I have been commuting to work on my Brompton for over three years now. Farewell Boris Bikes – hello to the Brompton folding-bike experience. I have written a few blog posts about my experience (15 learnings from a year of Brompton cycle commuting in London), and little ways I have tried to improve the bike (The safest thing on my bicycle is my Mirrycle).
This time I am experimenting with an improved Hinge Clamp Kit from SpedDial. I had already created something of a bodge solution using springs and plastic metal.
I came across the invention after recently joining the Brompton Hacks Group on Facebook. A post from SpedDial creator Stephan Bianchi piqued my interest. The link to his website included a video demonstrating a much improved version of the Brompton clamp.
SpēdDial Folds Fast from Stephan Bianchi on Vimeo.
The key is the dimpled handle which allows you spin it around really quickly.
I expressed my interest to Stephan and he explained he had sent a batch to Brilliant Bikes in Chobham. I rang them to order a set, but they hadn’t arrived. Soon after I received an email asking if I would like to test out SpedDial for them. I jumped at the chance, and a couple of days later received the little package below in the post.
Below is my amateur attempt at improving the clamp.
And here is the shiny new SpedDial replacement
So now for the big question… is it any good? And the answer is an emphatic yes. Actually it is brilliant.
It solves several problems:
- It stops the metal bracket from twisting and blocking the fold
- Using the finger dimple makes turning the knob much less fiddly
- It saves time. I have set mine to just four turns from closed to open.
- It prevents the bolt from falling out
- The same lock nut gives you a predictable fold, so the handlebars no-longer fall on my leg.
I purchased a second hand Brompton with similar clamps (they were titanium without the dimples, but with the locknut and offering essentially the same benefits).
As a tourer, I found there were some disadvantages to the design which convinced me to go back to using the original.
1) The locknut precludes using Brompton’s excellent in-frame toolkit, as it blocks the hole the kit is housed in.
2) When flying, I always remove the frame clamps to prevent damage. This can’t be done quickly with this design.
I have found this design simply doesn’t provide a significant enough benefit to warrant the extra cost, especially when you take these drawbacks into account.