Let's See Your Folding Bike

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mitchibob

Über Member
Location
Treorchy, Wales
And the other one is now a 2 speed. I've had it many years, and prices weren't as stratospheric then. It started as a cream S3L and has morphed unto a candy apple red S3E-X. I couldn't think of any use for the stock 12T/16T setup, so this is a 52T chainring with 13T/15T at the back, which is where the 6-speed spends 99% of its time. Shimano 7400 BB just because I could (and I chased and faced the shell first).

View attachment 597528 20210705_165943 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

View attachment 597529 20210705_165955 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

View attachment 597530 20210705_170012 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

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That's just showing off! Awesome!

Now, if we could only have some tubeless rims to have the matching valves with the headset! ;-)
 

ExBrit

Über Member
Need to ask, what QR aerobars are they again? plus, how safe do you actually feel using them on a Brommie? Surely the slight additional vibration makes them a little more dodgy being QR? Plus, there's reduced gyroscopic force of smaller wheels reducing stability and not having quite the same leverage on the bars when in the aero bars. I talked myself out of the idea in another thread on this forum, even though, I'm still semi tempted to try... maybe on a track.
The aerobars are made by Redshift. Bit pricy but the only game in town. They are rock solid and just as good as my Profile T3+. I was down on them pulling into a light headwind at 20mph the other day. When we got to Huntington Beach the roadie drafting me came around and asked if I was on an electric bike. Very comfy too.

In case anyone is thinking of buying these I did find their 1"-1.25" shims don't quite fit our handlebars so I cut the bands off two hose clamps, wrapped electric tape around bars for protection, put the hose clamp bands over the tape, put another layer of electrical tape over the bands, put the shims over that, then put the aerobars on. It took about 10 minutes to feel comfortable down on the aerobars.

Amazon product ASIN B00IFHQMZCView: https://www.amazon.com/Redshift-Quick-Release-Clip-Aerobars-Extensions/dp/B00IFHQMZC/ref=sr_1_2?crid=205I7DPAUZP6M&dchild=1&keywords=redshift+aero+bars&qid=1625768378&sprefix=redshift+aer%2Caps%2C285&sr=8-2
 
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ExBrit

Über Member
And the other one is now a 2 speed. I've had it many years, and prices weren't as stratospheric then. It started as a cream S3L and has morphed unto a candy apple red S3E-X. I couldn't think of any use for the stock 12T/16T setup, so this is a 52T chainring with 13T/15T at the back, which is where the 6-speed spends 99% of its time. Shimano 7400 BB just because I could (and I chased and faced the shell first).

View attachment 597528 20210705_165943 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

View attachment 597529 20210705_165955 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

View attachment 597530 20210705_170012 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

View attachment 597531 20210705_170005 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

View attachment 597532 20210705_170111 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

View attachment 597533 20210705_170019 by rogerzilla, on Flickr
Yeah, love the color
 

185Q

Active Member
Location
Norwich UK
Back from the daily shopping trip - 16 months of happy ownership!
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ownership
 

185Q

Active Member
Location
Norwich UK
Liking the Vincita a lot. Trouble free and rapid shipping from them to UK

As well as being a great addition in its own right:
  • The Vincita padded insert works really well as an organiser for shopping in the Brompton T bag
  • The Vincita ’panniers’ are great for carry bottles of wine securely
  • A padlock can be threaded through the zip pulls and the shoulder strap loop to make it pilfer-resistant when the bag is locked to the rear rack.
 

straas

Matt
Location
Manchester
Had a training course in bowling on a cycle path.

When we were there I noticed that it runs from Glasgow to loch Lomond. So decided to have a go at the 20km cycle rather than the 30 min train.

A bit fiddly getting out of Glasgow as they're filming Indiana Jones all round the centre but once I did it was relatively plain sailing and we'll signposted.

A few sections with roughish surfaces and some with glass broken under bridges, but a very pleasant cycle.

Would recommend if you're in Glasgow, shame I didn't have the time to carry on to the loch!
 

