Recommendations for places that provide upgrades.

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Jon George

Mamil and couldn't care less
Location
Suffolk an' Good
I've had my Brompton (S2L-X) for a few years now and, apart from swapping out the pedals for clipless when I go on long rides and having a permanent different saddle, I'm now thinking about what I could change/upgrade on it. Would really appreciate recommendations for places to peruse that I can feel confident in using. Cheers!
 

Kevberlin

Senior Member
Location
Tenbury Wells
Brilliant Bikes are first class
 

wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
I'd be more inclined to attack this from the opposite end in identifying what on the bike doesn't perform as you'd like and researching alternatives...

Brilliant Bikes are good but tend to stock fairly mainstream / Brompton supplied / "approved" bits, Kinetics offer some really progressive and well-executed upgrades / conversions, but aren't cheap.

There's plenty of Chinese tat on the usual marketplace outlets, but much of it is of questionable worth.

Personally on mine the only off-the-shelf mode I've done are easy wheels as the originals are crap. It's also had custom brass plates to protect the areas of the frame that are prone to wear / damage from the fold and are pitifully unprotected from the factory, an extended front mudflap and a modified phone mount for my choice of GPS unit..

I'd love to improve all the other design flaws that cause the little tosser to continually try to eat itself (seatpost tube sleeve, piss-poor hinge design) however sadly these appear outside my abilities to resolve satisfactorily. It could also do with the frame cavity waxing to arrest the obvious corrosion that's developed despite Brompton's claims of factory-applied rust proofing.

All pretty basic and uninteresting, but arguably of far greater worth than festooning it with cheap trinkets just for the sake of it.
 

Fastpedaller

Veteran
Location
Norfolk
I keep my spare inner tube in the main frame - I considered putting some cavity wax type substance inside the tube, but concluded it would really make a mess of the sleeve around the tube. Then I realised the 'obvious'..... I could paint the inside of the tube! I used some grey primer (so if there was any rust in future it would be visible) diluted with white spirit so it was about a viscosity between single cream and milk. I poured what I thought was about the correct amount into the tube, and with a rag over the end I shook and turned the frame 'all ways'. It was then left to drain any excess into some scrap rag. After a couple of days I checked it (with an endoscope), and it appears to be a 'good-un'. Ideal for storing the tube, tyre lever and patches in the DIY sleeve. :smile:
 
Top Bottom