With all the mods & tweaks to BB (my S6L-X super lightweight black Brompton), I realized that the only component original & unmodified was now the steel mainframe! Also, that meant my parts bin contained almost enough to build a complete Brompton – what I needed was an extra mainframe! Time to try a Ti mainframe? – & to resurrect Ralph for resale? (Ralph being my original S11E Alfine 11spd device that I’d decided really didn’t suit my current medical state & became the basis for the rebuild into the 8kg 6spd BB.)
So, an order was made for a Ti mainframe (from Ti39) & it was a simple & quick job to transfer everything onto the new frame. A glossy black 2mm tube affair, it seemed an impressive piece of art? Onto the scales & the complete Brompton weight is 7.4kg. As for a name, I thought it time to retire BB & go for BromTi (after all, some would say it’s not a “real Brompton” anymore?).
Once I’d stripped the steel mainframe for Ralph, the rebuild commenced; a slower affair, as every single component had to be installed (unlike the many whole assemblies transferred to the new frame). As I didn’t expect to be using Ralph, I decided to stick with an all-steel setup & with a Brooks saddle, Ergon grips, Marathon tyres & a new set of mudguards. All up, Ralph now weighs 13.1kg.
PS: An unexpected outcome has been the claiming of Ralph by Mrs Aussie – sheesh! another Brompton around the place!?
Some recent changes to my side of the Brompton fleet so here’s the status…
All are now running “minimal rain-guards” (yes, Sydney has been rather wet – for far too long).
Rudolph (10.6kg)
Chpt3 S9R-X with 38T chainring & 13/15/18T cogs (GIs 76-22)
After lowering Rudolph’s 6speed cog setup to the lowest feasible (15/18T, GIs 66-22), installing a 3speed shift conversion has given/restored some upper range flexibility (you never know when a tailwind will come along).
Clarence (9.15kg)
S4R-X with 46T chainring & 11/13/16/20T cogs (GIs 69-38)
BB (8.05kg)
S6L-X with 42T chainring & 11/13/16/19/22/25T cogs (GIs 62-27)
Even though BB’s 4speed setup was running well, I decided to make use of the 7speed freehub for some differentiation to Clarence. Tried a SunCord tensioner but disastrous, waste of time (wrecked the pusher due to excessive drag/friction in jockey wheel movement, maxxed the dogleg (start to contact with frame) as 5speed-capable only).
Obtained the new Thx4Ride derailleur & shifter & it’s running really well – although the Thx4Ride shifter steps didn’t mate with the 7speed cassette setup, so I’ve resorted to a 6speed cassette (I had to use mostly 9speed spacers, with thicker spacing for the first & last cogs – & a thin spacer to fill up the freehub).
The shifter benefits are that it’s very light (52g), mounts behind the bar (no fold clearance issues) & has a light action – all superior to the SunRace shifter in use with the 4speed setup. It would be nice if it is a trigger shifter but as a thumb shifter I’ve positioned it on the bar for thumb down-shifts & index finger (under the bar grip) up-shifts.
BB’s operation is delightful. Rudolph may have my lowest gearing option but the lightness of BB seems to put the two on a par?
A 4-cog setup on BB has been an on/off, frustrating affair but now I may have resolved it!
An(other) inspection of the derailleur cable system confirmed that the cable had enough movement to suit 4 cogs but that the derailleur pusher wing-plate was restricting the rotation of the pusher, thereby causing inconsistency in shifting to the low cog (depending on cable tension, temperature, day of the week, etc?)
Some filing of the low cog wing-stop & all seems well?
Piddling was my performance from “The Kayak Man’s” peddling of his paddling hires; back to pedaling for me!
Mrs Aussie’s kayak hire session went well but for my trial, I’ve decided the paddling is hard work & I prefer pedaling. (Maybe I can coach from the shore?)
Clarence & Peregrine are our usual choices for our North coast escapes but this time BB come along too. Mrs Aussie had the job of transporting some new furniture in a second vehicle so the front seat footwell got filled up in the Tardis.
Peregrine took the usual under-bed home & Clarence was again strapped down near the pantry (the Tardis is pretty well equipped, although compact, & Brompton storage needs creatitivity).
