14R 

I am in the process of deciding what kind of bike I will purchase: It might end up being a Mini Velo, perhaps a conventional flat bar road bike. Sometimes I wonder if it will be another Brompton or another folder with less folding capabilities and more performance oriented.

But regardless of what kind of bike I end up with, my biking style will continue to be the same: 20-50 miles a week, with some random longer shots and a proximately 4 Centuries/year. This bike will have a flat bar, with a mountain bike geometry. Average speed should oscillate between 12 and 16 mph. This will will ride 90% of the time under perfect asphalt conditions, with the other 10% being 3rd world countries pavement and some dirt roads in rural Florida.

What I am looking for is a set or recommendations, based on intention, riding style and budget. Here we go:

1-Pedals: I am a big fan of Shimano "Campus" pedals, flat on one side for casual coffee ride, clipless SPDs on the oposite side.



I recentrly got a lightly used pair of these off of e-bay for 28 bucks shipping included:



Question: Is there anything lighter/sexyer with the same properties?



2-Handlebar grips: I am a big fan of bar extensions and/or bullhorns, at the same time the Specialized Body Geometry old school as well as the ergon grips with bar extensions, so I am considering one of these bar extensions below:

Race 2 GR-2



GX-3




Anything along these lines that you have positive feedback to share? Anything negative about these?

3-Saddles: Big fan of Specialized Body geometry, with sme negative experiences with Selle Italia (includng the broad ones, like the flite max gel flow and similars).

This is what I have in mind:

No direct link allowed, please click here

At 155mm width and approx. weight 345g (+/-5%), this is a confirmed good fit for me. Is it time for me to try a Brooks?


Done. Now I am all ears...

monsterpile

I have a set of those Shimano campus pedals I am looking to sell that are basically new that came off of a garage queen Trek 7.3 FX if you are interested. Thats all the input I have. =)

14R 

Thank you Monsterpile. I do have most of the listed stuff above, I am just looking for other options.

Your campus pedals will sell on e-bay for somewhere around 25-45 in less than 5 days. Any other BF member interested, they are excellent choices if you don't mind the fact that they don't fold.

monsterpile

I'll probably throw them on CL in the next few days. A few weeks ago I sold a bunch of SPD pedals and all but one set sold in less than 5 days.

SesameCrunch

14R:

Sounds like you're ready for a Bike Friday, perhaps? High performance yet still foldable. I'd say they're more versatile than a mini-velo.

fietsbob

since you linked to a slot down the middle saddle, then asked about a Brooks, consider :
https://www.selleanatomica.com/

JoelBikes

I have the GR2 on my Brompton S6R and I love them. They work as expected and as a bonus, they don't interfere with the fold. I highly recommend.

jur

I have switched to these, they're lighter than most and have the required looks. Black or silver.

chucky

I have a pair of these new in the box:

I weighed them at 350g on the postal scale.

I've also been using these for a while and while they aren't light by any means, they have needle bearings which blow every other pedal bearing out of the water:


Finally, even though most cyclists refuse to admit it, there's an overwhelming amount of evidence that traditional saddles contribute to prostate problems later in life. So you better get used to a saddle like this before it's too late:

A Brooks may feel good, but that doesn't mean it's safe for your body.

14R 

I only have 3 ways to do this:

1-Get a Mini Velo with S&S Couplers and have a slightly above average road bike quality ride with a below average travel capability

2-Get a folding bike that is not a Brompton and have an average road bike quality with an average travel capability

3-Get a Brompton and have a below average road bike with the highest travel capability.


I am honestly more inclined towards 1 or 3, so Bike Friday is not a good fit for me. I am strongly considering an S6 with BWR as my only bike.

AEO

I've found that the 155mm specialized alias was not bad for a folding bike that put you in a more upright posture.

AEO

I would go for the mini-velo with S&S couplers, simply because 406mm tires and rims are easier to find than brompton 16". That and the brompton is not as adjustable, meaning you will be less comfortable on longer distances.

14R 

The problem with S&S couplers is that they are a pain in the ass, specially if you have rear derailleur, front derailleur and brakes.

Thank you for all the help so far. I am about to get the Ergons!

Dynocoaster 

Go for the Brompton and the BWR.

jur

You can get them in leather lock-on versions these days, with matching barends.

ebay 110508308713

jur

Another pair, nice price too:

110611487886

Dynocoaster 

https://www.velovision.co.uk/showStory.php?storynum=946

14R 

Thank you for the links, I am in fact considering leather for both saddle and grips.

I am quite familiar with the BWR now. My pursuit (since 2007) on a faster Brompton took me far from the 6 speed model before the BWR was introduced. It might be a good fit for me. I am most likely going IGH, or on a conventional bike (Alfine or Rohloff) or on a Brompton.

Still working on the money aspect of it.

kamtsa

If you refer to the cables, it is not that bad. I split my TSR (three cables) after every ride and it is pretty quick.

As for handle bar, you may want to take a look at BF STI https://store.bikefriday.com/index.php?cPath=157. You can use it with Ergon grips and with STI, trigger or twist shifters. It provides more hand positions than the short Ergon ends and also split for easier packing.

EastBiker

Do you have any evidence that a Brooks saddle is dangerous to use?

kamtsa

There was a scientific article floating in the forums. Not Brooks specific though. This is when I switched from B17 to Adamo.

I will post the article here if I will find it.

Dynocoaster 

Rohloff would be nice https://www.flickr.com/photos/cycleologist/4540062281/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cycleologist/5427391643/

Bacciagalupe

Warning: I'm probably the only person who is not going to recommend a folding bike. So:

What's your budget?

How aggressive of a rider position do you want or can you handle? Do you prefer to sit upright or are you willing to work with a lower position?

Are you planning to tour in 3rd world areas, or are you going back and forth to a specific location?

Have you actually used either bar-ends or drop bars?

Dynocoaster 

I would start with this https://www.calhouncycle.com/productc...idproduct=2395

Bacciagalupe

Uh, where is this "overwhelming" evidence? BPH is most likely caused by hormonal changes, many forms of prostatitis are bacterial, and even acute trauma to the prostate gland won't cause cancer.

The only saddle-related studies I've seen indicate that pros -- who spend inordinate amounts of time in the saddle -- have increased incidences of ED.

Let's see the studies, my friend....