Strange times, folks? Stay safe & keep up with your social distancing. Presently no lawn bowls & club activities, no travel, etc so plenty of reasons to blog post? Various things have happened with our Brompton family & I’ll start with my Chpt3.
I have been unable to pin down exactly what makes Rudolph so good for me to ride. From the first outing I’ve almost been able to keep up with Mrs Aussie, whereas a health condition usually sees me trailing far behind. Is it the fat & fast tyres? Is it the lighter weight than our other Bromptons?
Whatever the reason, I’ve also had the desire to avoid mods to Rudolph that moved away from the special Chpt3 look. Thinking now that Rudolph’s lightness should not be sacrificed, any changes would have to be for a very good reason. After all, most common mods (eg grips or saddle) also add weight & so I had to be careful & picky when thinking I could improve anything.
A great improvement for me has been the smaller chainring. The gear range is now far more useful, with a much-needed low 1st gear & the ready use of the highest gears (where previously I would rarely need 6th gear). Shifting through all gears during a ride provides an enjoyable flowing treat.
A rack makes a Brompton so practical for movement when folded (& stability when parked). I’m sure Andrew Ritchie never originally intended an E model Brompton & probably would agree that the folding frame geometry is flawed without mudguards or rack. (If the angle of the mainframe hinge was different, the folded E model would sit evenly on both wheels & so avoid its tilt toward the left – making it vulnerable to toppling over.) About a quarter of the weight of a standard Brompton rack (& that’s ignoring the weight of mudguards & stays), the lightweight rack suits an E model perfectly.
Another notable weight reduction is the lightweight pedals (fixed on the right, removable on the left), more than making up for the rack weight. I’ve been noting the weights of all my Brompton component changes & it’s surprising what a difference there can be. Overall, Rudolph is now lighter than original & ideally setup to assist with any weight reduction of my own?
Aussie on a Brompton 