Category: TechyStuff

This looks like an exciting solution for those who already have a Brompton and don't want to find nearly £3000 for an e-Brompton. The entry level Brompton kit from Swytch, by contrast, costs just £400. And what's more, the entire kit weighs about the same as the Brompton e-bike battery alone. Tempting!  ...

Perhaps Brompton Suburbia would have been a better name for this new edition, which looks like it's dressed up for a fancy dress party, not for serious touring. Donning a pith helmet and plus-fours doesn't make you an explorer. I'm disappointed because I'd hoped that Brompton would have used their engineering genius to solve some basic problems that make the Brompton inadequate for touring. Like the fact that the rack can't take panniers. And the gearing is too narrow and still too high. And there are no mudguards. And I'm frustrated, because the Brompton has a lot going for it as a tourer. I've taken mine twice round the Scottish isles of Mull and Iona, and wild camped on remote beaches and hillsides. It's not  a fast touring bike, but with its small wheels it doesn't tire you out (getting going is always easy), and its frame suspension keeps you comfortable. And I'm suspicious, because this edition feels more like a marketing ploy...

Much as I'd love to have an electric Brompton, they are well outside my budget (and probably most people's). So this post is looking at alternatives, and particularly, at what I did with my ten year-old bike to turn it into an electric workhorse at a fraction of the cost of a new electric bike. (There are ways to convert your Brompton to electric too - some people swear by these.) Three Power Options I started by trying a number of off-the-peg models at a local e-bike shop. The three basic options for powering an ebike are to put a motor in the front wheel, the rear wheel, or in the bottom bracket. Most of these work on the basis that when you begin to pedal, this activates the motor, though some have a manual throttle. Each have their pros and cons. Bottom bracket (BB): I tested some state of the art e-bikes with a BB motor. Powering the bottom bracket makes sense because...

With my Alfine 8 conversion nearly complete, it seemed only right to replace my 10-year-old trigger with a new one for the Brompton. (top) I wondered whether the change in shape of the new one would mean more space on the handlebar - one of the less good aspects of the Alfine 8 when you have the M-type bars. Alas, the dimensions that matter are the same. It means that in order to accommodate the width of the trigger, the cable has to come down on the inside of the bar, meaning the trigger points more downward than usual. Still, it works, and you soon get used to it. But if you're thinking of buying a Brompton to convert, can I suggest getting a flat-bar S type one? More room for the controls! Having said that, with the gripshift version of the Ergon2 grips, you can still finish off the bars very nicely. Mine are in the post!   UPDATE: Ergon grips have arrived a work beautifully...

I find it hard to throw away any old parts from a Brompton - you just never know when it might come in useful, even if not on a Brompton itself! Spot the old Brompton part I reused to mend my pan lid. Perfect!...

It's not often you see one of these, in such good condition. An original Brompton T5.  This pristine model illustrates so many of the characteristic features of the Brompton of 20 years ago. Here on the left is the rather rigid plastic handlebar grip, and the slim, rod-like brake lever with a bulbous end. On the right is the 5-speed shifter, which operated the 5-speed hub gear. Below you can see the older form of narrow, sandwich type hinges, discontinued in 2002 due to a high incidence of failure in the weld (or brazing). (I know this from my own painful experience!) The T5 came with its own dynamo and lights (a good idea then, but battery lights have become so much better since then).     The rack had these funny, tough little wheels attached, one of which from my old 1995 Brompton has survived as a replacement pan lid handle on one of my saucepans!   This model even has the original, not-very-thrilling right...

I was just enjoying this view, when I looked more closely...         and spotted this view... Problem is, they stopped making the cracked part 15 years ago. This could be a long search......

My son texted me from university 400 miles away to tell me his spokes were rattling. I feel a wee bit responsible, since I built this wheel for him on a Brompton 8-speed conversion. So how do you teach spoke-tensioning by email? I had a go, and thought I would share my attempt here. I don't know if this is how the pros go about it - it's just what I would do. If your wheel has gone a bit wonky, you may be safest taking it in to a bike shop to get looked at. But if you're happy to tinker, read on. This is what I wrote: For tightening spokes, once you have your spoke key (suggesting 14G), invert the bike and: Ping all the spokes and work out which has the highest pitch. Make a note of that pitch as a benchmark. You may need to note a different pitch for each side of the wheel, if the spokes are different...