amf14

Just got my BF Companion. Flag Red really looks-- Slick!

Rides a lot better than my Giant expressway. Feels like a "normal' bike and is Fast! Will get a Fizik saddle soon and may convert to a road bike-- drop bar and STIs (I am not liking the grip shifters) . It's raining out here so I haven't tested her thoroughly yet.

Would appreciate if you guys can suggest upgrades to turn this into a road bike. Thanks!

Here she is with my Brompton P6RL:

amf14

Great!!! 59 views and ZERO replies!!!

badmother

We are just jealous and not sure how to cower it up when commenting. I think it is just bad timing. Personally I am quite occupied with family stuff these days and just find time to take a fast look once in a while but not much time to comment..

One day I`ll own a BF! Not found around here so I need to wait for one or hunt one down.

Enjoy yours!

amf14

I understand completely. Thanks!

starjag

Can you please expand on the "ride" factor when compared to the Expressway? Congrats!

Dynocoaster 

Congrats on the new BF. I like the red.

bargainguy

Congrats! What kind of bars are those? Look like Brompton M-bar style but can't tell for sure. If you stem pillar is short to compensate for the large rise of the bars, might need more than new bars & shifters - taller stem would probably come in handy so you're not hunched over after the conversion.

If you want STI, you might want to check out Bike Friday's STI bars. Kind of like their H-bar, but designed with STI in mind. The top extension of the H curls upward.

I've tried them but keep going back to drop bars, just personal preference. As long as they're not carbon, you can have any bars split and shimmed for the BF stem.

phillybill

+ 1 on the new BF .... I am waiting for my Tikit to show up in a few weeks.

fietsbob

Now post a picture of what you want to talk about not in the background.. head badge shot says Nada, Zilch.

You can get a trial stem from Bike Friday, you ride it with your drop bar setup, that you want.
then you send it back and they use the adjustments you settled upon,
and bend and custom fabricate a stem with those dimensions.


of course The 451 wheel would be more road bike like,
but you did not order the right frame for that.

try a narrower 406 tire, say Schwalbe Kojacks..

fwiw, the white bike, in the foreground, has Brompton's P bars on it.

smallwheeler

bargainguy

P bars on the brommie, yes. I was talking about the bars on his Companion, kinda U-shaped which look like brommie M bars.

invisiblehand

Congratulations on the bike.

If you're going to put on road bars then you're talking about ...

(1) a road bar
(2) STI levers ... are eight speed levers still made? You might consider going 9 or 10-speed (cassette plus chain) if 8-speed levers are tought to find.
(3) brake travel agents
(4) a new stem.

You might consider some nice road tires. Otherwise, I think you're best off riding the bike a lot before making any other modifications.

fietsbob

OP want to submit another picture , with just the red bike in the front?


Bike Friday makes an H bar H shaped with T ends. it comes apart to Pack
the plan: V type MTB lever on the front , a Bar-end shifter on the rear
[ though reverse levers would work , with the travel-agent]

and another with the T a ski Bend like tube to fit a Road Type Brake Lever.
It also comes apart in the center

Other than that you can use a stem and any Road bar combination that you fancy.

you can even go the route of Shimano Bar end shifters there, "ultegra" is their 8 speed.
Or the remount on the front of modified road levers .. retroshift?
Id ask them if they Mod a V brake compatible lever,
since their primary aim is Cyclo Cross Racing
and then the shifters and brakes are different.

There are Brifters on lower end road bikes that are still 8 speed.


Microshift is another brand, cheaper than Shimano.

amf14

Sorry for the pics, here's a better one:

Tom Spohn

We have three BF bikes. (One is a tandem) If you are sure you will not venture off road a set of Schwalbe Duranos will add some speed. Kojacs are comfy but not as fast and ours seemed more prone to cuts. I just got used to the straight bars on my single, but have drop bars on the tandem with Ultegra shifters that are really smooth. +1 on the idea of borrowing a stem from BF dial in the right fit for drop bars. We also put Shimano A600 pedals on all our bikes and really like them.
Enjoy your new bike.

amf14

The "trial" stem from BF looks like a good idea but I'm in the Philippines and it might take quite some time for them to send one over.

The Companion rides better in terms of being less twitchy and flexing. I have not weighed it using a weighing scale but I think/feel it is lighter than both my expressway and Brommie.

I'll be looking around for drop bars and probably a Shimano group set. Thanks.

hopperja

How does your BF compare to the Brompton?

amf14

With my limited riding time with the BF, I would say that the ride is better with it. More stable, almost zero twitch and flex (the BF has fatter and wider tires). As for the fold, the B wins hands down!

bargainguy

Just saw you latest pic. Looks like a fixed length stem pillar with threadless stem attached, and possibly bars which are not shimmed/split for packing. If so, you could replace the threadless stem with one that has whatever rise and extension you need for STI, without having to have BF fabricate a new stem for you, given your distance from BF HQ.

fietsbob

The Grip shift would go with the straight bars Myself I got Ergon combo Bar-end/ comfort grips.
for the same bars
in general you are going to buy stem , bars and the brifters.. front one may be tricky to mix and match ..


seek local help if the guessing here is not hitting the mark.

rodar y rodar

Cool, AMF- hope you enjoy it!
Convert to a roadbike? Well, how do you define "roadbike"? Whatever your idea is, the parts of your Friday that don`t match that are obviously what you would have to change- might be a long road, though. Be aware that if the bike fits you well now with flat bars, drop bars on the same bike will probably be an uncomfortable reach for you, so probably simpler to look into some of the "alternative" bars that other people have mentioned. Personally, I`d give the twist shifters some time and see if you get used to them. If you still don`t like them after a few months, start watching for good deals on clearence or used parts since you might go through several different combinations before you find exactly what you like.

Poor Badmother, stuck over there in the Land O Moultons . I bet if you found a nice bargain on a used AM, you could convince somebody on this side to trade you a used BF for it!

fietsbob

FWIW, both my brompton and bike friday handle more solidly with a load on the front.

touring bag on one , their front rack and my panniers on the Bi-Fri.

amf14

Thanks for the replies!

Got a Fizik arione for my BF. Planning on getting a Shimano 105 or Tiagra group set next.

badmother

Thank you for sharing my agony!! Not in the land o moultons I am afraid. Have seen two 16" ones in the last 5 yrs on the local list. I DO have a beautiful "80something" approx 55 cm Eddy Mercks that i am not keeping.. Anyone??

(Why did I not think of that myself??)

rodar y rodar

I guess I had an overly rosy "grass is always greener" idea of the number of Moultons languishing in dusty attics over there. That Merckx isn`t a seperable frame, is it?