BROMPTON BICYCLE - OWNER'S MANUAL - ENGLISH INTRODUCTION: Before using your Brompton, we recommend you read the sections on safety and folding. You should also be aware how important it is to keep your tyres well pumped-up: soft tyres make for a lot more pedalling effort (which takes much of the fun out of riding), wear out quickly, and also have an adverse effect on handling. We cannot over-emphasise the need to keep tyres well inflated.
SECTION A: SAFETY. 1. Before riding, see that the seat pillar clamp is properly secured, and that the hinge clamps are in place, with levers firmly screwed up (see Section D for notes on saddle height). 2. The Brompton is designed a) for loads not exceeding 110kgs, and b) for use on roads and well made paths. It is not designed for cross country riding or for higher loads: this can overstress the frame, and the tyres and wheels are unsuitable.
SECTION B: FOLDING AND UNFOLDING. If you have not had the Brompton demonstrated or explained to you, read this section before trying to unfold or fold the bike. If you have used a Brompton before, part 3 may still be a useful source of tips. Part 1: ORDER OF UNFOLDING & FOLDING - OVERVIEW. a) UNFOLDING: Stage 1: raise saddle & handlebar and (if a folding pedal is fitted) unfold pedal: these items can be dealt with in any order, but they must be unfolded before moving on to stage 2.
Part 3: UNFOLDING AND FOLDING EXPLAINED IN DETAIL. If you have not seen the Brompton being folded, you may get the impression on reading this section that the process is difficult: it involves in practice only a few easy movements. UNFOLDING, stage 1 - Saddle & Handlebars (and folding pedal): Saddle, fig FS1. Undo the quick release lever, QR, under the saddle (swing it outwards and backwards).
UNFOLDING stage 2 - Front wheel, figures FS4 & 5: Do not attempt to unfold the front wheel assembly if either the saddle or the handlebar is still folded. Unfolding or folding the front wheel requires only a single action, described below: however, it's a help to understand what goes on. The front wheel/fork is held in place when folded by means of the hook, H, passing over the tube, CHS, on the rear frame.
The bicycle is now parked, in effect ready for use: to unpark (fig FS6), lift the bike by the saddle (keeping the front wheel turned slightly leftwards) and allow the rear frame/wheel to rotate fig FS6 down and back into its unfolded position. By controlling the way in which you raise and lower the saddle, this can be C done in a single smooth movement: if to begin with you find the wheel hanging in the halfway position, help the wheel round by hand or with your foot.
needed for this, but if it helps, take hold of the front mudguard with your other hand and guide the wheel round). Make sure that the hook, H, has passed over the tube, CHS, on the rear frame, and allow the front wheel assembly to drop (the whole bike actually rotating relative the rear frame). With the front wheel now folded, you can move on to the other parts. FOLDING stage 2 - Handlebars and Saddle (and folding pedal): Handlebar, fig FS2. Undo the hinge clamp at HH (handlebar stem).
SECTION C: USING THE BROMPTON. 1. Tyre pressures: BROMPTON HP & Marathon: STELVIO Normal Max. Normal Max. FRONT 60 - 80 psi 100 psi 85 - 100 psi 120 psi REAR 70 - 90 psi 100 psi 95 - 110 psi 120 psi The most appropriate pressure depends on your weight and preference. On rough roads, it's obviously more comfortable if you keep the pressures near the lower end of the ranges. However, for minimum pedalling effort, use the higher pressures.
If your bike has a derailleur, do not neglect to use it: if you use only one sprocket all the time, wear will be uneven. 3. Lighting. To engage a tyre-driven dynamo, either, if the dynamo is fitted with a lever, depress the lever, or, if there is no lever, push the body of the dynamo down relative to its bracket. To release the dynamo, pull the body of the dynamo away from the tyre, and the dynamo will latch off. For a hub-dynamo, use the switch on the back of the front lamp.
park or fold the bike, you have to release this clip. In latch mode, the clip is released by pushing lever L forwards The latching facility comes into its own when wheeling the bike around with luggage on, and for those who feel more comfortable riding a bike with rearframe attached. Fig QR01a M To switch from latch to non-latch-mode, turn the rubber suspension block SB through at least a quarter turn. Note, the rear-frame must be released/unclipped while you do this.
