 6 seconds into his unfolding.

The tricky thing, though, is that I have to lean the bike toward me to get the head-tube clamp to stay closed while I'm clamping it down. This means the channel-stock bit falls back toward me as well; it won't stay on the "clamshell" unless held there. :(

Tightening the handle without holding the channel stock just makes the channel twirl around and seize the clamshell at an angle, rather than going straight on. This makes for a three-handed job of holding the M3L's handlebars, holding the channel stock and twirling the handle all at once. :twitchy:

Sooo...any suggestions? (Other than doing one step at a time, that is. :p)

TIA,

ECB

I've never been able to do this either! But, generally when multi-modaling, it's more important to be able to fold quicker and never mind how long it takes to unfold.

Hi ECB a very warm Welcome to the forum!
I am not sure if I understood your "problem" correctly but here I give a link to the German-Bromptonauten-Forum which might help with the clamps twisting. The text is - obviously - in German but I think the pictures speak for themselves. If that is the right track, I also can translate the text...and if you succeed please post a movie ;-)

http://www.bromptonauten.de/umbauten/klemmen.html

Somnatash


First, hello to everyone on the forum; always great to find people with an interest in folders....


Tightening the handle without holding the channel stock just makes the channel twirl around and seize the clamshell at an angle, rather than going straight on. This makes for a three-handed job of holding the M3L's handlebars, holding the channel stock and twirling the handle all at once. :twitchy:

Sooo...any suggestions? (Other than doing one step at a time, that is. :p)

TIA,

ECB

Somnatash, i did not understand a single word in the article, but I understood completely what the objective was. Thank you! Like ECB, I have been wondering how to get the 'clamshell' aligned for faster unfolding. I just may try to make this mod.

ECB, welcome to the forum, it is great to see another Bromptonite and folder enthusiast here. My only suggestion to your quandary is practice, practice, practice! :thumb:

http://www.bromptonauten.de/umbauten/klemmen.html

Somnatash,

Thanks so much! I knew about the "wishes" section of Bromptonauten, where they were speculating on building anti-spin "fingers" into the channel stock, but this looks much easier to do for those of us without a machine shop on hand.

ECB