Hi! We are Pam and Gilbert. We’ve been making videos as souvenirs of our cycling adventures since 2008. We believe that you can travel the world on bicycle without quitting your day job. We’ve figured out ways to make this work for us and every year we refine our system. Examples: - Destination based - One way travel - Pack light Solution: folding bikes We hope our touring videos give you some impressions of what fun it is travel by bike.
Thanks for the video. I had a Brompton for 20+ years but got a new 6 speed a year ago. Default 50 chainring way too high for me, so replaced with a 44-28 double (new BB needed). In 28 chain *just* clears the chainstay. V low gears but that’s what I like - not had to walk anything yet. Top gear not high but enough for me. Like you a 4 gear overlap so don’t have to do the manual change too often. A front changer would be good, but I agree it’s still a v good setup as is.
I've always wondered why Brompton kept the dual derailleur-cum-hub contraption instead of using an all-in-the-hub system. Less hassle, less grease, they could also move from chain to belt at the same time.
I had a poor experience dealing with the owner Jeff. Long story but let’s just say I didn’t get the seat. Most bizarre experience I’ve ever had with a sales person. I wonder how this guy can run a business with a personality that was so self righteous and condescending. My advice would be for him to stop lecturing people about the seat and just answer some simple questions, take the money and mail out the seat. This guy can’t get out of his own way. That was my experience anyway.
on long trips i only carry patchkit, tube, spare tyre, spare valve, 3 levers, 3-4-5 mm allen, and a 15 mm wrench. i never remove the pedals and don't carry braking pads and of course this doesn't prepare me for chain problems but i can live with that. i'd just get off and push the bike until i reach a shop if i ever break a chain somehow. i'll consider adding an 8 mm wrench because of this video. never thought about it but this could have come in handy last time the stranded water froze into the brake cable housing right at the caliper where it's going upwards.
You may be interested in our video comparing a 20” (Dahon Mariner) and 16” (Brompton) ( ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-p6bjWHg2XJ8.html )
Great video❤! After watching I would like to order the Continental Urban and I am asking for your opinion on whether the grip on wet smooth surfaces can be expected to be better with the Continental Urban tires than my existing Schwalbe Racer? I am satisfied with the existing Schwalbe Racer tires, but I find that they slide a lot on wet, smooth surfaces, such as historic granite paving, tram tracks, or the red areas of the horizontal markings of the cycling infrastructure. I mostly drive around town. Thank you very much in advance.
You may have already seen our video concerning the Continental Contact Urban (Contact Urban vs Marathon - A 1200km Brompton Test ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jyHEu0AUCJQ.html ) Since that video, we have doubled the distance travelled with them (dry and wet conditions, still no flats). While you should remain wary of wet tram tracks, we think you will be pleased with an upgrade to Continental.
I’ve just come across your videos this morning here in Ireland; I’m astonished by the quality and professionalism of your work. Is this your career or just something you do for fun? Really outstanding work guys. Bravo!
Thinking marathon plus with added Kevlar layers put in myself for additional puncture protection. Maybe a foam core. The extra weight might be worth it over carrying the extra materials.
This is an excellent review of two tyres I have to choose between. I think I'll go with the Continental now, especially as I can take it with me on the road. Incidentally, it's great how far you guys ride with the Brompton. I do long rides too, but compared to your rides it's not much.
Il n'y a pas grand chose où les anglais peuvent satisfaire le goût d'un français. En tant que français, j'ai identifié 3 choses où les anglais excellent : _ Le petit déjeuner au bacon _ le fish & chips _ le développement de la transmission d'un Brompton M6R.
I hear you're feeling down. Well I can ease your pain Get you on your feet again. Relax. I'll need some information first. Just the basic facts: Number of gears, seat post height and handlebar type
@@2Bikes4Adventure I love the 'could'. I descended the Alpe d'Huez on a full sized bike and had to stop every 5th hair pin to cook my breakfast eggs on the rims. My brompton stays firmly in the cittee, it would hang glide in the mountains.
@@sandydennylives1392 back when i did this i was 62 kilos, bike is 10.0, the luggage is about 4 kilos. i could descend as hard as i dared on the little bike with no care given to overheating. the schwalbe kojak tyres are surprisingly low performance when it comes to grip in the corner, much worse than what i'm used to on the road bike. maybe there're better tyres for it now, but this was an old story from 2011.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing your experience and Ideas. I got the 30l bag and it works really well. With the 30l bag I could fit all that’s needed for camping as well as everything else needed for touring during the warm season. I usually bring a small gas stove but I’ll leave it behind this time as I’m often to lazy to use it.
