patrickza

So after getting some advice from you lot (here https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bi...ut-saddle.html), I've made my folding bike a folding box, and I'm really really happy with it

Here's the box next to a dimpa bag for scale:


It has three screws on each side holding it together and is really strong. I tested it by sitting on it every way possible and then lifting my legs off the floor:


The plastic is 3mm thick, but where the screws go I added another thin strip of plastic, so that part is triple layered, or 9mm thick. I had a problem though, you can't carry a screwdriver or pocket knife onto the plane, but fortunately I found a large washer that fits the screws perfectly and I can keep it in my wallet like a coin.

I also found a bag maker to make me a bag for the box. This makes it look a little more like luggage, provides some more protection, and lets me carry it on my shoulders for a short while:


On the inside of the box I have a lot of foam from some computer equipment at the office. It's very sturdy stuff. I made the box a little taller than necessary so I can either pack clothes in there, or use this thick piece of foam:
(oops, I'm only allowed 10 pictures. imagine a piece of foam 8 thick with a cutout for the top hinge.)

This weekend it all got put to the test. The bike was packed, and I flew to Windhoek, Namibia. The box, my toiletries and a few tools all came in at just about 20kg on the dot. On arrival I unpacked everything and collapsed the two box halves into each other, put my seat back on and used my seat, two luggage straps and a piece of foam to keep the box on the rack. It worked surprisingly well once the straps were tight:

My clothes, work shoes and water went into the touring bag in the front, my backpack (with laptop) and toiletries plus the bag for the box and foam all went into the back. Heavy stuff at the bottom of course.

I'm from South Africa, so I'm used to seeing signs warning about potential buck in the road, but this one was new to me:


I didn't see Pumba sadly, pity too, I made friends with them a while back in one of the local campsites bordering a park. You probably shouldn't try this at home, I was also the only person to try this at the campsite, couldn't help myself, they are so cute:

Anyone know how to embed youtube videos here, I've tried and failed?

Ok back to the bike trip. The roads were in good condition, with no potholes, and quite smooth tarmac, but the lack of an emergency lane was terrible. I had to leave the road twice because of trucks coming too close:


It was really hot too as you would expect in the desert. Sadly the whole region is struggling with a drought thanks to El Nino. I never saw a drop of water in any river:


Halfway through my journey I found the first piece of usable shade, the police checkpoint. They were also kind enough to offer their firehose for refilling the bottles, but the bees are also obviously struggling in the drought so they weren't leaving the nozzle edge. Instead I used a small bottle in the bathroom which I'd pour into my larger one, I also poured a little into a hollow on the floor for the bees, they flew straight to it! During the ride I'd drank about 1.5 out of the 3 liters I was carrying in the 22km of the trip so far.

I had to adjust my gears near here too. My fault of course, I made adjustments the night before without testing them. Fortunately I found ways to mount all my tools inside the frame of this amazingly versatile little bike:

The railway in Namibia criss-crosses the road, sometimes by going underneath it:


And other times by going above it:


After what seemed like an endless uphill, I finally started finding a few downhills:

After 4 and a half hours I finally made it to my airBNB for the night, 47.97km. The box worked brilliantly, it barely moved at all. I didn't fare as well. The heat was too much, so it was a cold shower for me that night followed by me lying on the bed covered in a wet shirt.

blakcloud

Great write up on your trip. Thanks for sharing it. The video on storing your tools was quite good.

Nightdiver

Wow, that's awesome. Nice work on that box system.

reppans

Thanks for sharing, I like your ingenuity. I too have stuffed both tubes with tools/repair gear, spare inner tube, first aid/emergency gear, water purification, etc.

The Brompton has rekindled my interest in touring but I'm not quite ready to hand over my bike to those gorilla baggage handlers yet. Have you seen the Brompton Mafia guys? They regularly posting pix of their bikes in the overhead carry-on compartments. I'm so jealous of them and their SW airlines hub - I'd be a shoe-in as I camp/tour out of a single T-bag, and including the bike, could meet SW Airline's "2-item carry-on" rules.

Brompton Mafia

I need to work out a solution for checking the bike for air travel, but I would need to store (or ditch) the bag/box at the airport. I'm just too fond of this standard "2-item item carry-on" while bicycle touring as I take everything with me in trains, buses, restaurants and I like to "baby stroller" my rig through stores, museums and malls.

