T4tomo
Legendary Member
Looks ideal for the job. you could fashion a decent sized box or basket to attach on the rear rack too. Easier to lob shopping etc into than packing panniers.
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T4tomo
Legendary Member
Most people I've seen using Brompton, self included, don't fall into one of those categories. I'm not exactly a chubber, but 80kg I'm no lightweight, and do fine on one.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
The best Brompie has a piffling 110kg limit.
Probably not a bad thing, because the Tern folder is a more stable platform for heavier loads anyway.
Probably not a bad thing, because the Tern folder is a more stable platform for heavier loads anyway.
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
My new ride has arrived and visually its a bit of a beast. Had a quick run down the road and its a lovely ride. Very smooth and really quiet. That Bosch motor makes almost no noise. Love how it climbed a particularly infamous hill in our village. One thing though in 5th I noticed it jumping in and out of gear once or twice. Could be adjustment or could be me. Do you keep spinning as you change with the Nexus 8 system ?
Looking forward to my first commute tomorrow.
Edit: just found this and very pleased I did
How to set Shimano Nexus
Looking forward to my first commute tomorrow.
Edit: just found this and very pleased I did
How to set Shimano Nexus
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Pale Rider
Legendary Member
Looks smart - and that's just your kitchen.
I was going to start burbling on about Shimano's yellow dots, but you've found out about those.
The axle nuts need to be kept tight.
On my Alfine 11 bike they kept coming loose, so also need to be checked regularly.
Of course, you will need to carry a proper spanner if you want to do any wheel out roadside puncture repairs.
Does the bike have Big Ben Plus tyres?
They are about the most puncture resistant in the 20" balloon size, but are not as tough as Marathon Pluses.
What's the sketch for belt tension?
Some of the instructions for that are a bit daunting, although user experience is the belt is more tolerant of low tension than the maker suggests.
I was going to start burbling on about Shimano's yellow dots, but you've found out about those.
The axle nuts need to be kept tight.
On my Alfine 11 bike they kept coming loose, so also need to be checked regularly.
Of course, you will need to carry a proper spanner if you want to do any wheel out roadside puncture repairs.
Does the bike have Big Ben Plus tyres?
They are about the most puncture resistant in the 20" balloon size, but are not as tough as Marathon Pluses.
What's the sketch for belt tension?
Some of the instructions for that are a bit daunting, although user experience is the belt is more tolerant of low tension than the maker suggests.
Thanks and yes its living in the kitchen until Monday when my insurance approved lock arrives
. We live almost in the middle of nowhere and never had a bike stolen but im taking no chances.That youtube guide was spot on and i adjusted and sorted the problem. However I do feel there is maybe a knack to shifting gears with this system as there was a slight jumping in and out of gear once on my way home following a gear change. Also as I changed down fast from 6th to 3rd it stuck in 1 gear until i changed up and down and everything was back to normal. A mate of mine bought a new Pashley with this gear system and was having similar issues except he said he lost all gears. He got shot of it within days but at this stage im not worried. I will monitor it though.
The bike has the Big Ben Performance Line, Raceguard, Liteskin whatever they are but they feel excellent. The bike handles beautifully and feels so balanced. Even more so when coming to a stop. May seem silly but it also feels like it has presence on the road.
Honestly I have briefly looked at the piles of documents & manuals that came with the bike but I saw something where it mentions using your phone to measure tension.
The panniers you see are the Tern Cargo 37L and frankly I dont like them. Cant get on with the velcro attachments for the rack and the miles of strap that flaps about when closing them. They are definitely going back to be replaced with something else. I loved the Brompton medium messenger bag with its internal pockets and versatility. And at about 13 litres volume it was enough. So I want a pair of panniers with those kind of attributes. Any suggestions, do I need to be mindful of anything ?
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
Ebikes - even small wheeled ones - do have more road presence than a skinny racer.
My 650b Riese and Muller Supercharger is something of a beast - a mate described it as 'the HGV of bicycles'.
There's no doubt motorists are less inclined to barge me out of the way on it.
The smartphone belt tension app uses harmonics - seems over complicated to me when you can simply check the play.
I was thinking more of how the tension is applied.
There's no means of moving the chainring on a Bosch motor, so an eccentric bottom bracket is out.
Thus you will need to move the rear wheel.
I can't see the dropouts on your bike because of the panniers.
It may not matter, there's an adventure cyclist on YouTube who runs his belt almost floppy, so it does look like they are more tolerant of low tension than the manufacturer suggests.
As regards panniers, too much depth is your enemy.
You also want something reasonably rigid to avoid flop against the balloon tyres - the bag cannot sit 'inside' the rim as it would on a 700c bike.
