# N+1 Tiddles



## Night Train (14 Oct 2011)

Granville has a little new brother.
He's called Tiddles.

Not at my pc so photos later.
:-)


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## Cyclox (14 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> Granville has a little new brother.
> He's called Tiddles.
> 
> Not at my pc so photos later.
> :-)




Cute! Can't wait to see the pics........


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## Night Train (14 Oct 2011)

Unfortunately the stork left him a bit far from home so I had to go away to get him. I'll try and upload photos from my phone if I can. Probably late tomorrow though.

He is green and black and needs a bit of drivetrain fettling but goes well.


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## Night Train (15 Oct 2011)

Just thought, Tiddles is going to end up with '7/10' as a nick name.


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## Arch (15 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> He is green and black and needs a bit of drivetrain fettling but goes well.



That'll be a shock to everyone that thought you were talking about a cat....


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## potsy (15 Oct 2011)

I fully expected to see a feline version of K9


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## Night Train (15 Oct 2011)

This is Tiddles (cos he's only a tiddler).








My Brom.


He is also known as 7/10 as in 70% cocoa Green and Blacks chocolate.


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## coffeejo (15 Oct 2011)

Aww, he's lovely. What super-duper transformations have you got in mind for him?


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## Adasta (15 Oct 2011)

Please remove the grammatically incorrect sticker for the good of man (and pedants everywhere).




Also, the first photo looks like it's been spliced together from two other photos! Weird...


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## potsy (15 Oct 2011)

Adasta said:


> Please remove the grammatically incorrect sticker for the good of man (and pedants everywhere).
> 
> 
> 
> ...



This is NT, it probably is 2 bikes welded together


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## Arch (15 Oct 2011)

Adasta said:


> Please remove the grammatically incorrect sticker for the good of man (and pedants everywhere).
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Oh, it does, doesn't it! Must have been lined up very exactly with the edge of the wall.

Lots of people at my work have One Less Car stickers. I hadn't twigged before, but it'll annoy me now.

To me fair, one of them has it in Czech, so that's probably fine...


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## Night Train (15 Oct 2011)

I hadn't noticed the 'cut 'n' shut' photo! :-D 

The sticker will be removed as I not really into the politics of bike ownership.

I don't have any conversion plans as yet, will need to see how Tiddles runs first.
Granville, on the other hand now has a pair of spd/flat pedals!


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## Adasta (15 Oct 2011)

Arch said:


> Lots of people at my work have One Less Car stickers. I hadn't twigged before, but it'll annoy me now.



Sorry about that...


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## vernon (16 Oct 2011)

Adasta said:


> Please remove the grammatically incorrect sticker for the good of man (and pedants everywhere).
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The sticker is grammatically correct.

A plural or a number greater than one has to be involved before fewer van be invoked.

Self appointed grammar Nazis and pedants are usually hoist by their own petard every now and then.


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## Adasta (16 Oct 2011)

vernon said:


> The sticker is grammatically correct.
> 
> A plural or a number greater than one has to be involved before fewer van be invoked.
> 
> Self appointed grammar Nazis and pedants are usually hoist by their own petard every now and then.



Well played, Sir!




Oxford Dictionaries said:


> Less is also used with numbers when they are on their own and with expressions of measurement or time, e.g.:



Frankly, I'm relieved.

P.S. Who said I was self-appointed?


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## Night Train (16 Oct 2011)

Well that cleared that up! :-D

Tiddles will need new tyres. The front one is a Brompton original and the rear one has a 3" split in the side wall.

Any recommendations for good, but not too costly, tyres?
Cheers.


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## Night Train (17 Oct 2011)

I took the back wheel off Tiddles today to clean and check the reason for the dodgy hub gears.

The chain was very stretched, next to the new one it was a link and a half longer.

I took the hub apart and along with the huge anount of grit and toffee like grease I found a broken bit. I think it was probably cracked and then broke during the strip down.






It is the little cross bar that the selector chain screws into inside the hub.

I put it in a vice with the chain screwed into it, to align the threads and close the break, and then welded it.





I then filed it flat and refitted it.





Poor photo but it works for now, I will get a new bit to replace it.


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## Arch (17 Oct 2011)

Yay! Well fettled!


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## Night Train (17 Oct 2011)

Arch said:


> Yay! Well fettled!



I think that is the tinest bit of welding repair I've ever done!


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## Arch (17 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> I think that is the tinest bit of welding repair I've ever done!



Next you'll be looking for a very tiny splitter to take the indicator chain apart!


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## Arch (17 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> Well that cleared that up! :-D
> 
> Tiddles will need new tyres. The front one is a Brompton original and the rear one has a 3" split in the side wall.
> 
> ...



Over on YACF, where the Folders section is 95% about Bromptons, the word is that Schwalbe Marathon Pluses are worth the investment for the puncture proofing.


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## TheDoctor (17 Oct 2011)

I've only had one unanticipated deflation in 2 years on the standard tyres.
They're crap on cobbles though...


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## TheDoctor (17 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> I took the back wheel off Tiddles today to clean and check the reason for the dodgy hub gears.
> 
> The chain was very stretched, next to the new one it was a link and a half longer.
> 
> ...



Could you not cut cut a piece to size, then drill and tap it?
Hardly worth the bother if the bit only costs a fiver, I suppose...


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## Arch (17 Oct 2011)

TheDoctor said:


> Could you not cut cut a piece to size, then drill and tap it?
> Hardly worth the bother if the bit only costs a fiver, I suppose...



I get the feeling that the amount of 'bother' involved in a little job like that for NT would be negligible!


