2021 Brompton C-Line Explore
- Thread starter wafter
- Start date
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Thanks - the inside has been patched already; don't see much mileage in fitting one to the outside as the tread would make this difficult and I doubt it'd arrest the spread of the split..
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Greasy Gilbert
I know nothing so feel free to contradict me.
- Location
- Rotherham sur la Don
That's lovely.
You're gonna enjoy that.
You're gonna enjoy that.
Today has been generous with punctures, with the front tyre claiming them all:
1. High street on way in, slow puncture I was too lazy to fix previously; suspect remnant of previous flint incident from shape and location. Tube swapped with uncharacteristic calm, efficiency and good humour; damaged tube patched when I got to the office bringing the total to eight on that unfortunate example..
2. Suspect tow path on way home post-pub. Tiny thorn that evidently caused a slow puncture I was unaware of until I got the bike out of the car at home and tried to ride it on rocky ground, leading to...
3. Fat pinch puncture, due to the above. Once home two small punctures covered with a single patch (suspect the second was as a result of the tyre moving relative to the tube when rolling flat). Pinch got a patch too, tube refitted.
While the tyre was off everything was cleaned up and the tyre inspected; 5-6 small thorns picked out of tread; most hadn't got through - one evidently did. Also pulled out another small piece of flint from inside one of the many gashes in the tread..
This brings us to seven legit punctures (i.e. those not the direct result of my failure to fully resolve previous punctures or refit the tube correctly) in a little under 1600 miles..
EDIT for the sake of record; the otherwise lovely, wide, segregated cycle path from Yarnton to Peartree is also littered with bits of tree following the storms, so it's possible I could have picked up some of the thorns here too.
Joy
1. High street on way in, slow puncture I was too lazy to fix previously; suspect remnant of previous flint incident from shape and location. Tube swapped with uncharacteristic calm, efficiency and good humour; damaged tube patched when I got to the office bringing the total to eight on that unfortunate example..
2. Suspect tow path on way home post-pub. Tiny thorn that evidently caused a slow puncture I was unaware of until I got the bike out of the car at home and tried to ride it on rocky ground, leading to...
3. Fat pinch puncture, due to the above. Once home two small punctures covered with a single patch (suspect the second was as a result of the tyre moving relative to the tube when rolling flat). Pinch got a patch too, tube refitted.
While the tyre was off everything was cleaned up and the tyre inspected; 5-6 small thorns picked out of tread; most hadn't got through - one evidently did. Also pulled out another small piece of flint from inside one of the many gashes in the tread..
This brings us to seven legit punctures (i.e. those not the direct result of my failure to fully resolve previous punctures or refit the tube correctly) in a little under 1600 miles..
EDIT for the sake of record; the otherwise lovely, wide, segregated cycle path from Yarnton to Peartree is also littered with bits of tree following the storms, so it's possible I could have picked up some of the thorns here too.
Joy
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More tyre drama meant the bike coming to bits again at the weekend. I took the opportunity to get a few random photos in its can't-be-arsed-to-clean-it-again state..
Superficial rust after Tuesday's soaking ride home. Not sure if I've touched on this before but the sprocket setup is interesting; with the 16T item being thinner / with teeth of a more conventional asymmetric shape, the 13T being thicker / deeper / more pointy with a more traditional symmetrical form.
Hard to tell from these pics, but if anything the 13T item seems more worn; with the wear in the area of chain roller contact having now made its way across the entire width of the sprocket. Conventional wisdom states that these sprockets only last as long as one chain (which is a reasonable assumption, given their small size and higher duty cycle compared to cassettes with more speeds) - it'll be interesting to see if this holds true with the waxing regime.
Apparently later sprockets have a different format with the 13T having similar thickness and tooth profile to the 16T... which I suspect might help with shifting.
Despite being magically plated and only around 650ish miles old, the KMC EPT chain is showing signs of rust. This potentially suggests contamination; which would be a fair assumption given the amount of cack scraped off my chain wax puck this weekend.. although I suspect in the cleanest of conditions a relatively thin coating will wear of parts subject to friction eventually.
Brass bits are holding up well despite all the filth.
The witness mark from the rear wheel is an irritating reminder of how off-centre I got the plate on the BB; although also a satisfying indictment of what a good job it's doing in protecting the original finish.. I still haven't got around to applying any frame protection tape elsewhere.
In other news I also noticed that various other bits are starting to go rusty - including the brake pad bolts, caliper springs and mounting bolts - which is a bit crap considering how the bike only gets occasionally caught out in the rain and is otherwise stored in the dry. Yay for British quality
Anyway, naff all else to report other than that the Brompton has now ticked over 1700 miles in my ownership and usurped the Fuji as "highest mileage hack"
Superficial rust after Tuesday's soaking ride home. Not sure if I've touched on this before but the sprocket setup is interesting; with the 16T item being thinner / with teeth of a more conventional asymmetric shape, the 13T being thicker / deeper / more pointy with a more traditional symmetrical form.