Did you get assessed for oversized luggage with that box? - sure looks over 62".

patrickza

I'd love to see what you have in the frame, any pictures? I'm trying to picture the first aid kit. I still have the steering tube free, but it's quite thin, so I'm not sure what I'd need in there yet.

I love touring on my brompton, in fact it's the only bike I've ever toured on! I'm too scared the airline staff will take my bike away at the gate, and it will be unprotected then. Not something I want to chance, I'll just keep watching the brompton mafia to see how they fare.

The box itself is 22" x 25" x 12" so a total of 59". The bag adds a little puffiness, but if they complain I'll help them measure and hold the bag tight to the box. I had one luggage strap around it, so that kept it more compact. There was no complaint this time though.

12boy

Patrickza, please post some photos of how you made the box, specifically what kind of plastic , how the seams are joined etc. That is ingenious and I am really impressed. It appears it would last for many trips and should serve you well for years to come.

reppans

Here's what's in my seat tube and frame tube. I'm a multi-tasker type so my first aid kit uses Vaseline as antibiotic ointment, OB tampon cotton + Gorilla tape for butterfly/gauze bandages, and 1X1" bandaids can be linked for 2x2" bandaids. I also use Vasoline (diluted) for hand and face skin moisturizer (moved it to the frame tube). For emergencies, there's a space blanket, Vaseline+tampon cotton for fire starter, and an Aqua Mira/ALoksak water purification kit.


That's awesome if you're under 62".... I too would love to see some construction info/pix.

mingo

Thanks for sharing your ideas in pics and video.. I like the storage in the seat tube and frame.

patrickza

The plastic is ABS sheet, 3mm thick. ABS dissolves in acetone, so what I do is take some offcuts and drop it into a small bottle of filled with acetone. It becomes a white fluid of about nail polish consistency. Then you take this, and drip it along a seam. The acetone evaporates, and the remaining plastic solidifies and you have a weld like join. I generally repeat this a few times for added strength.

I love working this way. I'm not great with wood, but the plastic is just so easy to work with. To cut I just clamp a long ruler or another piece of plastic sheet down. Then I use a stanley knife and cut a groove a few times before snapping it off along a table edge for a perfectly straight cut.

It's the same technique I used to build the battery box for my electric bike, you can see photos and descriptions in this thread: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/vi...hp?f=3&t=10256

It's not my idea, I came across a guy who built a boat out of ABS using the technique, so he deserves the credit: Duckworks Magazine - Plastic Fantastic

One thing to note is that you have to paint or cover ABS if it's going to be exposed to the sun for any length of time. I had some white spraypaint left over at home, so I painted my white box white. Not the whole box though, just the outside after it's been compressed. Neighbours watching must have though I was a lunatic going after such a pointless endevour!

sdwphoto

[QUOTE=patrickza;19210201]So after getting some advice from you lot (here https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bi...ut-saddle.html), I've made my folding bike a folding box, and I'm really really happy with it


I came across a brand new B&W hard case some months back they were trying to get rid of just for cost.I couldn't pass it up for that price because I plan on touring on my Brompton also.Since then I have experimented with different ways of taking the hard case with the brompton..I figured out a trailer system that works well,but I'm not much for that kind of touring. I also strapped the hard case to the back of the brompton and it works well as long as you don't go to fast on a rough road. Also, the B&W can be placed up front useing the luggage block to install a base for it.The secret is to tilt the hard case enough so it doesn't hinder the handle bars for steering. I am also experimenting now with making my own box that can be folded up and carried on the bike so it always stays with you,others have done so and toured Europe with out a problem.I am guessing you ride with the box on your brompton all the time? Or do you leave it somewhere to pick up later?

I admit I never thought of making one just exactly as you did,it has several good features. It's cheaper than a b&W,it's thin enough it should not create to much air resistance.Because of it's shape I 'm guessing it's easier to strap on the bike and stays solid ,the B&W needs more straps and does need to be tightened from time to time if I 'm on a rought road. it also looks like you can put alot of stuff inside if you camp and it can be left on the bike making the chore of repacking alot easier in the morning.
Very well done.


Edit.
in picture # 4 of the bike alone ,it looks like either a white strap or a solid support between the box and the down tube, could you explain what it is please,it looks like it has alot to do with keeping the box solidly on the rack.(another good feature)

EDIt #2

Also, do you have a problem when riding with the box being to close to the back of the saddle and hitting you in the butt/back ,I did with my B&W
I solved it by placeing a wooden block strapped to the back of the saddle loops wide enough to hold the case away from my rear end and back.

patrickza

This was a work trip, so I have the box in my room at the BNB. I'd take it with if I was going on a long tour and didn't have a place to leave it. It would probably make a decent camping table or bench.