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## Night Train (17 Oct 2011)

TheDoctor said:


> Could you not cut cut a piece to size, then drill and tap it?
> Hardly worth the bother if the bit only costs a fiver, I suppose...



When I was filing the weld down the rest of the bar was very hard. I recon it has been heat treated as the break looked very granular and the file skipped off it like glass.
There isn't the space to 'over engineer' a replacement in something softer.


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## SavageHoutkop (18 Oct 2011)

Arch said:


> Over on YACF, where the Folders section is 95% about Bromptons, the word is that Schwalbe Marathon Pluses are worth the investment for the puncture proofing.



Agree wholeheartedly, they are great tyres. I had two punctures in a week on Greens (admittedly one was a monstrous screw which would probably have chewed anything in its path); and then since moving to Marathon Plusses have had one flat tyre in 2 years (which I think was the inner tube gracefully giving up the ghost; as it was the original factory fitted one which doesn't seem as good as a replacement Schwalbe).


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## Night Train (20 Oct 2011)

Fettling update.

Given Tiddles only has one good tyre and so can't go out to play yet I have been fettling, Granville should have warned him by now!

I started with a bit of 6mm gavanised steel plate and cut out a shape. I then bent a spring from a V brake spring nicked from a BSO.





Can you tell what it is yet?

This is it fitted. Much nicer and easier then the aftermarket spring clip and cheaper as my labours are free at the moment.





I took it all off and added some heat shrink sleeving to both bits.





Fitted it again.









Didn't stop there.
This one may hurt as I had to drill a 4mm hole and tap out to M5 for a bolt.





But it does stop the folding pedal from hitting the frame.


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## Arch (20 Oct 2011)

Oooooooooooooooooh! I like your clip. I've got the Spa cycles aftermarket one, and it's a bit of a fiddle to do and undo.

Um..... <does hopeful doggy look with head on one side> For cash?

Clever thing with the pedal too. I have a piece of electrical cable outer, split lengthways, ziptied to the edge of mine so that even though it makes contact, it's cushioned.


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## Night Train (20 Oct 2011)

Arch said:


> Oooooooooooooooooh! I like your clip. I've got the Spa cycles aftermarket one, and it's a bit of a fiddle to do and undo.
> 
> Um..... <does hopeful doggy look with head on one side> For cash?



I'll see what I can do tonight. I might have another bit of off cut and a spring.


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## Arch (20 Oct 2011)

That would be fab. There's no great rush, as I said I have a clip, but yours looks cool! I'm guessing it engages automatically, which is an improvement on mine.


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## Night Train (20 Oct 2011)

Yes, it engages automatically, like on the late Bromptons.

Here's your's, in red to match your Brom!







Didn't take too long but is a slightly different profile to mine as it is made to fit the scrap I had.

The curly bit of wire on the pic is the prototype to get the position and shape right.


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## Arch (20 Oct 2011)

Oh wow, that's brilliant!  Thank you!

I love the colour-keying. Now, can you get heat-shrink in all the colours of Brompton!?


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## Night Train (20 Oct 2011)

Arch said:


> Oh wow, that's brilliant!  Thank you!
> 
> I love the colour-keying. Now, can you get heat-shrink in all the colours of Brompton!?



Yes.
http://www.finishrink.com/

How many Bromtons have you got?


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## Arch (20 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> Yes.
> http://www.finishrink.com/
> 
> How many Bromtons have you got?





Just the one. But hey, colour keyed clips? What self respecting Brom owner would be without?


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## Night Train (25 Oct 2011)

I've been a little busy.
Three little Bromclips all in a row.





I also went to Ikea today and got Tiddles a Dimpa Bag for £3.49.
Actually I got two on the basis I know someone else who has a Brom but isn't near an Ikea.


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## Night Train (25 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> I took the hub apart and along with the huge anount of grit and toffee like grease I found a broken bit. I think it was probably cracked and then broke during the strip down.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh, a big 'thank you' to Spandex for a replacement axle key, which is now fitted.


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## Yellow Fang (25 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> I took the back wheel off Tiddles today to clean and check the reason for the dodgy hub gears.
> 
> The chain was very stretched, next to the new one it was a link and a half longer.
> 
> ...



I was going to say, "No, don't do it," but I see you managed to get your hub back together again. I had The Devil's own job trying to get my Brommie working again after deciding to re-grease the hub and put a new sprocket on. That sliding key thing broke on me too. At times, I put the bearing retainers in the wrong way, which tends to make the chain slack. I had to replace the bearing retainers more than once, partly because one became a bit bent out of shape and kept dropping all the ball bearings. It's a real swine trying to tighten the hub up properly. I wore the thread off a retaining nut and had to replace that. The retaining nut has to be tightened up, not too tight, or again you get problems with a stiff wheel or slack chain. Lastly, I discovered I couldn't get first gear, which I eventually traced back to not having put the sliding key in the right way. I must have screwed and unscrewed that hub a couple of dozen times.


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## Arch (25 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> I've been a little busy.
> Three little Bromclips all in a row.



There's a slightly Medieval look to that, I can't decide if it reminds me of an armory or a torture chamber....

"Igor! Bring me the three little sprung hooks. This one refuses to recant!"



> I also went to Ikea today and got Tiddles a Dimpa Bag for £3.49.
> Actually I got two on the basis I know someone else who has a Brom but isn't near an Ikea.



How thoughtful of you! I'm sure they will be delighted!  And how clever of Ikea to make a bag that fits the Brom!

Careful though. Granville will want a sleeping bag too now.....

I feel a bit more human now, after a few sips of tea. Was shattered when I got in. 

You know you're getting old when you notice yourself saying "ooof!" when yuo sit down....

Tea?


