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12-28-08, 10:59 AM
...the key word here being "little."
Over my past year with the M3L, I've been very satisfied with the B's design in general. Over time, however, I have noticed a series of small things which could stand some improvement (IMO).
Here's my list, in no particular order:
1) Plugged chainstays and seatstays. This would keep water out of the steel tubes, and would make the rear triangle look nicer.
2) A removable-faceplate-style stem clamp. That would make it a lot easier to change / swap handlebars.
3) A stronger, more shatterproof hook would be nice; molding the plastic around a bent piece of metal would do the trick. When the B gets toppled over from its parked config, it always seems to fall left and hit hook-first.
My hook got broken that way when I was boarding up my apartment for Gustav. :( At least fixing that problem gave me something to do, while I was sitting around in the dark for the next few days. :thumb:
4) Separate the hook, fender stay mount, and left axle nut. That would make it much easier to have a quick-releasable wheel, and would certainly simplify front wheel removal. I'm pretty sure this one has already been done by Steve Parry.
EDIT TO ADD: Yes, indeed he has. See
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/1559579570/in/photostream/
5) A quick-releasable front wheel (see 4). I do wonder if this might create problems, though. A right-hand-side lever could catch on things; a left-hand side lever might not work with the fold.
6) Tap the folding pedal for toe-clip / Power Grip bolts.
7) Make the folding pedal substantially (read: > 25 g) lighter. Maybe a drillium version of the toggle plate would be the way to go here.
8) Bolt a plastic plate to the right-hand side of the seat tube, so the cables won't wear away the paint where they rub.
9) As mentioned in my previous thread, slot the cable-housing-holder parts of the brake calipers' arms, to facilitate wheel removal.
10) Cover the "lips" of the clamshell clamps with metal inserts, so that you're not chipping away at the powdercoat by fastening the clamps. Something like the thin metal covers bolted to the outside of the Langster's track ends would work nicely (and those are certainly subjected to comparable amounts of pressure from track nuts).
So...any other suggestions? Comments?
TIA,
ECB
Over my past year with the M3L, I've been very satisfied with the B's design in general. Over time, however, I have noticed a series of small things which could stand some improvement (IMO).
Here's my list, in no particular order:
1) Plugged chainstays and seatstays. This would keep water out of the steel tubes, and would make the rear triangle look nicer.
2) A removable-faceplate-style stem clamp. That would make it a lot easier to change / swap handlebars.
3) A stronger, more shatterproof hook would be nice; molding the plastic around a bent piece of metal would do the trick. When the B gets toppled over from its parked config, it always seems to fall left and hit hook-first.
My hook got broken that way when I was boarding up my apartment for Gustav. :( At least fixing that problem gave me something to do, while I was sitting around in the dark for the next few days. :thumb:
4) Separate the hook, fender stay mount, and left axle nut. That would make it much easier to have a quick-releasable wheel, and would certainly simplify front wheel removal. I'm pretty sure this one has already been done by Steve Parry.
EDIT TO ADD: Yes, indeed he has. See
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/1559579570/in/photostream/
5) A quick-releasable front wheel (see 4). I do wonder if this might create problems, though. A right-hand-side lever could catch on things; a left-hand side lever might not work with the fold.
6) Tap the folding pedal for toe-clip / Power Grip bolts.
7) Make the folding pedal substantially (read: > 25 g) lighter. Maybe a drillium version of the toggle plate would be the way to go here.
8) Bolt a plastic plate to the right-hand side of the seat tube, so the cables won't wear away the paint where they rub.
9) As mentioned in my previous thread, slot the cable-housing-holder parts of the brake calipers' arms, to facilitate wheel removal.
10) Cover the "lips" of the clamshell clamps with metal inserts, so that you're not chipping away at the powdercoat by fastening the clamps. Something like the thin metal covers bolted to the outside of the Langster's track ends would work nicely (and those are certainly subjected to comparable amounts of pressure from track nuts).
So...any other suggestions? Comments?
TIA,
ECB