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Marathon setup

Bits, My Brompton, Tweaks 18/09/2014 Leave a comment

This blog post is intended as an update to my previous post, “Puncture practice” (the sorry tale of on-road tube replacement?). My order for Schwalbe Marathon tyres for Ralph was delivered within a few days from Kobie, the Australian Brompton Distributor. While our other Bromptons have Marathon Plus tyres fitted, I decided to replace the Kojaks on Ralph with Marathons for a variety of reasons. First would be the likelihood of better puncture protection than the Kojak tyres & second, they may be easier to fit onto the Alfine 11-speed hub Sun rear rim than the M+ tyre. With Brompton recommending the M tyre in preference to the M+ & the distributor offering the M tyre for shipping, my mind was made up! I’m guessing/hoping that the on-road performance difference between M & M+ tyres won’t be noticeable. We’ve had no issues with the M+ operations & if it was any other Brompton than Ralph then I would probably stick with M+ tyres?

The removal of the front & rear tyres was only slightly more difficult with the rear Sun rim & to prove that I wasn’t imagining/exaggerating the difference between the rims, here’s a pic of the Sun rim & the old-style single-wall front rim (both fitted with thin BBB rim tape) to illustrate the profile comparison.

Fitting the M tyre to the front rim was straight-forward & by ensuring the tyre is squeezed into the valley of the rim while the remainder of the tyre is “thumbed” over the rest of the rim, the assembly was rapid. Probably a Kojak may have been easier (sorry, I’ve had no experience with fitting Brompton’s own brand tyre) but I can’t say that the M tyre was any easier than an M+ (apologies that I wasn’t attempting a back-to-back direct comparison).

As for Ralph’s rear wheel, I can only repeat a portion from the previous sentence, “I can’t say that the M tyre was any easier than an M+…” – & from my experience it’s still bloody hard! That Sun rim is terrible: the lack of valley means that the initial tyre fitment stops with about 40cm still to be pushed over the rim. From there it’s a case of rest, squeeze tyre into the well, push tyre further onto the rim & then repeat (& keep repeating). One difficulty-factor is that the tyre is new & “un-stretched”, whereas next time it should be a little easier?

Remembering my first attempt at fitting M+ onto Ralph before last year’s UK trip, I had bruised & raw thumbs. On later tyre changes, I’d installed much thinner BBB rim tape & now it’s tough for the thumbs but ok (not quick, not easy – just ok). For some time I’ve wondered how long the Sun rim will last before being worn out & have researched that Velocity Aeroheat rims are available with the 36 spoke holes required for the Alfine hub. Perhaps I should start checking whether the Velocity rim has a better profile than the Sun rim?

Another of my issues during the roadside tube replacement recently, was my CO2 cartridge tyre inflation “hiccup”. At home in the garage seemed an ideal time to get the practice I needed? I used cartridges to inflate both tyres & the results weren’t very comforting! For one I managed to get 7 bar pressure (100 psi?) but for the other, it was only 5 bar (this measured by connecting my floor pump & checking the gauge). This maximum inflation of 7 bar was what I would want in the tyre but it seems a bit “hit-&-miss”? Whereas my road bike inflations have always seemed successful, I think the greater number of spokes & the cramped space on the Brompton wheels make the exercise more fiddly? Thinking about it now, I should have first secured the Presta valve with the locking ring (or partially inflated the tyre with a hand pump?) to ensure the CO2 adapter pressure against the valve was stable – drat, more practice needed? (For the uninitiated, tyre inflation with a CO2 cartridge is almost instantaneous & if you don’t get it right – or you haven’t ensured the tyre is properly mounted, the tube isn’t pinched, etc – then your inflation result may not be “as expected”?! (Taxi?!…) Another caution to the “almost instantaneous” inflation is that the cartridge becomes freezing cold very quickly! – refer pic showing 2 cartridges: one unused, one just emptied)

Just for confirmation, here’s Ralph now fitted with a new set of Marathon tyres:

Puncture practice

My Brompton, Rides 15/09/2014 Comments: 9

Lovely morning for a ride & so thought we might just check out the progress on some new cyclepath near Parramatta (an extra section that avoids a road detour to skip around a factory – & stay close to the riverbank?). We drove the Tardis to the Silverwater end of Olympic Park & unloaded our Bromptons, Ralph & Peregrine.

