Argyll’s Eazy Wheels

When we placed the order for Argyll,  there was some kind of a mix-up.  Although we specified “rack with Eazy Wheels” (several times over), somehow the invoice was written with the Eazy Wheels notation missing.  That was a shock on more than one front, since it hadn’t even occurred to me that a rack could be supplied without Eazy Wheels.

Argyll arrived with very small wheels attached to his rack.  So small, in fact, that any any attempt to roll him resulted in scraping both rack and bungee.  (Above, you can see the bungee squished between the rack and the floor, and dragging on said floor.)  This was utterly mystifying; why supply a Brompton with wheels that acted as an effective brake (while simultaneously destroying lovely B components)?

Clearance for the front set of wheels was only marginally better.  Here’s the little guy, resting on his weird, too-small, wheels and rack:

Zip clearance there.  I wonder why?

Dr. Diarist went to New York and picked up Argyll during one of the worst storms of the season, and as a result didn’t do much in the way of exploring his new Brompton’s capabilities.  He did briefly try rolling Argyll on his way to the train, but reported that something seemed to be wrong.   Once he was home, the problem was obvious.

So we got things straightened out, and, shortly, a set of Eazy Wheels arrived, along with a second surprise:  a bung.  That’s the plug between the wheel sets, in the package below.  The bung fits into the end of the seatpost and  acts as a brake when the seatpost is lowered all the way — a good idea, since a Brompton with Eazy Wheels attached will roll, unlike a Brompton with what I guess are “stock” rack wheels.

Peter, of NYCeWheels, had promised that the wheels would be “eazy” to install, and he was quite right.  Though rather IKEA-like, the instructions were very clear, and the assembly testimony to Brompton’s (almost) always amazing and resourceful engineering.

The only tricky bit is counting the tiny, tiny washers — they are used for spacing, and I found one hiding inside a wheel when I suspected I was one short.  Taking the existing wheels off carefully counts, too, if you want to save time; you’ll re-use some, but not all, of the original hardware, to install the new set if your B comes with a rack.

The front wheels are quite straightforward — just pop them on, essentially — but some attention is required for the rear set.  Counter-intuitively (and brilliantly) one rear wheel is set inside the rack, and one outside.  (That’s Basil, above, illustrating the point.)

Once considered, this makes sense, as the weight of a B is slightly unbalanced when folded.  The Eazy Wheel placement accounts for the discrepancy.  The shot below isn’t the best, I’m afraid, but see the angle of the bungee now, compared to the first two photos in this post?  Clearance!  Yes!

Not everyone will want Eazy Wheels, but we will use our Bromptons in so many different modes that they make a big difference to us:  Getting across a vast terminal is a breeze with a T bag on an Eazy Wheel-equipped Brompton, which pushes like a luggage cart, but with a smaller footprint.   They’re also a huge advantage when shopping, making efficient work of navigating grocery aisles.  And a set of Eazy Wheels can also make it feasible to wheel a Brompton in  areas where a unfolded bike might be banned.

And that bung?  It’s a great brake, but I’m surprised that it, too, isn’t supplied with all seatposts.  With or without Eazy Wheels, I like the idea that it’s rubber that hits the ground, instead of the seatpost itself, if I run the post down too far.   (Others may just learn more quickly than I to lower the post correctly!)