Gear shifter for pre 2017 Brompton M6

[thebigvetchling]

I have a six speed Brompton which has a broken 2 speed shifter. the one on the left bar.
Everywhere I go I can only find a replacement which fits the newer post 2017 handlebar.
Brompton have kindly told me that all I need to do to make this £25 shifter fit my bike is to buy a new set of handlebars (£30) ouch. but fair enough.
Oh and a new handlebar 'mount' too. After asking if they meant the stem, they said yes. This costs a mere £170.
So in order to replace something that costs £25 I need to spend £250.
Anyone got a plan B for me? I live in Devon and need all six speeds as it's really hilly.
Thanks.

 

[cheys03]

I thought that the newer shifters are integrated in to the brake lever, so you’d have to change both. They’re available together for about £30. Is there something I’m missing? I have to admit I’ve never tried it

silver?
https://brilliantbikes.co.uk/brompt...gear-shifter-with-integrated-brake-lever.html

black
https://brilliantbikes.co.uk/brompt...rompton-black-dr-gear-shifter-integrated.html

 

[steveindenmark]

Try SJS Bikes.

 

[thebigvetchling]

Try SJS Bikes.

Tried that. That's where the quotes for prices came from.

 

[mitchibob]

Having got bikes with the 2016 shifter and the 2018 shifter, I'll probably just switch to the newer one, with the brake lever. Shouldn't need to change everything else.

 

[berlinonaut]

So in order to replace something that costs £25 I need to spend £250.

Add 5£ more to it plus a bit as you will need a new dogleg as well and a new gear cable and a new bell. Brompton's should be refaced offering such incompetent and incomplete advice as well for not offer a spare part that went out of production just 3,5 years ago with the replacement part creating immense cost. There are several 100.000 Bromptons out there using the old shifter and while I assume it is not a frequently asked spare part it is a shame that they leave their customers in the cold in such a bad way. Also a massive change in behaviour.

Anyone got a plan B for me? I live in Devon and need all six speeds as it's really hilly.
Thanks.

- you could phone through the Brompton dealer network. Probably a bunch of them still have an old shifter in their stock. I.e. here it seems still to be available.
- you can use a Sunrace M96 friction thumbshifter for the left side which will work flawlessly (new dogleg recommended)
- you can use a wide range of "shifters" intended to lock suspension forks remotely. Many if not most of them work with the 2-speed derailleur flawlessly (new dogleg also recommended).
- you can buy a shifter second hand on ebay or such - there is not much demand for them and they have been used on Brompton since 2002, so chances are good to grab one
- you can switch to the newer bars and stick with your stem. Will work flawlessly but you'll end up with ~2cm less height of the bars than before
- you can use a 3rd party bar which is slightly wider than the original (I think they are available from Asia) which will make the new shifter fit and preserve the original height
- you can use the new shifter on the old bars (in opposite to what Brompton say) but it is a very tight fit with the brake lever only possible in one position and gripspace is a little less wide as well.

So plenty of options and alternatives. Personally I prefer the new shifter massively over the old one but would still not spend 250 GBP to have it.

Having got bikes with the 2016 shifter and the 2018 shifter, I'll probably just switch to the newer one, with the brake lever. Shouldn't need to change everything else.

You should mention that new shifter on old M bars is not an easy fit and has some limitiations. In case you are not aware of that as you have not tried it you better should not give advice...

 

[cheys03]

new shifter on old M bars is not an easy fit and has some limitiations.

berlinonaut - please could you expand on this? I’m interested to understand the differences and problems faced as I’ve no experience of this, but sounds like it needs appropriate forethought if considered. many thanks

 

[berlinonaut]

berlinonaut - please could you expand on this? I’m interested to understand the differences and problems faced as I’ve no experience of this, but sounds like it needs appropriate forethought if considered. many thanks

If you compare the M/H bars pre and post 2017 you'll notice that the newer ones offer a slightly wider even area for the grips as well as a slightly less steep angle where the bar rises at the end of this area. Both factors together accomodate the new post-2017 shifters as, being underbar shifters, they do need some space there (which was obviously unnecessary with the older on-top-of-the-bar shifters). The older bars are very limited here and thus officially the newer shifters are not intended to be mounted on the older bars. You can however still mount them but due to space constraints there is basically only one position where they fit and still leave enough grip space for your hands. So you can with the newer shifters on the older bars not adjust the angle of the brake levers relative to the bars but have a more or less predefined position (which you might find comfortable or not, depending from your personal taste). Furthermore the already tight grip space on the older bars is further limited by the new shifters which means that you probably have to cut down the grips slightly. Only comfy for those with smaller hands. Personally I only mounted this combo to find out if it will work or not but am not using it in practice as the grip space would be too tight for me and my standard setup is different anyway (I am using the new bars on the old H stem on my bikes to come to my favorite bar height). It is worth mentioning that those limitations only appear on the old M/H bars pre 2017, but not on S and P models.

 

[cheys03]

If you compare the M/H bars pre and post 2017...

Superb information and description! many thanks

 

[Tenkaykev]

If you compare the M/H bars pre and post 2017 you'll notice that the newer ones offer a slightly wider even area for the grips as well as a slightly less steep angle where the bar rises at the end of this area. Both factors together accomodate the new post-2017 shifters as, being underbar shifters, they do need some space there (which was obviously unnecessary with the older on-top-of-the-bar shifters). The older bars are very limited here and thus officially the newer shifters are not intended to be mounted on the older bars. You can however still mount them but due to space constraints there is basically only one position where they fit and still leave enough grip space for your hands. So you can with the newer shifters on the older bars not adjust the angle of the brake levers relative to the bars but have a more or less predefined position (which you might find comfortable or not, depending from your personal taste). Furthermore the already tight grip space on the older bars is further limited by the new shifters which means that you probably have to cut down the grips slightly. Only comfy for those with smaller hands. Personally I only mounted this combo to find out if it will work or not but am not using it in practice as the grip space would be too tight for me and my standard setup is different anyway (I am using the new bars on the old H stem on my bikes to come to my favorite bar height). It is worth mentioning that those limitations only appear on the old M/H bars pre 2017, but not on S and P models.

Many thanks berlinonaut. An excellent and succinct explanation of the why's and wherefore's of the brake / bar options👍

 

[mitchibob]

You should mention that new shifter on old M bars is not an easy fit and has some limitiations. In case you are not aware of that as you have not tried it you better should not give advice...

You're absolutely right. I forgot that I changed to Joseph Kousac mid-rise bars, so fit is easy, even after cutting down to the size I needed.

 

[Kell]

When you say broken, can it be repaired rather than replaced?

Also, have you tried contacting Brilliant Bikes? Currently showing as unavailable, but they've always been very helpful to me.

I suppose the other option is to go for a non-Brompton shifter.

I know lots of people have gone third party, but I don't know enough about who's done what and the problems they faced. But when people have done the three-cog conversion, they've had to get another shifter (or mod their existing one), so it must be possible.

 

[12boy]

When I did a 3 speed conversion I used an old mtn bike friction shifter which worked fine and fit on the 22.2 handlebar .