While crossing Silverwater Bridge I wondered about Mrs Aussie up-front & carrying Peregrine? (oh no, some mechanical issue I thought, & she’s carrying her Brompton off the narrowish footpath?) Catching up I then realised what the issue was – she was avoiding quite a bit of broken glass! – & I rode straight through it while trying to see what could have been wrong with Peregrine! A quick check of the tyres & all seemed well so we rode on. Later we needed to undertake a detour around an industrial area – lo & behold, some more glass about? Shortly after, I felt Ralph to be weaving slightly & dismounted to confirm my suspicions: rear tyre puncture!

Ralph’s Kojak tyres have held up well (aside from the country-side thorn some months ago?) & this time I was going to try to remember to take photos. Here’s the first –

Parked the rear wheel, whipped out some tools (chose the old faithfuls from my luggage bag rather than the Brompton Toolkit) & removed the chain tensioner.

It was about here that things got out of step. I should have changed to high gear to reduce tension in the gear change cable & then disconnect the cable. Instead, I removed the axle nuts & pulled the rear wheel out – only to realise the gear change cable was still in place (& possibly suffering from the action?). Another pic – this one with all removed neatly.

Aside from the challenge of removing a Brompton rear wheel (Ralph’s 11-speed Alfine probably no more difficult than standard – just different), I was mindful of the next task to remove (& later replace) a tyre on Ralph’s Sun rim (a very flat well in the rim profile making for little leeway when getting the tyre over the rim). My trusty Michelin tyre levers got the tyre off (I wouldn’t have risked using the original-style levers in my Brompton Toolkit – must remember to get them replaced sometime) & I removed the tube. Some air in the tube & I managed to locate the puncture hole. Using the hole as a guide, I inspected the tyre both inside & out before presuming that the glass/whatever was gone & not likely to reoffend? A new tube fitted, it was now time for the worst part of the exercise – refitting the tyre on the Sun rim. Some pics here to reflect my progress: nearly all the way & during a rest-stop, an indication of that last 10cm or so (the thumb-wrecking part?)

Success! Relief! Tyre on! Some air in the tyre to check for tube pinching & then deflation for the wheel refitting (I never disconnect the Brompton brake cables & so my tyres need to be fully inflated after fitment of the wheels, otherwise the inflated tyre won’t fit between the brake pads). Wheel refitted, chain in place & on with the chain tensioner (er, no – some tiredness perhaps, out of practice maybe, but reconnecting the gear change cable with the tensioner in place is “very difficult”) – refer pic –

Oh well, tensioner back off again & cable reconnected (& careful inspection that I hadn’t damaged it on my out-of-sequence wheel removal?). Back on with the tensioner & then re-thread chain around jockey wheels? Some brain-fade here, as to where the chain has to be positioned with the tensioner – perhaps not helped by consistent calls from passing cyclists (with their quick-release wheels) to enquire if I need assistance? (little did they know?). Peregrine saved the day; by being available as a model.

About this time, I decided to re-inflate the rear tyre & so reached for a CO2 cartridge & adapter. I now realise it was the first time I’d used that adapter type & the first time I’d re-inflated a Brompton wheel on the bike with a CO2 cartridge (although lots of experience with big-wheel bikes). Needless, to say, things didn’t go well – the access at the Presta valve positioning wasn’t great, I got the adapter alignment wrong & I was slightly in contact with the cartridge when I opened the adapter tap! The end result was of course, lots of hand pump action to inflate the tyre! (The CO2 progress was something like: open adapter tap, realise/remember that the cartridge temperature drops to freezing – & I was touching the cartridge – & jump/bobble around with the device while most of the CO2 goes anywhere but into the Presta valve?! A definite case of “do practice this at home”?)

All the fun was over, now time to cleanup (really a good motivator to have a spotless bike, & always seems to be the time to think about disposable gloves, hand wipes, etc for next time?)

Here’s one final pic (yes, I did fully tighten the Presta valve locking ring before moving off). Unfortunately, we didn’t get to check out the new cyclepath (instead we headed for a cafe for brunch). Maybe next time? (once the new Marathon tyres order has arrived & been fitted?)

Meander videos

My Brompton, Rides, Trips 13/03/2014 Comments: 2

Just when I thought I was on top of the GoPro-to-YouTube thing, now that I’ve got a better idea on whipping up a video via iMovie on the iPad, & while I was still wondering how I’d cope with quite some number of ride video clips – came the offer from Mrs Aussie to turn Producer & process the video from our weekend away on the “Leisure Coast Brompton Meander” (as blogged previously).