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## Arch (25 Oct 2011)

Or you post in one thread, thinking it's the tea thread, and it isn't...


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## Night Train (25 Oct 2011)

Yellow Fang said:


> I was going to say, "No, don't do it," but I see you managed to get your hub back together again. I had The Devil's own job trying to get my Brommie working again after deciding to re-grease the hub and put a new sprocket on. That sliding key thing broke on me too. At times, I put the bearing retainers in the wrong way, which tends to make the chain slack. I had to replace the bearing retainers more than once, partly because one became a bit bent out of shape and kept dropping all the ball bearings. It's a real swine trying to tighten the hub up properly. I wore the thread off a retaining nut and had to replace that. The retaining nut has to be tightened up, not too tight, or again you get problems with a stiff wheel or slack chain. Lastly, I discovered I couldn't get first gear, which I eventually traced back to not having put the sliding key in the right way. I must have screwed and unscrewed that hub a couple of dozen times.



The bearing cages are a swine, they are too flimsy and removing the balls to clean the mud(?) out distorts them.
One of mine survived but the other, on the non drive side, was slightly out of round. I have to assemble it onto the hub with the dust cover and check it is right before I place the hub back over the internals.

I think I have had mine apart a dozen times so far too!


Arch, I'm sure Tiddles wouldn't mind the occasional cuppa tea. 
I'll get the bag to you in due course, with one of the Bromclips for Spandex.


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## Arch (25 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> I'll get the bag to you in due course, with one of the Bromclips for Spandex.



Yay!

<happy dance>

Thank you very much!


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## ufkacbln (25 Oct 2011)

Arch said:


> Over on YACF, where the Folders section is 95% about Bromptons, the word is that Schwalbe Marathon Pluses are worth the investment for the puncture proofing.



+1

Both the Bromptons (incidentally referred to as "The Twins) have these due to the fiddliness of repairing a rear wheel puncture


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## Night Train (25 Oct 2011)

Damn!

I removed the rear tyre as I have new Marathons arriving soon with a view to making a belt from it.
I managed to pinch the tube right on the edge of the valve and so now I need a new one of those too.

I am going to take the front one off too in case I need to get two tubes. The rear one did at least have a number of patches on already so I might have chosen to change it.


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## TheDoctor (25 Oct 2011)

I did that, the day before I was taking the Brommie to France. The tube from my old Daewoo Shuttle was duly shoe-horned in, and seems to be holding up OK.
Just as well, as the rear wheel was a complete swine to remove. And even worse to replace.
Now, these Ikea bags. How small do they fold? Are they a viable option to carry around on a tour?


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## Yellow Fang (25 Oct 2011)

Rear wheel tyres are indeed a right git to change on a Brompton. I've recently changed from Schwalbe Marathons to Brompton Green Labels. Schwalbe Marathons were definitely impressive at resisting punctures, but they're a total b@5t@rd to replace. The last time I tried, I bust a rim with the 12" metal tyre lever I expressly bought to change these tyres. Of course there are people who claim they are no problem to change, that they can change them just using their hands and the right technique. Maybe if you have hands like an able seaman from the days of sail, or possibly a cowboy used to wrestling long horns to the ground. I'm not sure how the Green Labels compare long term. I've had them a few months with no problems, and they're much easier to change.


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## Arch (25 Oct 2011)

Yellow Fang said:


> Maybe if you have hands like an able seaman from the days of sail, or possibly a cowboy used to wrestling long horns to the ground.



Did you see what NT did to the pair of pliers?

(I think the photo is in Tea, not here. Anyway. He snapped them...)


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## Night Train (25 Oct 2011)

TheDoctor said:


> Now, these Ikea bags. How small do they fold? Are they a viable option to carry around on a tour?



The bag should fold quite small, in the same way a blue Ikea carrier will fold small.
It comes as a flat folded bag 650x650mm so it should fold up or roll up quite easily if you get all the air out.

It is made of the same woven plastic as the Ikea carrier bags. I guess it is a case of folding it carefully rather then scrunching it up.



I will see if I can get the new tyres on by hand, I can do all the others bar the 16" KMX fronts. The Marathons may just haf to be a swine.

The front tyre, a Brompton original, almost fell off on its own when I let the air out. The wheel almost fell out the forks too as the nuts were only finger tight!

Funny thing though, both tubes are marked as 1 3/8" but the rear one looks like it would fit a 2" easily whereas the front one looks like a road bike tube size, barely the size of my thumb.
Front tube looks in really good nick so only one needed.


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## Night Train (25 Oct 2011)

Arch said:


> Did you see what NT did to the pair of pliers?
> 
> (I think the photo is in Tea, not here. Anyway. He snapped them...)



Arch means these ones.


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## Yellow Fang (25 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> Fettling update.
> 
> Given Tiddles only has one good tyre and so can't go out to play yet I have been fettling, Granville should have warned him by now!
> 
> ...



What are these clips for, opening bottles of beer?


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## Yellow Fang (25 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> Arch means these ones.




That is quite impressive, although also annoying, I'd have thought.


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## Night Train (25 Oct 2011)

Yellow Fang said:


> What are these clips for, opening bottles of beer?



Stops the rear triangle from flopping down when you lift the Brom by the saddle.
The later Broms have then as standard but the earlier ones don't so people generally get the big spring clip that becomes a pain to use as it is not automatic and hard to clip on.
The Brompton ones, and mine, are automatic in use and only needs a finger touch to release when folding.


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## Arch (25 Oct 2011)

Yellow Fang said:


> What are these clips for, opening bottles of beer?



I bet they'd double up for that!

