The non-Brompton thread

[sheddy]

Vivienne
“That’s heavy man…”

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

A Decathlon folder?

Sorry, l haven’t got a clue

 

[FrankCrank]

Sorry, l haven’t got a clue

Definitely Decathlon. They use names like B'twin, Tilt, B'fold and Oxylane for the folders - think it varies per country.

 

[All uphill]

Here's my new-to-me folder.

It's a Halfords Freewheeler from around 1980.

Good bits: it has new tyres, brake blocks and folding pedals; seatpost is not stuck. There is no rust. it cost £25.

Bad bits: I haven't checked the 3 speed gears. Steel rims. The seatpost is very odd - its diameter seems to vary. It has cotter pins.

 

[Paul_in_France]

Waiting at Saint Pancras for the Eurostar to Paris and thought you might appreciate a photo of Mr & Mrs Floppy, ready to board the train:

 

[Dadam]

Just got a parcel from aliexpress (via Evri)
5 days, that's not bad for the slowboat from China!
They seem really nicely put together. Light but solid. Bearings a mite stiff though hopefully will free up

What are the two plastic C clip type things?

So the Litepro pedals have had a serious issue. 😞

The other week I rode into town to get a haircut. Folded the bike and removed the outside pedal and the locking collar fell off! The split ring that holds the collar on had come out of it's groove. I found it and the spring on the ground and put them in my pocket with the pedal. When setting off home I managed to wangle the split ring into its groove while holding the collar on against spring pressure and rode home without incident. But then looking at the pedals later, the 4 little bearings that actually lock the pedal in place by means of the collar were missing! Obviously they're not captive without the collar and it would only be a bit of sticky grease that would hold them in place. So they're long gone and the pedal wasn't actually locked in. Lucky it didn't come out on the ride home, must have just been a friction fit holding it in. 😬

I'm not minded to post them back to China and although I could possibly source some ball bearings of the right size, I think I'd need to replace the ring too. It's a bit distorted and doesn't sit properly in the groove. It occasionally can get pulled out when removing the pedal. A proper circlip of the right size might fit if I could find one.

I've put the MKS folding pedals back on for now, but I think I might try the Rockbros ones

 

[Drago]

I shall keep a close eye on my balls.

 

[tinywheels]

MKS,expensive but mine are still going after quite some time and being abused daily

 

[ianrauk]

So I bit the bullet and got a Tern Verge D9.
I'm moving soon, so needed a folder for the train/cycle commute.
I had a Brompton before but didn't like it. It sucked the life out of me. So didn't want to go down that route again.
Even though I've only given it a quick spin around the block, it feels more like a full size bike then a small folder. Feels quite nippy. I think I'm going to spin out on the high gears though. Also, the handlebars feel very wide compared to my road bike. Mudguards to be added also. All things to sort at a future date.

 

[Drago]

That looks mighty pleasant. You can see where the inspiration for the ID9 came from.

 

[Kell]

I would have thought it would be fairly easy to find a replacement (larger) chainring to give more top-end.

So long as you're not going to miss the lowest gears for hills.

 

[tds101]

So I bit the bullet and got a Tern Verge D9.
I'm moving soon, so needed a folder for the train/cycle commute.
I had a Brompton before but didn't like it. It sucked the life out of me. So didn't want to go down that route again.
Even though I've only given it a quick spin around the block, it feels more like a full size bike then a small folder. Feels quite nippy. I think I'm going to spin out on the high gears though. Also, the handlebars feel very wide compared to my road bike. Mudguards to be added also. All things to sort at a future date.
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I checked to see if the cassette could be upgraded to allow a higher gear ratio. I believe you currently have an 11-36T cassette. If there were a 9-36T it would give you a decent speed increase. I couldn't find a cassette with a 9T cog, unfortunately. Increasing the chainring size would only be a minimal increase. Maybe a 60T chainring would help, if it fits? Sometimes the larger chainring causes the chain to rub against the bike frame when on the larger/est cog on the cassette,

 

[Drago]

I never run out on the ID9 but I thi know it has quite a wide range - it certainly feels that way, although I've never actually checked the numbers.

 

[Dadam]

I was driving back from visiting my elderly Mum yesterday and passed a pair of ladies on what looked to be ID9s going down the cycle path next to the Leeds ring road (down the hill from Horsforth down to Rodley). Too distant for a positive bike ID but they were 20" wheel folders with that very distinctive metallic blue paint. They were about 100 yards apart but I assume they were related or friends as the chances of seeing two identical fairly niche bikes together in the same time and place are miniscule.

 

[Drago]

Clearly ladies of taste who appreciate top performance and superb value, attributes that apply to me too.