Best and most thorough explanation how one would actually go about installing this wonder of a double chainring. Thank you! (However, 140+ USD + shipping + potentially import duty + tools isn't a cheap upgrade) I especially like the mentioning of the alternative to the alternative (39 or 40 tooth single chainring instead of the double 50/33 chainring at 5:25, which I use myself to achieve a lower gearing on the cheap)
Hi Max, Installing a smaller chainring (39 or 40T) is indeed simpler and less than 1/3 of the cost. Besides lowest gear setting and overall gear range, one aspect to also consider is power transfer efficiency. Ideally, our flat trail cruising speed should be acheived using the most efficient gear setting (the internal gear hub direct drive (2nd hub gear)) and the biggest sprocket (2-)) . By reducing the chainring, we improve hill climbing capabilities, but likely lose 3% of power while cycling on flat terrain in 3rd gear, a price many are happy to pay.
You may want to look at one of those videos: Upgrading your Brompton Gears ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--Q9wd8Ewlec.html Dual Chainring, a 12 speed alternative? [ H&H 33/50T 1000km Test ] ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5dbbAuFa60s.html
Just travelled a few times with the sightseer, it's great. My fenders did get a little bent, annoying that you have to take off the entire rear rack to adjust it.
Excellent video and information. I use 6 gears -12%, 2.32-7.03 m/development; that is not bad. Of course starting at 1.8 would be better. I miss a half step between 4 & 5, strangely. I think the old Sachs/Sram 3x7 is much better, but we have to consider the 110 mm rear axle spacing… seems like we are stuck with imperfect solutions. Perhaps 50/33 or 44/30 chainrings are the best compromise. Thank you and cheers !
I am using it on a P Line since 6500km with a FD (wax not oil). I can't use 33/11, even 33/13 is very close to the Chainstay, so it is only for steep hills.
I picked up mine from the post office on saturday and installed yesterday and was wondering what the spacer is for and just put it on as is Now I see your video. What a grand coincident. I am happy it worked for you and I didn‘t put on a bad surprise. Maybe tonight I get the crank puller and BB removal tool out
Thanks, on my analog calipers looked like it‘d be 350mills but it wasn‘t. I have a temporary jank solution installed. Getting the cranks and the BB out is not that hard the second time around. Maybe I upgrade the BB when I swap the spacer.
Wonderful video. As informative as all your videos. I'm planning on taking my Brompton on a tour around the South Island of New Zealand this coming November and, to that end, have installed the H&H 33/54 chainring with 14 and 18 tooth rear cogs. It gives me 18.8, 24.2, 29.5, 37.9, 46.2, 59.4 gear inches on the 18 tooth cog, and 30.8, 39.5, 48.2, 62, 75.6, 97.2 on the 14 tooth cog. That's comparable to my Surly LHT with a Rohloff (18.5 - 97.1), and will be fine for the full load I'm going to be carrying. I'm okay with shifting by hand, however, I would really love to install a front derailleur like I've seen in some Instagram posts. I can't seem to find out which derailleur they are using, though. I would also love to see a video of one being installed. If anyone out there knows which derailleur to use and knows of an installation video, please help!! Thanks so much.
This is on our todo/cycling destination list but we have heard conflicting info concerning local driving habits (we drove there 20 years ago, and it seemed fine). Have you established your itinerary yet? Hwy 6 on the west coast and 1 on the east coast? Planning to do Alps2Ocean trail? Any other trails planned?
@@2Bikes4Adventure Yes, I'm going to fly into Christchurch and then take the inland scenic route to Geraldine. From there, I'll ride to Tekapo and then take the Alps2Ocean towards Oamaru. From Oamaru, from what I can see, it has to be State Highway 1 to Dunedin. My daughter is studying at Otago University and I want to go and see her, otherwise I'd take the Otago Rail Trail from Duntroon. She says that the cycling infrastructure has improved out of sight in the last few years. Many of the larger towns and cities have cycling paths and even if you're on a main road, the drivers are a lot more tolerant of cyclists than a few years ago. They still drive past at 100 kms/h but they generally give you a wide berth and most roads have good shoulders, and the traffic is often light. From Dunedin I'll go back to take the Otago rail trail loop and then just make my way round the Caitlins towards Invercargill. From what I've heard, the sandflies are more to be feared than car drivers. From there, I'll just see where I end up. Highway 6 on the West Coast does look amazing. Probably more than you wanted to know, but that's the advantage of having a Brompton. If the weather cuts up you can easily pack up and get on a bus. I'm retiring in September so I can take as long as I like (and as my wife lets me). Would love to put on a front derailleur though.