It’s been just on 2years since Clarence started shedding weight (initially just R to E model & 6speed to 2) & the inkling of an urban experiment was born; could I cope with a lightweight 2speed for much of my regular riding, or would Rudolph still rule? Little did anyone know how Covid would come along & affect so many things!
Still, the urban experiment has progressed – although the old “regular riding” seems a memory? Clarence has probably maxxed, as a 9kg 4speed that is so pleasing to ride & is likely favored for rides over rolling terrain? The BB build project has also probably finished & for now, I have a chance to compare Clarence to BB in this coastal location.
While most roads around here are pretty flat, the surfacing is variable. Initial rides on BB were harsh & noisy; things not evident on Clarence? The noises were squeaks & creaks that eased with attention to the suspension block lube & tightening the saddle mounts at the seatpost. Still the saddle creaked – until Google highlighted a frequent complaint with Carbon braided Fizik saddle rails; a flexing between the saddle & rail mounts? Silicone spray lube was suggested & so far BB has responded – a little! (Clarence’s years-old Fizik saddle is quiet, albeit heavier & narrower.)
My conclusion for the harsher ride for BB is in the lightweight wheelset; one of those bargain eBay sets that have rims far narrower than ideal (eg 13mm vs 18mm?). Claimed to be suitable for Kojaks (at max), on smooth roads the commonly Oz-available Kojaks seem ok. Clarence is running standard width Brompton wheels with Kojaks & rides all the roads around here without complaint (although I’m now tempted to go back to the One tyres for Clarence, with their wider construction).
Clarence seems to rule for regions such as our current coastal location but BB will now return to some hilly urban testing, evaluating whether lighter weight & slightly lower gearing suffice to justify a “locked & loaded” role? (I have to say there’s something satisfying in walking up a hill & wheeling BB; the effortless push generates an eagerness to resume riding!)
My conversions of some of my Bromptons into external gear 3speed & 4speed lightweight bikes is a personal thing, creating Bs that suit me & my limited power generation capabilities. I think that “power hides things” & I was bogged down by/with 3 factors; slow tyres, IGH hub drag, excess bike weight
Rudolph (Chpt3 v2 S6E-X) was “illuminating”, with fast tyres & a lot less weight than Clarence was running (S6R with Marathons, Brooks saddle, etc, etc). At first I couldn’t put my finger on what was holding back Clarence but once my experimenting with a 2speed rear wheel (acquired some time before, for “the parts bin”) & swapping accessories & tyres, here was a B that was lively & effortless (in comparison). With Covid lockdown (#1) & noticing lightweight parts available, the journey began!
Becoming aware/awake to component weight differences, I’ve tried to limit extras & only replace parts with lighter items. My extras are lights, bidon cage & essentially, a roller wheel extender to primarily protect the Ti rear frame “ears” (having seen a lot of pics of broken Ti frames with savaged roller wheel mounts, I’m hoping the extender is “insurance”?). Probably my first weight-saving consideration was the seatpost area. With a steel seatpost, Pentaclip & Brooks saddle weighing about 1kg, my replacements provide a saving of 500g – hence my following of the Brompton proverb, “Look after the grams & the kilos will look after themselves”. Nowadays there’s very little steel bits left on Clarence & BB, just the mainframe & stem?
Tinkering to improve/tweak performance has come from countless people before me, their tales littering the Internet. Lockdown learning skills & capabilities has shown that the tolerances to modify parts is tiny & often I’ve had to marvel at the original Brompton parts & design. I’d have to say that many of my Brompton tweaks require a “mechanical sympathy” & aren’t going to suit everyone – eg the SunRace shifter is great; I just need to feel when to feather the lever a touch! The whole derailleur system needs precise setup & variations between components & frame tolerances can make for some frustrating/baffling times – eg BB’s 3speed vs Clarence’s 4speed, where exactly the same derailleur & shifting components are used – but with different wheelsets!
So, to now see Brompton’s new P Line Urban models released is partly justification & reflective: I’m content with my creations but now I get to see how Brompton would do their redesign. In brief, I’m impressed/awed/appreciative – & already frustrated to see the “social media knockers”. I’m suspecting the first bike reviews to make many eat their words (hopefully not me?).
