Originally Posted by
FedericoMena
So, has anyone ridden the same Brompton with a 50 tooth chainring vs. a 44 tooth one? I live in a hilly area, and my 6-speed Brompton is fine until I hit the really steep hills - the ones I can do on the low gears of my "big" bike, but not on the Brompton.
I find the 44T too slow when riding on flat roads while 50T is good.
As an alternative, some people keep the 13/16T sprockets but add a third one to go up those hills. Apparently, it's not that difficult to do if you're into things mechanic:
Brompton 9 vitesses - Page 3
The yellow line shows the meters-in-development you get with a 50T chainring and an additional 18T sprocket, and the percentage between each speed.
I had the opportunity of trying a bike like this a bit, and the smaller difference between each speed makes the bike smoother so might get someone to perform the surgery. A lower gear inch would really be a good thing when riding in hilly areas.