I did hear a story about the AK47 gun. The clip that holds the magazine is apparently just right for opening a beer bottle, and that's what Russian soldiers were doing, and damaging the clip in the process. When the makers found out, they solved it, by welding a bottle opener onto the guns....


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## Night Train (25 Oct 2011)

I must try the beer bottle opening thing to see if it works. That would be a good selling point.
Or maybe not.


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## TheDoctor (25 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> The bag should fold quite small, in the same way a blue Ikea carrier will fold small.
> It comes as a flat folded bag 650x650mm so it should fold up or roll up quite easily if you get all the air out.
> 
> It is made of the same woven plastic as the Ikea carrier bags. I guess it is a case of folding it carefully rather then scrunching it up.




Cheers.
The Brompton bag is a bit of a tight fit, now I have fitted bar ends, lights, and a different saddle.
I'll get a Dimpa bag next time I 'm dragged kicking and screaming through the pestilential doors of the blue and yellow Hell-on-Earth that is Ikea go.


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## Yellow Fang (25 Oct 2011)

I did see a saddle with a bottle opener built in. Swobo fitted them to their bike range.


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## TheDoctor (25 Oct 2011)

Arch said:


> I bet they'd double up for that!
> 
> I did hear a story about the AK47 gun. The clip that holds the magazine is apparently just right for opening a beer bottle, and that's what Russian soldiers were doing, and damaging the clip in the process. When the makers found out, they solved it, by welding a bottle opener onto the guns....



I think that's in Clarkson's book, 'I know you got Soul'. I have recently bought a copy.
I have a bike-shaped bottle opener on my keyring. It came free with Cycle Active a few months back.


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## Yellow Fang (25 Oct 2011)

Arch said:


> I bet they'd double up for that!
> 
> I did hear a story about the AK47 gun. The clip that holds the magazine is apparently just right for opening a beer bottle, and that's what Russian soldiers were doing, and damaging the clip in the process. When the makers found out, they solved it, by welding a bottle opener onto the guns....



I seem to remember it was an Israeli gun.


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## TheDoctor (25 Oct 2011)

Arrrgh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And Lo, It was written.
Whenever Night Train, Arch and TheDoctor are on the same thread, it shall turn into Tea.
And it was so


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## Night Train (25 Oct 2011)

TheDoctor said:


> Cheers.
> The Brompton bag is a bit of a tight fit, now I have fitted bar ends, lights, and a different saddle.
> I'll get a Dimpa bag next time I 'm dragged kicking and screaming through the pestilential doors of the blue and yellow Hell-on-Earth that is Ikea go.



It is quite a loose fit so easy to get the Brom into. Fitted extras should fit fine though I have read on line of folks who remove the fold clamps as they poke out a little. I can't see the need really.

I'd offer to get one for you but that will be my Ikea venture for the next year or so.
Besides I had to walk, god knows how many miles, around the store to find the bags and my feet are suffering for it.


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## TheDoctor (25 Oct 2011)

Cheers mate, but I'd have to drive past at least two Ikeas to get to you anyhow!!!
Someone on Ebay flogs them, actually. It's worth a few quid to me not to go to Ikea. Or to drive to my nearest one, for that matter.


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## Night Train (25 Oct 2011)

TheDoctor said:


> Cheers mate, but I'd have to drive past at least two Ikeas to get to you anyhow!!!
> Someone on Ebay flogs them, actually. It's worth a few quid to me not to go to Ikea. Or to drive to my nearest one, for that matter.



Bit steep though but maybe worth it to save going to Ikea yourself. I'd get and post at cost anyway.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bag-carry..._Cycling_Bags_Panniers_SR&hash=item27bf840909

Maybe find someone who is going there anyway?


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## TheDoctor (25 Oct 2011)

I expect I'll end up there at some point. Ikea is like vacuuming behind the bookcases - you have to do it sometime, but it's worth avoiding for as long as possible....


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## coffeejo (26 Oct 2011)

TheDoctor said:


> I expect I'll end up there at some point. Ikea is like vacuuming behind the bookcases - you have to do it sometime, but it's worth avoiding for as long as possible....



I don't do either


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## Speicher (26 Oct 2011)

I was in Ikea once, in about 1989. That will do thank you. I have one of their Bentwood chairs, but was given that.


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## Archie_tect (26 Oct 2011)

We discovered worm holes in Ikea where you can pass through doors into the next section without doing the long walk... sometimes we even walk the 'wrong way' from the till end!!


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## SavageHoutkop (26 Oct 2011)

The Dimpa bag folds/rolls up to perhaps 25cm long by 10?cm diameter; I don't have mine with me so those are 'guesstimates'. Of course it's still squishy at that point and you could easily stuff it somewhere if you were touring.


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## potsy (26 Oct 2011)

Is the tea room closed?


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## Arch (26 Oct 2011)

Yellow Fang said:


> I seem to remember it was an Israeli gun.



You're probably right, my memory is hazy.... 

I actually like Ikea, but ideally a trip will involve meatballs at some point. And lingonberry jam and gravy, of course. 

It would be even better if one was allowed to ride a bike round.... 

I once went with three friends, two of whom were setting up home (not together, two homes) and so needed a lot of bookcases and stuff. Fortunately, one friend had a horsebox, so we took that, and towed all the stuff home in it. That was the easiest loading job ever! Especially as we remembered to take the horse out before we went.


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## Yellow Fang (26 Oct 2011)

Arch said:


> You're probably right, my memory is hazy....



The IMI Galil apparently. It has a bottle open built into the bipod (the two legs that fold down when you want to shoot while laying on your belly). It doesn't look like it's a very good bottle opener. I expect any NCO would go apoplectic if they saw anyone actually use it. You are part right though, because the IMI Galil is derived from the AK47. It also has a wire cutter built into the other bipod leg.