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185Q

Active Member
Location
Norwich UK
My Swytch ECO (smaller battery 35 mile range) kit arrived on Tuesday and I fitted it yesterday. I followed the supplied instruction manual and it all went quite smoothly, with no big headaches. The most fiddly aspect was getting the handlebar mount installed without fouling the existing gear change and brake cables. The fold I’d not affected, apart from the expected slight increase in width that Swytch supply a slight extended handlebar locking peg to accommodate.
Tilting the mount a bit further backwards than recommended allows me to carry on using the Brompton C Bag. The bag has to go on first before mount in the Swytch power pack, but that’s not really a problem because I couldn’t imagine leaving the bike unattended with the power pack mounted, even if the bike was locked to something.
First impressions are that it’s a good piece of kit, and like any change in the drive train it will need getting used to. One thing I’ve discovered that I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere is that it’s possible to disengage the motor without switching the unit off (handy when negotiating busy mixed cycling/pedestrian areas to avoid slight power surges when pedalling slowly at low speed) by selecting the down arrow when on the lowest power setting - re-engage by pressing the up arrow.
Overall I’m quite impressed, for me even the ordering process went as expected despite mixed results I’ve seen reported. I preregistered in March 2021, confirmed the order on April 1st and received my kit on August 3rd for a total 50% discounted cost of £654 including all taxes and delivery. I bought the bike secondhand in March 2020 for £550 and now have a really high quality, electric folding bike for just over £1,100.
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Tenkaykev

Guru
Location
Poole
My Swytch ECO (smaller battery 35 mile range) kit arrived on Tuesday and I fitted it yesterday. I followed the supplied instruction manual and it all went quite smoothly, with no big headaches. The most fiddly aspect was getting the handlebar mount installed without fouling the existing gear change and brake cables. The fold I’d not affected, apart from the expected slight increase in width that Swytch supply a slight extended handlebar locking peg to accommodate.
Tilting the mount a bit further backwards than recommended allows me to carry on using the Brompton C Bag. The bag has to go on first before mount in the Swytch power pack, but that’s not really a problem because I couldn’t imagine leaving the bike unattended with the power pack mounted, even if the bike was locked to something.
First impressions are that it’s a good piece of kit, and like any change in the drive train it will need getting used to. One thing I’ve discovered that I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere is that it’s possible to disengage the motor without switching the unit off (handy when negotiating busy mixed cycling/pedestrian areas to avoid slight power surges when pedalling slowly at low speed) by selecting the down arrow when on the lowest power setting - re-engage by pressing the up arrow.
Overall I’m quite impressed, for me even the ordering process went as expected despite mixed results I’ve seen reported. I preregistered in March 2021, confirmed the order on April 1st and received my kit on August 3rd for a total 50% discounted cost of £654 including all taxes and delivery. I bought the bike secondhand in March 2020 for £550 and now have a really high quality, electric folding bike for just over £1,100.
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That looks interesting. I've been looking at the Swytch kit and did a bit of reading around, but was put off somewhat by reports of various issues. I'd be grateful if you'd come back and let us know the sort of range that you are getting in real life.
I like the rack bag, it looks like it has a frame that clips on to the Brompton rack?
 

185Q

Active Member
Location
Norwich UK
That looks interesting. I've been looking at the Swytch kit and did a bit of reading around, but was put off somewhat by reports of various issues. I'd be grateful if you'd come back and let us know the sort of range that you are getting in real life.
I like the rack bag, it looks like it has a frame that clips on to the Brompton rack?
Thanks - I’ll update the information when I’ve got a few more miles in. The bag is. Vincita Nash rack bag as mentioned earlier in this thread. It does clip very securely onto the rack and has concealed sliding clips to prevent someone easily unclipping it. I bought it direct from Vincita in Bangkok for about $150 including express shipping.
 

welsh dragon

Thanks but no thanks. I think I'll pass.
Do they do spare batteries and what is the cost of them.

Is the distance they claim realistic? I know every rider is different and there are a lot of variables to electric bikes.
 

185Q

Active Member
Location
Norwich UK
I haven’t got answers at the moment. I’m only a couple of days into using it and will report back when I have a few more miles ridden.
The battery issue is a bit subjective, as you note there are a lot of variables. I rarely exceed 20 miles in a day, which should be well within the stated capacity, so I’m more interested in seeing how quickly the power pack charges up (again too soon for me to know).
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
Supposedly FWD on a bike is a bit of a revelation. Do you get any issues with grip going uphill? A Brompton, especially an M-type, is very lightly loaded at the front. I suppose the weight of the motor and battery help?
 
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