Modding a B75

[Kemp]

I got my B75 just before lockdown - was a bit of a rush decision, ideally I wanted a higher end model.
But the cycling to work scheme seemed to only allow the price of the B75.
It's my first Brompton and I absolutely love it - but I like to upgrade stuff so did the following (partially for looks but also a bit of weight saving on some items):
- Carbon M handle bar
- Titanium seatpost
- Black mudguards
- Black brake levers
- Carbon saddle
- Ergon GP1-s grips
- Black alloy hinges

Also bought some nice looking titanium pedals, but they got lost in the post so having a nightmare with the ebay seller/Royal mail.

Got a question about the brake levers.
They have the holes for the integrated shifters - are these compatible with the B75?

 

[kj92]

Welcome, Kemp. Sorry I don't have the answer you're looking for, but wanted to say it's looking great!! Exactly what I wanted to do with my B75 but haven't gotten round to it just yet.

Were the mud guards easy to install? I'm quite the beginner in bike adjustments etc.

 

[HMS_Dave]

I don't have any answers to your question but there is a thread with B75 but i think you may get some useful information out of this thread

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/modding-a-brompton-b75.255279/page-2

 

[Kemp]

Thanks. Ordered the mudguards through Evans so they installed them for free.
It involves taking off the wheels but nothing very technical:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wt4NtqACio

 

[steveindenmark]

I would keep the shifters you have until they go wrong. My 9 Streets is in the dealers getting the gears fixed. They are notoriously crap.

 

[Gunk]

You’ve done a nice job @Kemp that looks cracking.

 

[berlinonaut]

Got a question about the brake levers.
They have the holes for the integrated shifters - are these compatible with the B75?

I see no reason why not. But you should be aware that with the old style Brompton bar like on the B75 grip space will become very limited with the new shifters. From factory they are only used with the newer bars that offer more grip space. I don't know about the situation with your 3rd party carbon bar. Other than that there should be no issues.

 

[Gunk]

If you want to upgrade the shifter a Sturmey Archer SLS30 is a nice option

 

[kj92]

If you want to upgrade the shifter a Sturmey Archer SLS30 is a nice option

View attachment 525760

That's beautiful!! Yowza!

 

[Gunk]

That's beautiful!! Yowza!

Looks even better on the bike.

 

[kj92]

Looks even better on the bike.

View attachment 525766

That. Looks. Stunning.

Only question is, is it easy to use when cycling - going up and down the 3 gears?

Is it too much to ask for a video of it in action?! (Insert answer: probably, yes.)

 

[Gunk]

I’ve thought about fitting it but I don’t think in practice it’ll be very good.

 

[kj92]

I’ve thought about fitting it but I don’t think in practice it’ll be very good.

Aah I thought that photo was your bike! Onwards and upwards to find a snazzier version of the 3 gear changer 😁

 

[berlinonaut]

The Sturmey shifter works fine, habe been running it on one of my Bromptons for a couple of years now. The shifter on the B75 is uglier, but works as good and needs a little bit less effort to shift, it's also a tad more ergonomical I'd think. but ist is within a range which I would call "matter of taste". I've no extensive personal experience with the new three speed shifter from Brompton since 2017, but I am using it's two-speed twin on another bike and prefer it by far over the old 2-speed shifter. So I'd assume the right-hand/3-speed to shift as good. The 3-speed-shifter seems however sometimes to suffer from quality issues - there have been occasional reports about the shifting becoming unreliable because of some tolerances of plastic parts within the shifter getting out of range. No idea if this has been fixed or if this is a common issue at all.

 

[kj92]

The Sturmey shifter works fine, habe been running it on one of my Bromptons for a couple of years now. The shifter on the B75 is uglier, but works as good and needs a little bit less effort to shift, it's also a tad more ergonomical I'd think. but ist is within a range which I would call "matter of taste". I've no extensive personal experience with the new three speed shifter from Brompton since 2017, but I am using it's two-speed twin on another bike and prefer it by far over the old 2-speed shifter. So I'd assume the right-hand/3-speed to shift as good. The 3-speed-shifter seems however sometimes to suffer from quality issues - there have been occasional reports about the shifting becoming unreliable because of some tolerances of plastic parts within the shifter getting out of range. No idea if this has been fixed or if this is a common issue at all.

Although I don't like admitting problems, that is a flaw I've noticed with my 2019 B75. When in second gear, the gear selector rocks back and forth a little, so there's a little give for sure.

If it's not as easy to shift between gears with the fancy looking one, I might just stick with my factory-fitted one until something just as user-friendly arrives.