Perhaps Night Train should weld an AK47 to his brompton.


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## Night Train (26 Oct 2011)

I despise the need to go to Ikea.

I had a friend who would phone me up offering me dinner. It was bring car and roof rack, head off to Ikea, shop for a load of stuff and then I got treated to meatballs on a BOGOF offer. All that favour and dinner wasn't even cooked or paid for.

I then had to furnish a show house, for a job I was in, and did so from Ikea. Three trolleys and £8000 of goods and furnishings and the checkout wouldn't accept the company credit card unless the CE was there to sign for it! So it all went on mine and then on an expenses claim.
I had a migraine part way round, a lot of the large items were from the bargain basement and the staff were obnoxious in their outright refusal to assist in anyway. They wouldn't even mind the trolleys while I loaded it to stop other shoppers pilfering stuff from them.

Anyway, enough of Ikea PLEASE.


Tiddles' new tyres arrived today and I went off to get a new inner tube.

LBS was closed, market stall didn't have anything smaller then 16x2.5, ditto Halfords.
In the end I went to Harry Hall's in Manchester and managed to park outside and get served on the door step watching out for traffic wardens.
£4.99 and I had a tube.

The tube is a physically different size to the front one.





The front one is only 30mm wide where as the original rear one and the replacement is 40mm wide.
Does it matter? Is one of them wrong?
The front also has a fully threaded metal valve stem.

The front tyre went on fine by hand and didn't pose any difficulty at all. The rear one was a bit more stubbon and the larger tube didn't help. It seemed not to want to fit in the tyre and was pinching all over the place. With a bit of inflation, deflation, inflation, deflation, wiggle it about and repeat I eventually got it on by hand. 

I had to make up a new bit of rim tape. The old one in the rear wheel was hard and crispy and was up on the bead seat instead of the well. I used the one from Granville's new rim, that was broken at the valve hole, and cut and glued it shorter. I cut a new hole in it and it was fine.


I have just done a 2 mile shake down ride before it got dark and, aside form a little squeek from somewhere and twitchier handling, it seems ok.
The gears are a little slow to change but that may be down to using general purpose grease inside and it being a bit more sticky then the proper stuff.

Not found what the squeek is though but there is a stiff link in the new chain that maks the tensioner bob about a bit. I will need to find it as it wasn't there when I checked it when it was first fitted.
The squeek sounds like brake block rub but doesn't seem to occur in time to the wheel revolution, more one squeek every three or four rotations of the crank. Could be the stiff link squeeking the tensioner.

I think the cheap Schwalber Marathons might be seconds. The printing on one is nicely placed with the size and pressure marks between the brand and model printing. The other has the model printing overlapping the size and pressure marks.

Time will tell if they were worth the cost saving. I will email the seller to ask if they are seconds.


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## TheDoctor (26 Oct 2011)

That thicker tube looks like it's the ERTRO 305 x 40-ish size, not 349 x 37.
The problem is, there's a few different sizes of '16 inch' tyre out there.
My Daewoo not-even-a-BSO has the 305 size of 16 inch, the Brompton has the 349
I've had the wrong size tube on the back of my Brommie for over a hundred loaded miles now - it's fine.


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## Night Train (26 Oct 2011)

TheDoctor said:


> That thicker tube looks like it's the ERTRO 305 x 40-ish size, not 349 x 37.


Ahh, that makes sense.

I would have thought Harry Hall's would have provided a thinner tube then.
I actually gave them the front tube, the thinner one, and asked for one the same for my Brompton. 

Oh well, I might go back sometime and get a thinner one as it will make life easier for refitting the tyre.


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## SavageHoutkop (27 Oct 2011)

Night Train said:


> Ahh, that makes sense.
> 
> I would have thought Harry Hall's would have provided a thinner tube then.
> I actually gave them the front tube, the thinner one, and asked for one the same for my Brompton.
> ...



I don't think much of Harry's for Brompton goodies anymore  Mine was bought from there.

If you are able try another LBS; I personally would go for the Schwalbe inner tubes now. ISTR Bicycle Doctor (Rusholme) had them when they last fitted my Marathon +s.
Also the other Brompton shoppe I highly recommend (but it's a bit far) is in Oxford and ISTR they also do the Schwalbe tubes as matter of course.


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## Night Train (27 Oct 2011)

Cheers, I don't think much of Harry Hall's website either.

I will try Bicycle Doctor when I am next over there.


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## Night Train (28 Oct 2011)

I have sorted out some luggage capacity for Tiddles.

Using the Oxford bag that was on the front of Granville I removed the steel hooks, wedge and peg system and made a wooden socket for the Brompton block.
It will mean that I can add a Brompton block to Granville and have mix and match luggage sets.









I have a second block on its way for Granville and I am making a removable block mount for him..


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## Arch (28 Oct 2011)

Wow, brilliant!

Does it 'click' into place like the Brompton issue frame does?

What next - a woodgrain paint effect on the bike?

(Hmmmmm. A Bamboo Brom.... )


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## Night Train (28 Oct 2011)

Yep, completely Brom functional and a direct replacement for a standard Brom bag.

I have now made a strap on (Ooohh Errrr Missus!) adaptor for Granville to accept a Brom block too.
Photos later though.


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## Night Train (29 Oct 2011)

Here is Granville with his Brompton block.
The block mount was made of half a bit of steel tube with a bit of steelwelded to the front and two M5 holes drilled and tapped into it. The whole thing was then sprayed in primer and slipped into a bit of old inner tube to save damaging the valuable 'Pannonia' and 'Made in Hungary' transfers on the headstock tube. It was then strapped in place with two decent quality hose clips.

