Installing a cycle computer featuring a cadence indication (and cadence sensor) will be of great help in selecting the right gear combination, on 6 speed Bromptons in partcular, while adding hardly any weight. A wireless cycle computer is the best choice for a folding bike such as the Brompton, as cables may easily get in the way or even be damaged when (un)folding.
I own a 6-speed Brompton and in my opinion, the gears are the biggest (and probably only) weakness of the bike. Feels like you have to practice for about 1,000 years before you get the 6 speed sequence right, and even if you manage to get it perfect, pedaling isn't really that much fluid... I would love to see a 5 or 6-speed (hub only) Brompton !
Fully agree, but personally I would prefer a 6 (or more) speed derailleur-only version. These are much lighter (thus more suitable for a folding bike), usually offer more evenly spread gear ratios and _do_ handle changing gears while continuing pedalling much better.
@@kevjmu 'intuitive'??? Definitely not! I've been riding bikes with gears for many many years, mainly derailleur type but different kinds of hub gears (only) too, and _those are_ intuitive to use. Never had any problem adjusting, in fact no need to adjust at all. This strange combo is the very first time in all of my life I struggle with gears, every first few (kilo)meters each trip. And as you can see from the reactions I'm not alone in that. The fact that Brompton feels the need to post a video like this, and not for the first time, should tell you something. At least _they are_ aware that it's far from intuitive... Even when assuming you didn't need the full 6 months and 2400km to get used to it, your experience only confirms that it takes long and frequent use to sort of permanently learn to live with it. With such mileages as yours you can get used to any kind of quirky behaviour from a bike (etc). Doesn't say anything positive about its 'intuitivity', quite on the contrary.
You can almost tell who are the ones here who have been cycling for ages using the gears properly on full bikes, and those who have been abusing their gears, did not really use them, or just don't cycle that much before the Brompton. Like you, I struggle too as I am way too used to my road bikes, and the worse thing is I am using both types of bike concurrently.
I wish you would have told me this when I had my Raleigh Grifter as a child however that said I have just purchased my first Brompton the first things I was told was don't change the gears when you're pedaling
The 6-speed ticks irritatingly like there's no tomorrow, The 3-speed is a lot quieter but a BIG ask when it comes to elevations like Crystal Palace or Highgate.
Some like the tick noise like me. However, if it drives you crazy an easy fix for a Brompton bike mechanic is to repack the internal hub with a little more grease during an overhaul. The noise will become louder overtime as the grease weakens in viscosity.
I never have any problems on my 6 speeds hub gear system. It just took me a few rides to understand how the hub gear system works. When it comes to cleaning, is so much easier to clean then my previous 12 speeds external gear system.
I’m happy with my single speed but I’ve used the 3 speed and I generally prefer that if I was to buy a geared Brompton. But I really wish we had something new and more modern. A hub with a bigger range and more gears, a belt drive or something else. Just anything new because I find the 6 speed setup to be pretty outdated at this point.
LOL! Not at all. It is so not outdated and is a norm for this type of hub. I for one (and speak for my Brompton clan) love the setup and desire no change
@@ed0078 "a norm _for this type of hub_ " perhaps but definitely not for bike gears in general, not even for folding bike gears - and there's a good reason for that. Even once used to the gear sequence, the need to sometimes simultaneously change two different gear systems with different (dis)continued pedalling policies while changing gears will always make some gear changes awkward and slow - too slow when needing to change down climbing a hill.
@earlbee31 Well, in a way you could say that it _is_ broken. Shifting up or down according to the recommendations in this video means 40% of the possible 1 step up and down shifts are really clumsy, to say the very least. As much as I like many other aspects of my 6 speed Brompton, this one disadvantage is so serious it made me hang on to my over 10 (ten!) times cheaper foldable bike from a department store too as it is actually more pleasant to ride mainly because of its so much easier to use 6 speed derailleur type gears with much more evenly spread gear ratios. I now only use my expensive Brompton whenever folding ease, folding speed and/or folded size are really important on a trip ...