Wow! With barely a moments hesitation I agreed. Who am I to pass up an offer from an accomplished movie-maker? (Perhaps my bias here but I have seen Mrs Aussie knock out some lovely videos during her Graphic Design course studies?)

Before you launch into watching the videos I should caution that our “Team Aussie” undertaking is still a learning experience, but that I (hopefully) expect to do better next time (ie my portion of the project will undoubtedly set you wondering, how one person can get so much wobbly video, have so much slippage of the GoPro mounts, forget so often to start/stop videoing & lose so many opportunities for decent filming – along with miscalculating how long a couple of GoPro batteries will last).

Without further ado/excuses, here’s our 2 videos from the “Brompton Meander from Kiama to Thirroul”
Brompton Meander Day 1
Brompton Meander Day 2

Some hills

My Brompton, Rides, Trips 27/02/2014 Comments: 2

It was a lovely few days away, for our trip to the “Leisure Coast Brompton Meander” put on by Cheeky Transport (one of Sydney’s Brompton dealers). Our invite was for cycling the coast between Kiama & Thirroul (the direction to be decided prior, to ensure a tailwind?) over two days.

Not a demanding ride, sure to be pleasurable with an unknown number of fellow Bromptoneers, & so we headed for Shellharbour, the scheduled overnight stop. Our plan was to arrive early in the Tardis (our VW T5 Campervan), settle into a caravan/tourist park & catch a train Saturday morning to whichever start-point was decided. The Tardis would remain on-site as our base for the mid-ride evening stop & for our return on Sunday evening from the ride completion point (via train).

Southerly winds were expected & so Saturday morning saw us ride Ralph & Peregrine to Dunmore station & catch a train to Kiama. Adam & Nick from Cheeky shepherded us to the official start-point, where pleasantries were exchanged between the 10 participants (9 Brompton riders & 1 Bike Friday pilot) & pics were obtained. Here I’ve managed to snap Peter (BF), Dennis, Mrs Aussie, Nari, Nick, Patrick, Clive, Clare & Adam.

Adam handed out maps & “emergency food packs” (thanks Jennifer) & then we were off. Having cycled parts of the Sunday portion, Adam’s course description of “cyclepaths, tracks, quiet roads & some hills” seemed innocuous. With hindsight, I now know that the “some hills” could have been expressed differently. With my heart condition (reduced capacity & limited blood oxygen supply) making me “slow up hills” & really needing Ralph’s Alfine 11-speed super-low first gear to get me there, I even succumbed to walking on a couple of the climbs out of Kiama. (Pic showing the group patiently waiting again!?)

“Keeping the ocean on our right” we proceeded to Shellharbour for our lunch-stop. Along the way we enjoyed the cycling (mostly), views (always) & any “pic stops” (every time). The ride distance had been only half of what Sunday would bring but with those “some hills” included, it was time for Mrs Aussie & I to relax with a well-earned pizza & excellent red wine.

A few hardy riders undertook the Saturday afternoon ride to Bass Point Reserve, along some “unsealed road” that seemed more like “under construction”? Others (such as us) were happy to relax & recover.

Sunday was to be twice the distance from Saturday but expected to be more coastal cyclepath & less of those “some hills”? There were regular stops, such as this pause for a pic where Lake Illawarra meets the sea.

Our next stop was to be lunch at a cafe near Port Kembla but the size of the crowd pushed us to lightening our “emergency supplies” load instead, while relaxing about the Pyramids (ie WWII-era anti-tank devices?)

Yes, we still had a lunch stop! A boutique brewery in Wollongong served some great food, such as these sandwiches.

Resuming our ride after lunch was a bit tough but Adam arranged to steady our pace & picked up a passenger & included some off-road sections (ta Adam for the trail pic).

We continued along seemingly endless coastal cyclepath (forgoing many very enticing coffee stops?) until reaching the Thirroul surf-club, whereupon some hit the beach while others devoured ice creams.

Finally, the last leg awaited: a train to Sydney or, for us, a train back to Dunmore. All we had to do now was to tackle the last hill & ride down into Shellharbour Village & into our Tourist Park. Here is depicted a scene of bliss – a base camp cuppa after 76km of riding over 2 days!?