Granville and Tiddles can now share front luggage! 














Tiddles didn't escape attention. Following a ride this morning I made a rear bag for him.

I used a scrap of left over roller black out blind material, as used for the Ratrike panniers and trailer.
The material was sewn into a tube and then flat sewn at the bottom to keep the shape narrow. The top was then rolled down and webbing straps sewn in so it can be rolled and clipped like an Ortlieb bag.
Two toe clips suspend it from the saddle and a double sided velcro band keep it attached to the seat tube.









By releasing the velcro Tiddles can still be folded with the bag being a minimal addition in size.





The top roll fastening can also clip around the seat tube to keep things snug.
This is the bag with waterproof coat, gloves, buff and a few tools in it.





There is also a dedicated Haribo pocket inside near the top as a reserve fuel tank.


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## Night Train (30 Oct 2011)

I had a front wheel squeek that gradually got worse and worse. I thought it was just a slight rim wobble on the front wheel rubbing the brake blocks but it turned out to be loose bearings.

I stripped the hub to clean it and it seems that ferrous oxide and water do not make a good bearing lube.
The cups are a little pitted but the cones look ok. The balls also looked ok so with a clean and regrease it is all back together for now.



Can I get new cups, cones and rubber seals for it or will I be better off getting a new hub and lacing the wheel rim to it?


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## Arch (30 Oct 2011)

I know the rear dropouts are a non standard width, so the front ones may be as well, which might narrow your choice of hubs? 

Worth seeing if you can get the bits more economically first, I suppose...

Now, with Tiddles and Granville sharing a bag... How can I put this delicately. Well. You better make sure they are both, um, in good health. Wouldn't want either to catch anything from the other!

On the other hand, that strap on block holder is covered in rubber, so you might be ok....


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## TheDoctor (31 Oct 2011)

Where is Fnaar when we need him?


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## Night Train (31 Oct 2011)

Arch said:


> On the other hand, that strap on block holder is covered in rubber, so you might be ok....



Ahhhh, I used a 'dead' inner tube that had a puncture.....

Seemed a waste to cut up a good one.


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## Night Train (3 Nov 2011)

Saddle bag number two!

Note adustable positioning fo the hanging straps.





The gaping mouth. There is a pocket in there on the back face of the bag to see if it is better that way round. Might still reverse it back again and adjust the height it it.




I will need to change the making process a little to get a tidier seam at the top.
















Just needs my name and some reflective tape on the back.


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## Arch (3 Nov 2011)

Very neat!

A good source of reflective tape is hi-vis vests from a poundshop when they have them. The vests are very thin and wouldn't last long, but the tape is pukka Scotchlite stuff, and you get over a metre for a quid.... If you unpick the stiching, you even have holes ready pierced in the tape to re-use as a guide for sewing it on to stuff.

I've got some knocking about, if you want a bit.


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## Night Train (3 Nov 2011)

Cheers Arch. I will look out for Poundshop ones to cut up.

I have sorted out Tiddles' squeeking. The bolt in the rubber spring was the culpret in the end. A good squirt of lube and it is silent now.
The only remain squeek seems to be the front brakes if I rock back and forth with the brake on. The blocks shift a little on the rim as the rim tries to bend the calipers.
However, it is quiet when riding now. Glad it wasn't the rear triangle pivot!


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## coffeejo (3 Nov 2011)

It's brilliant, NT!


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## Night Train (3 Nov 2011)

Cheers Jo.

I have just packed mine ready for a weekend. Not with all my weekends stuff mind, I have a front bag for that. I managed to stuff in a bag off tools, a waterproof coat, a D lock, a puncture kit and a bag of Haribo.

There is still room for more Haribo so it is almost touring size!
I should be able to get gloves and buff in there too.

I might look at doing that all around zip thing to make it expandable, or have a zippered section with a concertina'd expansion area for better stuffing.
Perhaps the Haribo pocket should be on the outside with a flap...


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## TheDoctor (5 Nov 2011)

Cracking job, NT.
On the topic of tyres (which I think cropped up a few pages back) how did the Marathons off Ebay work out?
After three years I think I might fit new tyres on mine


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## Fnaar (5 Nov 2011)

TheDoctor said:


> Where is Fnaar when we need him?



I'm never far away...


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## Night Train (5 Nov 2011)

TheDoctor said:


> Cracking job, NT.
> On the topic of tyres (which I think cropped up a few pages back) how did the Marathons off Ebay work out?
> After three years I think I might fit new tyres on mine



The Marathons were fine.
The only thing I noticed was that one had the printed Schwalbe text nicely equidistant with the mounded size and pressure text whereas the other one had the printing overlapping the mounded text a little bit.
I asked the seller if they were seconds but he said they were just standard stock left over. He has more. When I have a better BB signal then I do now I will post a link to the seller as he has more of the same.


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## Night Train (7 Nov 2011)

This is the link to the Schwalbe Marathons I bought http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190598329697?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649


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## Night Train (1 Dec 2011)

Tiddles now has twist shift grips just like Granville.
I fitted them yesterday and today I made them look more 'Bromptonesque'.

Right hand grip, the left one is the same but without the shifter.






Added a patch of reflective tape to the end and then stretchd a bit of inner tube over it to cover the rough hard plastic.





I cut a couple of bits of leather and hemmed the outer edge. Left and right are different sizes. ???





I used the sewing maching to punch the rows of holes and then loosely sewed up the leather.





The leather was slipped over the grip.





I slowley stretched the leather to close the gap and pulled the threads tight. It took about 3 goes to fully tighten the threads.