#1 That white thing is a solid support. It's a piece of multi layer packing foam that came with some equipment at the office. I cut it to length and made a groove for the seatpost. It lets me tighten the strap real tight and creates some triangulation for solidity. Here's what that studd looks like up close, this piece was the protection for the top of the brompton. If I was going camping I'd probably use my sleeping bag instead:


#2 If I sat right at the back of the saddle it felt like I had a back rest. Didn't bother me at all, but I did also think of using something to keep it further back. I might try, but i don't really think it's necessary.

jur

Very very clever Boet!

fourknees

Really cool. Looks like it was a great trip. The box against the back would bother me, but the spacing solution sounds like a easy mod.
Thanks for sharing. Please continue to share your future experiences!

12boy

Thank you for the acetone weld idea which apparently creates a monolithic structure. How much does the box weigh?

2_i 

In all honesty, I am not a fan. The beauty and utility of Brompton is in elegant design and this is just a clumsy mess. However, thanks for the acetone tip - sure to use it soon in some project. Also, one needs to start somewhere and clumsy is common at that stage - not sure about a convergence, though

Winfried

Very nice pictures

However, if the goal is simply to come up with a reusable solution to carry a Brompton on an plane*, there's the following alternative: GillyBean from the UK which folds neatly on the rear rack.

* ie. as an alternative to simply picking up a box from a Brompton retailer, and chucking it at the airport after the inbound flight

patrickza

Box is 5kg, I'm not sure about the bag, probably somewhere between 0.5kg and 1kg.

I really can't see why brompton don't have a solution for a rack carryable hardcase. I imagine there would be a huge demand.
Is the GillyBean hard or soft? I tried a flight using the Dimpa bag wrapping the bike in a camping mat, with literally 2.5 meters of pipe insulation, but the airlines still managed to bend the brompton roller wheels.

For 1st world trips we use the brompton box, chuck it and get a new one, and travel like this:

But Africa where I travel most is a brompton free continent.

Winfried

The Dimpa bag isn't a good idea. You're not the first one to have some parts bent/broken after a flight.

Hence my suggestion for a stronger, but still light and folding solution.

2_i 

I think you overestimate the demand. Other companies make accessories for Brompton too but clearly nobody thinks there is enough money to be made there.


I like the Vincita bag

https://www.vincita.co.th/products/b...-brompton-bike

in that it has own roller wheels and that it can be folded on the rack. You can partially load it but I did not try it in practice. Its flaw is in a poor design of the corner with the roller wheels - it deforms and the bag rubs against the ground. Maybe my project should be to try to stiffen that corner w/o destroying the bag. For me the bike has been safe in Vincita. It is lighter than B&W and depending on destination I may rather go with Vincita than B&W.

patrickza

Here's the packing and unpacking videos for my box

Packing:

Unpacking:

Both take around 15 minutes. In my unpacking video I took a little longer because I put it on the bike the wrong way round first time

CliffordK

Nice setup.

One thing about the Bike Friday, and I think the S&S packing is that they are done without foam. But, one puts support pegs into the luggage so that it can't be crushed. Clothes isn't bad.

I like your ability to carry the box, I assume with stuff in it.

Rick Imby

I really like it. The ability to make it half the size and carry with you is awesome.

I've never worked with the material but it looks really simple. I followed some of your links. Interesting stuff.

FInish4Finn

Very cool. I've had this idea using the cheep foam mats you get at pepboy store or Canadian tire for the garage and string them together to form an insulated box which can broken down into a sleeping mat for my touring needs. Your hard shell idea works great. Now thinking of changing my idea into a faux leather suitcase with a zip down design with more insulation. Beats panniers that stick out from the side. And seems you have some space between the bike to shove some stuff in if need be.

Bromptondave

Are there any folding boxes that can go on the back of the bike

sdwphoto

Yes ,there is,(at the moment it is 4am here and I not fully awake) but I think it is made/sold by B&W.It comes apart and folds down into a flat pack about 10 by 20inchs about 3inchs thick?.Price around $400 and would sit on the back rack and still give a flat space to strap on luggage.It was made for the brompton,but it does look a little flimsy to me,but it could easily be reinforced.There are a few videos on youtube about it.

edit: go to youtube search for following

B & W FoldOn Travel Case for Brompton Folding Bikes