Rider on the (FnHon) Storm
 

There's a killer on the road.

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My custom, self-built 4130 chromoly steel, disc-brake FnHon Storm.

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Keynote parts

• Shimano SLX M7100 hydraulic disc brakes
• Shimano RT66 rotors, 180mm front / 160mm rear
• Shimano J02A finned resin pads
• Shimano Deore M4100 11-46T, 10-speed cogset
• Shimano Deore M6000-GS RD
• Shimano Deore M4100 shifter
• Maxxis Grifter 20 x 2.30" (58-406), 60tpi kevlar tires
• Litepro 32-, three-cross spoke front and rear wheelset

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Gearing
Chain is sized for max cog T plus chainring T up to 98T. Low-end gearing can expanded by installing a 11-50T cogset, and high-hend gearing can be expanded by swapping the chainring, all without changing or resizing the chain (115 links). Gearing with the installed 47T chainring is 21-88 gear-inches (418%).

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Worst-case RD ground clearance

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5cm+ minimum ground clearance

Frame and fork clearance for up to 2.4" meat (no fenders).

Not a single low-rent, haphazard, or proprietary, boutique part on the bike. Roll into any bike shop in the world, and it'll be able to work on the bike.

Want a more "road" oriented, sporty feel? Drop in a ETRTO451 wheelset. The bike frame will accept it, no problem.
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160mm rear

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180mm front

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Wheelbase: 102cm
Top tube: 58cm
BB drop: -4cm
Chainstay: 40cm

that's a beautiful bike. what is the total weight of the bike?

Thanks.

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I don't know the weight for I don't have a way of weighing it. The frame is 4130 chromoly so it's not light, but it's not a boat anchor either. The fork is 6061 aluminium alloy. Frame, fork and seatpost collar weigh 3.2kg.

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What I can tell you with certainty is that it's at least one kilogram lighter than a Brompton G-line, offering a higher performance and range transmission, and braking system with no proprietary parts while costing almost one-sixth the price. 😎

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"Puro" 6061. Note the low profile weld on the fork brake caliper bracket. Smooth as triple butter. 🧈 🧈 🧈

That's 7 lbs, so sounds about right. My '89 Cannondale 3.0 crit diamond frame in 6061 is 3.0 lbs in the smaller sizes, with nothing else, no fork, BB, headset, etc. For the bifold frame like yours, Dahon aluminum frames were 1.5 lbs lighter than 4130 IIRC, so for that one, perhaps 5.5 lbs in aluminum, but that's including the fork and hinge hardware, so my guess for the Dahon aluminum frame alone is low 4 lb range, and in 4130, my guess is about 5.5 lbs for the frame alone. That all makes sense, and is not too bad really for a durable frame, with a weight-adding hinge.

Ron, is there 11-speed derailleur which will give a good clearance with such tires? I would love to have 11-46 but 11 speed cassette (better spacing between gears for me).

Yes, there are two such 11-speed Shimano RD, namely the following parts:

• XT RD-M8000-GS
• SLX RD-M7000-GS

One little known Shimano quirk is that 10-speed MTB RD work with 11-speed shifters and cogsets. The cog pitch difference is within tolerances, so you could also try the Deore M6000-GS RD, the least expensive of the troika at about $40, with 11-speed.

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Shimano XT RD-M8000-GS

The XT and SLX RD are the 11-speed counterparts to the Deore M6000-GS RD on the Storm. Rated nominally to 46T, in practice they'll span a 51T cog just like the Deore RD here can span at least a 50T cog.


Gains in closer cog spacing with 11-speed come with losses in additional weight due to the additional cog or in shorter durability of the cogset due to the use of aluminium rather than steel cogs to save weight, as well as higher cost of the cogset and 11-speed chain. This is why I studiously stick with 10-speed, the value sweet spot IMO. There's no free lunch.

Adjusting the brake bite point.
 

When first installed, the Shimano SLX M7100 hydraulic disc brakes had a noticeably long bite point, meaning that the brake pads didn't press on the rotor immediately but rather only after quite a bit of lever depression. This behavior contrasted substantially with the bite point behavior of the Shimano Deore M6100 hydraulic disc brakes on my Thrill Volare minivelo which bite almost immediately. I bled the SLX brakes once again hoping to shift the bite point to a closer, shorter bite, but this had no effect.

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What I did instead, a much simpler procedure, fixed the problem and gave me the near immediate bite point that I craved: I hand-...well...finger-tightened the spring plate that sits between the brake pads. This closed the gap between the two brake pad plates, narrowing the dead distance or gap from the rotor. Depressing the levers several times brought out the pistons to a new position, flush to the brake pads with no rub on the rotors. When the brake pads were removed, I was able to eyeball too that there is zero air in the lines as the pistons move perfec sync and no delay with the lever. Minute lever displacement results in immediate, instantaneous, minute piston displacement. The brakes now work great with the very close bite point that I prefer.

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Hope this is useful to someone here looking to troubleshoot the same issue and fine-tune their Shimano hydraulic brakes.

Deore or SLX?
Oh yeah, if you wondering whether to go for Deore M6100 or SLX M7100 hydraulics, the former are just as strong as the latter, missing only on the easier lever throw adjustment and the caliper brake pad bolt (instead of a cotter pin) on the SLX. I only bought the SLX because they were on sale for only $20 more than the Deore. As I've said before, Shimano Deore M6000/M6100 is the value sweet spot.

Like the build for the most part Ron. Nicely done. No dynohub, so it wouldn't be welcomed in my fleet, but otherwise pretty nice. So the FnHon frames and forks use standard 100mm / 135mm hub spacing then ?

Danke schön, Bleu.

Aye, disc-brake FnHon frame/forks are standard 100/135mm OLD.

Road trials
 

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Change log
 

• Swapped the stock brake pad bolts for Toopre Ti bolts in gold color.

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I'm not understanding how a bolt can replace a cotter pin like that. Mayb a picture of one with a cotter pin?

In the vid below at 2:15, you can see a cotter pin (left) and a bolt (right) holding the brake pad on the caliper. To remove/install the brake pads, pliers are needed to open and close the cotter pin whereas all that's needed with a bolt is a hex wrench, a standard carry in my roadside repair kit. I far prefer the bolt method for this reason--to make the bike as self- and field-serviceable as possible--as pliers are not a standard carry item. YMMV.

To be clear, SLX M7100 brakes come with brake pad bolts while Deore M6100, the brakes on the other bike, come with cotter pins.


Incidentally and as a visual aid, the vid also shows at 2:44 the spring that I hand tightened to adjust the caliper bite point, as described in the Adjusting the brake bite point post.

Very surprised that Shimano would thread the hole, then put in a cotter pin. Very educational though. My disc equipped bikes both use Avid BB-7 BB-5 so there is no bolt or pin. I don't even like juice brakes on cars due to the failure potential, but I have to admit the newer hydraulic discs feel better than the cable actuated jazz. Nicest brakes I've used are air-disc, but that's not remotely practicle for bikes🤪

Must be using a drill-tap combo tool on the production line, so they all end up threaded. Could even be the same casting too, maybe some cosmetic differences...

Back at home -- washed, cleaned and none the worse for wear -- following the successful, trouble-free completion of the Tour-de-Sri-Lanka 2026. 💪🏼

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I'll have to check out the thread, haven't yet. I had expected it would be your normal touring bike (sorry the name escapes me), the black and white one with the rear monostays, that one's been a real trooper on your travels. Will be interesting to read about the Storm, and the usual travelogue. Thanks.