fatbikeGM

Apparently I can not even _quote_ URLs before 10 posts …
So I‘ll rephrase my reply since the original text was lost:
Please use Loctite with whatever adapter you buy. Both the H&H adapter and the Brompton luggage block came with Loctite blue.

CEBEP

Thanks, I always do, on all bolts that are not supposed to be unscrewed.

Jipe

On Birdy without low rider, there is a bolt that close the threaded hole.

CEBEP

Did the same, put short ones in. There is a hole from the inside too, added washers to make sure bolts don’t touch each other inside the fork.

jackyharuhiko

I recently changed the suspensions with harder ones from Ridea.

jackyharuhiko

confirmed with mine too:

Schwinnsta

[QUOTE=fatbikeGM;22565839]Apparently I can not even _quote_ URLs before 10 posts …
So I‘ll rephrase my reply since the original text was lost:
Please use Loctite with whatever adapter you buy. Both the H&H adapter and the Brompton luggage block came with Loctite blue.[/QUOTE

The adapters have tiny set screws that are used to lock in the top (tension) bolts by screwing them down on the threads of the tension bolts. I think that even if the set screws were to back out, that having used them, the threads of the tension bolts would be damaged and will resist being unscrewed. They also supply a loctite type liquid.

CEBEP

judging from the price these are made from solid chunk of gold. I looked at different options with sane prices for front suspension but they all are stiffer than stock and I think stock is fine for me for now. If not there are options to change the spring for a stiffer one.

CEBEP

I have Matumura Kohki Scrowave suspension on my Brompton and am very happy with it. Apparently there was a model available for Birdy but I’m not sure if it’s available any longer.

Jipe

jackyharuhiko has a Pacific Cycle Birdy, most Pacific Cycle Birdy are factory equipped with the 10.5 turn softer front spring while Riese & Müller Birdy are factory equipped with the harder 8.5 turn spring.

For me, the original front suspension with the 8.5 turn spring is perfect ( I am around 80kg), the softer 10.5 that was factory mounted on my Ti Birdy was too soft especially with a loaded Brompton front bag.

I tried the Multi-S G5+ suspension set (that seems very good with a front spring+hydraulic damper and sophisticated rear multi-rubber system) and it was bad.

The rear is ultra hard, there is almost no suspension. I couldn't compress it by pushing on it, then I put it in a vice and even so, the max compression I could obtain is about 5mm.

The front is also harder with a shorter spring that results in a shorter travel than the original and the top ring for the hook has a rectangular groove that doesn't fit with the shape of the frame hook (which is designed to hook a spring = a round object) with as consequence a continuous rattling noise coming from the front suspension.

I also tried the Ridea PU 100 hard rear suspension and it works slightly better than the original but the M3 very long mounting bold was broken several times, I eventually glued the several parts of this PU block instead.

jackyharuhiko

thank you very much Jipe!
This is the information about my front suspension and the rear suspension - a newer version released in early 2021.

CEBEP

Well, M6x80mm were too long and didn’t fit, original bolt is 78mm (wtf?). Didn’t want to use washers and ordered new ones 70mm.

CEBEP

Found this test comparing SON, SP and Shimano dyno hubs. Does it correspond to SP hub model used in R&M Birdy 3?

SP hub seems to be least efficient with highest drag.

CEBEP

I just checked B&M IQ-XS model which is 70lux (or 80lux acc to b&m site) like supernova E3 Pure and has almost identical dimensions, 50 x 40 mm vs 49 x 41 mm on Supernova E3 Pure 3. Difference is IQ-XS has a built in switch and light sensor which automatically switches it on/off, two side light strips for side visibility, aluminum casing. Also back light connection, so B&M rear light can be installed on the rack. Dis you consider this option before? I’m pretty sure IQ-XS will also have excellent optics and wide beam. Not sure how reliable it is though as there were few reviews on the Amazon saying it died after less than a year.

glye

Yes, I noticed that one. I will consider it if/when the supernova fails. The supernova also works fine with the B&M tail light I'm using. And since I built my own on/off switch I have no need to replace it yet.

fatbikeGM

This looks interesting!
What would be the effort to switch? I assume the cable is fixed to the lamp, not attached via a plug, right?