@PeterBaggins Sounds like a great way to kick off retirement. Thanks for the route info, we will trace it in Komoot and look at it in detail, including elevation profile (Pam prefers flat and downhill portions, we could “intermodal” the rest).
Well made video. This winter I changed my 2017 6speed brompton to a 9speed with a 44t chainring and 13/15/17t . Parts for the shifter came from Taiwan (bikegang.uk). There are some videos on yt about the whole change. It took some trial an error to find the right set up at the hub. Now it works as good ad the 6speed configuration.
We had the same problem with the spacer. And the surface finish of chainring is at least, let's call it "questionable". We shared that in our story and H&H reached out to us, saying they will get back to us about these issues. We never heard back from them! Let's hope these chainrings last at least 10.000 Kilometers.
We did experience some customer services issues. We ordered our chainrings in February, we received the package one month later (most likely shipped by balloon using westerly trade winds). The package only contained one chainring. Contacted Fantastic4toys. They said they were sorry and shipped the second chainring (on next available westerly balloon). Arrived one month later. Upon installation, we noticed that one spacer had the wrong diameter. Contacted Fantastic4toys once again. They confirmed with H&H that indeed it was the wrong spacer and that H&H were to ship a new one as soon as possible. They suggested, if I was in a hurry, to find a similar spacer in a local bike shop instead. More than two months later, we are still waiting for the correct H&H spacer.
Brompton needs to get off their high horse and produce 135mm rear triangles so we can use a range of different hub configurations! Alfine 11 speed would be brilliant
I can certainly see the appeal but in fairness, you can already do this via Kinetics - in fact you can go for a Rolhoff if you like! Admittedly the cost is significant but do you think Brompton would.charge less?
Great video as always! I was wondering, did any part of the drive make unusual contact to the frame during the fold process, i.e. are there any areas that might need additional protection from scratches and such?
When folding in 50T, no impact irrespective of rear sprocket selected (you should not fold in 33T as the gear tensioner won’t be able to accommodate the extra gear length). While cycling in 33T+ (13T), the chain is closer to the rear triangle than usual. We didn’t see any interference however. We assume the 3mm spacer was added to alleviate any issue with the chainline offset.
Ya after I used a tilt500 with a whopping 37 gear inches for its first gear on a 3 day bicycle tour in switzerland last year, the first thing i did when i got home was look for a folding bike with lower gear inch solution and i found this duo chainring option for bromptons/trifolds. That's my early birthday gift to myself for this summer when i go back so i never spend half a bike trip walking again
Hello Everyone- Since I learned of the H&H dual chainring on BFT channel on RU-vid, I’ve since sold the C - line six speed with the H & H dual chainring. This chainring fit well with no need for the included spacer, and now I have a P - line. The H&H 54-33 dual chainring works fine on the P - line. You will need to use the spacer. I have since switched out into a Shimano hollowtech dual chainring. It is a little awkward fit, but is working fine so far. The chain line isn’t all that bad either. I may just go back to square tapered with the H & H 50-33. I have also converted the four speed P - line to a five speed. I learned about this hack on Brilliant Bikes on RU-vid. The H & H chainring is a good budget friendly drivetrain change to get more gears as an alternative to buying the 12 speed Brompton. Or even the seven speed conversion which seems to cost around $800 + USD for just a couple of extra gears. You have to buy a whole new wheelset (so they match) for the seven speed conversion. This is not including the labor that goes into the conversion yourself which seems very time consuming. Of course one can go all out and put the H & H on the 12 speed P - line for a 24 speed bicycle potentially. I’m thankful to have a 10 speed P - line with a hollowtech crankset for now. Finding the right gearing set that works for you without spending a lot of money is challenging, may take some time, and some trial and error. Stay safe everyone. Wish you all well. Patrick 😊
