# Least practical Brompton ever



## chriscross1966 (1 Aug 2018)

I reckon Francesca can give the Steve Parry tandem a run for its money













Francesca ready to go



__ chriscross1966
__ 1 Aug 2018


















Francesca at Paddington



__ chriscross1966
__ 1 Aug 2018


















Rear Delta



__ chriscross1966
__ 1 Aug 2018


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## Cycleops (1 Aug 2018)

What's the story on the bike Chris?


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## mitchibob (1 Aug 2018)

I can say that it wasn't very fast when I lapped it, but that could've been the engine


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## cougie uk (2 Aug 2018)

Wow ! Delta brakes ! And dear god what a chainring there ! Powerrrrr !


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## TheDoctor (4 Aug 2018)

You're bloody certifiable. That is the maddest bike I've ever seen, let alone the maddest Brompton.
That's gone so far away from everything a Brompton ought to be.
*wants*


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## chriscross1966 (5 Aug 2018)

Cycleops said:


> What's the story on the bike Chris?


Chain fell off half a dozen times, rode most of it with an unnoticed rear flat... the combination of the riding position and the Strozapretti tyre made the last one possible... list of things to be done to fix... move rear brake bridge so that the Delta doesnt need the ez wheels up on that bracket, build a freewheel system that goes down to a 9T top gear so i can ditch the monster chainring for a 61/46 front pair and move the chainline in too, redo the aux tensioner setup for folding, which will allow me to fit standard Athena cups in the bottom bracket rather than the Olympus ones, telescopic seatpost to allow clearance on the Delta when it is repositioned, build more robust handlebar quick release mechanism, possibly find some wider handlebars too.... she is an absolute hoot to ride when she is working right, but the riding position is time-trial radical, so i might swap out the M stem for a S...


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## chriscross1966 (5 Aug 2018)

mitchibob said:


> I can say that it wasn't very fast when I lapped it, but that could've been the engine


Yes... each time i got going the chain came off, then the rear tyre flatted and i didnt notice any difference in the ride, i just got slower... :-)


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## fossala (5 Aug 2018)

Can it still fold or do the handlebars get in the way?


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## chriscross1966 (7 Aug 2018)

It folds, the swivels allow it to sort of concertina up the stem , you end up with a brake lever on the floor.


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## chriscross1966 (7 Aug 2018)




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## chriscross1966 (7 Aug 2018)

That's not completely folded but does keep the Corsa Record Powergrade lever off the floor...


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## BromptonChrispy (7 Aug 2018)

I'm dreaming this aren't I. (My clock reads 03:38 so I must be)


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## chriscross1966 (7 Aug 2018)

Oh and Deltas are not bad brakes. They are unlike anything else ever made though and a complete pain to get a cable into, plus if you mess up you've just wrecked an inner and have to start again. The Powergrade levers have so much extra stuff in them that there isnt much space left to get a decent nipple locator in there so they fall out if you don't keep them under tension... it's a combination of the caliper release being on the lever rather than the caliper, the aero/non-aero routing options and the Powergrade adjustable pivots that compensate for the long cable-pull requirement the Delta has... took hours to locate the cables properly, scrapped a few inners doing the back brake, did the front with the first inner but it took two hours to get it to thread through the caliper whilst staying in the lever. I can see why the engineers hated them so much no matter what the riders thought, it's a dog of a job and there are no shortcuts... and when they're set up they are weird, a fair pull on the lever for not much if any braking, loud squealing noise, then a very powerful brake over not much lever travel... they work and work well, with those slicks on dry tarmac it's nearly put me over the bars, but you can feel it all... but it it isn't like any other brake I've evwr used


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## Kell (13 Aug 2018)

I think an H type would have been a better starting point to make the fold more compatible.


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## Kell (13 Aug 2018)

Although you could get hold of a front end from an H type - that wouldn't be a huge amount of work considering the amount you've already done.


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## tds101 (9 Sep 2018)

Wow,...this is something I'd do. I'm glad to see someone tried it. Any update on this baby?


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## rogerzilla (9 Sep 2018)

I like the faux-Bianchi paint and decal.


