2006 Brompton m3l

[neilrichardson55]

Hi all, i have a old 2006 brompton its in good condition the head set is a little corrode, its had a new 3 speed hub everything else looks in good condition, the seat is very big a well padded i will be looking for a better seat its little damaged. i have a new shock and same springs for the folding points just makes it a bite more user friendly, i was looking at droping the ring set down to 44T im not that fit i thought it might help alittle. i there and other points to look at, recommendations ? for improvements?

many thanks

 

[EckyH]

recommendations ? for improvements?

Tyres.
Depending what's important for you - eg. puncture protection or rolling resistance - there are remarkable differences.
For me low rolling resistance is more important than the best puncture protection, so my choice is the Continental Urban Contact.

E.

 

[neilrichardson55]

puncture protection or rolling resistance on the mezzo i have a slick rear which was really good for the dry and tarmac and help with resistance alot. puncture not so good, i will take a look at the urban contact. thankyou

 

[Kell]

I have the Conti tyres and have found them to be significantly quicker than any of the Marathon or M+ tyres. Probably one of the best bang-for-buck upgrades you can make. I used to swear by the M+ as I commute year-round and would favour puncture resistance over anything else, I then relented slightly and now I run the regular Marathons in the winter and the Contis in the summer. I was switching between the M+ and Conti, but last time I did, when I put the M+ back on it felt like pedaling through treacle.

Here's a list of the Schwalbe tyres and their relative protective ratings. taken from THIS SITE

Marathon Racer, Marathon Winter, Kojak
Level of Puncture Protection: 4
RaceGuard double layer of Nylon fabric under the tread

Marathon
Level of Puncture Protection: 5
3 mm thick GreenGuard puncture protection layer

One
Level of Puncture Protection: 5
V-Guard puncture protection layer made from cut-resistant fabric

Marathon Plus
Level of Puncture Protection: 7 (highest)
5 mm thick SmartGuard puncture protection layer

The same article rates the Conti's puncture resistance as 'slightly less flat resistant' than the Marathon. But it is considerably lighter.

The next is the brakes. You could certainly upgrade those levers to make the bike stop like something from this century as opposed to about 1910.

 

[Gunk]

If it’s got the dual pivot brakes then upgrade then levers to the later type, the plastic and ally Brompton levers aren’t very good, they feel flimsy.

The standard Brompton seat is as good as anything else, secondhand they're about £15 off eBay.

Personally unless you live in a very hilly area I’d just stick with the 50T chain ring, however then FAG BB is no longer available so if you. Do change it it’ll be an opportunity to upgrade to the later “spider” type crankset and later BB.

 

[neilrichardson55]

I have the Conti tyres and have found them to be significantly quicker than any of the Marathon or M+ tyres. Probably one of the best bang-for-buck upgrades you can make. I used to swear by the M+ as I commute year-round and would favour puncture resistance over anything else, I then relented slightly and now I run the regular Marathons in the winter and the Contis in the summer. I was switching between the M+ and Conti, but last time I did, when I put the M+ back on it felt like pedaling through treacle.

Here's a list of the Schwalbe tyres and their relative protective ratings. taken from THIS SITE

Marathon Racer, Marathon Winter, Kojak
Level of Puncture Protection: 4
RaceGuard double layer of Nylon fabric under the tread

Marathon
Level of Puncture Protection: 5
3 mm thick GreenGuard puncture protection layer

One
Level of Puncture Protection: 5
V-Guard puncture protection layer made from cut-resistant fabric

Marathon Plus
Level of Puncture Protection: 7 (highest)
5 mm thick SmartGuard puncture protection layer

The same article rates the Conti's puncture resistance as 'slightly less flat resistant' than the Marathon. But it is considerably lighter.

The next is the brakes. You could certainly upgrade those levers to make the bike stop like something from this century as opposed to about 1910.

With the brakes. Is this new pads or the cailipers ? I’ve been looking at different pads

 

[EckyH]

With the brakes. Is this new pads or the calipers?

Mostly the calipers (the newest ones are the best imho) but new pads are also a good idea.
If I could only choose one, then I'd choose the calipers and after that I'd choose again to get the pads too.

E.

 

[Gunk]

Mostly the calipers (the newest ones are the best imho) but new pads are also a good idea.
If I could only choose one, then I'd choose the calipers and after that I'd choose again to get the pads too.

