# Is it worth buying a folder ..



## cisamcgu (2 May 2019)

Well, Mrs Cisamcgu and I both have Bromptons for our multi-modal adventures, but Miss Cisamcgu doesn't, being a student and not liking cycling all that much anyway. However we are all going on a canal boat for 5 days in July and Mrs C and I are taking our Brommies so we can zip off to shops and pubs etc. Is it worth buying a cheap folder from decathlon (https://www.decathlon.co.uk/tilt-120-folding-bike-red-id_8500542.html) using it for a week or two for Miss C then selling it on ebay for hopefully - say £120 ...

I don't know of anyway to hire a folder for a week and I don't think Miss C would appreciate being left to walk as we two cycled off to a cafe 

Any thoughts ?

Andrew


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## gizmo1994 (2 May 2019)

Rent one? https://www.bromptonbikehire.com


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## u_i (2 May 2019)

Cheap products tend to have negligible resale value.


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## cisamcgu (2 May 2019)

gizmo1994 said:


> Rent one? https://www.bromptonbikehire.com



None near us, sadly - but thanks


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## cisamcgu (2 May 2019)

u_i said:


> Cheap products tend to have negligible resale value.



I know, I know ...


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## Milkfloat (2 May 2019)

Why take a folder for her? The boats near me all have full sized bikes on the roof.


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## kais01 (2 May 2019)

your daughter might not be happy having a brompton given to her.

but having an extra on your behalf is different. i have kept an old brompton for spare, and use it also for friends and relatives.


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## tribanjules (2 May 2019)

Sent you a pm cisamcgu


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## cisamcgu (2 May 2019)

tribanjules said:


> Sent you a pm cisamcgu


Thanks.


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## Smudge (2 May 2019)

I would buy a used one, rather than a cheap new one. You have a few months until July, should be enough time to find something ok secondhand. And if you do sell it, you'll probably lose less than if you bought a new cheap one.


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## cisamcgu (3 May 2019)

Smudge said:


> I would buy a used one, rather than a cheap new one. You have a few months until July, should be enough time to find something ok secondhand. And if you do sell it, you'll probably lose less than if you bought a new cheap one.



I understand what you mean, it is just finding the right one ... Thanks


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## MartinQ (3 May 2019)

I've got a cheapie you could borrow if you want? Other end of the Wirral.


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## Fab Foodie (3 May 2019)

Can lend you a B. Worlds-end (near Dover).


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## cisamcgu (3 May 2019)

That is very kind of both of you - I really appreciate it. I'm afraid I would worry too much about dropping it into the canal to take up your kind offers - but thank you again


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## Kell (3 May 2019)

cisamcgu said:


> That is very kind of both of you - I really appreciate it. I'm afraid I would worry too much about dropping it into the canal to take up your kind offers - but thank you again



Sale or return? Deposit?

I think the best idea is as above - buy a cheap SH bike and then resell it after. You'll lose loads if you buy it new and then sell it. 

In fact, you'd probably lose nothing if you bought a SH Brompton and then resold it afterwards - but it's stumping up the cash upfront on the off-chance.


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## cisamcgu (3 May 2019)

Kell said:


> Sale or return? Deposit?
> 
> I think the best idea is as above - buy a cheap SH bike and then resell it after. You'll lose loads if you buy it new and then sell it.
> 
> In fact, you'd probably lose nothing if you bought a SH Brompton and then resold it afterwards - but it's stumping up the cash upfront on the off-chance.



I think you are right - a Brompton is not really possible, but I shall trawl through ebay/gumtree and see what I can find.

Thanks
Andrew


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## MartinQ (3 May 2019)

cisamcgu said:


> That is very kind of both of you - I really appreciate it. I'm afraid I would worry too much about dropping it into the canal to take up your kind offers - but thank you again



It is a cheapie, I got it s/h for £50. It is ok. If you wrecked it, a case of beer would be appreciated.
Up to you


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## Smudge (3 May 2019)

MartinQ said:


> It is a cheapie, I got it s/h for £50. It is ok. If you wrecked it, a case of beer would be appreciated.
> Up to you



Seems a perfect solution for the OP.


