Petulant Brompton questions..

[wafter]

A bit of an odyssey but all's well that ends well. Lovely looking bike 😎

Thanks and yes; it was always going to be a mission since most of those for sale seem to be in London (with the rest in more far-flung urban areas) and I'm just glad it's over. Throughout the journey down I was preparing myself for a rage-managed return leg if it turned out not to be legit - thankfully that wasn't the case!

 

[Gunk]

You’ve done well, once you have attended to those minor issues it will essentially be a brand new bike.

Buy a seat post insert once you have established the correct saddle height. Best £6 you’ll ever spend

https://brilliantbikes.co.uk/brompt...l?search_query=Seat+height+insert&results=767

BTW Brilliant Bikes are brilliant! I use them for everything, free postage and most stuff arrives the next day.

 

[EltonFrog]

Excellent work, smashing colour, I hope it brings you years of unreasonable joy and good health.

 

[wafter]

You’ve done well, once you have attended to those minor issues it will essentially be a brand new bike.

Buy a seat post insert once you have established the correct saddle height. Best £6 you’ll ever spend

https://brilliantbikes.co.uk/brompt...l?search_query=Seat+height+insert&results=767

BTW Brilliant Bikes are brilliant! I use them for everything, free postage and most stuff arrives the next day.

Cheers

Since I'm both very picky and usually so tight I squeak when I walk I'm happy to bide my time when looking for stuff.. however with the commute as it is I'm prepared to forgive a little over-spend if it gets me out of the traffic in the mornings. Still means I'll have to leave earlier than usual but hopefully that'll be an acceptable trade off for not being ruined when I finally get to the office.

Thanks for the tip - as it happens the insert apparently comes with all new bikes and one was in the bag that came with mine... however I don't think I'll need it as the seatpost position looks about spot on at max extension

I noticed your love of Brilliant Bikes in your Brompton thread and will have to have a browse. I'm tempted to replace the rear mudguard and suspension bush, while the wheels don't seem right but I'm also tempted by a rack so will hold off on replacement rollers until I know which way I want to go.

For the time being I just want to clean it up and protect it as much as possible, give it a trail run and see how I get on. I also need some practice with folding / unfolding as currently I'm like a ten-thumbed monkey with a Rubik's cube..

I can certainly see how these bikes can become very expensive with the price of some bits and their eminent customisability.. if I get on with it I'm sure I won't be able to resist a few additionals over time, but thankfully the bike seems pretty sorted out of the box

Excellent work, smashing colour, I hope it brings you years of unreasonable joy and good health.

Thanks! I feel lucky to have been able to score the exact spec I was after and am very glad it's sorted - the search was becoming somewhat soul-destroying as the better-priced stuff was going literally the day it was listed.

I'm hoping for big things from this little bike; with the horrors of the commute being by far the single-most detrimental factor to my mental health currently..

 

[wafter]

I still have many questions; the most obvious currently being - how the feck do you sort a puncture on the back? Looks like lots of bits have to come off!

 

[Gunk]

I still have many questions; the most obvious currently being - how the feck do you sort a puncture on the back? Looks like lots of bits have to come off!

They’re easy to strip but IMO a stand is essential

Your chain is off anyway, so remove the selector and chain tensioner and there is another 15mm bolt underneath

the Marathons will need a couple of levers to remove them but I can fit them without levers which guarantees you won’t pinch the tube.

BTW replacement OEM mudguard blades are only £15 so not the end of the world

 

[wafter]

They’re easy to strip but IMO a stand is essential

Your chain is off anyway, so remove the selector and chain tensioner and there is another 15mm bolt underneath

the Marathons will need a couple of levers to remove them but I can fit them without levers which guarantees you won’t pinch the tube.

BTW replacement OEM mudguard blades are only £15 so not the end of the world

Thanks - but I was thinking more from the perspective of in-field punctures.

I'll probably venture a bit deeper into the tensioner and RD today anyway if I have the spuds, as it's all covered in the nasty sticky grease from the chain..

What other bits would you consider necessary? I like the toolkit that goes in the frame but baulk somewhat at its cost.. probably ought to carry a spare tube too (assuming chaging it in the field is viable) and am currently on the fence re. a rack.

The bike also came with most of the bits of an ill-fitting phone mount on the bars; would be good if I could mod it to take my Polar head unit..

 

[Gunk]

Thanks - but I was thinking more from the perspective of in-field punctures.

I'll probably venture a bit deeper into the tensioner and RD today anyway if I have the spuds, as it's all covered in the nasty sticky grease from the chain..

What other bits would you consider necessary? I like the toolkit that goes in the frame but baulk somewhat at its cost.. probably ought to carry a spare tube too (assuming chaging it in the field is viable) and am currently on the fence re. a rack.

The bike also came with most of the bits of an ill-fitting phone mount on the bars; would be good if I could mod it to take my Polar head unit..

I’m going to bite the bullet and buy the Brompton tool kit, that and a spare tube with disposable gloves wrapped in clingfilm and pushed up the main tube is all you really need.

 

[wafter]

I’m going to bite the bullet and buy the Brompton tool kit, that and a spare tube with disposable gloves wrapped in clingfilm and pushed up the main tube is all you really need.

Yeah, I suspect I'll end up going that way in time too. Easier to justify spending if it has practical value! A ziplock back might be better for the gloves; however with a waxed chain I'd expect the job to be nice and clean

 

[EltonFrog]

I’m going to bite the bullet and buy the Brompton tool kit, that and a spare tube with disposable gloves wrapped in clingfilm and pushed up the main tube is all you really need.

The Brompton tool kit is a lovely little bit of engineering, and it’s a joy to behold in itself, and very useful too. I have two tubes up my tube so to speak.

 

[Tenkaykev]

With regard to the rear tyre removal / refitting, the marvellous Hannah who fronts the excellent Brilliant Bikes YouTube channel did a video about removing / refitting the Schwalbe Marathon+ tyre

 

[a.twiddler]

Looks like you struck lucky with your bike. It usually doesn't pay to delay going for a look as they sell very quickly, even if it takes a few goes to find the right bike. When I bought mine, I had the right combination of being fairly local and the seller not having much attachment to the bike, having had it passed down from his parents as a "family bike". Most sellers, from my observations, have a very good or even inflated value of their bikes' worth, especially if they've spent money to individualise it, so making it hard to find that bargain.

Once you have got used to its quirks, I hope you will come to appreciate its strengths, which far outweigh its negative points, as I have.

 

[Gunk]

Looks like you struck lucky with your bike. It usually doesn't pay to delay going for a look as they sell very quickly, even if it takes a few goes to find the right bike. When I bought mine, I had the right combination of being fairly local and the seller not having much attachment to the bike, having had it passed down from his parents as a "family bike". Most sellers, from my observations, have a very good or even inflated value of their bikes' worth, especially if they've spent money to individualise it, so making it hard to find that bargain.

Once you have got used to its quirks, I hope you will come to appreciate its strengths, which far outweigh its negative points, as I have.

Facebook Marketplace IMO is the best hunting ground for bargains, it’s so full of time wasters, once you pop up as a genuine buyer they literally roll out the red carpet!

 

[vickster]

A bit of an odyssey but all's well that ends well. Lovely looking bike 😎

And that’s just the post!!

enjoy the bike

 

[geocycle]

Punctures on folding bikes can be awkward but not a major problem. My dahon was bought for trips to London and similar cities, and I realised that if I punctured I’d probably just put the bike in a taxi back to the station and deal with it at home, rather than faff in town. However, on the few longer trips I’ve done with it the usual tube and kit came with me.

looks like a very nice bike!