Long seat post needed

[Florentine]

Hi, I just bought a Stowaway 12 speed folding bike for errands around NYC.

I'm 6'2" and the seat post is 12", useable height, which is 2+" too short. I've searched high and low and haven't been able to find a longer post.
I bought a 450mm post but that wasn't the useable height, but the total length I guess. Too short, so I returned it.
Sent a note to Brompton but they don't want to get involved.

The diameter is 28.6mm.

Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[tinywheels]

should have bought a brompton baby

 

[Florentine]

let's not get snarky.
Beat $200 for doing errands.

 

[berlinonaut]

Sent a note to Brompton but they don't want to get involved.

What would Brompton have to do with a no-name folder?

let's not get snarky.
Beat $200 for doing errands.

Errands or errors? 200$ for something that doesn't work properly, is not fit for purpose and seems hard to fix seems rather a waste of money - easy to beat.
Plus it seems that you overpaid by 50$ anyway: https://www.campingworld.com/stowaway-12-speed-folding-bike-118569.html

 

[CXRAndy]

Hi, I just bought a Stowaway 12 speed folding bike for errands around NYC.

I'm 6'2" and the seat post is 12", useable height, which is 2+" too short. I've searched high and low and haven't been able to find a longer post.
I bought a 450mm post but that wasn't the useable height, but the total length I guess. Too short, so I returned it.
Sent a note to Brompton but they don't want to get involved.

The diameter is 28.6mm.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Post a photo of your bike post and seat mounting. Eg clamp or post narrows

 

[TheDoctor]

A Brompton seat post is 31.8mm diameter, so wouldn't help in any case. If a 450mm seat post is still too short, it sounds like the bike is just too small.

 

[Poacher]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you're unlikely to be able to find a 28.6mm seat post longer than 450mm.
Used carefully, you can exceed the safe working height by a small amount, but this is up to your judgement.
Thinking laterally, you could maybe source some tube from a hardware shop and use a shim if necessary, but this is a bodge and would still be problematic at the top end where the saddle clamp needs a smaller diameter.
Long shot: trawl through Sheldon Brown's seat post size database for makers who use(d) 28.6mm seat posts and ask them if they know where to get long ones. Many are no longer in business however! https://www.sheldonbrown.com/seatpost-sizes.html
Another suggestion from the sainted Sheldon; 28.6 mm is the outside diameter of most steel road frames, so if you find one cheap or free you could cut the seat tube above the bottom bracket, cut off the seat stays, cut at the top tube, retaining the seat post clamp and existing seat post and there you go! Decidedly inelegant, but a possible left-field solution. Details found in the "Frame" section here, but ignore the 26.8mm typo:
https://sheldonbrown.com/raleigh-twenty.html


(Should have got a Brompton! Magnet for thieves, but the best bike for the job, and hold their value well. )

 

[berlinonaut]

Post a photo of your bike post and seat mounting. Eg clamp or post narrows

It seems that every single $ spending on this bike is throwing good money after bad money and every minute spent thinking about it is a waste of time. This is a generic Asian (probably Chinese) bike of the lowest quality level, sold under a custom label. 150$ new for the complete bike (and after transport to the US is also paid as are taxes and customs both, factory and dealer are still earning money from this upfront 150$ - how much ist left for parts materials and labor to actually build the bike?). It is simply impossible to sell a bike for that price that would not be shambolic. Basically a throw-away bike because every single component is of lowest standard and every single investment does not change this relevantly. If it suits your needs like it is - fine. But investing in a bike like that is throwing money out of the window. There are sometimes cheap folders of astonishingly value and quality - I am pretty sure this is not one of those.
The technical data alone rise massive doubts, the pictures do the rest:
Tires: 22"
Weight (lbs.): 44.00 lbs

If you want a cheap folder in the US that is still of rideable quality possibly Downtube or Origami may be a way to go. Both are clearly no premium brands, the bikes come from Asia batch imported and are on the (very) cheap side of the market (which has a price), but they are established and there are real people behind the brand. Going lower than even this with a new bike is probably not a good idea.

 

[berlinonaut]

you're unlikely to be able to find a 28.6mm seat post longer than 450mm.

Very tough job, but not impossible. I managed to buy a 25,4mm/600 seat post from a surplus seller a while ago. But this was a rarity and I had searched for something like that for ages before w/o success. Usable length is however much shorter than this.

 

[tinywheels]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you're unlikely to be able to find a 28.6mm seat post longer than 450mm.
Used carefully, you can exceed the safe working height by a small amount, but this is up to your judgement.
Thinking laterally, you could maybe source some tube from a hardware shop and use a shim if necessary, but this is a bodge and would still be problematic at the top end where the saddle clamp needs a smaller diameter.
Long shot: trawl through Sheldon Brown's seat post size database for makers who use(d) 28.6mm seat posts and ask them if they know where to get long ones. Many are no longer in business however! https://www.sheldonbrown.com/seatpost-sizes.html
Another suggestion from the sainted Sheldon; 28.6 mm is the outside diameter of most steel road frames, so if you find one cheap or free you could cut the seat tube above the bottom bracket, cut off the seat stays, cut at the top tube, retaining the seat post clamp and existing seat post and there you go! Decidedly inelegant, but a possible left-field solution. Details found in the "Frame" section here, but ignore the 26.8mm typo:
https://sheldonbrown.com/raleigh-twenty.html


(Should have got a Brompton! Magnet for thieves, but the best bike for the job, and hold their value well. )

any bike of quality is a magnet for sticky fingered types.
would be interesting to see figures for brompton theft versus conventional bikes.

 

[cougie uk]

any bike of quality is a magnet for sticky fingered types.
would be interesting to see figures for brompton theft versus conventional bikes.

But who is leaving Brompton's places to get nicked ? I've never left it outside anywhere. It comes in with me.

 

[CaptainWheezy]

But who is leaving Brompton's places to get nicked ? I've never left it outside anywhere. It comes in with me.

Plenty of people. Just join any of the UK based Brompton facebook groups and you'll see posts from people that have had theirs nicked. There's even one specifically for reporting stolen bikes!

 

[cougie uk]

Plenty of people. Just join any of the UK based Brompton facebook groups and you'll see posts from people that have had theirs nicked. There's even one specifically for reporting stolen bikes!

 

[TheDoctor]

But who is leaving Brompton's places to get nicked ? I've never left it outside anywhere. It comes in with me.

*raises hand sadly* :-(

 

[cougie uk]

*raises hand sadly* :-(

Well that's why you don't !

Sorry to hear about your loss. Did you get another?