Zipping up a Brompton M3L

Predictably, my wife no longer uses her Brompton, as her new commute can be done by train.
I am thinking of using it in the cold season, maybe Bus in the morning and Brompton on the way home, to avoid morning ice.
I find it very sluggish and I wonder if there's anything I can do to make it a bit zippier. I could fit SPD pedals, maybe a non padded saddle, which seem the obvious thing to do... anything else that doesn't cost money?
I seem to recall removing mudguards will affect folding or something... can't remember what the problem was there
I am thinking of using it in the cold season, maybe Bus in the morning and Brompton on the way home, to avoid morning ice.
I find it very sluggish and I wonder if there's anything I can do to make it a bit zippier. I could fit SPD pedals, maybe a non padded saddle, which seem the obvious thing to do... anything else that doesn't cost money?
I seem to recall removing mudguards will affect folding or something... can't remember what the problem was there
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Race - Fuji Norcom Straight
Sun - Cervelo R3
Winter / Commute - Dolan ADX
It's not mudguards slowing you down....
I find the standard Brompton saddle fine - but maybe yours is an older one.
Clipless pedals will help too - but check out the Brompton World Champ videos - these bikes can shift.
Yes, on the flat it's fine (The worlds are on a flat course), but the undulations seem to kill the momentum. Do Kojaks really make a massive difference? I have the standard Brompton tyres, which are quite puncture resistant and I would avoid a puncture if possible
After one ride I checked the bike weight at circa 12kg (with lights and a couple of other bits) and the Brompton bag with laptop and a a few bits another 8kg! No wonder with it's limited gearing it felt slow compared with even my winter bikes and their traditional-type groupsets (hardtail 15kg, gravel bike 12kg).
I still love the Brommie though!
:roll:
But a lot more weight from the wallet.
I got mine on eBay. Exactly the same, but was about £50 and didn't have a brand etched into the side.
Race - Fuji Norcom Straight
Sun - Cervelo R3
Winter / Commute - Dolan ADX
Felt Z6 2012
Red Arthur Caygill steel frame ??
Tall....
Even with the clamp done as high up as it's safe to do and flipped to provide a more rear-ward sitting position, I am still about an inch lower than I would be normally. Typically I keep a top of the saddle to pedal spindle distance of 93 cm, and here I barely make 91.
20 quid for a longer pin might well solve all my woes
Luckily, I don't need to take trains... I might need to take it on a bus on icy mornings, but I don't think it will make a great deal of difference there... it's also a rather non-busy bus route.
Alternatives would be to use a "taller" saddle, although there aren't many taller than a Brooks and normally they are only taller because of padding that gets squashed once I sit.
It's a £ 20 upgrade, which might make a significant difference to whether I use the Brompton or not... so really keen to give it a go.
Worst case scenario, I have a £ 20 steel bar in my rucksack to persuade motorists to behave...
I did it by cutting off the tapered top of the tube, cutting a short vertical slot, and then fitting a "normal" seatpost clamp and seatpost, as if it was a frame tube; that also allowed me to fit a normal saddle with rails. That said, it probably cost me more than £20.
I'd love the S type bars... it was my initial gripe, but my wife was adamant on the M... there is no way back, as a new stem would cost me an absolute fortune.
I also have the feeling with a better sitting position I could put down so much more power...
*I appreciate this may not be your exact model but you know the thing I mean.
I stiffened up the bung by strapping a jubilee clip around it. Don't know how much difference it made, but was very cheap!
If anyone needs the right sized hose I have 1m of it, less the length of a Brompton suspension bung.
Race - Fuji Norcom Straight
Sun - Cervelo R3
Winter / Commute - Dolan ADX
https://www.strava.com/activities/1933729819
Rode it like I stole it...
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