Are there any lessons from our jaunt? Definitely!
Adam’s local knowledge of the area is immense!
Mrs Aussie on Peregrine with standard 6-speed gearing is unstoppable!
GoPro batteries need to be conserved & charged overnight!
“Dunmore (SP1)” as a station description means you must get into the last carriage!
Don’t pass up the chance to do it all again!

Pristine Peregrine

Bits, My Brompton, Tweaks 02/02/2014 Leave a comment

Phew! All done now! Pristine Peregrine has become Practical Peregrine in being modded to take the new Brompton S6E to a state ready for anything that Mrs Aussie is likely to tackle? (There is one issue still undecided but this is unavoidable for our scenario: buying a new stock Brompton at a “cannot resist” price. Yes, the stock Brompton comes with the stock 6-speed gearing & it will be interesting to see whether Mrs Aussie will cope? But then, that’s the beauty of the new crankset design in that the reduced (or raised?) gearing is available through just the change of crank rings – & a longer chain if the raised gearing option is desired?)

I must admit to feeling a little sad in now seeing Peregrine modded with various essential/desirable/irresistible bits. Where is that shiny new Brompton of a week ago? Maybe there is something to be said for keeping a Brompton absolutely stock standard? Oh well, perhaps next time? In the meantime, Peregrine has some mods that are all proven delights & all go to improving an unbelievably good flat-bar folding bike!

First off the rank for the mods was swapping saddles & installing a Brooks B17 Aged Ladies model (hmm… must give some thought to that wording?) from Robinson (my original Brompton currently running as an M6R with reduced gearing). Next was installing MKS removable pedals from the “squirreled parts bin”. A number of other bits came from the same source, before a new set of Ergon GP2-S handgrips went on.

Rubber choices were non-options by virtue of purchasing a stock Brompton, where Peregrine’s spec of a flat-bar, 6-speed Cobalt Blue Brompton with a firm suspension block & a luggage block were pre-ordained by Kobie, the Australian Distributor. Hence, I was going to have to take my own actions if I wanted Presta-valve tubes & Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres (to replace the standard Schraeder-valve tubes & Brompton tyres). I have no experience of the new issue Brompton tyres; I just preferred to fit a known “bullet-proof” (or perhaps, “Mrs Aussie-proof”?) set of rubber – that had, incidentally, seen service on Ralph during last year’s UK-tour! The fitment of the M+ tyres wasn’t an issue (well, just the usual M+ fitting issues?) & I can’t say that the new Brompton double-wall rim design was any easier/harder for fitting? What I was pleased/surprised about was that the tyre swaps were achieved without having to touch a tyre lever! ie the Brompton tyres (once deflated) were able to be pulled off the rims without much effort!? (Not something that I ever expect to hear of for the M+ tyres! – & with sidewalls that seem as tough as some tyre treads?)

The final steps were to pop a Brompton Toolkit & a spare tube into the main frame sections & then to fit a new Lezyne Micro-Drive front light to the handlebars. (This model light is the only good/small light that I’ve seen, that will mount back from the front of the handlebars; avoiding issues with the fold, where an overhanging light will clash with the front wheel, forks or cables, etc.)

I tried to remember to weigh various of the components & the whole bike at certain stages. For the components I’ve included some of the weights within the mods listing below & for the whole bike I can report that the initial weight of 11.42 kg (11.3 according to Brompton?!) has grown to 12.85 kg (ie on-road weight complete with tools).

Full listing of mods:
Brooks Ladies B17 Aged saddle in place of Brompton item (590g vs 460g)
MKS Ezy removable pedals in place of Brompton items (430g each pair)
Removable pedal storage bracket mounted on rear frame (storage of LH pedal)
PDW rear light mounted at top of seatpost
Eazy wheels in place of roller wheels
Cateye Strada Wireless bike computer (fitted to Profile Design UCM on handlebars)
Brompfication hinge clamps & springs in place of Brompton items
Bidon cage (my “non-patented” design mounted on stem)
Ergon GP2-S handgrips in place of Brompton items (230g pair vs 0g?)
Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres in place of Brompton units (480g each vs 240g each)
Schwalbe Presta-valve tubes in place of standard Schraeder-valve tubes
Lezyne Micro-Drive front light mounted to handlebars
Brompton Toolkit in mainframe
Spare Schwalbe Presta-valve tube stored in mainframe

One from abroad

My Brompton 26/01/2014 Comments: 4

It’s been an anxious week. When would CheekyTransport advise that “Wotsitsname” was ready for pickup? Yes, the new Brompton S6E for Mrs Aussie was eagerly awaited & all we’d had was an email after the order to say the new bike was on the way… Hell, how do people cope with the B-Spoke order time-frame?

