EltonFrog
Legendary Member
I’ll consider that a fair warning.
2021 Brompton C-Line Explore
- Thread starter wafter
- Start date
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I’ll consider that a fair warning.
Thanks and yes; I'd have happily taken an off-the-shelf alternative had something suitable existed.
I'm lucky to have access to the 3D printer tbh or I'd have been screwed!
Ta for the thought about a lanyard; I thought similar but unfortunately there's nowhere to attach one.. I think I'll settle for regular inspections until my paranoia abates about the adaptor's strength; although it seems like pretty tough stuff.
Not a given but there's usually a limited amount of on-street parking on the road that leads down to Willow Walk (Hinksey lane?) - this is where I usually park if driving; then walk into town. Given the state of the Botley road however, I think I'd go further out or even do the commute-route on the Brompton if the weather was nice..
This weekend has been largely consumed by tedious but necessary tasks. Much like the short-duration rodent parents might buy a small child to teach them about death, the little toff-o-skate continues to brutally drive home the reality that some daily-use utility items can't be kept mint; no matter how hard one might try.. something I'm surprisingly, begrudgingly starting to accept.
While the little folder continues to do its job well, this week has been blighted by smallish disappointments. The squeaky / rusty chain (admittedly not not the bike's fault), the bike rapidly getting far more covered in crap than any other cycle I own under similar circumstances; and by extension more areas of paint damage thanks to cable rub and other fun things.. as well as known areas getting worse.
Because I can't stand to think that continuing to use the bike is going to cause more damage, this weekend was yet another race against time to sort suitable solutions.
I'd decided to add more brass plates as the one on the BB continues to be holding up well (although I still have slight concerns about it migrating into contact with the brazing). Note the polished area in the middle; presumably corresponding to where the centre of the tyre sits:
The main target for plating was the chainstay where the fork hook engages when folded, as I knew there was already damage here. In addition I was disappointed to find more damage on the previously untouched rear edge of the BB wedge. The nasty scrapy-gouge in the finish evidently due to some sharp grit becoming stubbornly embedded in one of the cables that drags across the wedge when the bike's folded
Long story less long, this was touched up with clear nail polish, left overnight and flatted down to give a decent profile for the plate to stick to. I couldn't tell from the damage whether it'd gone all the way through, so wanted it sealed.
The process turned out OK however wasn't perfect and it was difficult to get a great finish with abrasives - perhaps because the polish was still a bit soft; despite repeated abuse with a hairdryer..
Again, the plate itself took bloody ages to make being shaped by hand, annealed several times and formed around an appropriately sized socket once tape had been applied. I initially made it too large (thought I could get away with running it over the brazing on one side, but this turned out to be a bad idea for numerous reasons) so I had to flatten it, pull off all the tape, cut it down, anneal it, twat it back into shape, polish it, apply more tape... basically starting again.
Very pleased with how it turned out in the end though:
While all that was going on, the process was approximately being repeated for the chainstay.. although this was quite a bit more involved.
The multiple layers of tape I'd added as a stop-gap had served their purpose and prevented further damage, however were taking a hammering, looked awful and were clearly not a long term solution..
This came off, the back end of the bike partially stripped washed, with the residue taken off with paraffin. This left bare the damage to the paint that had already occurred in the previous owner's claimed (and believed) minimal use:
This area was degreased and touched up with Condor gloss black paint.. which smelled decidedly acetone-based. Once "dry" (see previous comments about the nail varnish) it was flatted down and polished. Pretty pleased with how it turned out (main aim being to seal the small area of rub-through in the middle) however it would have been better if I'd have stopped polishing before I'd exposed the outer area of existing rubbing..
The paint appears to be a reasonable match for that on the bike. While waiting for this bit to dry I idly touched touched up a few more obvious spots on the rear triangle; which didn't bother flatting back as they're small and unobtrusive enough.
The plate for this area was more challenging for several reasons; it's relatively large, required a fair degree of pretty accurate bending, was harder to position accurately, and it wraps around circa. 2/3rds of the chainstay's circumference - so sticking it down was going to be fun..
Manufacture was the same process as last time; with cock-ups potentially meaning back to square one..
The plate waiting to go on (actually it had a bit more work after this to get a better rad at the edges); pleased with how it turned out:
The plate had to be snapped over the chainstay, opening up slightly to get its edges over its OD. Centring it about the area of damage seemed most appropriate:
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The adhesive tape was a bit of a head-scratcher since I wanted the plate to slide over the chainstay initially without hanging up. I settled on running one strip down the middle which would have its backer removed prior to fitting, along with strips down either side that would be partially peeled back leaving most of the backer present to slip over the chainstay; and would then be removed.
This worked beautifully on one side, but the backer tore on the other and I ended up having to pull the plate off to remove it. Fortunately it wasn't on too well at that point and I managed to get it back on once all of the backing paper had been removed. Phew!
