Category: Tips

Brompton in a Closet

I keep Basil in a coat closet:

That’s a bucket of cycling accessories next to him, including a couple of helmets and a batch of various gloves. His tire pump, and the current season’s cycling shoes are on top of the bucket Basil’s shopping basket is behind the bucket. Getting out the door is so easy.

Gear Tips

That Small White Cap

I’ve mentioned the small plastic cap that Bromptons ship in this post: It goes over one of the front wheel nuts, and helps to protect the bike’s finish when folded. Mine developed a crack almost immediately after Basil arrived. Perhaps that wasn’t surprising; this particular fitting may never have been intended to remain on a Brompton, once unpacked and in use.

Once the crack enlarged, and before the cap could fall off, I removed it and took off for the hardware stores. In my many hours of haunting the small bins there, I knew I’d seen something that would do the trick. I found it:

It’s a nylon “hole plug locking”, size 13/16ths, extortionately priced at something around a US dollar. And well worth it, as far as I was concerned. (Why do I suspect that the packing was more expensive than the bit within?)

The replacement cap has an arguably better design than the Brompton original; instead of a somewhat radically curved edge, the edge on the replacement curves slightly, but has slots to relieve, and then retain, pressure, which I would expect to hold up better than my poor split, unperforated, original. The new cap required a bit of contortion during installation, but has stayed firmly in place since.

Whilst on a group ride yesterday, I showed this to Mike, of Trophy Bikes in Philadelphia. He was quite interested, and I was amused by his immediate question: “Does it come in black?”

Yes, I believe that it can be found in black, though your mileage many vary — along with your eagerness to canvass every hardware store in town. I like the white; I’ll notice if it goes missing.

Nicks and dings are inevitable — and, certainly, indicative of a proud history — but I’m just as happy to postpone them as long as reasonably possible.

My Brompton Tips

Newbie Tips and a Couple of Notes

Post author By The Brompton Diarist
Post date November 13, 2012
2 Comments on Newbie Tips and a Couple of Notes

I’d forgotten to get touch-up paint when I first collected Basil; when I returned to NYCEwheels, David, who’d been so helpful when I ordered my Brompton, and, later, during the awful non-delivery in September, checked Basil over for me, and answered a few more questions. Here’s what the guys at the shop told me, along with a few more things I’ve learned along the way.

David explained most clearly that it was important not to put weight on the pedals when using the right shifter. Apparently that’s a common new-user error, and can damage the internal hub. So, right shifter: take weight off the pedals before moving the lever, which affects the internal gears. The left shifter affects the external dérailleurs, and can be shifted at any time.

I thought learning the gearing on Basil (M6R) would be difficult, but it wasn’t. Maybe it was an advantage that I’ve never ridden a conventionally-geared bicycle? I’d pretty much gotten it within thirty miles, and by eighty coordinating the gears was second-nature.

Remembering how to fold the pedal was challenging. Alex suggested that I think of the inner creature on the folding pedal as eating the end of the pedal. Wacky, but, yes, it works! Chomp, chomp, and you’re all set. (That’s the “tail”, not the “mouth”, at the left. The “mouth” is actually missing, as is the “head”, but you get the idea. Headless, four-limbed, creature swallows Brompton pedal.)

Don’t roll your extended Brommie with the pedal folded. It’ll knock the frame, and maybe chip a bit of paint. Don’t ask me how I know.

Don’t lower the seat all the way if you plan to roll your Brompton while folded; the stopper at the bottom of the seat post will drag. The fold will lock even with the seat up a fair bit.

On the other hand, if you wish to brake your folded Brommie, make sure the rubber stopper hits the ground. That should keep the bicycle from rolling.

There’s a bell incorporated into the left shifter. It’s pretty loud, too!

There’s a nylon nub on the front wheel nut. Don’t lose it! You want it to protect the frame. At lunch on my second day with Basil, I noticed that my inexpert folding had knocked it a bit aside. Since then, I’ve noticed that mine is cracking, and probably not long for this world. Hmmm. Will have to deal with this.

That’s it for the moment. It’s amazing how quickly all the “new” things become second-nature, baffling and daunting as they may seem at first.

Update: The white cap is easily replaced with a sturdier one, details here.