Best Brompton for Electrification?

[Pedalo]

Hi Folks,

I'm thinking a Brompton might make a useful addition to the stable in that it would open up a bunch of new cycling options, and wont take up too much space in the house. I would expect to use it mainly for some trips to work (7 miles town + country riding with the odd quite nasty hill each way) where I can see a benefit would be to have the option to use the bike in one direction & public transport if it's raining for the return trip. I would also use it for running errands, popping to the shops etc. Finally I can see me putting it in the car taking it away at weekends to allow me to cycle wherever I am.
Of course I'd want it to be kitted out with an electric motor (no idea yet whether it would be a homebrew or a kit...)

So, what type of Brompton would you recommend for best flexibility/portability etc bearing in mind I'll wanting to fit a motor? In particular:

S bars vs M bars? I prefer the look of S, but M might be best for comfort and larger front bag options, but I would be interested in hearing opinions from anyone that has tried both. Is one or the other better for fitting an electric kit?

2 speed vs 3 speed vs 6 speed? This is the one I'm least clear on. I'm thinking I might get away with 2 which would be lightest - especially if I've got the motor to help on hills. But I do find myself using a range of gears on my Cytronex on my trip to and from work so I'm really not sure... Also I see there are options for higher/lower gearing - but presumably I could just swap out sprockets later if I wanted a higher or lower range?

Steel vs Titanium? This looks like a if money is no object, go for the titanium and save a Kg of weight. Any reason not to if going electric (e.g. would the steel forks be more robust?)

Any views from Brompton owners would be most welcome.

 

[barrycoll]

hi Pedalo..

in the light of my wife's E Brompton which is a 6 speed 'lightweight ', I would say that nothing more than 2 speed is needed..

the bike was converted by the EWCompany, and its been pretty faultless

cycling it into London on Wednesday, I had 2 steep hills to climb (Highgate!!), that reduce me to my inner ring/large sprocket of my mountain unpowered bike, but which I sailed up at an easily 10mph on the Brompton

if you can manage to buy the ultra lightweight, you will appreciate it long after you have forgotten the cost...in fact everytime you put it in the boot of the car!..

without doubt the M bars are easier on the back, and give a more comfortable upright ride, and it allows a fitting of the controller at the base of the M, out of the way....

the power transfer via the luggage block, also is a feature that works well, and dispenses with yet another connector..

only the power switched brakes are pretty lousy, even compared with the not marvellous originals....very useful to stop you piling into a stationary car, when thoughtlessly touching the thumb throttle, but after a while I think the need for them is very much less, and it would be nice to have some more sensitive levers....

I cant imagine that titanium forks would have any problem with the torque of the motor, but I dont know..

I imagine Jerry S, can add a lot of his experiences to the above

all the best with the this one

barry c.

 

[Clarkey]

We have an S2L and an M3L - I much prefer the former. Better riding position, significantly lighter, nicely judged gear ratios. I also notice that Brompton seem to have stopped cautioning against the larger bags for the S type - there was never any problem with bar clearance, I think they were just paranoid about the brake cable routing.

If I were going electric and could afford it I would go for every last lightweight option I could - weight matters in a folder so much more than regular bikes.

 

[richardmu]

Hi Barry,

Who are the EWCompany? I can't find them in Google.

 

[flecc]

Hi Barry,

Who are the EWCompany? I can't find them in Google.

The Electric Wheel Company
.

 

[Pedalo]

Thanks for the comments. It looks like there's 1 vote each for S handlebars vs M so far. I guess I need to try a test ride to decide for myself. I'm now pretty sure I'd go for the 2 gear option and just need to check the finances (+wife!) to see whether I can stretch to a titanium version.

Then the fun really begins - Electric wheel co kit vs Feedom kit vs homebrew (vs others?)

Regarding Barry's comments on the brake levers. Are you saying that the electrical switches don't work very well or that the brakes themselves don't work too well with the replacement levers?