SECTION D: SADDLE POSITION. BASIC ADJUSTMENTS: Height of the saddle: for the maximum height, draw the seat pillar up until it reaches a positive stop. At the minimum height the seat pillar should not protrude below the main frame. Saddle Minimum Height Setting If seat pillar protrudes here, below the main frame, saddle is too low Rail saddle with “Pentaclip”: the angle and fore-aft adjustment are steplessly variable: slacken the clip-bolt (5mm hex-key), and resecure with a torque of 15-17NM.
SECTION E: HANDLEBAR & CONTROL POSITIONS. The handlebars and control levers on the Brompton are factory set to provide a compromise between compactness and riding comfort. For most users the riding position should be fine. There is no vertical adjustment, and UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you attempt to set the handlebar at a higher position by withdrawing the lower part of the handlebar stem from the steerer tube on the front forks.
SECTION F: RUNNING ADJUSTMENTS & CHECKS. It is important that certain of the jobs listed here are carried out at least once, if not two or three times, during the first few hundred miles of use when parts are bedding in (see chart on centre page). Thereafter, except for brake adjustment, they need to be carried out less and less frequently. If you are not confident about carrying out these jobs yourself, your dealer can help.
It’s important that you have the correct indicator rod. For Sturmey Acher 3 speed hubs, with alloy shell, post 2004, the correct indicator has two marks (2 short parallel lines on indicator rod). fig AR13 Derailleur maintenance and adjustment. For satisfactory gear changes and smooth running, two stops need correct setting, and two key elements of the system have to move freely: the actuator (or "chain-pusher"), and both idlers on the chain tensioner. Chain pusher adjustment.
Adjustment of the derailleur cable should seldom be necessary, as the trigger moves the cable twice as far as the movement of the chain-pusher (an over-ride spring inside the dogleg DL absorbs this movement). Derailleur trouble shooting. If the derailleur still malfunctions after adjustment, or if turning the adjustor screws has no useful effect, and there is no obvious sign of dirt obstructing free movement, then the procedure for diagnosis is as follows.
ROUTINE CHECKS & ADJUSTMENTS More info in text of Manual SADDLE CLIP BOLT torque:pentaclip 15-17NM RUNNING IN: after the first few hours of use, the items in the bold boxes MUST be checked. Thereafter, continue checking, but less often. SEAT CLAMP: Action firm, but not overtight CABLES: if cables are worn, replace. Fresh cables transform the feel of the bike.
Spokes: These tend to bed in during early use, and to lose some of their initial tension. which can cause spoke failure, particularly for heavier riders. Re-tension spokes correctly after initial use, and check thereafter. Saddle clip-bolt: On a rail saddle, with the Brompton Pentaclip, if you adjust the saddle, use the correct torque on re-clamping, 15-17NM: if the bolt is too loose, the saddle may slip, or if too tight, the clip-band will be overstressed.
Cup and cone bearings: If these are set over-tight, damage is likely, and in the case of a geared rear hub, the freewheel will tighten up as well (in turn causing chain problems during folding). Always ensure that the relevant locknut is secure after adjustment: a) Wheel hubs. No bearing adjustment is needed for a front dyno-hub or for a 2/1-spd rear free-hub. For other hubs, set so that very slight play is just discernible at the wheel rim.
To re-fit, follow the above in reverse. While you tighten the wheel nuts (or bolt), make sure that each tab washer engages the hole near the fork end, and also that the axle remains seated against the end of each slot: torque 15NM for std. wheel nuts, and 6NM for the M5 bolt. Notes: 1. Do NOT swap the LH tab-washer with the RH tab-washer. 2.
derailleur is fitted, it has to be tilted to clear the changer). Removing the rear wheel, fig AR8. Slacken the axle mounting nuts. For hub gears at least 4 or 5 turns are needed, so that the tab-washers TA can disengage from their slots, SL2: if these are stuck in place, try rocking the wheel sideways to release, or else you may need to prise them out with a small screw-driver. SL2 AN TA SL1 CTW CTN fig AR8 Fitting the rear wheel. Make sure that the chain passes round the rear sprocket.
b) for a derailleur bike, the chain and CTIDLB the fixed idler on the chain-tensionerbase, CTIDLB, have to lie between the "uprights" of the chain-pusherplate. So, with the LH trigger up and the chain-tensioner inclined slightly outwards as in fig DR14 (chain not shown in this figure), feed the idler CTIDLB between these uprights, and then feed the chain-tensioner base onto the rear axle plate till it abuts squarely.
