Category: ForTheLove

My's son's Brompton was stolen in London last week. It's his main mode of transport, and was a gift to him nearly 5 years ago when he left for Uni. It's a very unique bike - converted to an Alfine 8 speed hub, with 32 spokes in the rear wheel.       If you come across it, look for the frame number: 436821 Thankfully the bike was insured - but how to replace something quite so unique? I decided to buy the stripped down version of the Brompton - the B75 - and use this as the basis to recreate the old bike. The B75 first came on the market at £750 - pretty reasonable for a three-speed Brompton - but has since gone up to £850. (Pandemic? Brexit? More people cycling?) At the same time, other Brompton versions have also shot up in price. I bought my M6L 4 years ago through cycle to work, and the shop price was around £1000. Today, a typical price...

When I saw an Alfine 11 hub online for less than half price, I couldn't resist. I had hoped to do an Alfine 11 Brompton conversion at some point, and the opportunity to buy a cheaper Brompton through cycle-to-work brought hub and bike together. I used the bike as a commuter for 18 months, getting used to the Brompton 6-speed set-up. I knew that Bromptons had been converted to Alfine 11 hubs by others, but in one case with a seriously modified rear triangle. Perhaps that should have been a warning sign. My Alfine 8 conversions had gone like a dream, and I hadn't anticipated that the 11 would be much different. So I set about working out my gear ratios using the magnificent Brompton Gear Calculator coming up with an ideal spread (for me) using a 16T rear sprocket, and a 40T front chainwheel - made by Stronglight, but Brompton compatible. For the Alfine hubs, the over-locknut width between the rear dropouts...