I may have added a little confusion in my post. I call the Aber Halo a riser sometimes,i dont use a riser and the Aber Halo. Just the Aber Halo. Plus i have the advantage of being able to move my bars forward more. It feels very rigid in comparison. Actually even without the Aber Halo the S-type bar stems are slightly more forward giving one more cockpit room. Of course one can move the saddle back more but that doesnt place my knees over pedals as i like them to be.
I found the flex seemed to be mostly in the M bars bars themselves when i test rode a M bike. Probably why they sell the brace for M-Types as there bars seem to break eventually, from flex i suspect.
Also when i gave the 39 1/4 inches figure that was a estimate if the Aber Halo was straight up and also that was from the top of bars as asked for (i usually would measure to center of bar tube),mine is slightly forward which puts it still a inch or so lower than the M-type according to Bromptons figures which i just looked up
No offense to M/P type owners meant. Hope this clears things up and my ride feeling could be subjective re: flex, for sure.

Any how.. old guy, climbing.. kick the button on my mountain drive crank
into Low range .

so I am not pulling on the bars, [M bars, now] but 'spinning' in a small gear..

54t (low =21.6) x 15 on AW3.. 6 speeds 17'' to 77''..

Very nice gearing.
I stick mostly to flat ground with my single speed, or i would try one of those mountain drives out. But at the ripe old age of 65 i still like s/s. Glutton for punishment i guess. I run 66". 54t crank x Surly 13t cog out back.

This is exactly what I would like to do. I have been planning on getting a M6L like you started with, but the klunky 2x3 gearing is a turn-off. I would love some more details on your conversion. Specifically:
- Where did you buy the hub, or did you get a whole new wheel?
- What size cog and chainring are you using?
- What gear range do you have?
- Where did you get the SA thumbie shifter?

I am assuming that swapping in the 5-speed hub is no big deal, as it is the same locknut width as the three-speed hub. From your experience with the conversion, would I be able to convert a 1-speed Brompton as easily (my reason for starting with a 1-speed would be to minimize the total cost of the bike -- no need to buy a 3-speed bike just to throw away the hub and shifter).

Thanks!

I installed an X-RF5 which is now an S-RF5. There is an issue I've not yet properly resolved with it, the indicator chain pulley guide sticks out quite a bit further than the 3 speed nut type. I modded the chain tensioner so that the guide pulley sits closer in towards the axle, however it still projects out enough that when the bike is folded it sits between the front wheel spokes, so if whilst rolling the bike the front wheel touches the floor and starts to turn the spokes bang against it the pulley. The old 5 speed had a longer hook/stay thing which perhaps I should install. I get the feeling it might bend under load when the bike is used as a shopping cart though:



Oh, forgot to say, the reason the front wheel can reach the floor on my bike despite it having a rear rack and eazy wheels is because I've put a Scorcher 1.5" tyre on it.

I've seen 5sp wheels listed on eBay. How much weight do they add over the stock 3sp? And can you still run the 2sp derailleur with it?

Thanks for the info, chagzuki. Can anyone who has converted to a S-RF5 report as to whether or not this is still an issue with the latest version of this hub?

The 5-speed S-RF5(W) hub is listed as 1090 g, whereas the 3-speed Brompton BRW hub is listed as 940 g. That's 150 g more = 1/3 lb. AFAIK you can run it with the 2-speed derailleur for a total of 10 gears, but I would lose the derailleur and extra cog to save about 100 g, which means the 5-speed conversion would be almost the same weight as the 6-speed stock option.

Surely the 6 speed total weight is slightly more as there's an extra cable and shifter plus derailleur. Actually, how much does a cable weigh?

I am about to purchase a Brompton myself and it seems that I am not alone in wanting something in between the M-bar and the S-bar. I asked Brompton about the size and got an interesting answer:

What do you think about this? And wich one is easier to mod from if you want something in between the M-bar and the S-bar, both lenghtwise as well as heightwise?

