Brompton S2L Superlight upgrades
The real reason I’ve done up my Brompton is because the handlebar catch broke and it was annoying. I thought if I buy the catch I might as well transform it into this.
To make this post worth reading I’ll share a list of tools I’ve used to take apart the Brompton and all the parts used to build it back up. Maybe a few impressions on the finished thing as well. It will be a long post so for those like me who can’t concentrate on reading more than one paragraph (some call it ADHD), I will insert a few photos and videos for entertainment.
Starting with the tools, this list may well be different to a mechanic’s tool kit but hey, I’m an amateur, what do I know?
Some specific bike tools:
Feedback Sports Pro Ultralight workstand
Silca HX-One home and travel tool
Condor torque wrench
Park Tool BBT-22 bottom bracket tool
Park Tool BBT-4 bottom bracket tool
Condor crank extractor
Condor pedal and track nut wrench
Park Tool HHP-3 bearing cup press
Park Tool HCW-15 headset wrench
Condor pro cable cutters
Condor spoke key
Accu 32mm spiral hand reamer
Brompton piloted reamer
Park Tool CC-3.2 chain wear indicator
Loctite 243 threadlocker 50ml
Super glue cyanoacrylate 20g
Condor brush cleaning kit
Some non specific bike tools:
adjustable spanner (for all sorts)
small pliers (for pulling cables)
pliers wrench (mainly for the headset)
hammer (mainly to remove headset cups)
flat screw driver (mainly to remove headset cups)
battery drill (in case I need to drill anything)
battery grinder (in case I need to cut anything)
I’m not lazy and I care about my bike.
The process of taking the Brompton apart is the same as for most other bikes, the only weird job I needed to do was removing the old and installing and reaming the new rear triangle hinge bushes and the seat post sleeve. There was a tiny little play in the spindle which I could have lived with but the seat post sleeve just fell apart and I wasn't able to lock the seat post at all which meant the Brompton was unusable.
The parts I used to upgrade my Brompton.
Rear end:
Brompton Rohloff kit new triangle integral rack
M3 (3mm x 14mm) screws
Rohloff full oil change kit
Ti Parts Workshop titanium rear hinge spindle
Brompton rear hinge bush kit
H&H chain tensioner
Ti Parts Workshop titanium chain tensioner wheels
Ti Parts Workshop chain tensioner wheels titanium bolts
Ti Parts Workshop titanium easy wheels 66mm
H&H titanium rear shock round spring
Ti Parts Workshop stop disc titanium nut & bolt set
Ti Parts Workshop titanium chain stay guard
Schwalbe Kojak HS385 tyre
Middle:
Brompfication titanium seat post
Brompton seat post sleeve
Brompton saddle height insert
Ti Parts Workshop titanium rear frame clip w/ seat post clamp handle
Ti Parts Workshop sealed titanium bottom bracket
Brompton chainring and guard
Ti Parts Workshop titanium chainring bolt set
Ti Parts Workshop titanium crank bolt set
Brompfication hinge clamp set
Front end:
Ergon GP1 BioKork handlebar grips - Nexus/Rohloff
Ti Parts Workshop handlebar stem titanium bolt
Chris King GripNut 1 1/8 Inch threaded headset
Ti Parts Workshop main stem titanium bolt
Ti Parts Workshop stem wedge
H&H front carrier block
H&H titanium stem catcher
Ti Parts Workshop handlebar catch titanium bolt
H&H E type rear frame hook
H&H Titanium cable gatherer
H&H Titanium front wheel safety washer
Schwalbe Kojak HS385 tyre
Braking system:
Cane Creek EE Regular Mount brake caliper rear
Cane Creek EE Regular Mount brake caliper front
Ti Parts Workshop titanium eeBrake adapter
Avid cable anchor and bolt
Jagwire PR cable adjuster barrel
Ridea TH CNC lever left
Ridea TH CNC lever right
Brompton brake cable rear
Brompton brake cable front
Important tip for the married one!
If you want to hide your purchases from your loved one, order with collection in store, then on the day is ready to pick up, take a bigger than usual bike bag in the morning as you go to work, collect your goodies over your break time, then on your way home, in the train, unbox everything, stuff your bag and get rid of all the packaging before you get home.
If the no packaging tip doesn’t work because you’ve never had an orange jersey and all of a sudden there’s one drying out on the washing line then I have another one, tell the loved one how quick you’re going to recoup the expense by not using the public transport and cycle instead, this one works if you’re riding every day and everywhere.
My saving rate or shall I call it investment case study.
Jokes aside, out of all purchases my commuter bike has been the only item to make me money by saving the TFL fare in London, by not paying for antidepressants or the liposuction specialist’s fat invoices. I’m a long term value investor.
My excuses.
Saving £ x every month on TFL since I’ve bought the Brompton, it paid its original £ x price over the first x months. At the time of splurging on all these upgrades the savings were about £ x, if I deduct it from the overall cost it means I’ll have my cash back in x months.
The one Cane Creek caliper will pay itself in x months.
Chris King headset paid itself over x months.
I didn’t expect people to be interested in the Brompfication video, I’m sure is more to do with the process of reamming the seat post sleeve and not much about the seat post in itself.
The rear hinge episode performed better than I expected. I imagined that woking on other parts of the bike would've been more popular as in my case the seat post sleeve for example became non existent way before the bushes and hinge needed replacing, it was a bit of play in there but nothing I couldn't have lived with.
The Rohloff on the Brompton might seem pointless but even if I’m not strong enough to leave the job behind and escape by bike for weeks or even a weekend at least the extra weight of the bike and extra drag in the hub added to my daily commuting keeps my waist size in check.
The Ti Parts BB was the last one to hit 1k in views.
6 months later.
After the first 6 months of commuting 6 or 7 days a week for about 12km a day, I know what I like, what I don’t like about the build and outstanding jobs.
To do list:
Install the saddle height insert, I'm drawing a marker pen line on the seat post at the moment.
Swap the rear brake cable for a longer one.
Replace brake pads.
Replace the Schwalbe Kojak HS385 tyres for new ones. I'm not used to this one, the Schwalbe Marathon tyres I was using before were a lot more durable.
Reposition the handlebar, the brake cables are hitting the fork as I fold the bike.
Tidy up the Rohloff and brake cables.
Install clear gorilla tape on frame, cables and grit from the road rubbed off the paint already.
Cut the frame clamp bolt to fit the Brompton toolkit inside the frame.
True wheels, mostly the front one.
Tighten up the brake lever arms.
What I like and dislike:
I like having gears and being able to change gears while idle.
Don’t like the high maintenance tires.
I like that I can roll the bike a lot easier.
I wish I had disc brakes. I'm fighting the urge to get disc brakes, new fork and new front wheel, maybe both wheels, the excuse is that I could fit any tyres and that’s how I go down a rabbit whole again. I should stop now.
Don’t take it too serious, this is entertainment.
I’ve changed the date on this post to keep the blog feed tidy, I’ve been procrastinating for too long.
Please note, this is not a “how to guide”, I’m not a professional Brompton mechanic or any other type of mechanic, I share my process purely to entertain the content consumer and to remind myself how it went.
Please note again, I have no affiliation with any of the brands mentioned, I couldn't care less if they sell their stuff or not, you will never find a link to anything and I don’t recommend any of the parts or tools I've used myself. This content is for adults who make their own decisions and the bike I've built is specific to my needs which most likely differ from others.