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## chriscross1966 (9 Sep 2018)

She's off to a frame doctor to get the brake bridge moved on Tuesday. Ive managed to get hold of an old Moulton 7 speed freewheel that goes down to a 9t so am looking at reconditioning that as it solves the issues that the big chainring bring and i can go back down to a 61-46 combo on the front. Ive ordered a set of Tern Andros clamps for the handlebars which should sort out the issues there. Will be swapping the seatpost out for a Kuosac lower and clamp with a Campagnolo upper, and will have to sort out a mod to the lower stop disc as the Delta will be going through that area when folded.


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## randynewmanscat (19 Dec 2018)

Are those Croce d'aune version of the delta brakes? Did your brakes end up with the obligatory washer marks on the mounting surfaces? Nice Brompton by the way!


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## chriscross1966 (23 Dec 2018)

randynewmanscat said:


> Are those Croce d'aune version of the delta brakes? Did your brakes end up with the obligatory washer marks on the mounting surfaces? Nice Brompton by the way!


Yes, Croce d'Aune. I had to modify a Campagnolo pattern dropbolt to fit the rear... The grip washers do mark them up a bit but mine arent too bad. The main issue with Deltas seems to be that they only work well when setup properly, they take a lot of setting up, and they need setting up a lot. They seem to have a ferocious appetite for inner cables. Good brakes when they are setup, but the lever feel is utterly unlike anything else ive ever ridden.


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## steveindenmark (24 Dec 2018)

Being a new Brompton owner, it has become evident very quickly that many Bromton owners dont look as the Brompton as a conventional bike.

The Bromptoneers in Asia have every accessory possible to pimp their bikes. They go completely overboard and spend a fortune doing it.

I think its a great idea if you are into that sort of thing. 

Mine is a bike for riding long distances. hopefully. Not for pimping.


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## 12boy (25 Dec 2018)

But the pimping is so much fun and so is trying this and that to see if those gears or that saddle or 2 way pedals isn't so much nicer.


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## chriscross1966 (4 Jan 2019)

Francesca is by a distance the Brompton i plan on spending the least on. The daily rider is an 11-speed Alfine in a Vostok rear end, colour coded mudguards and a custom SON dynamo, my Nickel is receiving a full dual disc Vostok 11-speed setup, titanium everything and a Shutter Precision front hub... the next project is a recumbent.... A sense of proportion isn't my strongest point...


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## ukoldschool (4 Jan 2019)

chris do you have a standard ti rear triangle or forks you would want to sell?


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## 12boy (4 Jan 2019)

You may have addressed this in an earlier post, but what is your opinion on the Vostok rear and front forks, if you have them yet? Other than the increased width are there any handling or other benefits/drawbacks to the Brompton Ti parts?


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## Andrew1971 (6 Jan 2019)

A brompton recumbent that would be fun.
Andrew


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## berlinonaut (6 Jan 2019)

Andrew1971 said:


> A brompton recumbent that would be fun.
> Andrew



It is. Kits have been sold 20 years ago:





(Image borrowed from this thread: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/convert-brompton-to-recumbent.193147/)

90 kits have been made and sold a long time ago, they only fit the short wheelbase frame up to 2004. Easy and fun to ride, folds like a normal brompton and ends up only slightly bigger and somewhat heavier.


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## chriscross1966 (7 Jan 2019)

ukoldschool said:


> chris do you have a standard ti rear triangle or forks you would want to sell?


Fraid not, if i did I'd probably build them up on a bike and sell that..


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## chriscross1966 (7 Jan 2019)

12boy said:


> You may have addressed this in an earlier post, but what is your opinion on the Vostok rear and front forks, if you have them yet? Other than the increased width are there any handling or other benefits/drawbacks to the Brompton Ti parts?


They are very well engineered. Henrietta has been running her rear triangle pretty much since the day they became first available and i cannot fault it. Remember she is the daily rider, not some pampered Sunday special... If you are running a super modified bike then be aware that getting bits from different manufacturers to work together can take some fitting, it was noticable when i came to swap mudguards around that stock ones fitted slightly easier than the Miller Cycles ones i have now or the SMC carbon ones that Persephone runs... each manufacturer tests their kit against otherwise stock bikes i guess..


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## chriscross1966 (7 Jan 2019)

berlinonaut said:


> It is. Kits have been sold 20 years ago:
> 
> View attachment 445976
> 
> ...


Ahh.. the Brecki... that's what inspired me but..... i want an underseat steering radically recumbent, and I dont want the hassle of a removeable belt. I've got most of it worked out, but the steering linkage is proving hard to design.