SECTION H: OTHER DESIGN POINTS TO DO WITH FOLDING B Hook: Correct function of the hook is important for satisfactory folding: it retains the front wheel in place when the bike is folded. It is attached to the front mudguard stay (or, if there are no mudguards, to a special wire form, not illustrated). If it is knocked out of position, the design allows it to be bent back. For the function to be correct:- fig HK1 1. The chainwheel mustn't be too far out.
Handlebar catch and nipple: The "body" of the handlebar catch acts as a stop to align the front wheel correctly during folding. The correct torque for the securing screw is 9NM. Operation of catch and nipple: keep these correctly set, for, if wrong, the handlebar catch will loose its spring effect, with the irritating result that the handlebars unlatch too easily from the folded package.
Lower stop disc: When you pick up the folded bike, the rear frame cannot unfold because the lower stop disc, LSD, butts against the "folded" seat pillar, SP. The LSD can be adjusted to give the correct gap between itself and the SP: if the gap is too small, then the SP may foul, irritatingly, against the LSD during folding. If the gap is too large, then the rear wheel will drop away too far when the bike is picked up, so that the hook retaining the front wheel slips off the tube CHS on the rear frame.
SECTION J: LUBRICATION. When lubricating your Brompton, avoid getting oil or grease on the seat pillar or the wheel rims. Grease is the right lubricant for all wearing parts (oil does not last as well), and where it is practical to dismantle an assembly and apply grease, it's best to do so.
REAR HINGE 4 FOLDING PEDAL Pivot spindle 3 SEAT CLAMP quick release: oil only 3 CHAIN. Keep well lubricated 1 CHAIN TENSIONER Idler wheels 2 SUSPENSION BLOCK under head of bolt 2 NEVER allow lubricant onto seat pillar CHAIN TENSIONER Pivot spindle. 4 GEARED HUB 5 At major service only: see text.
SECTION K: ROUTINE REPLACEMENTS. Planned replacement is advised to ensure both safety and good performance. The suggested intervals between replacements are for bicycles subjected to normal use: the most appropriate timing depends on the conditions of use and your riding style. 1. ALUMINIUM COMPONENTS: as on other lightweight machines, aluminium alloy is used in the construction of the Brompton, and this material has a finite design life before failure.
SECTION L: SPECIFICATION OF SPARES. Chain: this must have the correct number of links for a given sprocket combination, see table below. Max pin length is 8.5mm for 3-spd, and 7.3mm for derailleur: traditional joining links with clip are unsuitable.
SECTION M: OPTIONS AND ACCESSORIES. Here is a brief overview of Brompton accessories. For full details, visit our website, www.brompton.co.uk. LUGGAGE, the front carrier system. The Brompton system provides a highly convenient method for taking luggage on the bike as it only takes a moment to attach or release it. The system is a delight to use, especially if you regularly need to take luggage or shopping with you.
LIGHTING. There are three options: a battery light set, with LED lamps front and rear a modern dynamo set (tyre-driven), with halogen front lamp and rear LED stand-lamp (which stays on for a while after stopping), and a beautifully engineered hub-dynamo set. Any of these Brompton lighting sets can be fitted to any bike model (with one exception: the tyre-dynamo set cannot be used with Stelvio tyres). Special dynamo stay for Version R.
GEARING. Reduced gearing (easier up hills, but with a lower top speed), is available for all models. Higher gearing is also available, but only for 3- & 6speeds. FOLDING LEFT HAND PEDAL: a standard feature on most Bromptons, this folding pedal has an ingenious design, using a precision industrial bearing. It allows you safely to use both sides of the pedal in the normal way, and yet to fold it at a touch, leaving a projection of only 20mm. A lighter version, with Titanium axle, is also available.