(I realized in writing a little short arms I gave room for maybe more estimating than wanted. What I meant was that when I buy clothes the sleeves are often to tall buy maybe around two centimetres.)

in the next year they will start offering a taller M bar , set-up, called H.

next , perhaps an S bar , adding 30mm to upper and lower sections
of the steering mast.

in the meantime, perhaps a modification of the s bar , with a MTB riser bar,
may be good,
you could get a different sweep angle as well .. ,
and there is Brompton's Saddle Adapter Pin , It fits on the top of the seatpost,
and allows an even further forward saddle position.

Apropos Brompton mods, I recently replace the hinge plates with these ones

https://brompfication.com/17-hinge-clamp-plate.html

One of the edges is longer than the other which prevents the plate to turn when folded. Makes the unfolding slightly easier.

Thanks for the answer. I probably can move the saddle enough with the original edition so to speak. Plus with the M-bar I can lean it a bit towards me and a bit to high is better than a bit to low. Oh decisions decisions...
Well I can always save up some money and buy the other stem if the one I decide on doesn't work.

Oh, nice ones. Maybe in the future. First get the bike. Then get the mods.

My M-bars are angled in at least an inch. Seems to work well for me (6') and doesn't interfere with the fold though I guess it's a bit wider folded than if the bars are more forward.

So simple. Now why haven't Brompton already done this?

Hi All,
I finally got round to documenting my cockpit mods and am very very happy with the finished result. I added a white riser bar to the existing M bar steering post, new levers, a Sturmey Archer shifter and new foam grips.



The change in handlebar height just feels right. I am only 5'7" so if you are really tall, I could understand you might have an issue with a mid-riser bar but for me it is perfect.

(Products bought @ July 2011 prices)
Deity Villain 2 white mid riser bar £30 – 315g (before cutting off the ends)
Xposure pair of white levers £12 – 167g
3 Speed Sturmey Archer SLS30-T Thumbshifter - £16 – 77g (but SJS delivery +£5!! )
Brompton grey foam grips - £5



The bar is strong, won’t flex and is light. No need to spend a fortune, you are going to cut the ends off anyway! My Xposure levers work better than the originals, they are light, cheap and they match the bar colour. The Sturmey Archer metal thumb shifter is amazing, crisp, clean changes. I had worried about this component a lot but ultimately listened to the good advice from the members of this forum, thanks guys. I also opted to put a new pair of Brompton foam grips back on... I like them, (plus they weigh ‘nothing’).

I learnt some valuable lessons applying my mods and thought I would share my experience. For those with more experience – go easy on me if I have done something stupid!

1. Stripping the old bar
I removed all the old components and just slid the bar out, no dramas here, pretty easy.
But note, when you dismantle the Brompton plastic gear shifter BE CAREFUL, there is a TINY spring in there so when opening it up, make a point of taking the spring out and storing it safely, do not leave it in place or... BOING, no more spring! I lost mine.

As the cables (both brakes and gear cable) have nipples on the end of them, I unclamped the ‘un-nippled’ end and unthreaded the old components. I did of course have to cut off the cable end crimps… no great loss there.

I noted that when unthreading from the callipers there is a small plastic cable sleeve as well as the larger rubber cable cover; I made sure to store them carefully so that I could find them later when reassembling!

I reused the original cables and sleeves without modification. The height change of the handlebar is not enough to ‘need’ new cable lengths but you might think about shortening your cable sleeves by a small amount.

2. Fitting a raised bar takes a little effort
To fit a raised bar in the welded Brompton clamp you have to 'stretch' the clamp open so the bar can slide in past its bends. I am only too aware that this comes with a risk. At worst you might crack the weld of the clamp! However, I consider this a minor risk considering the general quality of the Brompton build. This is the ‘hardest’ part of the mod.

Before we start, I cut down my new riser bar so that it was exactly the same width as the original. In hindsight it could do to be a little bit smaller but then Brompton steering can be a little dicey so maybe it’s better to have the additional leverage!