I'd applied masking tape to the chainstay to act as a guide. The centreline was determined using a straight edge across both chainstays...
I'm not 100% happy with it, but it's close and perfectly acceptable considering how badly it nearly went. As long as it does the job and lasts I'm happy
I've noticed that the hook is held against the inside of the chainstay by the front mudguard stay impinging on the chainwheel guard. This is evidently why the mudguard stay rubs occasionally on this side of the tyre, while the extra 1mm or so on the inside of the chainstay thanks to the plate will make this worse so I'll look to bend the mudguard stays a little at some point to account for this.
In other news the chain got waxed and refitted..
As has become de-rigueur over the past weekends this has come right down to the wire and I've been on it until about an hour ago. Finished off with a quick shakedown ride around the village; and much like a lovable puppy that sh*ts in your shoes, all irritation and dispondency disappeared as soon as we got underway.
There remain plenty of jobs including addressing other rub spots that still have (sometimes inadiquate amounts of) tape on them. I suspect I can do most with better tape, while I'm aware that there might be one or two that would benefit from plates instead, not that I'm keen on the idea of making any more.
Looking forward to tomorrow's commute, as long as it doesn't rain
This worked beautifully on one side, but the backer tore on the other and I ended up having to pull the plate off to remove it. Fortunately it wasn't on too well at that point and I managed to get it back on once all of the backing paper had been removed. Phew!
I'd applied masking tape to the chainstay to act as a guide. The centreline was determined using a straight edge across both chainstays...
I'm not 100% happy with it, but it's close and perfectly acceptable considering how badly it nearly went. As long as it does the job and lasts I'm happy
I've noticed that the hook is held against the inside of the chainstay by the front mudguard stay impinging on the chainwheel guard. This is evidently why the mudguard stay rubs occasionally on this side of the tyre, while the extra 1mm or so on the inside of the chainstay thanks to the plate will make this worse so I'll look to bend the mudguard stays a little at some point to account for this.
In other news the chain got waxed and refitted..
As has become de-rigueur over the past weekends this has come right down to the wire and I've been on it until about an hour ago. Finished off with a quick shakedown ride around the village; and much like a lovable puppy that sh*ts in your shoes, all irritation and dispondency disappeared as soon as we got underway.
There remain plenty of jobs including addressing other rub spots that still have (sometimes inadiquate amounts of) tape on them. I suspect I can do most with better tape, while I'm aware that there might be one or two that would benefit from plates instead, not that I'm keen on the idea of making any more.
Looking forward to tomorrow's commute, as long as it doesn't rain
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Looking forward to tomorrow's commute, as long as it doesn't rain
Looking good so far!
Cheers - was a really nice, mostly sunny ride with added sausage content from the covered market
Other bits not covered in yesterday's epic but probably want mentioning (for the sake of my recollection, if nowt else)..
The open ends of the rear frame like to collect water - after washing on Sat. night there was still water coming out whilst working on the bike on Sunday. There is (and was already) some internal corrosion inside the tubes; by which I'm unsurprisingly unimpressed. Thinking some cavity wax and maybe some rubber bungs are the way to address this (but appreciate how once treated letting it breath might not be a bad idea).
I've also found some scraping / damage to the edge and bore of the seatpost tube in the frame - evidently from where the flared end of the seatpost strikes, then drags along the frame when extended.. obviously this is made a lot worse by the contamination present that's evidently coming off the front wheel... certainly want to address this as it could be (and I think is known to be) an initiation point for corrosion.
I've also found that the RH shifter has become a bit reluctant to reset after down-shifting (I think) - the spring shows willing but in hangs up before it resets to the point where another push to the right can drop it down another gear.. not sure why this has happened but I guess it'll have to come to bits if it persists.
That aside the bike performed well this morning; GPS unit didn't fall off (although did refuse to pair with the bloody HRM), while the frame protection remains attached and doing its job
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berlinonaut
Veteran
- Location
- Berlin Germany
Indeed. It is not a bad idea to grab existing information before deciding for procedures like that. In this case i.e. I've posted numerous times the content of a former FAQ-article on the Brompton webpage on this forum, lastest 1,5 years ago:
PAINT FINISH
The steel frame parts on every Brompton bike are powder-coated (rather than using a wet paint) in order to give an even and durable finish. The powder is sprayed at the frame part and attached with an electrostatic charge, it is then baked in an oven to melt and adhere it to the frame. (...)
