Brompton Brakes - Probably a Classic Question
 

I absolutely love my brompton; however, the brakes have nearly killed me in a few occasions during my commute. I can live with the brakes, but I was wondering if it is possible to fit disc brakes on a brompton.

Most of my problem days happens during wet, rainy mornings. I will be going down a hill with ppl and cars, put on the brakes, and rearly wipe out, or just slide down the hill without much control. Not sure how ppl in S.F. cope.

I'm in the U.S., so none of the bike shops around me knows anything about brompton bikes... Has anyone tried putting on disc brakes? or is there any other options?

Thanks

My own Brompton's brakes are not the greatest either. For a temporary solution, I added the best brake pads that I could find (Kool Stops), rotated the brake levers a bit upwards toward my fingers (I have small hands) for more leverage without interfering with the fold, don't carry a great amount of heavy items, keep the brakes well adjusted, and don't ride in the rain or snow. When I am able to afford the upgrades, I will probably buy the Brompton dual pivot brakes in a couple of years when the brake pads are ready to be replaced.

I hope this helps.

IIRC the Brompton brakes are notoriously poor. Just put on a decent pair of V-brakes or whatever and you'll be fine.

Steve Parry regularly fits discs to Bromptons but it isn't a trivial task.

It is difficult to tell from your description whether the problem is pad/rim friction or tyre/road friction?

My problem isn't specific to anything. I have my bike tuned up regularly. It is simply the brakes don't perform well. But problems raise when I ride at full speed, which I often do. And if it is rainy, the brakes will cause my bike to slide (generally dont have that problem with my other bikes).

But mainly, I just looking for better brakes than the ones stocked on my SL-6Plus

If you get rid of the brake levers, change the pads, and replace the brake cable, it'll make a world of difference.

I use salmon Eagle 2 threaded studs for pads, and I like these levers though I have the cheaper Nashbar version. The caveat is that for the pads, you'll have to cut the studs shorter so that it doesn't smash into the handlebar post when folded. Also the levers need to be shimmed on the B. handlebars because the handlebars are skinny. I shimmed with electrical tape because it was the first thing I saw. All in all it is a worthwhile upgrade, and has passed the hills in Berkeley test with aplomb.

So you are saying the brakes are too powerful and making the tyres slide? That is the impression you are giving.

Probably more that the brakes are not gripping well enough.