404 Not Found Anywhere
Über Member
It’s worth going the whole hog and upgrading to the current combined brake and shifter levers. Apart from anything else they don’t rattle and make sequential shifting on the 6 speed far more straightforward
Brompton Modifications
- Thread starter steveglloyd
- Start date
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dimrub
Senior Member
Rattle is not an issue. Straightforward shifting sounds like a great improvement, but in what way? My main issue with the 3x2 shifting is that left hand can only shift while pedalling, whereas right hand - only when coasting. Confusing as hell. And the shifters themselves are rubbish, but that's less of an issue. Anyway, couldn't find one that ships to Israel (and if it did, at a reasonable cost). That's one of the reasons I buy stuff from AliExpress: they ship pretty much for free.
With respect. I'm in my 70's and the need to pause slightly when shifting the right hand hub gear took me a few minutes at most, the standard derailleur on the left was natural from the start. I rarely, if ever think about gear changes.
404 Not Found Anywhere
Über Member
Well, though I’ve used them for years, the original shifters were not the easiest to use and for me required a bit of contortion to use - YMMV. The new shifters are much more like Shimano trigger shifters. I also just back off the pressure on the pedals when I shift but never stop turning the cranks.
dimrub
Senior Member
It's not an issue of having to remember which is which
. It's the fact that in order to drop to a low gear, one needs to perform not one, but two operations - stop pedalling, reduce right gear, start pedalling, reduce left gear - this is annoying, especially when compared to, well, pretty much any other bike I ever rode. Seems like a trivial thing, but it is not, when you ride over a rapidly changing terrain (like my commute), and have to do this several times over a short ride.It's not an issue of having to remember which is which
Perhaps it's me then, I usually keep the hub in 2nd and switch up + / - for the majority of my hilly terrain. On occasion I'll struggle on a hill, pause my pedal stroke momentarily and drop to 1 on the hub. I've fitted a 44 tooth on the front which helps immeasurably.
ExBrit
Über Member
- Location
- Southern California
It's not an issue of having to remember which is which
I don't find it too difficult because I just soft-pedal for any gear change. The hub will shift while pedaling, just not under load. You can perform both shifts simultaneously. No problem. The front derailleur on my road bike will often refuse to shift under load too.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
My brain gets a good workout if I do a long ride on my 6 speed Brompton.
To shift in strict order the procedure is (I hope I get this right): Always shift with your left hand first, regardless of the current position of the left shifter, move it to the other position. If that goes in the direction you want to go (up or down) job done. But if your left hand went in the wrong direction, then now change with your right hand in the correct direction. Every other change is a double change.
To shift in strict order the procedure is (I hope I get this right): Always shift with your left hand first, regardless of the current position of the left shifter, move it to the other position. If that goes in the direction you want to go (up or down) job done. But if your left hand went in the wrong direction, then now change with your right hand in the correct direction. Every other change is a double change.
berlinonaut
Veteran
- Location
- Berlin Germany
One can but for the sake of your health definitively wear a mask - luckily we do all have FFP2 masks at hand...
Fastpedaller
Senior Member
Apologies if there is already a thread which answers my question....... I've set myself a £100 budget for this plan 
I have a Ti Brompton (ie genuine brompton with Ti fork and rear triangle. It is 2007 model with 2 speed. Does anyone know of a 4 or 5 derailleur gear conversion within my budget which doesn't involve changing to an expensive narrow chain? I've not checked the available dishing to assess whether it's possible without ending up with sever wheel dishing. My 'hurdles to overcome.... 1) Suitable rear hub to take 5 shimano sprockets 2) suitable gear change lever 3) Suitable chain tensioner (although as I'll want close ratio sprockets this may not be an issue)
TIA
I have a Ti Brompton (ie genuine brompton with Ti fork and rear triangle. It is 2007 model with 2 speed. Does anyone know of a 4 or 5 derailleur gear conversion within my budget which doesn't involve changing to an expensive narrow chain? I've not checked the available dishing to assess whether it's possible without ending up with sever wheel dishing. My 'hurdles to overcome.... 1) Suitable rear hub to take 5 shimano sprockets 2) suitable gear change lever 3) Suitable chain tensioner (although as I'll want close ratio sprockets this may not be an issue)
TIA
Kell
Veteran
- Location
- High Wycombe/London
Why Derailleur?
The old Brompton hub was a 5-speed. All the parts would fit. Could 'probably' pick up a SH wheel with a 5-speed for that.
Or if you already have the two speed, you could get a 3-speed BWR wheel.
In fact, I have a 3/speed BWR one that I was about to bin. Pay me the postage and you can have it. NB hub will need servicing (I took it apart and lost some bits!!) and it may need a new rim.
The old Brompton hub was a 5-speed. All the parts would fit. Could 'probably' pick up a SH wheel with a 5-speed for that.
Or if you already have the two speed, you could get a 3-speed BWR wheel.
In fact, I have a 3/speed BWR one that I was about to bin. Pay me the postage and you can have it. NB hub will need servicing (I took it apart and lost some bits!!) and it may need a new rim.
12boy
Guru
- Location
- Casper WY USA
BikeGang has a 12-14-17 set of sprockets for < $30. You may need a shifter....I used an old mtn bike friction shifter which works well. I also have 2 front chainrings...a 58 and a 38 on a Sugino 110 BCD crank. This requires the notorius greasy finger shift, but I only use the 38 for extended steep climb . Per Sheldon Brown that gives me 78-36 gear inches. If you can find an 11 tooth cog that will work if it is flat. The gear range is pretty close to the P line and with the extra chainring, larger. Perhaps not exactly what you envisione, but certainly not very expensive.
Fastpedaller
Senior Member
I don't like hub gears (or the weight of them). With a derailleur I can also use my spare shimano sprockets to get a close ratio. Thanks for your kind offer though. I realise the 'easy' way is to use a thinner chain and thinner sprockets, but I'd prefer not to go that route. I have an old 5 speed shimano 'later Uniglide' freehub with external and internal threads, so it may be possible to utilise some parts off that, but of course the hub would need respacing. There is the dishing query which I haven't measured yet.