It would be inappropriate to fit anything cheap on a bike like yours, so I reckon the small 12.5l sized Ortliebs would be a good bet.
They have a few different names, Sport Roller, City Roller, Front Roller, but all are much the same.
Looks like you have the cheaper, less puncture resistant Big Bens.
Fixing a puncture is harder with a heavy ebike, although the 20" ones are a bit easier to handle.
Then there's pratting around with the nutted axle, cable release - not your hub's strongest point - and belt tension if the flat is on the back.
Might be worth going for the more puncture resistant Big Ben Plus when replacement time arrives.
Finally, a brief pause in pedalling seems to be the best way to shift gear - it soon becomes second nature.
You ought to be able to grab a handful of gears at rest, which is one of the advantages of hub gears.
Sounds to me as if the bike requires use, bang some miles on it with plenty of unnecessary shifts.
As a general point, the Shimano twist shift is not as positive as rapid fire, so that's something else you may need to use a fair bit to become familiar with - another reason to do lots of shifting on the first few rides.
https://www.rutlandcycling.com/acce...dHQygOY4X3HUnzhyF68aAgpJEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
My 650b Riese and Muller Supercharger is something of a beast - a mate described it as 'the HGV of bicycles'.
There's no doubt motorists are less inclined to barge me out of the way on it.
The smartphone belt tension app uses harmonics - seems over complicated to me when you can simply check the play.
I was thinking more of how the tension is applied.
There's no means of moving the chainring on a Bosch motor, so an eccentric bottom bracket is out.
Thus you will need to move the rear wheel.
I can't see the dropouts on your bike because of the panniers.
It may not matter, there's an adventure cyclist on YouTube who runs his belt almost floppy, so it does look like they are more tolerant of low tension than the manufacturer suggests.
As regards panniers, too much depth is your enemy.
You also want something reasonably rigid to avoid flop against the balloon tyres - the bag cannot sit 'inside' the rim as it would on a 700c bike.
It would be inappropriate to fit anything cheap on a bike like yours, so I reckon the small 12.5l sized Ortliebs would be a good bet.
They have a few different names, Sport Roller, City Roller, Front Roller, but all are much the same.
Looks like you have the cheaper, less puncture resistant Big Bens.
Fixing a puncture is harder with a heavy ebike, although the 20" ones are a bit easier to handle.
Then there's pratting around with the nutted axle, cable release - not your hub's strongest point - and belt tension if the flat is on the back.
Might be worth going for the more puncture resistant Big Ben Plus when replacement time arrives.
Finally, a brief pause in pedalling seems to be the best way to shift gear - it soon becomes second nature.
You ought to be able to grab a handful of gears at rest, which is one of the advantages of hub gears.
Sounds to me as if the bike requires use, bang some miles on it with plenty of unnecessary shifts.
As a general point, the Shimano twist shift is not as positive as rapid fire, so that's something else you may need to use a fair bit to become familiar with - another reason to do lots of shifting on the first few rides.
https://www.rutlandcycling.com/acce...dHQygOY4X3HUnzhyF68aAgpJEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Many thanks for the reply and excellent advice. I agree with the HGV comment mine feels big but beautifully balanced. And it feels so planted over rough or uneven road surfaces. Yet handling is still fun and you can flick it about. I had my concerns about the Bosch motor having enough grunt but its definitely got enough. Within reason I tend to do my own maintenance but a puncture seems like it will be a challenge. So yes I will go to the BB plus sooner rather than later 
I think I have the shifting pretty much down now with, as you say a brief pause. But like you say I suspect a combination of operator error and some bedding in is needed. Had a wonderful ride home tonight taking the extra long route and got a proper feel for the hub gears and superb road holding.
As you say I think Ortlieb have all the options I need. I loved my Brompton messenger bag so im going to see if I can include some of the things from that bag into my new panniers.
And finally one of the reasons I bought it. I had to get this box containing cycle parts to my work. Just so easy
I think I have the shifting pretty much down now with, as you say a brief pause. But like you say I suspect a combination of operator error and some bedding in is needed. Had a wonderful ride home tonight taking the extra long route and got a proper feel for the hub gears and superb road holding.
As you say I think Ortlieb have all the options I need. I loved my Brompton messenger bag so im going to see if I can include some of the things from that bag into my new panniers.
And finally one of the reasons I bought it. I had to get this box containing cycle parts to my work. Just so easy
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Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
I'm loving it!
The Nexus 8 hub for changing gear, you need to back off pedalling to allow the shift. Also Shimano put very little lubricant inside from new. I found this out when I dismantled my wife's Nexus 8 hub.