glye

Yes, for both lights. So if you want to do it, it looks like you would replace both the light and the whole cable from the light to the dynamo. Then connect the tail light cable to the cable stump which has flat blade connectors.

fatbikeGM

Good find!
On the R&M site it only says "Hub dynamo Shutter Precision" so no idea but I would not expect ours to be better.
The way I read the graph in the cylclingabout article under "Results: Dynamo Hub Drag and Output Power Using Different Lights" ist that until 20 km/h is reached the SP has the least drag. That would be fine by me.
I am surprised by the total amount of drag though: Nearly 9 Watts (and half of that even with the light off) at 25 km/h is quite a lot. My average performance over an hour is about 250 Watts so that's 3,6 %. Cyclists have gone to great lengths to pursue smaller gains in efficiency.
Between this, the weight of my luggage and the excess weight on my hips atm I wonder how fast I could be without all that ...

fatbikeGM

Ok, that puts it very much in the luxury category then: Expensive _and_ labor intensive.
I will handle it like you: If the Supernova light ever breaks I will replace it with this.

glye

Yes, interesting! I would expect ours to be different because this seems to be a big wheel test and SP offers different dynamos for small wheels, optimised for higher rotation speeds. So different, but not necessarily better. Anyway, for the Birdy it is a moot point since the SP is afaik the only disk brake dynamo hub that will fit the Birdy, because of the custom disk spacing it uses.

However I have another small wheel bike, and there the SON is an interesting option, because of the very low drag with lights off (which is most of the time). Their folding specific hub won't fit as it is 74 mm and has no space for disks, but they claim the SONdelux is "for road bikes and smaller rims" so it's optimised for high rotation speeds.

I would also like to see a test of the Shimano 1.5W hubs. They are small, lightweight and deliver half the power, but with higher rotation speeds of small wheels it might be enough. They would be a bad option for USB charging, though.

fatbikeGM

AFIR there _used_ to be a SON hub for Birdy, it's just discontinued.
A duckduckgo search for "birdy son dynamo" brings me to a uk dealer called "sjscycles" [still not allowed to post URLs ...] who appears to have a SON hub for Birdy in stock.
But again the price (>200 gbp) puts it in the luxury category. At least it's polished silver and I like my Birdy to be all-black, so I desire it a bit less ;-)

glye

For zero drag with lights off there is the Velogical rim dynamo which I have on another bike: https://www.velogical-engineering.co...ation/?lang=en
It runs on the rim, not the tyre as the old style bottle dynamos do, so there is no tyre wear. It is also extremely small and light weight. It is an easy retrofit since there is no need to rebuild the wheel. The only downsides are the cost (still less than SON) and some running noise (where hub dynamos are completely silent).

glye

Looks like this one: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/dynamos/...-hole/?geoc=NO

Costs about the same as the standard SONdelux which they recommend for small wheel bikes. If the goal is minimum resistance then SONdelux is probably the better option I think. The Birdy specific one will likely give better light at low speeds. (Edit: NB the sondelux won't fit the birdy, so for that there is only the linked one or the standard SP.)

fatbikeGM

Ah, this almost feels like a chat by now with these fast responses :-)
I like this alternative even better since there is no drag when not in use.
I could probably live with a little noise while in use. That does not disturb me too much on my ebikes either.
And regarding the cost: It's still cheaper if you add (re-)building a Birdy wheel, no?

glye

At high speed the sound is somewhat like an ebike. Silence is better of course, but it doesn't bother me. True, you save the cost of rebuilding a wheel. It is also a good option if you like to swap between different wheelsets, which I do on that bike. Just beware of the mounting. The Birdy has square tubing on the front swingarm, and the Velogical is delivered with U-rods to go around fork legs. But I'm sure it will work, as long as you get the right size U-rod.

Possible hack: It would be nice to be able to engage it when riding at daytime, when I suddenly get to a tunnel. It is likely possible to make a remote using a spring, shifter wire, and a friction shifter on the handlebars. Whether the sudden acceleration would be bad for the electronics I do not know. Mainly useful for tunnel countries like Norway.