Eventually I took the decision to phone the busy boys at CheekyT & ease the planning concerns for the week. A couple of days later, I phoned to confirm the Brompton was ready & the journey commenced…

The Brompton pickup was pretty quick & then it was off for a celebratory coffee stop. Once home, the new Brompton was quickly unloaded & welcomed, admired, inspected & test ridden. (As for my attire on the day, Mrs Aussie produced this T-shirt as a Christmas pressie.)

Mrs Aussie does seem rather pleased with her new flat-bar 6-speed bike & I’m certainly envious (although there’s probably no sympathy for me, as Ralph (my own flat-bar Alfine 11-speed Brompton) is a buzz).

Just when I thought the “Wotsitsname” name may have been final, it seems the new Brompton is to be called “Peregrine”. (Now that I’ve consulted Wikipedia I’m quite impressed – although it certainly shows up my lack of imagination with names?)

So here we are – first flight of Peregrine…

Cluttered cockpit

Bits, My Brompton, Tweaks 30/12/2013 Leave a comment

For my last 2013 blog post (along with my best wishes to you for the new year) I wanted to show the rather cluttered cockpit of Ralph, my Alfine 11-speed Brompton. The handlebars have become somewhat crowded over time with an assortment of old & new gadgets. Now, Santa has apparently thought that my blog could benefit from including some videos & so I’ve gained a GoPro camera (the Hero3 White unit).

In 2014 I’m expecting that I’ll have some blog postings to explain the what, why & how of all these bits & tweaks – including how the Brompton fold is affected (or not, in my case)

So, a brief summary of what to expect from the above:
I foresee the GoPro featuring in various posts, both with setup/use & (hopefully?) for some decent video output?
My “work-in-progress” with the iBike Newton power meter may take some time before I can disclose how/why this has replaced my Garmin Edge 705 computer?
The Lezyne Micro Drive front light is great – & particularly relevant to use on a Brompton!
Long overdue is a post about my computer mounting system that avoids conflicts with the Brompton fold?

And no doubt more…

Let’s have a happy new year!

Local riding

My Brompton, Rides 15/10/2013 Leave a comment

Away in the UK there were abundant opportunities to photograph sights & rides for suitable blog postings. Back in Australia I expected that this would continue but now I’m reminded why I hadn’t done much before the trip: it seems hard to remember to view the regular happenings with the same mindset?

Take the regular rides for example; I can get through the whole ride without even thinking about the camera! Afterwards I remember that I’ve missed out capturing sights that may have been worthy but it seems the familiarity is working against me? I shall have to try harder! (& keep reminding myself somehow?)

Today I had some success – & remembered to make use of my very recent iPhone upgrade. Not on an extended ride through National or recreational parks but instead, back into regular rides for practice sessions on a recent sporting interest… (for the uninitiated, that’s my local Lawn Bowling Club)

Truly home

My Brompton, Rides, Trips 03/08/2013 Leave a comment

The invitation from Will to visit the Palace was definite; 1:30pm Friday. Fortunately, the possible conflict of an invite from Will, Kate & George to visit that other palace was averted & so we were free to get along to the Brompton palace, or factory.

First off for the day was a revisit to Richmond Park, where I had once done laps on my race bike wearing club kit, seemingly “another lifetime ago” (ie pre-Defibrillator days). This time it was after driving Kanga through a Sat-Nav guided tour of so many back streets & finding ourselves on a rather steep ascent – “of course, THE Nightingale Lane… now I understand…”. Onward to the park & unloading Ralph & Robinson, for at least one lap? (The drive turned out to be one of those, “faster to ride…” trips & we couldn’t miss seeing Will later?) Hmmm… steeper climbs in the park than I remember – & the stags seem to have had a busy time (& acting like they owned the place?). Oh well, another lap on another day? Back to our flat & then point our bikes towards the main event.

We struggled a bit to find the Brompton factory. After all, there’s no LED-guided pathway & they prefer to produce bikes rather than entertain casual visitors to reception? Also, Ralph & Robinson were of no help; they may have truly been “going home” – but had forgotten the way! Once parked inside at reception, our host Will (“World’s fastest MD”?) was soon on hand to provide a comprehensive tour. Amongst the memorabilia, I thought Andrew Ritchie’s listing of funding requests, replies, interviews & rejections was rather telling?