It ends up like this.





Both sides done with the stitching underneath.





Close up of the shifter.





The cable routing using the tube from a V brake noodle. Also new flashy front light.


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## Arch (1 Dec 2011)

Wow.

I mean, like, wow.

That is very neat! 

The only thing you need is some marker on the twist side leather, so you can see what gear you're in.


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## Night Train (1 Dec 2011)

Arch said:


> Wow.
> 
> I mean, like, wow.
> 
> ...


Thank you.

There's only three gears to choose from so I'm not going to worry about it. I think it looks nice without a pointer.
However, if I find it is a problem I will sew in a tiny red pointer to match the one on the mechanism.


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## TheDoctor (1 Dec 2011)

We are not worthy!
I agree, you don't really need the gear marker with only three to choose from. Plus, it makes a different sound in the different gears anyway (or at least my one does) so you can tell what gear you're in by ear.


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## Night Train (3 Dec 2011)

I need to figure out how best to do a six speed conversion and still not have a chunky shifter on the bars.
Maybe I should get another twist shifter for the left and just redrill the detent for high/low.


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## TheDoctor (5 Jan 2012)

Byercycles (my LBS) have a SRAM MRX left-hand gripshifter that's friction - not indexed.
Since you've only got two gears going on for that side, it should do the job.


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## Night Train (5 Jan 2012)

Interesting option, TD, cheers. It would mean re working it to keep things symetrical though but being friction shift would making a lot easier to use.


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## TheDoctor (5 Jan 2012)




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## TheDoctor (8 Jan 2012)

Only other option I can think of is a friction thumbshifter.
I've probably got one if you want one.


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## Night Train (9 Jan 2012)

Cheers Doc. I am going to think about this set up for a bit.

One of the things that occured to me is that I was gogint o get another of the 70's style shifters and and fit it to the left hand side. That way both sides are nearly symetrical. However it does also mean that the full width of both grips move. That may not be such a good idea.

The friction thumb shifter might be a good idea, I have one of those on my Ratrike for the front mech. I will see if I have another first and then maybe get back to you.


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## Night Train (26 Jan 2012)

Lego!


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## TheDoctor (26 Jan 2012)

With that little tiny drive wheel, you're gonna need one hell of a chainring.


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## Night Train (21 May 2012)

This is also posted in Tea? but may be more of interest here.

I had a look around for some light weight stuff to build a light weight trailer to go with Tiddles.

I started with an old aluminium rucksack frame. The 'shelf' bit at the bottom was removed and put on the front side so that the concave surface becomes the trailer bed.
I then had a route around a load of old aluminium tent frames for some 'stuff'.





I cut the bent bits to make them shorter at the short end and so that they would interlock with a sleeve. One of the bent bits was flattened at the long end for later. The two long straight tubes are the axle tubes, one to fit inside the other. The smaller one was drilled to take the locating balls from the quick release spindles from the wheel chair wheels.





The flattened piece was then wrapped around one of the cross members of the rucksack frame and riveted in place to form one half of the central draw bar.









The other bent piece was then riveted into the short tube and holes drilled to take the turn screw and the snap release button.





This is the axle with the holes drilled. The smaller one was jammed into the larger one and a rivet fitted in the centre to locate it.





The front of the draw bar and the ends of the axle were then secured to the frame with stainless steel cable ties, pulled tight with the proper tool.









A quick assemble to check it all looks ok.









And dismantled.





I am now gluing some oak together to make the coupling for the Brompton seat post. It will be a wooden version of the aluminum one I fettled for a friend's Brompton. If it doesn't work I will make a proper aluminium one with a quick release airline fitting.


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## CopperBrompton (23 May 2012)

The twistgrip with the leather grips is fantastic. Are you taking orders for the conversion? :-)


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## Night Train (23 May 2012)

Trikeman said:


> The twistgrip with the leather grips is fantastic. Are you taking orders for the conversion? :-)


Not thought about that but the twist grip is a simple enough DIY job to do. The leather work is fiddly and all you'd get is a bit of leather with some stitch holes and a roll of cotton and a needle.


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## CopperBrompton (24 May 2012)

I think Sir misunderstands ... I mean fitted. 

There are actually specific Emergency Orders banning me from attempting anything resembling DIY or mechanics.


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## Night Train (24 May 2012)

Is that a paid job on offer?


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## CopperBrompton (24 May 2012)

Night Train said:


> Is that a paid job on offer?


It is - how much?

There is the small matter of you being in Manchester, but I do wander up that way from time to time.


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## Night Train (24 May 2012)

I have absolutely no idea how much. We'll have a PM chat about it when you know when you are going to be near here, with the Brom.


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## CopperBrompton (24 May 2012)

Cool


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## Night Train (24 May 2012)

I finally got around to making the trailer hitch.

I cut and carved a lump of aluminium to shape and drilled a 1/4" BSP hole in the centre and drilled and tapped an M6 through hole across it. It is asymmetric so that there is more movement upwards then there is downwards.










I then bent a strap of 1/8" thick aluminium and drilled it with two 6mm holes. and fitted an airline QR fitting.





The hitch fits on the seat post and allows for Yaw and Pitch. The airline fitting allows for Roll.










The trailer end is done but I forgot to take photos.
I turned a bit of steel to 17mm OD with a 1/4" BSP internal thread. The steel was then pressed into a bit of the tent pole tubing which was then riveted to the end of the trailer drawbar. The steel is a tight fit but is also drilled with a 5mm hole to take a M5 bolt that will secure the safety strap fittings, when I get them.


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## Arch (24 May 2012)

Nice! That piece of aluminium looks so nice and tactile too, the sort of thing you could roll round in your hand for ages...


