rishardh

My Brompton M6L arrived today. This is my first Brompton. First look impressions are that their build quality shows. The black lacquer finish with the brazings showing through is just eye candy. Even though it looks a simple bike in pics you can see that it's a well thought out machine when you see it fold and unfold.

The closest thing I can compare this is to my wife's Dahon Eco. The Dahon rides smoother and the Brompton is peppier are my first thoughts. I think this is mainly due to wheel size. Dahon's 20" fat tires vs Brompton's 16" skinny tires. Both feel equally fast for me.

Dislikes....
Have to stop pedaling to shift the internal hub gears. Can be a pain when climbing
The M bars ergonomics are odd. They point upwards and I feel pressure on the outer palm area.
Internal hub clicks even when pedaling except when in 1st gear. This is going to affect my on-bike meditations
Brake levers has to be more downwards to accommodate folding. I like them more forward.
Feels heavier than you think it should. This is trying to carry it folded.


Likes...
Black Lacquer finish is sick
Small fold
Folding is smooth and fast
Kickstand mode or kneeling pose is genius
Easy to roll around
Peppy ride
Pump, toolkit, extra tube all in or on the frame

Sorry guys too late to take pics.Will try and get some tomorrow. Here is a pic Porta Pedals sent me before shipping.

12boy

I dont mind stopping pedaling to shift and due, no doubt, to my derailleur ineptitude, find it pretty quick. I also like the fact snow and below .freezing temps dont affect the shifting. That is a very pretty bike and I wish you many happy miles on it.

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rishardh

Thanks, this will be in the commuter rotation and should see some miles. Rode it to work today and it was a lot of fun. Yes, there is a learning curve using both shifters to go sequentially but it's all part of the fun in owning a new bike. Once I make a few fitment changes I can see this being my favorite bike to commute.

rishardh

Happy to hear about your S6L on order. I got the new bike itch too and glad I decided to make it a Brompton. Did the -12% gearing because I plan to take the bike when I travel to Toronto which has some rollers. Al at Porta Pedal was great answering all my questions and making measurements for me because I kept going back an forth between a S, M and P. Looks like a nice store to visit.

Winfried

In that respect, an IGH is actually better than a derailleur, as you can downshift fast and easy by just backpedaling a bit: With a derailleur, it's harder or even impossible if there's too much tension on the chain.

I do think Brompton would be smart to dump their baroque derailleur + IGH solution and moving to a Nexus 7-8: One shifter, and no more stuck derailleur because of dirt.

rishardh

I am getting better at shifting. Right now I freewheel for a few seconds to think about left or right, out or in. I think I figured it out on my ride to work today. When shifting the IGH (right) always shift the derailleur (left). That way you will be on the next closest gear ratio.You go from 2- to 1+ as an example. Or from 2+ to 3- up shifting.As a newbie it helps that the shifters show the gear you are in.

Brompton is probably thinking of electronic shifting at this point. Will be interesting to see if they will increase the no of gears with it.

rishardh

See who liked the new bike smell I looked it up and I think that's a Stink Bug. Not 100% certain though.

fietsbob

Got the $70 tool kit, I see..

Just a quick pause in the pedaling is sufficient for the IGH to switch .
and you get to shift, while stopped ..

there are pawls engaging the gears and the hub shell, and in 3rd the low gear pawls are overdriven,
by the overdrive gear ratio.. rotating faster.






...

fietsbob

Winfried needs to order a PakiT, from Bike Friday , shipped internationally,
from Eugene, Oregon.

The engineering of how a Brompton folds so well,
demands the chain tensioner, to take up the slack because the hinge point
is behind the BB.

BiFri puts the BB in the rear part that folds, not in the main frame..

& they offer a lot more common component options.. buyer choice..
Even a Di2 electronic shifted Alfine 11..




...


as said before; become a major investor in Brompton and they may listen to you,

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Thats your new riding companion!

Whats that looped around the hinge-clamp bolt?

rishardh

Once I saw it I had to get it I am a sucker for multi tools. Got a chest full of leathermans.

rishardh

That's a pull out loop to a spare tube I tucked in. Not sure how it's going to fare in the Texas heat. Have to check it after a few weeks.

Winfried

The issue would be solved by moving all the gears in the IGH. Besides, people could upgrade to Alfine or Rohloff if they need more gear inches.

KISS. Low-tech is good tech.

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LMAO...me too. (also an iconic product)

reppans

rishardh

This pic is for you

rishardh

Thanks for the tips. Never thought of the seat tube. How do you access it? Pull out the top section of the telescoping seatpost?

reppans

berlinonaut

The rubber bung changed last year or the year before last year. There is no more bolt and the bung is now no longer made from rubber but just a piece of plastic that get's slammed into the post. So it is less safe to store things inside and the bung is not made do be removed on a regular basis.

chagzuki

When I saw the handlebar change in 2017 I was really surprised they'd increased the upsweep. My Brompton is from the early 2000s and the M bar then had a touch more upsweep than later versions; it's not a hand position that makes sense to me. If I were running the M type configuration I'd have to find an alternative aftermarket handlebar.

rishardh

Searched for upsweep habdlebars logic and found this...
"Hold a pencil in each fist, then hold your arms out in front of you as if you are riding. Bend your elbows out. My pencils point a vector that is not parallel to the ground, i.e. upswept."
"If a riser bar is mounted so the rise is vertical, then the combination of upsweep and backsweep will result in the bar being only backswept from the rider’s perspective."

The problem is I've got a busted left elbow joint and the pencil test shows that it's parallel to the ground. I prefer a lower riding position and I've ordered a flat bar with no upsweep. I also plan to get a mid riser bar someday for touring.

reppans

rishardh

Pics this morning.

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