DURABILITY
Before painting, each frame is pre-treated with a chemical anti-corrosion treatment. This protects the bare metal and prevents any surface corrosion that may develop, penetrating through the metal. Often visible in the open tube ends, this rusting is on the inside of the frame tubes and is purely cosmetic than a structural problem. The electrostatic spraying of powder paint means the powder cannot enter into the inside of tubes easily and means that there is no paint on the inside of tubes beyond the first 3-10mm. Consequently, the inside surface of the frame on a Brompton is unpainted and can appear ‘rusty’ but this will only be a surface discolouration due to the chemical anti-corrosion treatment.
As the steelwork is protected from corrosion there is no need to apply any rustproofing or similar to seal the tubes. Blocking the ends of the tube can do more harm than good and can actually trap moisture inside the frame and not allow it to breathe. Wiping with an oiled rag will lessen the appearance of this yellow-red colouration.
Original source (no longer avail): https://brompton.zendesk.com/hc/en-...-Raw-Lacquer-Flame-Lacquer-Our-Paint-Finishes
Known issue. Flood it with silicone oil. In 90% of the cases this will suffice.
CaptainWheezy
Über Member
- Location
- Chesterfield
What I did to prevent the tubes rusting from the inside was to get a bit of wire coat hanger with a bit of sponge stuck to the end. I then soaked the sponge in ACF-50 which I used to use on my motorbike and pushed it down the tubes to coat them. No more rust!
Thanks - by "frame bung" do you mean the rubber bung that goes in the bottom of the seatpost tube? If so, because mine's a posh new(ish) one it already has one fitted.
I've already cleaned and waxed the post to try and stop sh*te sticking to it, however the problem appears to be that the rear inside of the seatpost tube collect cack as thrown up by the front wheel, while there's enough slop in the seatpost tube bush to allow the tube to contact this gritty area while being extended / retracted.
Ideally of course this area shouldn't get showered with muck in the first place. I have utopian dreams of a little sprung flap that could be fitted to the bottom of the tube in the frame to shut it off when the seatpost's deployed; however there appears insufficient room on either the ID (radially) or OD (axially) to fix anything to the frame
Thanks - that clears a lot up!
I agree about allowing the frame to breath; however the inside of the tubes seem to have a proper bloom in places which I think is well beyond the suggested anti-corrosion treatment and I'd be much happier if it was treated with a wax-based rust inhibitor of some sort..
Nice work - in the past I've done the underside / internals of cars with Waxoyl and the like and appropriate spraying gear would make short work of the back end of the Brompton.. sadly however I no longer have access to such facilities. Yours sounds like a nice, accessible solution; although I'd worry somewhat about the film thickness if applying with a sponge rather than spraying.
That said, owt's got to be better than nowt!
In other news, not a lot to report. The ride home was very pleasant, barring the sore arse that constantly reminds me about my recent schooling in correct tyre pressures. I rode back through town and stopped at Mountain Warehouse to collect some zip-off trouser equivalents of the 3/4 lengths I bought a while ago.
Not sure if I had a tail wind, but I absolutely blitzed it up (the hill at) St. Aldates, and have set the odd PB up a few other inclines - I think the wide spacing between gears is forcing me to put more effort in at lower cadences, and hopefully build some muscle mass. I might have called an inconsiderate cyclist on the tow path a bellend. As usual it felt like an absolute privilege to be in the city on such a versatile, free-and-easy mode of transport - rather than being stuck on the ring road in my rage-box with my p*ss rapidly reaching boiling point.
Back to the car and the drive home was the increasingly familiar superchilled 50mph waft, rather than a rage-fuelled thrash to the death that had become the norm having sat on the A34 carpark for longer than I could tolerate without losing my sh*t. Now I'm back at home the evening feels like an open opportunity for enjoyment, rather than a resentful, unattainable exercise in budget-anger management before forcing myself to sleep in preparation for the next day's misery.
The weekend's exploits continue to reward; with visible witness marks on the brass bits which, for their absence would have been damage to the frame instead. If feels good to slowly remove all of the ways the little sod has found to slowly eat itself, and while on the one hand I'm well aware that I hyperfocus on a new bike to the detriment of all else, I've also come to appreciate that after a while everything gets nailed down to the point where it needs very little further attention - and I'm looking forward to reaching this point with the little B
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yes the seat post
Of course that thought has already crossed my mind; before rightfully being dismissed after a few seconds!
Tbh I think this example has hit the sweet spot - not brand new / immaculate so as to cause me to crucify myself as soon as it inevitably became less-so; but in decent enough nick with all the frilly bits the newer bikes enjoy
Today's ride in was fantastic - it was spotting with rain when I left the house early, but dry by the time I got the bike out of the back of the car at the other end; if still overcast.
I forsook the cycle path in Yarnton on account of its abysmally-surfaced sections and rode on the nicely resurfaced road; before nipping onto the last decent stretch to avoid the rapidly-backing up traffic.
