tuleggi

Hi sharing with you my first folding bike mod!

Started with a fantastic FSIR Spin 5.0 bought second hand at 240 euros, European version with telescopic stem.

COMFORT improvements:

Then I thought that I should improve the comfort, therefore I wanted to find some larger tires. I have found those which are probably the best in comfort and performance, really happy (tires also for velomobile), they are also super-light, although not cheap: the Gocycle 20" tires.

The issue being that they are 1,95 wide so I needed to change the wheel rim, just to be on the safe side, with a larger one. I have found the Spomann 20" which in total were also 177gr lighter than the original ones ;-)

Then I have noticed that the old mudguard was too narrow and in my rainy country it would have not been of any use, so I looked for an alternative. I found the Curana CLite Mudguard Set 20" super nice and lighter than any plastic fender!


RIDEABILITY improvements:

Then where I live there are some short hills I need to climb and the the original 9 speed cassette was not adequate enough, too difficult to climb. I had with me a spare SRAM cassette from my mountain bike of 11-34T, perfect match now with the front chainring of 52T, and bonus also this cassette being a XO version was much lighter also!

The original pedals where lightweight but full metal and therefore slippery. Since I am using the folding bike also with office shoes I needed to find a safer solution. I was able to find a XLC pedals with some anti-slippery padding with only almost no added weight!

I needed to add some light beam capability for safety purposes and also to better see when the sun is gone or not arrived yet. I opted for a strong solution in the front with the Giant Recon HL 1100 lumens and on the rear with the stylish Moon Cerberus with 150 lumens; both products are very lightweight compared to their lumens! Added also some bike reflectors on the wheels spoke, the lightweight FLECTR ZERO.

Finally, to increase the puncture resistance and decrease the risk of flat tyres, I have added some Tubolito bmx tubes, with the added advantage of being lighter!


TRANSPORT improvement:

I have then installed a Magnetix 2.0 to clip the two wheels together and allow me to roll the bike when folded very easily. Some added weight but that worth it.

The final mod scope was to reduce its weight to allow easy transport when carried over the stairs, up and down on the train station. The challenge and the fun was to search and find the lightweight products that would not be too expensive!

I have started buying a second hand long derailleur SRAM XO 9s, perfect match with my XO SRAM cassette. Then a big weight saver was the saddle, I opted for Selle Italia SLR superflow with titanium rails.

I have changed the brake levers with some GBS light levers, not the lightest as this is a safety component and for the moment I did not wanted to take the risk. I have replaced the brake pads with the one from Rose bikes mtb light. I also changed the skewers with some titanium Litepro.

Next components changed were the handle bar with a 540mm Litepro carbon, and also the handlebars with some new lightweight sponges.

Then the chainring with a Litepro 52t and crancksets as well, plus the chain with a YBAN SLA 901 Ti.

Another big weight saver has been the change of the squared bottom bracket with some titanium ACRZ with normal steel bearings.


And thatīs all. Today with all the above added capabilities I have spend quite some budget an additional 550 euros, but I can still sell the old parts and probably get back 150 euros.

I am happy with the result and sharing my positive experience: with all those components I have an improved, safer bike and I am at only 8.8kg, and few bolds are incoming that will decrease it further of about 100gr, going down to a final 8.7kg.

Winfried

For the curious in the audience, here's how it folds:


Made by Typhoon from Shenzhen, China.

3speedslow

Poster, awesome upgrades and great write up! What country do you live in?

Also, Thanks for the vid! I could not figure the fold out!

tuleggi

Belgium and thanks! :-)

tds101 

Excellent job!!!

Winfried

Where are they available in Belgium (and Europe, generally speaking)?

I'm curious about how that part will hold after years of use:

tuleggi

You can find them in Netherland but it seems they finished the production so I guess they are the last stocks. This part seems holding well, itīs a tube inside another tube, so quite solid, and on the bottom a screw holding it together with a bearing to enable the spin movement. Overall I find the design quite clever, the frame is stiff in that way and it rides good. Here a picture of it opened from another internet user:

Winfried

Yup, gone.

https://www.fsirbike.nl/

Geepig

A lovely little thing, and I was surprised as well by the way that it folded.