I had imagined that my background in engineering & systems (& my wife’s lack of same) may have dulled things somewhat, but no: we encountered an impressive array of sights & facts that were captivating. No previous reports on the brazing systems had accurately conveyed the sophistication & workmanship employed. Quality control & build development was far more effective & concentrated than is obvious in the seemingly unchanged production models. Yes, some new products of late but the ongoing development & “finessing” are worthy recipients of the staff efforts & so encouraging to encounter. So much to the whole visit – operational restructuring & improvements? shifts for the 7-day operations? staff recruitment, motivations & sharing? (all discussed but damn, I should have had a recorder running throughout?).

Sadly, I was not left to my own devices to endlessly wander the factory for the whole day (& then some?) but was truly appreciative of our tour & personal attention. Thanks Will, thanks Brompton – please keep those little wheels rolling out the door.

Ralph refreshed

My Brompton, Tweaks 21/06/2013 Leave a comment

Ralph has been suffering a bit of late. I could see the chain needing replacement & I wasn’t happy with the chain tensioner alignment, so it was time to take action. My earlier postings on “Ralph’s flaws” probably cover my issues with the chain tensioner & occasional chain loss on unfolding. Having removed the rear wheel & taken off the rear cog for inspection prior to obtaining a replacement to go with a new chain, I felt compelled to look further & wanted to check out a “chewed up” Alfine 11-speed hub seal under the rear cog. I shall not repeat here my embarrassing boo-boo with the seal (refer my “Extra tools” post for the sordid details) but then set out to source all the parts I would need.

Checking an exploded diagram of hub parts, I determined that I needed to obtain the seal (or dust cap, to give it its correct name), a chain guard (missing from Ralph?), rear cog & chain. Thinking I should support the local bike industry, I sought the Alfine parts from Shimano – only to find that I could only get the dust cap by purchasing the whole internal hub assembly! Rather than spend a few hundred dollars (at least?) locally, I turned to SJS Cycles, my UK online Brompton parts source who also deal in Shimano parts. Yes, no problems with the individual parts & everything arrived promptly (about $15 total for the dust cap & chain guard). I had already obtained the dust cap tool via eBay (no prizes for guessing that I couldn’t readily obtain it locally).

The distorted chain tensioner & poorly engineered sprocket wheel mounting (once again, this background in earlier blog posts) were definitely to be addressed but I first needed to obtain better spacers to fit between the sprocket wheels & chain tensioner arms. No luck with finding anything to fit or adapt, so I considered getting some spacers turned out of alloy but then it occurred to me that 3D Printing the spacers would be the ideal solution. A bit of Internet research, a phone call & my simple spacer requirements (no need for me to generate 3D imaging for the basic cylindrical spacer) were produced & delivered in about 2 working days. I’m very pleased with my first foray into 3D Printing!

Refer pics of an ABS plastic spacer & the chain tensioner components – showing new & old (stainless steel) spacers –

The reassembly work started with grinding a protrusion off the new plastic chain tensioner body (something included for the normal use as a 2/6-speed derailleur unit) & creating a little more clearance to the Alfine gear change mechanism. Then I could assemble the jockey wheels with my new spacers & the chain tensioner was ready for installation. For the rear hub refresh, I fitted the new dust cap & then the chain guard (missing from Ralph & I’m pretty confident that it was left off through being impossible to fit, once somebody had mangled the dust cap through not using the correct fitting tool). The new rear cog went on & was retained by its circlip & finally the gear change mechanism went back on. The rear wheel was then refitted, a new chain added & the chain tensioner attached. Done!

How has it worked out? Ralph is purring! The new dust cap & chain guard now provides less chain drag, noticeable when back-pedaling, which allows the tensioner to maintain pressure on the chain during the fold & unfold operations, thereby curing the chain drop issue? The new chain tensioner & better sprocket wheel support has improved the chain alignment & probably also lessened drag on the chain. (I had thought that the chain drop came just from the distorted chain tensioner, bad chain alignment & maybe from the tensioner spring action appearing to be weak but hadn’t recognised the effect of the damaged hub dust cap.) Ahhh… bliss is an efficient bike!

Before & after pics below –

Aussie on a Brompton