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## cisamcgu (5 Jun 2019)

Well, I got one for £35 on ebay - a Phillips folding bike 







Just like this one.

It is pretty good condition, rides well and folds OK - very pleased with it.

For the moment it is perfectly suitable, and we will take it on holiday. However, it only has a single gear which Miss Cisamcgu has declared insufficient for use anywhere other than on a canal towpath. How possible is it to fit a SA 3 speed hub to this ? I realise I would have to rebuild the wheel but other than sourcing a second hand hub, getting spokes of the right length, and building the wheel, is there anything else I need to consider ? This is a future project, maybe for the winter.


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## chriscross1966 (7 Jun 2019)

Shouldnt be too hard, there are several hub widths available. You might even find a cheap 8-speed or 5-speed in the correct width...


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## cisamcgu (7 Jun 2019)

@chriscross1966 Thanks. I think the gap between the rear triangle is 115 mm - is this the correct sort of size ?

I'll have a look on ebay and see if I can find anything suitable


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## chriscross1966 (8 Jun 2019)

That sounds right. The 8-speed is a bit of a squeeze, but there is a five speed in an identical hub width to the stock BSR and BWR ones.


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## cisamcgu (8 Jun 2019)

@chriscross1966 , thanks, I'll have a look for it


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## simongt (8 Jun 2019)

Hi cisamcgu,
If you're interested, I have an SA 8 speed hub gear + shifter, both in excellent condition with about 700 miles 'on the clock' which may serve your purpose. If you're interested, pm me and we can go over some details.


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## cisamcgu (9 Jun 2019)

@simongt - many thanks for the offer, but the SA-8 is sadly too wide for the rear triangle of the folder.

But thanks for the offer 

Andrew


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## simongt (10 Jun 2019)

Nae problem.

Anyone else interested in an SA-8 - ?


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## ukoldschool (11 Jun 2019)

@simongt dropped you a message...


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## graham bowers (11 Jun 2019)

cisamcgu said:


> Well, I got one for £35 on ebay - a Phillips folding bike
> 
> View attachment 469497
> 
> ...



Remember that the axle on a 3 speed SA hub reacts out torque into the frame through the dropouts and so has flats on the axle and special washers. Your frame would need to accommodate that. Cropped pic attached shows that on a manky BSA Twenty I have lurking somewhere.

The shifter cable abutment goes under the name of "fulcrum clip" http://www.sturmey-archer.com/en/products/fulcrum-clips


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## cisamcgu (11 Jun 2019)

@graham bowers - thank you for that, I didn't realise that I would need a frame capable of coping with the axle, I just assumed as long as it was the correct width it would be OK.

Nothing is ever easy


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## graham bowers (11 Jun 2019)

It may be compatible, you just need to check. I have no idea what axle a single speed freewheel hub has or what style of dropouts your bike has. As well as width, other considerations are the axle / dropout compatibility from the perspectives of transmitting axle torque and the ability to move the hub to adjust chain tension. The fact that yours is single speed indicated the chain tension adjustment is accommodated. 

If it is one of these, the one in the pic has a 3 speed hub. You may even be lucky enough to have the shift cable abutment built in as the link.
https://picclick.co.uk/Phillips-Par...ter-Bike-Brand-371836976955.html#&gid=1&pid=2

For the wheel in my photo, axle thread OD is 10 mm however the dimension across the flats of the axle is 7.8mm. The dimension across the external flats of the washer, i.e. the surfaces that would engage with the dropout, is 8.3mm. The dropout slot width is 9.5mm.

You will see that there are other types of anti-rotation washer available too.


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## cisamcgu (11 Jun 2019)

I will have a good look at it this evening - many thanks indeed


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