r/BrompNOTs

I wanted to look more closely at the headtube of my Aceoffix C5 after seeing several cases of G line head tube failures; everything from headtube splitting apart to rivnuts splitting the steel. It would be concerning if Aceoffix did not make the headtube thick enough since it's an aluminium frame vs the Brompton's steel.

Luckily they made it about 3.5mm thick, which based on my calculations, should be stronger than the G line headtube. I also looked into the ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and fatigue life of 6069 aluminium and how those values are calculated and how we should interpret it in the context of a bike frame.

My conclusion is that the fear of fatigue life on aluminium bikes is very overblown.

Made out Titanium? Carbon Fork. Shimano 11 speed gearing and brakes. Looks like a luxury G-Line. Never heard anything of Hexati before have you?

Hi everyone! I just got into cycling and commuting by share-bike. I’m thinking about whether it’s time to get my own bike — one I can use every day for commuting, and later I’d love to try bike touring too.

My apartment is small, so I need a really small folding bike. Brompton is a bit too expensive for me.

At first I was looking at the Takachia A16. But then I found Aniwow. Not many people talk about it, even less than Takachia.

Has anyone here ridden one? Does it seem good enough for commuting and maybe touring? Thanks! 🙏

Hello, I am interested in buying a Litepro bike from their site, given they state the standard shipping method includes with DDP. However, on their site there is also a notice which says that European customers need to choose the express shipping method to avoid the customs taxes. But when i get to the delivery method at checkout, they only have the standard shipping listed. Has anyone tried to order from their site to Europe? Is their website a trusted place to order from? For the record, I don't want to order from Alibaba because the shipping fee to my country is the the same if not more than the price of the bike.

Hello everyone!

I’m looking into getting a Takachia Tiime Series trifold bike (specifically eyeing the C16 model). Overall, the specs look solid, but looking closely at the main frame hinge and the handle bar support, the hinge pins appear to be completely closed or sealed rather than having a traditional removable bolt, screw, or pin set.

For long-term owners of the C16 or C20:

1. How has the hinge reliability been? Have you noticed any play, flexing, or creaking developing over time in the steering post or main frame after heavy use?
2. Are they actually replaceable? If a hinge pin ever wears out or gets loose, how do you service it if it's a sealed design? Do you have to send it back to a dealer, or is there a way to press them out and replace them?

I love the portability of these trifolds, but I want to make sure the handle bar support and frame won't develop unfixable slop down the road.

Appreciate any insight or experiences from current owners or mechanics who have worked on them!

Thanks!

I see a lot of new bike photos w all sorts of neat mods and weights, but I'm wondering how aluminum tri-fold frames hold up over 5-10 years.

I am skeptical of the idea that Brompton engineering is superior, but I do take to heart they've only done steel and titanium frames. I have a steel C-line, which I like, but is super heavy. I'm also around 190-200 lbs. I am very comfortable w the flex in a steel frame, I've had lots of steel bikes over the years, and I'm comfortable w my noob understanding of a) steel fatigue and b) that steel non-folders are basically bombproof.

I understand that aluminum has a fatigue limit, and you can get 2-3 nots for the price a Brompton, but I also don't know _if_ ppl are actually finding these frames fail, or whether that's wonk nonsense based on theory but not practice.

Thanks!

I'm currently looking at a Cranston R20 Max. The base price is €490, but shipping and customs duties to Germany add another €160.

Given the current market, is €650 a fair deal overall for this bike? Thanks!

(See full list of the corporations involved with the lobby that pushed this through here.)

In case EU residents aren't/weren't aware, EU parliament voted to add a €3 fee per item category (not per package) and will increase to €5 later on. Well I thought that was VERY annoying considering this was lobbied for by major corporations who just manufactur all their products in China/SE Asia etc and then charge 500%-1000% of what I can buy the same item for directly on aliexpress. Again, see full list of the corporations involved with the lobby that pushed this through here.

Anyway, starting recently the prices on Aliexpress for ALL items went up. Instead of +€3 per category, it's +€3 per item if not WAY more.

So now if I need to buy a pack of replacement bolts for example, what would cost 1 euro before will now cost €1 + €3 = €4 total.

Now to make things worse, if it's a special type of bolt where I can only order 1 at a time, now I have to pay at least +€3 per bolt as the website didn't calculate automatically +€3 per category at checkout. So say I need multiple bolts or I need to test different sizes now it's €1 + €3 + €1 + €3 + €1 + €3.

So €12 instead of €3. See how this is already very annoying very quickly for buying small replacement parts?

Aliexpress made bike/BrompNOT maintenence and upgrades very affordable and accessible. We can't find many of these parts sold locally, certainly not made in EU. This was a common response by certain people, but again this fee has nothing to do with protecting local manufacturing, this fee was pushed on us by middle men corporations selling aliexpress junk in Lidl for €20 when it costs €3 to buy it direct from China. So we're forced to pay jacked up prices now. Yippee.

Not mine but thought i would share if anyone is interested.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DDM3mKDSX/

Dear all I presently ride a 2015 flat bar 3 speed Brompton and I'm looking at a 20" wheel replacement which is lighter with hydraulic disc brakes. Just wondering if it's worth (majorly) servicing my Brompton or just buying something like a Java Neo 3? UK based if that helps....would appreciate any thoughts and opinions!

Here is my first lazy video on the Java Neo 3 Carbon. I have a lot more to go over with it including comparisons with other bikes but I only have some much time each day ;p. I'll make future vids I guess.

Hi all! After a recent trip to London I was exposed to the wondrous world of folding bikes. I’m coming at this as someone brand new to this. A Brompton is out of my price range so I was wondering which clone is, in your opinion, the closest to the design and use of a Brompton? I have looked at Mint and Cranston but don’t know enough to make a real decision. I’m open to any advice you can share. Thanks!