Onto the tow path with the usual host of positive interactions with those it was shared with; making good time despite the odd bit of rogue vegetation threatening to take my eye out. As I got closer to the city the sun began to break through the clouds and I was enjoying the ride so much upon reaching Iffley lock (where I usually disembark towards work) that I continued out to Kennington, then back through Sandford.
This brought me out in the back end of Iffley conveniently next to Sainsbury's; so with a few minutes still in hand I popped in for some essentials. This gave me a good opportunity to test the Brompton in "trolley" format - folded with the bars still extended and seatpost lifted slightly to stop the bung dragging on the ground.
This was workable if not ideal as I dragged it around behind me with the bag still in place on the bars; into which I placed my shopping. It was fine when rolling on the three little wheels; however tipping to the right caused the front wheel to start rolling as well; fouling one of the cables on the tyre.
This made me mindful of the benefits of a rack again; however I think I've definitely dismissed that ideal on cost and mass grounds... maybe one of those slightly sketchy extending roller axles might be the way forward in this regard.
The bagsket really proved its worth here; it's open top allowing easy access to chuck my shopping into; with no issues from anyone that I was a) putting my shopping into my own recepticle and b) dragging around a small, partially-collapsed bike behind me
Another less pleasant learning experience today was that while the little 16" wheels roll surprisingly well over most surfaces, cattle grids aren't one of them.... at least the repeated tooth-rattling experiences on the cycle path didn't destroy my slightly sketchy printed Polar mount.
Most of this morning's journey was spent with some great tunes in my ears and a fat grin on my face, and I arrived at work feeling fantastic.
Thanks to this bike my commute now has the polar opposite effect on my wellbeing, while I think this is also having a cumulative effect on my mental health
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All uphill
Still rolling along
- Location
- Somerset
Of course that thought has already crossed my mind; before rightfully being dismissed after a few seconds!
Tbh I think this example has hit the sweet spot - not brand new / immaculate so as to cause me to crucify myself as soon as it inevitably became less-so; but in decent enough nick with all the frilly bits the newer bikes enjoy
Today's ride in was fantastic - it was spotting with rain when I left the house early, but dry fine by the time I got the bike out of the back of the car at the other end; if still overcast.
I forsook the cycle path in Yarnton on account of its abysmally-surfaced sections and rode on the nicely resurfaced road; before nipping onto the last decent stretch to avoid the rapidly-backing up traffic.
Onto the tow path with the usual host of positive interactions with those it was shared with; making good time despite the odd bit of rogue vegitation threatending to take my eye out. As I got closer to the city the sun began to break through the clouds and I was enjoying the ride so much upon reaching Iffley lock (where I usually disembark towards work) that I continued out to Kennington, then back through Sandford.
This brought me out in the back end of Iffley conveniently next to Sainsbury's; so with a few minutes still in hand I popped in for some essentials. This gave me a good opportunity to test the Brompton in "trolley" format - folded with the bars still extended and seatpost lifted slightly to stop the bung dragging on the ground.
This was workable if not ideal as I dragged it around behind me with the bag still in place on the bars; into which I placed my shopping. It was fine when rolling on the three little wheels; however tipping to the right caused the front wheel to start rolling as well; fouling one of the cables on the tyre.
This made me mindful of the benefits of a rack again; however I think I've definitely dismissed that ideal on cost and mass grounds... maybe one of those slightly sketchy extending roller axles might be the way forward in this regard.
The bagsket really proved its worth here; it's open top allowing easy access to chuck my shopping into; with no issues from anyone that I was a) putting my shopping into my own recepticle and b) dragging around a small, partially-collapsed bike behind me
Another less pleasant learning experience today was that while the little 16" wheels roll surprisingly well over most surfaces, cattle grids aren't one of them.... at least the repeated tooth-rattling experiences on the cycle path didn't destroy my slightly sketchy printed Polar mount.
Most of this morning's journey was spent with some great tunes in my ears and a fat grin on my face, and I arrived at work feeling fantastic.
Thanks to this bike my commute now has the polar opposite effect on my wellbeing, while I think this is also having a cumulative effect on my mental health
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That's great to hear. Buying a Brompton was clearly a great decision for you.
When I read this post I wondered how something as enjoyable as commuting by bike isn't more popular. I also wonder at the huge proportion of the population who choose to sit in a tin box instead.
Thanks - it really is. On top of everything else the grotty commute was really destroying me.
Great work with the bike; I'll maybe try that approach next time
Cheers and yes; I don't regret it at all; despite the cost being significant and the damage issues testing the limits of my OCD.
The tin box thing is pretty miserable.. on the one hand I can appreciate that there are a range of reasons that might put people off - spanning from understandable (journey time, distance, weather, hassle) to ridiculous (hatred of cyclists, lazyness, status-driven attachment to the car).
I try not to dwell on it tbh as the mindset of the average British muppet makes me despair
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