 

[Miles]

From the ElectricWheel site:

"The NANO motor™ was invented by Tony Castles,........."

When are we going to see an ebike based on genuinely home-grown technology? All we do is import complete ebikes or add chinese components to ordinary bikes.....

Miles

 

[flecc]

From the ElectricWheel site:

"The NANO motor™ was invented by Tony Castles,........."

Delusion, the mother of invention.
.

 

[Miles]

........................

 

[barrycoll]

hi Pedalo..

thanks flecc for filling in with the EWC website

regarding the ' switched' brake levers that come with the Electricwheelcompany kit, its the inefficiency of the lever s that is the problem..

there is a long cable run on the Brompton which doesnt help, but the lever is hard to pull, and is not too effective....it requires looking well ahead, as you might not stop too quickly...

on the other hand, one gets well and truly spoilt when you have hydraulic discs on an other bike, which really are a revelation

make sure you stick with a Nano motor for the conversion, as cycling 'powerless' is still quite pleasant with virtually no drag, and the motor is so quiet, there is no give-away, that it is 'not all-your-own-work'....and anything above 15mph will be all your own work anyway!

all the best

barry c.

 

[Pedalo]

Thanks Barry.

I've started looking into EWC vs Freedom. Both use the same motor but very different batteries. The Freedom kit is probably more aligned with my requirements (prefer the smaller/lighter battery and would like the controller to be hidden away in the bag rather than attached to the handlebars), but I'm not so sure about the hassle of ordering from Israel in case it goes wrong and needs to be returned etc. I'm also intrigued by the DIY approach and have been going back through some of Jerry & Daniels posts. I might give EWC a call and see if they would be prepared to sell bits and pieces of a kit rather than the whole lot. I could probably handle putting my own battery together (like Jerry's).

 

[jerrysimon]

Pedalo,

If your not sure about the DIY route for building, when I was trying to decide EWC said they were willing to sell me a kit without the battery.

If it was me and I was not going down the DIY route, the ability to return stuff to a UK based company would be an important factor. As you have seen in my other posts Tongxin motors can go wrong.

The DIY route is certainly the cheapest route, but also requires a considerable amount of effort, thought and nervous energy lol

Having done it all myself though, one of the biggest advantages for me is knowing now that I am completely self sufficient when it comes to repairs with of course a little help from my friends here on this forum

Re batteries I would only recommend mine up to 10 miles if your journeys are pretty flat, or perhaps 6 or 7 in very hilly areas. Again the DIY route is pretty cheap.

Regards

Jerry

 

[daniel.weck]

Hello !

I'm a big fan of the 6-gear Brompton (2x derailleur + 3x hub), especially the latest BWR (Brompton Wide Range). But that's highly dependent on your local terrain. Where I tend to cycle, I couldn't ride efficiently with a 2-speed (derailleur) or even a 3-speed (hub) Brompton (I tried).

My "electrified" M6R+ folds very well, but is heavy. That's due to a configuration geared towards touring (luggage rack, large 10Ah battery, stronger motor than Tongxin).

Jerry Simon's machine is a lot lighter, and serves its purpose very well indeed. Two different approaches, 2 different needs. You need to work out your requirements first.

As for the Titanium bits, I've always considered them as a waste of money but owners would probably disagree with me Arguably though, the weight saving becomes negligable when we factor-in the added mass of the electric kit: battery, motor, controller, ... cables, brake levers, throttle control ... body fat (yeah, e-riders are lazy, fact* !)

Cheers, Dan

* I'm a lightweight at 70kg, I'm only kidding.

 

[jerrysimon]

I agree about deciding what your primary purpose for the bike is.

Mine, as Dan said, is specifically light as I want to carry it in and out of work each day and my commute although 10 miles return is pretty flat and thus I can get away with a light 2.4Ah battery.

I can actually ride to work and back on a single charge if I put some effort in. If I don't, then I also have a charger at work.

Regards

Jerry