Perusing Brompton’s website (& apologies for pinching all the pics below) reveals countless touches – many unexpected. The P Line Urban seems truly a 2speed redesign, where the factory have noted flaws & taken their chances.
My main observations:
• The rear frame ears
• The external mudguard stays
• The 2-position seatpost locking
• The Pentaclip redesign (with oval saddle rail suitability)
• The derailleur design
• The rear hub design (& tweak possibilities?)
• The new 20spoke front wheel
• The roller wheel frame
• The website Support section videos
• The engineering efforts throughout
An earlier video? Due for replacement?
Now let me see, what weight savings could there be? Hmmm… golly, Clarence & BB are under threat!?
• S11R-e GrinTech motor kit added, September 2016 (name: Ralph-e)
• S11E “naturally aspirated” during Sydney lockdown, June 2020
• S4E-X converted during Sydney lockdown #2, August 2021 (name: BB)
• S3E-X wheelset change, September 2021
Some drastic changes but maybe not as insane as they seem?
GrinTech mode was setup after giving up on waiting for Brompton’s e-version release. Very successful mod, although folded weight (23kg with battery) was sometimes awkward. Also, torque-sensing power delivery didn’t mate well with my health issues (“fatigue on big hills meant reduced pedaling effort, resulting in reduced power”; config best set to provide power at low human watts input; later GrinTech motors similar to Brompton version weight)
After my Chpt3 purchase (Rudolph) & finding that I could ride comfortably with an easy-rolling light bike, I removed the GrinTech kit during Covid-time & tried to get Ralph as light as possible & to compare with Rudolph & Clarence (now S4E-X modded). The project almost got to Rudolph’s weight but my conclusion was that the Alfine hub drag was too much for me. (The Alfine IGH was a good range of gears but suffers from increasing hub drag as you change to higher gears. Ralph may cope better with hills but elsewhere Clarence rolls so much more effortlessly.)
Lots of thought on whether I was likely to use (& enjoy) the new Ralph but it seemed inevitable that I ought to let Ralph go to a new home? Another lockdown & I decided to make Ralph enjoyable for me – by doing a Clarence act. So, now I have Clarence & BB (ie Black Brompton, Bitza Brompton, or whatever feels right as a name?) in similar but different configs. Clarence’s spec as a S4E-X now stands at 9kg, with mini rack & standard Brompton lightweight wheelset – sorry Brompton, your newly released P Line doesn’t interest me; too heavy, lower range of gears & “Clarence is already here” – in my favorite colour!
BB’s spec is a S3E-X & has various lighter components to weigh in at 8.3kg. Once again, lighter & a better range of gears (11/14/19T) than a new P Line version – although I’m sure Brompton’s new 4speed shifting is better integrated. (I’d like to say that I’ve given up trying to run BB as a 4speed; lots of tinkering but various factors involved (tensioner distortion, shift cable tension, derailleur clearances, wheelset hub dimensions, etc) but BB’s 3speed runs so well that I’m content – & resisting looking for any expensive bits/kits that may help?)
I suppose I’ll never decide which of my Bromptons is best. They all suit different situations & it’s always a difficult choice for a ride. Clarence & BB are so light & lively that porky Rudolph often gets overlooked?
Planning for travel has been messy lately. Take June for example; getting away to the North Coast from Sydney kept being disrupted but eventually everything came together & we headed off for 5 or 6 days.
Hmm, Covid events happening in the Eastern Suburbs? Better get going? Well, we got away – but the Covid event grew & even though we left well before the total lock-down for Sydney was announced, the “stay home” rule was applied to people like us. So, here we are – staying home amongst people who can dine-out, visit wineries, clubs, etc! Oh well, we can get out for exercise & for me it’s Brompton-heaven.
Clarence’s lightweight conversion continues with various tweaks & bits. The latest is greatly appreciated; an extra, lower gear! Now the cassette setup has 11/13/17/20T sprockets & lots of tinkering has shown that the 20T cog is the biggest the standard chain tensioner will cope with. That’s ok, I’m extremely happy with the outcome; my extra-light Superlight is awesome!
Aussie on a Brompton 