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## berlinonaut (7 Jan 2019)

chriscross1966 said:


> Ahh.. the Brecki... that's what inspired me but..... i want an underseat steering radically recumbent, and I dont want the hassle of a removeable belt. I've got most of it worked out, but the steering linkage is proving hard to design.



At least one Brecki has been modified to underseat steering - in fact you can see a double-Brecki with custom child trailer in the pic:






(source: http://arndt-last.de/index.php/dinge/fahrräder#Bromptontandem_Haenger)


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## 12boy (7 Jan 2019)

chriscross1966 said:


> They are very well engineered. Henrietta has been running her rear triangle pretty much since the day they became first available and i cannot fault it. Remember she is the daily rider, not some pampered Sunday special... If you are running a super modified bike then be aware that getting bits from different manufacturers to work together can take some fitting, it was noticable when i came to swap mudguards around that stock ones fitted slightly easier than the Miller Cycles ones i have now or the SMC carbon ones that Persephone runs... each manufacturer tests their kit against otherwise stock bikes i guess..





Have to ask...How many Bromptons do you have?


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## chriscross1966 (8 Jan 2019)

12boy said:


> Have to ask...How many Bromptons do you have?


Currently about seven and a half if i add up all the bits... Henrietta, the daily rider 11 speed, and almost finished (waiting on a polished titanium handlebar stem) bullhorn kitted dual disc 11-speed Nickel I call Persephone, an 8-speed custom I'll be selling in the spring (Geraldine), the full Campagnolo drop-bar (Francesca), a lightweight 3-speed with a green frame and a lot of titanium I'm building for a friend, a Blue mk4 frameset that will likely be the recumbent (Bluebird), and a Mk2 that will likely get a 6-speed upgrade and sold (as yet unnamed) there's enough other bits kicking around to build another bike if i find a cheap frame...


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## 12boy (9 Jan 2019)

That is impressive and so must be whatever you use to store and work on them.


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## chriscross1966 (9 Jan 2019)

12boy said:


> That is impressive and so must be whatever you use to store and work on them.


Not really, im a bachelor and my house is basically an extension of my shed.


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## 12boy (9 Jan 2019)

First I built a shed. That got too full so another shed for non-bikey stuff. Then a 10x10 storage unit and then another 10x10 so I could store unused frames and parts and keep this crap out of my first shed. If I don't knock this off I may be a bachelor, too. Perhaps I missed your response but I am still wondering if the Ti fork, stem, seat post and rear triangle (I think you have all of those) have changed the ride appreciably.


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## chriscross1966 (9 Jan 2019)

I have four sheds, two storage lean-toos, and a lockup garage.


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## 12boy (9 Jan 2019)

He who dies with the most sheds wins....


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## Tenkaykev (10 Jan 2019)

chriscross1966 said:


> I have four sheds, two storage lean-toos, and a lockup garage.



Is that you Arthur ?


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## 12boy (13 Apr 2019)

I know this is an old thread but an issue arose and Francesca is the only Brompton I've seen with bars other than stock or risers. I put some flipped velo orange Milan bars on my S type (kind of like North Roads) because I find the "shaking hand position" so much more comfortable than the "palm down" one used for flat bars. They felt great but there was, of course, a glitch. The extra torque incurred by having the bars cantilevered back caused the grips to rotate down. I tightened the handlepost bolt as much as I dared but the bars still rotated. My question is: was this rotation an issue with the drop bars? If it was and you resolved it, how was it done? BTW, the Milan bars are the same diameter at the grip as the original bars.


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## chriscross1966 (14 Apr 2019)

12boy said:


> I know this is an old thread but an issue arose and Francesca is the only Brompton I've seen with bars other than stock or risers. I put some flipped velo orange Milan bars on my S type (kind of like North Roads) because I find the "shaking hand position" so much more comfortable than the "palm down" one used for flat bars. They felt great but there was, of course, a glitch. The extra torque incurred by having the bars cantilevered back caused the grips to rotate down. I tightened the handlepost bolt as much as I dared but the bars still rotated. My question is: was this rotation an issue with the drop bars? If it was and you resolved it, how was it done? BTW, the Milan bars are the same diameter at the grip as the original bars.


Not had a problem with them now that im using a set of Tern clamps, also the Nitto bullhorns on my Nickel held ok. If you think about it there is an immense amount of torque around the clamp on an older M or H bar too


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