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## CopperBrompton (24 May 2012)

Beautiful!


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## HovR (24 May 2012)

Great thread, thanks for posting! Made a really entertaining read. I may also borrow that trailer hitch idea.


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## Night Train (24 May 2012)

HovR said:


> Great thread, thanks for posting! Made a really entertaining read. I may also borrow that trailer hitch idea.


Hmmm, I was thinking of marketing it so I guess I shouldn't have posted it here.
Are you able to make one?

I am going to redesign it better. I can already see a development process from the first one I make for a friend.

The next one will be less rattley on the seat post.


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## HovR (24 May 2012)

Night Train said:


> Hmmm, I was thinking of marketing it so I guess I shouldn't have posted it here.
> Are you able to make one?
> .


 
Yep, I should be able to, although I may have to purchase some metric taps.

This would be going on my Dawes, so do you think a seatpost mount would be suitable, with it being much higher up than on a Brompton? The other option is obviously something which attaches around the QR or stays area, although that would make the design a bit more complicated.


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## Night Train (24 May 2012)

I prefer to keep the hitch point as close to the wheel axle height as possible, relative to the saddle height. It reduces any sideways pushes from the trailer affecting balance.
On the Brompton the bottom of the seat post is so low that it is not much higher then the hitch on any other bike trailer and so any sideways pushing is minimal.

This is the sort of hitch location on a Brompton.





Demonstrating the strength of the trailer.





I tend to avoid seat post hitches on uprights as trailer twitch occurs right where you least want to feel it. Some people are ok with it though.


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## HovR (24 May 2012)

I thought that might be the case.

I have some design ideas formulating for a QR mounting hitch, but I still have a few issues with the design to sort out - So more on that another day!


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## Night Train (25 May 2012)

I am working on a more conventional trailer hitch for QR and non QR axles and suss and non suss frames but it is complicated trying to get a simple 'catch all' design that works.


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## Night Train (25 May 2012)

First load on the trailer, a bagged up marquee. Not a great weight.






It can stand folded except for the camber of the road.





Even works folded.





The trailer doesn't track as well as the Ratrike trailer as its dynamic is more like an Artic trailer and cuts in bit. I got up to 20mph weaving through traffic in York this afternoon.

This is a close up of the hitch.





Arch weighed it, only 4kg all in, her trailer is 7kg. Most of the weight is in the steel insert and airline QR fitting on the hitch.


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## Night Train (18 Sep 2012)

I just heard that the chap I bought Tiddles from has passed away.

RIP Chad.


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## Arch (19 Sep 2012)

Night Train said:


> I just heard that the chap I bought Tiddles from has passed away.
> 
> RIP Chad.


 
RIP indeed.

Although knowing him, if there's an afterlife, he's in it playing weird music no one else has ever heard of, and cobbling woodwork together with odd screws, put in with a hammer. 

Our new caretaker discovered the other day that the whiteboard in the office was hanging on the top two screws only, the bottom two corner screws having been stuck into bits of bluetac stuck behind the holes. I think I know who put it up.


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## Night Train (30 Mar 2013)

Tiddles, yesterday, sporting front and rear luggage and a trailer of recycling boxes!




I will need to move the trailer axle back a little as the sloping trailer bed throws the weight too far back behind the axle. An easy fix when I get around to it.


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## Night Train (14 Apr 2013)

I have moved the trailer axle back, 170mm, to the back end of the trailer. I decided to aluminium braze the axle in place and trust that as none of the other brazing has failed then it should be ok with the axle. The axle is still physically trapped in the trailer frame so I wouldn't lose it altogether if the braze did fail. This will be a serious test of the brazing as there is no other mechanical connection to rely on.

I will post a photo when I next take it out with a load.

Took it out for a test run with some granite cobbles in the plastic crates.





I also decided to make and then braze a Brompton luggage socket onto the underside of the trailer so that I can make use of the my rear Brompton block.
It means I have an option for when I don't fancy towing an empty trailer.


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## Night Train (23 May 2013)

This weekend I will be in York to do a thorough underside examination of Beryl the EV with a view to a repair and restoration of her rusty parts. I figured I would need to take a decent sized trolley jack and some axle stands, along with a bucket of inspection tools (hammers and picks). I will, of course be driving to York (I'm not that hard core!) but to get from my parking space to St Nicholas Fields I will be cycling with my trailer.





A set of scales shows it as 56kg of trolley jack, stands and tools on an aluminum trailer that only weighs 5.6kg.

Times like this I wish I had trailer brakes.


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## CopperBrompton (23 May 2013)

I would at this point echo coffejo's first comment.


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## Night Train (24 May 2013)

So following on from the test run, this is the load for the actual ride.
56kg, as above, plus 20kg in two bags, front and rear on Tiddles.


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## Summerking (30 May 2013)

Sry if this is late, but what a great colour! very nice indeed.


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## Night Train (11 Jul 2013)

My latest device!




It is made from the top end of a broken crutch, brazed onto another of my Brompton sockets, and fitted to Tiddles' rear Brompton block.

It is for hanging my rucksack onto when ordinary block mounted luggage won't do.





Also, if the rucksack is taller then the mount can be raised to lift it higher for clearance.





It also works when Tiddles is folded.






Now, what shall I make next?


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## fossyant (11 Jul 2013)

Love it. You weren't the secret welder in the A Team were you. Building tanks out of a couple of rusty tubes ?


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## Night Train (12 Jul 2013)

fossyant said:


> Love it. You weren't the secret welder in the A Team were you. Building tanks out of a couple of rusty tubes ?


No, but I could have been.


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