looploop

Hi All,

I've got a few question s i'm hoping someone can answer for me:

Would it be possible to replace the standard curly handlebars on my Merc Bike with the straight Brompton ones? If so, do Brompton sell the straight bars on their own? Also, how much would it cost to get a bike shop to fit them for me?

I really don't like the upright riding position the standard handlebars provide and would prefer to lean into the front of the bike a bit more.

Thanks

14R 

I don't know where you are located, but most bike shops would swap the bars for free if you buy it from them.
Your Merc would fit most mountain bike handlebars (bromptons or not). Mine has a Specialized straight bar.

Let us know about your Mods.

Rafael

spambait11

You might also need to adjust the stem height, otherwise your straight bar will be really low.

LittlePixel

I would counter that opinion personally as the ride height on a Merc / Brompton is so upright in the first place.

The stem on the 'S' series Brompton is the same height as the M or L series - if not a little bit more curved so I don't think that the removal of the 'riser' bar on a Merc to something straight, like on the 'S' Series, or as 14R has done, or to something else like a shallower riser bar or an even more exotic bar like a Nitto Moustache wouldn't pose any problems OTHER than the fact that the folded stem might not fol as flat against the hunk of folded bikeness because of it's curviness-in-more-than-two-dimensions.

Huw

spambait11

Really? Didn't know that. I may have to experiment myself one day.

invisiblehand

I recall that Rafael got his bike from Wav. If so, he has a suspension handlebar post which would raise the straight bar relative to where the standard riser bar intersects with the handlebar post.

Long story short, if you put a straight bar in a regular Brompton/Merc, the bar will be quite low. Search for a while and find a picture with the two bikes next to each other. You will see what I mean. Note that a lot of this depends on how tall you are. On my regular ride, the handlebar and seat are approximately the same height. On the Merc/Brompton, I have the seat extended as high as it can go. So an additional drop of an inch or so is a lot.

If you are going to do any modifications, you should really search the yahoo group Bromptontalk. If you are looking for the modification that Rafael has on his bike, then the best person to talk to is Steve Parry in the UK. There is a Dutch guy that does something similar; I assume there are others that do the modification but don't advertise on the web.

Note that Wasson--the main distributer here in the US--does not do the handlebar modification.

If you want to see a trick bike with some unique modifications, check out this guy.

https://www.ufbusa.com/

Fear&Trembling

It isn't! The S-type stem is higher and about 50mm further forward than the old Brompton bars...

LittlePixel

I stand corrected. Sorry to spread misinformation...

spambait11

Ah. Thus the reason why one can only use an S bag and not the other standard front carrier bags. That's a pretty big pity.