E.

be Interesting to know what is actually fitted. If they’re single pivot, then well worth changing although the front fork will need the hole drilling out.

 

[ExBrit]

Hi all, i have a old 2006 brompton its in good condition the head set is a little corrode, its had a new 3 speed hub everything else looks in good condition, the seat is very big a well padded i will be looking for a better seat its little damaged. i have a new shock and same springs for the folding points just makes it a bite more user friendly, i was looking at droping the ring set down to 44T im not that fit i thought it might help alittle. i there and other points to look at, recommendations ? for improvements?

many thanks

I have a 2020 S6R and I installed a 44 tooth chainring because I live in the mountains. It dropped my top speed from 24 to 21 mph. I would replace the chain (any single speed will work, don't have to get the Brompton one) and the brake pads. If your budget will stretch to it I would replace the shifters with the modern ones. Have fun.

 

[neilrichardson55]

I have a 2020 S6R and I installed a 44 tooth chainring because I live in the mountains. It dropped my top speed from 24 to 21 mph. I would replace the chain (any single speed will work, don't have to get the Brompton one) and the brake pads. If your budget will stretch to it I would replace the shifters with the modern ones. Have fun.

I was looking into this on mine because it’s befor the spider chain sets. I will need to change the bottom bracket to. It’s something I want to do but. I’ve not long replaced the bottom bracket so I want to get some ware out of it. I’ve look at fibrax pads but did not think about the shifter. I’ll have a look 👀 I’m going to budget 300 quid at the moment that will be a total of 600 spent this year. Oh and a. Brooks leather saddle oh I’ve spent a fortune Lolol but worth it lol the head set is the orginal to and looking abit corroded to so that might be the start
Of next years spend

 

[Gunk]

It’s easy to spend a lot on them, this was a very tired and scruffy 2011 which I have now probably spent over £400 on.

I decided to retain the original one piece crankset, the chain guard was missing, but brommiemods produce a steel replacement. I also got a NOS FAG BB to futureproof it.

Full details of the build here

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/brompton-project-part-two.291845/

 

[EckyH]

be Interesting to know what is actually fitted. If they’re single pivot, then well worth changing although the front fork will need the hole drilling out.

The champange coloured version on your Brompton were previously on my S2L too. They were not that bad. In my opinion this champagne version is already much better than the single pivot brakes and they don't need the bigger hole in the fork and the mud guard holder like the latest (black) version.

Being a bit more gavitationally challenged than most people I decided to invest in the even better recent black brakes for safety reasons. Imho the difference in braking power and modulation compared to the champagne version is noticable, but not as much as the difference between the single pivot version and the champagne...

E.

 

[neilrichardson55]

The champange coloured version on your Brompton were previously on my S2L too. They were not that bad. In my opinion this champagne version is already much better than the single pivot brakes and they don't need the bigger hole in the fork and the mud guard holder like the latest (black) version.

Being a bit more gavitationally challenged than most people I decided to invest in the even better recent black brakes for safety reasons. Imho the difference in braking power and modulation compared to the champagne version is noticable, but not as much as the difference between the single pivot version and the champagne...

E.

Must admit i have a set of the champagne breaks with the fibex pads but could still do with a little upgrade. may look into the new ones and drill out. im just sorting headset at moment changing to a alloy one as the original is starting to corrode. still working fine thought re greased and check ok but would be nice for better looks

 

[Kell]

I was looking into this on mine because it’s befor the spider chain sets. I will need to change the bottom bracket to. It’s something I want to do but. I’ve not long replaced the bottom bracket so I want to get some ware out of it. I’ve look at fibrax pads but did not think about the shifter. I’ll have a look 👀 I’m going to budget 300 quid at the moment that will be a total of 600 spent this year. Oh and a. Brooks leather saddle oh I’ve spent a fortune Lolol but worth it lol the head set is the orginal to and looking abit corroded to so that might be the start
Of next years spend

My original Fibrax pads lasted about 600 miles before the fronts were worn down to the metal holders.

(And this was before I had my 40mph downhill as part of my regular commute).

Replaced with the Swissstop pads which are much better and last longer.

 

[EckyH]

may look into the new ones and drill out.

You have enlarge the hole in the bracket on the mudguard, too. I can't recommend to do that with a drill. 🙊

E.