Hard to tell from these pics, but if anything the 13T item seems more worn; with the wear in the area of chain roller contact having now made its way across the entire width of the sprocket. Conventional wisdom states that these sprockets only last as long as one chain (which is a reasonable assumption, given their small size and higher duty cycle compared to cassettes with more speeds) - it'll be interesting to see if this holds true with the waxing regime.
Apparently later sprockets have a different format with the 13T having similar thickness and tooth profile to the 16T... which I suspect might help with shifting.
Despite being magically plated and only around 650ish miles old, the KMC EPT chain is showing signs of rust. This potentially suggests contamination; which would be a fair assumption given the amount of cack scraped off my chain wax puck this weekend.. although I suspect in the cleanest of conditions a relatively thin coating will wear of parts subject to friction eventually.
Brass bits are holding up well despite all the filth.
The witness mark from the rear wheel is an irritating reminder of how off-centre I got the plate on the BB; although also a satisfying indictment of what a good job it's doing in protecting the original finish.. I still haven't got around to applying any frame protection tape elsewhere.
In other news I also noticed that various other bits are starting to go rusty - including the brake pad bolts, caliper springs and mounting bolts - which is a bit crap considering how the bike only gets occasionally caught out in the rain and is otherwise stored in the dry. Yay for British quality
Anyway, naff all else to report other than that the Brompton has now ticked over 1700 miles in my ownership and usurped the Fuji as "highest mileage hack"
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FrankCrank
Old layabout
More tyre drama meant the bike coming to bits again at the weekend.. took the opportunity to get a few photos in its can't-be-arsed-to-clean-it-again state..
Superficial rust after Tuesday's soaking ride home. Not sure if I've touched on this before but the sprocket setup is interesting; with the 16T item being thinner / with teeth of a more conventional asymmetric shape, the 13T being thicker / deeper / more pointy with a more traditional symmetrical form.
View attachment 721472
Hard to tell from these pics, but if anything the 13T item seems more worn; with the wear in the area of chain roller contact having now made its way across the entire width of the sprocket. Conventional wisdom states that these sprockets only last as long as one chain (which is a reasonable assumption, given their small size and higher duty cycle compared to cassettes with more speeds) - it'll be interesting to see if this holds true with the waxing regime.
Apparently later sprockets have a different format; with the 13T having similar thickness and tooth profile to the 16T... which I suspect might help with shifting.
Despite being magically coated and only around 650ish miles old, the KMC EPT chain is showing signs of rust.. this potentially suggests contamination; which would be a fair assumption given the amount of cack scraped off my chain wax puck this weekend.. although I suspect in the cleanest of conditions a relatively thin coating will wear of parts subject to friction eventually.
Brass bits are holding up well despite all the filth.
View attachment 721482
View attachment 721484
The witness mark from the rear wheel is an irritating reminder of how off-centre I got the plate on the BB; although also a satisfying indictment of what a good job it's doing in protecting the original finish.. I still haven't got around to applying any frame protection tape elsewhere.
View attachment 721483
In other news I also noticed that various other bits are starting to go rusty - including the brake pad bolts, caliper springs and mounting bolts - which is a bit crap considering how the bike only gets occasionally caught out in the rain and is otherwise stored in the dry. Yay for British quality
Anyway, naff all else to report, other than that the Brompton has now ticked over 1700 miles in my ownership and usurped the Fuji as "highest mileage hack"
I've heard several times now how the lacquered version is susceptible to going rusty, more so than the painted ones.
I think Brompton refers to this as patina.
Indeed; worryingly I've read the same (and seen some proper horror stories) but thankfully / finger's crossed the main frame on mine seems OK so far.
Unfortunately it seems that from the factory the in-frame corrosion protection is crap / non-existant (stuffing some way up all the tubes remains on the ever-growing to-do list). I'm glad I have the black edition since only the main frame has the coloured finish - while some parts that would be frame-coloured on standard models (the stem, fork and crucially and rear frame) are black.
This is important as these parts are apparently more likely to see damage that could serve as a corrosion initiation point (rubbing from folding, cable rub, damage from serrated axle washers all on parts that get covered in a lot of grit and crap in the wet) and the black finish seems more resileant, easier to touch up and ultimately the parts more common / easier to replace if the worst happens.
Unfortunately on a smaller / less serious scale the quality / material / finish of some of the components such as those mentioned in my last post just seems sub par / inappropriate. The hexagon inserts that retain the shifter / tensioner jockey wheels for example seem to be gun-blued - a nice finish in itself but abysmal from a corrosion-prevention perspective in an area that's likely to see and retain a lot of water.
I do love this bike but Brompton's attitude towards corrosion prevention from the perspectives of rust proofing, damage limitation and material choice / finish seems very poor
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FrankCrank
Old layabout
Indeed; worryingly I've read the same (and seen some proper horror stories) but thankfully / finger's crossed the main frame on mine seems OK so far.
Unfortunately it seems that from the factory the in-frame corrosion protection is crap / non-existant (stuffing some way up all the tubes remains on the ever-growing to-do list). I'm glad I have the black edition since only the main frame has the coloured finish - while some parts that would be frame-coloured on standard models (the stem, fork home built projects and crucially and rear frame) are black.