I took the clamp bolt completely out of the handlebar clamp. I took a similar size, but longer bolt and screwed it into the 'wrong' side of the clamp. This meant that as I screwed it into the wrong side of the clamp I could use it to push the other side of the clamp to open the clamp (I put a piece of metal against the other face of the clamp so I did not scratch it).

I then tried to slide my new bar through the clamp, got impatient, tried to force it, dinged it !!
I learnt that you cannot push it. It will either go without effort or it won’t. I turned the bolt to open the clamp up a little bit more and eventually the bar slid in easily.

Ok so with the bar in place I needed to close the clamp. Undoing the long screw and taking it out revealed that the clamp had not fully returned to its' original position. So... I then squeezed it shut as much as I could using soft clamp jaws and then used the original clamp bolt to pull the clamp together (don't forget the washer).

Bar fitted. I was a few pints of sweat and a whole page of expletives lighter… but it’s easy when you know how and you can follow the above!

3. Connecting it all up
So I then rethreaded the cables back through, hooked up my brake levers, new SA shifter and bolted it all on to the handlebar.
When I put the components on the new bar, I just nipped them up a bit because I realised I was going to need to play around with their placement so I could adjust them for my preferred riding position and to ensure the fold is not impacted. This was easy but did take some trial and error. I started with the angle of the bar so that it would fold without hitting the wheel and then everything else was easy. I then put new Brompton grey foam grips on with some hair spray, job done.

Here is another minor mod. I filed out the the front section of seat post flare. This way it does not hit the that black plastic disk when I push the seat post down.

Hi Little Pixel, May i know what crank you are using? looks real nice. Any idea what crankset can I use for my S1E-X? I am currently on a weightweenies project for this bike

S Bar steering mast, maybe, not appropriate on the M bar,
which is at ground level when folded down.

Another M bar possible substitution seen in flicker. Modolo Dumbo,
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/modolo-du...nds-prod18737/
as an option on M or P bar mast.

fold/unfold, has a bit of bolt fiddling to change the upper 'wings' ,
on the adjustable trekking bar.
no personal, hands on experience.

Myself, I fitted Ergon GC3 grip shift grips on my M bar.
To fold it's HB mast, the bolts are loosened, 1 bar-end folded down, the other Up.

[Fitted trekking bars, ITM 'Freetime', on my BF PL,( with optional folding Mast).]

Here is another useful Brompton mod. Any idea where to install it?

https://amzn.com/B00569CXBY

The WC, apparently to hold the TP.

Here is another quick mode that works well for me. If you have a 3speed Brompton shifter and get annoyned by the rattle, this simple and reversible mod will eliminate it.


1. Start with a 4-5mm drinking straw, prefereably black for asthetic reasons, and cut a piece of 44mm.



2. You don't need to take apart the shifter cover. This picture demonstrates where the straw will end up.



3. Shift to first gear (lever all the way down) and insert the straw in between the front cover plate of the shifter and the lever.



4. Push the straw all the way in. Make sure it is seated behind the raised edge of the shifter cover.


And this is the mod with a black straw. It fits better the shifter color.

Now go out, ride and shift normally. The straw will prevent the lever from rattling.

Here is another Brompton related mod. This time it is a Brompton work stand that folds and fit in a 8" bag. The stand is Topeak Flash Stand https://www.topeak.com/products/Stora...lay/FlashStand with two modifcations:

1. The base is filed such that the two legs can be unfolded further, about 45 degrees toward the rear wheel.

2. The black hook at the top of the stand need to be narrowed a little bit to clear the chainwheel. A few hits with a mallet took care of that.

oops! be careful with skate wheels, I've seen a couple of bended frames due to use of this sort of wheels. I also thought about and actually assembly them on my bike but the ship recommended me not to do it. Eazy wheels are designed to avoid any frame problems.

Did you use the same M type cables when you put everything back together? Since the M bars are normally a bit higher, does anything snag during the fold?

I am trying to go from S type to an S type with 2" riser, so purchased the M type cables to give me the extra cable length. Is this what others have done as well?