First two photos showing little factory grease applied. Final photo is after I smothered the internals with semi fluid grease. It shifts alot better and runs quieter
The shift cable adjust is done in 4th gear. You check on the nexus for 2 yellow lines which should be perfectly aligned. However this doesn't guarantee perfect shifting. Adjust the barrel next to the gear shift (handlebar) a few mm either side of yellow marks. Do this until best shifting is achieved.
First two photos showing little factory grease applied. Final photo is after I smothered the internals with semi fluid grease. It shifts alot better and runs quieter
The shift cable adjust is done in 4th gear. You check on the nexus for 2 yellow lines which should be perfectly aligned. However this doesn't guarantee perfect shifting. Adjust the barrel next to the gear shift (handlebar) a few mm either side of yellow marks. Do this until best shifting is achieved.
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There's a new video on the Brilliant Bikes YouTube channel where they show the Brompton rack top bag. They show a different bag with fold down panniers at the end of the video and its the " Madison rack top bag with fold out panniers" not sure if it would suit but might be worth a look.Thanks and yes its living in the kitchen until Monday when my insurance approved lock arrives
That youtube guide was spot on and i adjusted and sorted the problem. However I do feel there is maybe a knack to shifting gears with this system as there was a slight jumping in and out of gear once on my way home following a gear change. Also as I changed down fast from 6th to 3rd it stuck in 1 gear until i changed up and down and everything was back to normal. A mate of mine bought a new Pashley with this gear system and was having similar issues except he said he lost all gears. He got shot of it within days but at this stage im not worried. I will monitor it though.
The bike has the Big Ben Performance Line, Raceguard, Liteskin whatever they are but they feel excellent. The bike handles beautifully and feels so balanced. Even more so when coming to a stop. May seem silly but it also feels like it has presence on the road.
Honestly I have briefly looked at the piles of documents & manuals that came with the bike but I saw something where it mentions using your phone to measure tension.
The panniers you see are the Tern Cargo 37L and frankly I dont like them. Cant get on with the velcro attachments for the rack and the miles of strap that flaps about when closing them. They are definitely going back to be replaced with something else. I loved the Brompton medium messenger bag with its internal pockets and versatility. And at about 13 litres volume it was enough. So I want a pair of panniers with those kind of attributes. Any suggestions, do I need to be mindful of anything ?
https://brilliantbikes.co.uk/brompt...ck-top-bag-with-fold-out-pannier-pockets.html
https://www.freewheel.co.uk/madison-rt20-rack-top-bag-with-fold-out-pannier-pockets-mcb004
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
Lubing Shimano hubs is a tricky subject because some take oil and some take grease.
If the OP is considering a tinker, or asking his bike shop to do it, it needs to be established beyond doubt which is the correct lubing technique.
Not all, say, eight speed hubs are the same, so the only way to get it right is to use the hub's long model number.
My Alfine hub took oil with a regular change - like a Rohloff.
Some take grease like Andy's, but my bike shop had one in which the service instructions were to immerse in oil in a beaker for an hour or two.
So that's at least three specified methods.
If the OP is considering a tinker, or asking his bike shop to do it, it needs to be established beyond doubt which is the correct lubing technique.
Not all, say, eight speed hubs are the same, so the only way to get it right is to use the hub's long model number.
My Alfine hub took oil with a regular change - like a Rohloff.
Some take grease like Andy's, but my bike shop had one in which the service instructions were to immerse in oil in a beaker for an hour or two.
So that's at least three specified methods.
Generally, the Alfine range have oil and most obviously they have a drain plug on the body of the hub. The lesser models are greased (with no drain plug) or lets say, have a bit of white put here and there.
Its quite straightforward for a practical person and a few basic tools. There are plenty of threads about doing what I did.
I also have an Alfine 11 di2 hub which I fitted a magnetic drain plug to pull the swarf out of the oil
Its quite straightforward for a practical person and a few basic tools. There are plenty of threads about doing what I did.
I also have an Alfine 11 di2 hub which I fitted a magnetic drain plug to pull the swarf out of the oil
lovely photos. I worken on many gearbox assemblies ( usually attached to electric motors. )
We mostly kept deep groove ball bearings in our stock in C3 fit and 2 RS ( two rubber shields ) for use on the electric motors, as it was easy to flip out either one or both of the shields as required. When we flipped a shield it always amazed me how very little grease was fitted, this was consistent over a large range of bearing sizes.
When changing bearings we would flip one of the shields and add extra grease, about a third of the void.
We always used quality bearings and got through a lot of them in a typical week. I remember getting a visit from the SKF area rep and mentioned the lack of grease. He said the grease fill was all that was required and that their research had shown that the most common cause of bearing failure was over greasing.