This is important as these parts are apparently more likely to see damage that could serve as a corrosion initiation point (rubbing from folding, cable rub, damage from serrated axle washers all on parts that get covered in a lot of grit and crap in the wet) and the black finish seems more resileant, easier to touch up and ultimately the parts more common / easier to replace if the worst happens.
Unfortunately on a smaller / less serious scale the quality / material / finish of some of the components such as those mentioned in my last post just seems sub par / inappropriate. The hexagon inserts that retain the shifter / tensioner jockey wheels for example seem to be gun-blued - a nice finish in itself but abysmal from a corrosion-prevention perspective in an area that's likely to see and retain a lot of water.
I do love this bike but Brompton's attitude towards corrosion prevention from the perspectives of rust proofing, damage limitation and material choice / finish seems very poor
I know you can get Brommies made from titanium, but what about stainless? I do my homebuilt projects with this material, and they are holding up very well after a decade or so. Any blemish that does appear can be rubbed away with a kitchen scouring pad, real simple. Decent TIG welds are definitely on a par with braze welding as far as looks go, and equally as strong. There may well be a valid reason why stainless is not suitable for such a folder, would love to know if that's the case.
a.twiddler
Veteran
For those who have sleepless nights dwelling on the thought that Rust Never Sleeps, and like to keep it company, a stainless frame might be a solution. Heaven knows what Brompton would like to charge for one of those, however, assuming it's a viable propostion.
Indeed... the only reason I can think of off the top of my head would be the hinge assemblies, which are probably cast (or maybe forged, but I doubt it). Not sure how you'd go about making these in stainless..
Sounds like a good idea though and I'm surprised they've not explored this before given their liking of expensive special editions.
a.twiddler
Veteran
I would have thought that a premium brand like Brompton would already use stainless fasteners and small parts. As for special editions, isn't that usually Bromptonspeak for a normal range bike with a different shade of paint? (Dives for cover!).
Indeed - I tend to replace stuff on bikes with stainless as a matter of course; however this is obivously only possible if they're standard size fixings; which I suspect many on the Brompton aren't.
I concur about the "special editions" - perhaps a more accurate example would have been the higher-end standard models - i.e. the P and T-lines..
a.twiddler
Veteran
Probably no Brompton after a few days of ownership remains standard. They all become "special editions" once they start to get modified/improved to suit their owner. Or is it just the ones that appear on forums like this?
Indeed; and while I suspect a lot of mods are un-necessary / subjective / taste-led, so far mine have all been to mitigate for shortcomings that really shouldn't have existed in the first place, IMO..
A small and especially boring "update"..
Following "tyre crisis 2024" a month ago the bike has demanded uncharacteristically little attention. While there are still plenty of things to be done, it's now at a stage where it's sorted enough to not require further steps to discourage it from eating itself during ongoing use.
As a result the bike feels much more like the utilitarian tool it was always intended to be, rather than the weekend-swallowing project it was at the beginning.
I had cause to remove the back wheel yesterday and gave it a wash; just with a brush and hot water. I was impressed by how well the sprockets cleaned up with such little effort (thanks no doubt to the waxed chain) - while it's not obvious from the photo the sides of the teeth on the 13T sprocket are pretty much mirror polished, which I find sadly fascinating
I also noticed that the oil present on the threaded end of the hub's indicator chain was decidedly black; presumably through hub wear. I assume wear will initially be significant while bits bed in, however now the bike's done some miles and this process is hopefully complete, I wonder if it's worth flushing the hub out and replenishing the oil..? Not something I'm likely to do on a whim without any research, bit it certainly appeals to my OCD...
Anyway, still loads more to do but it feels manageable now and I'm increasingly looking forward to the Brompton's company as the weather improves and the commute becomes something to be enjoyed rather than endured
Following "tyre crisis 2024" a month ago the bike has demanded uncharacteristically little attention. While there are still plenty of things to be done, it's now at a stage where it's sorted enough to not require further steps to discourage it from eating itself during ongoing use.
As a result the bike feels much more like the utilitarian tool it was always intended to be, rather than the weekend-swallowing project it was at the beginning.
I had cause to remove the back wheel yesterday and gave it a wash; just with a brush and hot water. I was impressed by how well the sprockets cleaned up with such little effort (thanks no doubt to the waxed chain) - while it's not obvious from the photo the sides of the teeth on the 13T sprocket are pretty much mirror polished, which I find sadly fascinating
I also noticed that the oil present on the threaded end of the hub's indicator chain was decidedly black; presumably through hub wear. I assume wear will initially be significant while bits bed in, however now the bike's done some miles and this process is hopefully complete, I wonder if it's worth flushing the hub out and replenishing the oil..? Not something I'm likely to do on a whim without any research, bit it certainly appeals to my OCD...
Anyway, still loads more to do but it feels manageable now and I'm increasingly looking forward to the Brompton's company as the weather improves and the commute becomes something to be enjoyed rather than endured
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