Favorite Brompton Tips, Tricks, Accessories, and Mods

[berlinonaut]

So, it turns out the mount has failed from the top right corner - I've contacted the seller but I imagine its an issue inherent to the design as it's a 3D printed mount.

Are there any better mounts for sale?

Not sure if the seller is willing to ship to the UK: https://www.ebay.de/itm/Edelstahl-Adapter-fur-den-Brompton-Tragerblock-carrier-block/402480013181
However - the shopping basket made by Brompton is a valid alternative in my eyes. Proven to work since 30 years, less rattle, adjustable in size, lasts forever. Immensely practical (and can even be overfilled using a rain cover from another Brompton bag). Possibly even cheaper if you value your time and and count the various materials and cost involved to come to a home made solution... https://brilliantbikes.co.uk/brompton-bags/3492-brompton-borough-basket-bag.html You might even be able to grab an older model of the basket from a dealer for a cheaper price as this version got only invented this year and the older version may still float around.

 

[Gunk]

So, it turns out the mount has failed from the top right corner - I've contacted the seller but I imagine its an issue inherent to the design as it's a 3D printed mount.

Are there any better mounts for sale?

I managed to get a really good one from China (off eBay) but they don't seem to list them anymore. The 3D printed versions are not as good.

 

[Gunk]

There is this direct from China

https://www.dhgate.com/product/trig...rch.LIST...UK|zero-old-p1.#listing_wordrec-16

 

[shingwell]

Or you can buy just the frame for an official Brompton bag (without the bag itself) so you could attach the basket to that frame with cable fies etc. Tempted to do this myself - I have, and use, one of their "basket bags" but I prefer the look of a real wire basket

 

[u_i]

I got this one from Aliexpress and it is relatively solid. However, I cannot vouch for it in longterm.

 

[Gunk]

I got this one from Aliexpress and it is relatively solid. However, I cannot vouch for it in longterm.

That's exactly the same as the one I used, and it's been fine, no issues.

 

[straas]

I might try that one, cheers.

No doubt all the mounting holes will be in different places :-(

I prefer the basket to the brompton one - it's see through so no issues with putting things in it whilst shopping.

 

[straas]

I've given the seller ample time and 2 emails, so anyone looking for a bracket I'd steer clear of the seller below. The brackets are 3D printed and I assume the design isn't quite right, resulting in cracking with relatively light use. The seller was unresponsive to my messages telling him of the problem. I would have left ebay feedback but there's a 60 day limit.

 

[Gunk]

The Aliexpress one has done well, looks like they're injection moulded.

 

[u_i]

I've given the seller ample time and 2 emails, so anyone looking for a bracket I'd steer clear of the seller below. The brackets are 3D printed and I assume the design isn't quite right, resulting in cracking with relatively light use. The seller was unresponsive to my messages telling him of the problem. I would have left ebay feedback but there's a 60 day limit.

Thanks for the warning! You can try talking to Ebay. In my experience, they are willing to step in, if you make a convincing case, even when any formal limits ran out.

 

[rogerzilla]

Boring one this. If you have a pre-2008 bike with "open clevis" levers (i.e. where the cable inner can be removed just by pushing the barrel nipple sideways with the cable slack), carefully remove the cable if it is in good condition, flush the outer with GT85, wipe the inner clean with a small piece of rag soaked in GT85, and refit it.

This will put off the day that you need to spring £45 for a new set of levers. Did this tonight on a friend's M3L. The cables (obsolete OEM long barrel type) were good but they were much better after a clean. The rear brake, in particular, was transformed.

 

[rogerzilla]

The little anti-friction spring sleeves on older Brompton brakes, particularly the single-pivot type, are often crumbling or missing. To restore the smooth action of the brake, Shimano spring sleeves fit perfectly and are quite cheap, certainly cheaper than a new Brompton brake. You can't just throw any brake on because of the bottom-pull cable arrangement.

 

[rogerzilla]

Apologies if we've already had this one. Spray rustproofer, or at least WD40/GT85, down the open tubes of the rear triangle. Otherwise, they can rust out after a few years' use in all weathers, especially on salted roads. The powdercoat means they look fine right up to the point where they actually come apart.

 

[rogerzilla]

One for SRAM-equipped Brompton owners. Brompton axle nuts and chain tensioner nuts and washers are now unobtanium but you can convert Sturmey-Archer 13/32" nuts and washers, since the pitch is the same and they are only marginally smaller than the FG10,5 (Fahrradgewinde, 10.5mm major diameter, 26tpi) thread used on a SRAM T3. The interrupted, hardened thread of a SRAM axle is almost as good as a real FG10,5 tap (which you can buy, but a new wheel would probably be cheaper!).

Ideally get a separate SRAM FG10,5 axle for this, but you could use the hub's own axle with a very slight risk of wearing the threads (generally, the nuts are much softer). Hold the axle in a vice, apply cutting oil and thread the SA nut on and off a few times with a 15mm spanner. Clear off the swarf, and you have an FG10,5 SRAM-compatible nut.

SA locktab washers just need minimal filing out. An SA chain tensioner washer will normally go on with no modification.

 

[Tenkaykev]

A mystery solved. I'd removed the rear wheel on Mrs Tenkaykev's Brompton so as to fit a double mudguard wheel. It was getting late in the evening and I was feeling tired so I refitted the wheel, chain tensioner and gear adjusting rod, called it a day and finished it off the following morning. I'd finished everything off and went through the gearing which seemed OK with the bike in the workstand. Yesterday I took it out for a spin to check everything was OK and found the SA Hub wasn't changing correctly, with no apparent difference between 2nd and 3rd gears. I headed home and put it back in the stand, put it in second gear and checked that about 1mm of the rod was showing, went through the gears watching the rod perform as expected and headed out again to find there was still an issue. That's when the penny dropped, what I'd done is screw the gear change rod in, but not to its full extent, meaning to finish the adjustment the following morning, and completely forgotten that it wasn't fully home. It seems obvious in hindsight, but it did have me puzzled for a while. Once I'd screwed it all the way in everything indexed perfectly.