With the front lamp position, I have found that it seems the first thing to hit anything when folded, so do you rotate yours out of the way normally?

tuleggi

I can indeed rotate the handlebar, but honestly the easier way is simply to unclip the front lamp (very easy) and put it in my pocket. Most of the time I keep it there attached on the handlebar without rotating it, no big risk of bumping actually.

intrigate

This looks fantastic, great job! I found your post while searching for an affordable bike for my commute, that's safe to drive. Was eyeing decathlon's flip 900 folding bike, but FSIR got my attention. Do you mind telling how was the ride quality on the stock FSIR, if you remember? I'm 1.87 tall and the telescopic stem puts FSIR ahead of the Flip 900, which has a fixed one. Any tips if you have, i'm all ears. Thanks for your help!

For the ones wondering where to get it from, I found 2 sellers on Bol, that have the (new) spin 5.0 for sale, the cheapest is 529 EUR, free shipping in BE and NL

tuleggi

Hi I think the FSIR is better. I don't have too many experiences with folding bikes (but I do have with bikes) but I can confirm that the FSIR stiffness is relatively good (still a normal bike will win, bigger tyres, better geometry etc.) and I can understand that is comparatively better than other folding bikes thanks to its folding mechanism. In fact structurally there is no weak points thanks to the way how it folds, without breaking the center tube.

You can see in a comparative review here: https://www.testhut.nl/review-vouwfietsen/ also some taller than me guys testing it and overall the tester seems to prefer FSIR in term of ride quality over a Brompton if you can live with the fact that it is not as compact (again due to the folding mechanism) and therefore a little bit less practical.

If you want I can also get it in Belgium for a bit less, and I can (for you or anyone else) have some fun in applying some modifications you liked from my post to your bike, agreeing with a correct selling price (I would do it mainly for fun, I actually enjoyed the process of building it an now I know all the tricks for this bike ;-) ).

Cheers

intrigate

Thank you for taking the time to answer and for your offer! I've seen the video you're referencing and had to chuckle when one of the reviewers tried folding the Brompton. In the FSIR video ad (can't link it, not enough rights...), whoever marketed this bike in Holland decided to use a guy who was clearly too tall for the bike, as he's riding with his knees wide apart. But I digress. As it happens, I live in Belgium (near BXL), and I like what I'm hearing Ideally, I'd test it before buying, and Bol's 30 days return policy probably would allow that.

I wanted to take our exchange in private, but sending a message is only allowed after 10 posts. Same for links and images. Replying better count!
So there's that

tuleggi

good I am living next to you :-) I will try to write to you in private myself then, otherwise continue to reply

intrigate

Awesome! Got your message. By the way, I can't read it here, the 10 posts rule Luckily the system mails it to you...

Do you mind sending another one with your number, so we can text?

mrsus018

Awesome bike. I think you can change to a litepro carbon seat post to save a bit more weight.

tuleggi

indeed it has been already ordered ;-)
I will share soon some updated pictures, few other components updated, the stem bearing also a cheap component saving quite some weight.

tuleggi

Hello,
here I am again.
few non-expensive components updated, just for fun/aesthetic and (unnecessary :-) ) weight reduction reasons, all components are in 7075 light aluminium:
- v-brakes 4 bolts color gold
- v-brakes inside 4 pins/columns (the screw between the fork and the caliper)
- crankset 5 screws color gold
- bottom bracket 2 bolts color gold
- fork headtube inside screw
- stem / headset bearing color gold
With all those small components (and mainly thanks to the last two listed above), the folding bike is now down to 8,6kg! Thatīs really nice and I am still waiting also the carbon seatpost ;-)

Geepig

Very, very elegant, but how about leaning it against that tree next time

tomtomtom123

I think one practical problem would be the stability of a rear rack if it's screwed into the fork hole where the mud guard goes.

tuleggi

I cannot say for certain as I do not have it, I can only see how it get attached from this picture and it seems solid as there is a third connection point next to the bottom bracket

tuleggi

And here is the picture of the third contact point for the rear pack:

tuleggi

And since I was taking photos I took the opportunity to place it this time next to a tree ;-) to show you that I have the new carbon seatpost Litepro A65 installed, really nice!

Given the low price I have tried also to change the brake levers, risking with the lightest litepro ultimate levers; contrary to what I had initially thought they seem pretty solid and they seem safe.

With those two changes I am now down to an astonishing 8,4kg total weight!

splithub

..these clamps together with nylon sleeves shave off another 65g for small money and protect the finish of your carbon seatpost

tuleggi

thanks! I was thinking about it, but are they practical as the previous ones? when I look to the design compared to the original they do not seems as easy to operate (including the fact that the original bottom one has a frame stopper, don't you miss it?)