NBD: 2004 Brompton 6 speed

[enkei]

NBD (New Brompton Day)

As my other Brompton is going to need a full restoration, I bought a newer version.

This is a 2004 6 speed with rack. It has the Sachs/SRAM 3pd rear hub and Brompton 2sp gear cluster.
   

Was in pretty good condition when I got it, with everything mechanically running quite well. However, It badly needed new tubes and tires, and when I removed the rear tire, I found a broken spoke. That delayed things a bit, as I had to buy some 151mm spokes.

Broken spoke was on the drive side, so the gear cluster had to come off, which meant giving the gear cluster, hub, and derailleur a good clean , which they badly needed. Replaced the broken spoke and the crappy old rim tape, slapped on some new Schwalbe Marathon Racers and was ready to roll. The horrid saddle had to go, but it used a captive seat clamp, so I've borrowed the clamp from the Mk2 and fitted the unused lightweight saddle from my Genesis gravel bike. Still humming and hawing over a longer seat post, either Ti or CF and, as a CF item would come with a clamp, I've not yet bought a Pentaclip.
   

The old roller wheels (on the rack and rear triangle) are horrid. Found the 5mm replacements for the rack on eBay at a winning price. Will order the 6mm items for the rear triangle, but I fear removing those old rollers will be a bit of a battle, so I've already started trying to get some SeaFoam Deep Creep under the screw head. Sigh...

Should be picking up a big Brompton bag to go on the front bag mount, and then I'll be a 'proper' Brompton cyclist.

In any case, the bike's a blast to ride and really does provide a totally different cycling experience, in a good way, to 'proper' bicycles.

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Forgot to say that the previous owner (bought the bike new) experienced the dreaded press-fit chainring failure, so had a newer style crankset and BB fitted, which is a nice upgrade to have.

[Jesper]

Now you're just getting fancy! Cool ride! Ha ha, already scavenging from the MK2, I love it.

I am trying to recall what Brompton Andrew Feather (British Climbing Champion) rode up a rather long climb in Cheddar Gorge against a guy on a road bike in a friendly challenge competition. It was amazing to see this guy crank up a hill on a stock Brompton over a much better geared road bike. It really proved that it is the rider (no offense to Brompton) that counts the most (within reason) and not the equipment.
I still look at Coppi winning Paris-Roubaix using obsolete backwards pedalling shifting Campagnolo equipment while other riders were using superior mechs but were unable to compete with a superior rider handicapped by less efficient equipment.

[enkei]

The Brompton is kind of in its "final iteration" now, including an older 21L Brompton T-Bag (on the front block) and small Brompton handlebar bag.
   

I have fitted new rack cords and upgraded the roller wheels to Brompton Easy Wheel Rollers (6mm for the triangle, 5mm for the rack). These make a world of difference when rolling the folded bike around. Also, the pair mounted to the triangle (vs on the rack) sit a useful distance inboard vs the old rollers, reducing the risk of heel strikes while pedalling.
   

A Brompton tool kit now sits snugly in one half of the top tube, and a 3D-printed doo-dad holds a spare inner tube in the other half.
   
Yes, the Brompton tool kit looks very expensive for "just a little tool kit" but if you actually get your hands on one, you'll see that it's very nicely designed, beautifully made, and simply gets the job done (ie., hides away until you need the tools or puncture repair patches).

This gives a slightly better view of the doo-dad.
   

The only thing left to add is a nice pump...

[Jesper]

Excellent!! Can a pump also be hidden in the frame?