@@FerryXtheMercy It’s actually the opposite for me. I prefer riding gear hubs these days. I find it more convenient. I think for most Brompton riders, who generally ride in urban areas where you stop and start a lot, the derailleur is the part that makes less sense. Mixing both is weird and clunky for a lot of people.
Really doesn't seem hard. Just think about it as 3 high and 3 low. If I'm coming to a stop from 3 high, I go down to 3 low so I can get started again easy. If I come to a hard stop and don't have enough time, I just go from 3 high to 1 high while my pedals aren't moving. The advantage is you have both styles of shifting available to you. A fast way to dump or add gearing on the left and a nice way to pick gears while stopped on the right.
"the key to easy riding is keeping your pedals spinning" ... "when making a hub gear change you need to pause pedalling" Bit of a paradox, but unfortunately the bottom line is true: hub gears are far from ideal for easy pedalling. This advice combined with the one to keep pedalling while changing the derailleur gears, no matter how justified both are, is exactly what makes changing from +1 to -2 and +2 to -3, and back from -3 to +2 and -2 to +1, really awkward. This is a reason for me to hang on to my much cheaper folding bike with 6 speed derailleur gears, alongside my 6 speed Brompton. It's easier to ride and thus more comfortable when the quick and most compact (un)folding unique to the Brompton isn't paramount. 😕
@@zutinic Home brand from a Dutch department store ("On the road" they call it). Aluminium frame, 6 speed (single) derailleur gears, 20" wheels. And a single frame hinge, which makes it still relatively bulky when folded. That was the main reason for bying the Brompton, it's folding size and ease are (afaik) unsurpassed. The gear controller on the handlebar for the cheaper one is actually quite unusual, even though an original Shimano one. It shifts up one gear at a time at the push of a button, but shifting down is done by a simple lever (with fixed click points for each gear). As odd as it may seem, it turns out to be pretty brilliant as it enables very easily shifting down multiple gears at once, even all the way from '6th' to '1st' just before coming to a (sudden) stop. And I never missed the (in)ability to do the same while shifting up, on the contrary: it prevents you from shifting up multiple gears accidentally like a simple two-way lever would, as you have to deliberatle push the gear-up button multiple times to do so. That odd but clever little controller may very well be an important factor why I like the 'old' 'cheap' bike's gear system better than my Brompton's
My 3 gear Brompton can on,y be rode on the 1st gear and I cannot switch to 2 or 3. Any one know what could have happened so I can start looking into it? 🙏🏽
A number of things could be wrong, difficult to say from afar. It could be as simple as an upset shifting cable calibration, but it could also be the consequence of an internal problem in the hub. If it's not a simple external issue, like such a controller (-cable) problem, only a qualified bike (repair) shop can make a definitive diagnosis, unfortunately.
Almost certainly, it's the gear index bar position that's wrong. Put the bike in mid gear. Look into the side hole in the aluminium chain tensioner nut. The shoulders of the index bar should be level with the end of the axle. If they're not, the internal mechanism can't align properly. Undo the little knurled lock nut and adjust the bottle screw at the top of the little index chain until the index bar shoulders line up with the axle end. The gears will then work normally. Don't forget to tighten up the lock nut again. Leaving that loose is the usual reason for the gears getting out of adjustment.
I don't think the 6 speed controls were well thought out. With the sequence minus 1, plus 1, minus 2, plus 2, minus 3, plus 3, there are two instances of gear shift that require both controls to accomplish. I wish the sequence had been minus 1, 2 and 3, followed by plus 1, 2 and 3. As the controls are, I see myself cruising in mostly minus 2 and plus 2 until conditions warrant droping down or kicking into gears 1 and 3 respectively.
It's not all that difficult. You don't have to _stop_ pedaling when shifting the hub, just don't put force on the pedals i.e. "ease up" while keeping the crank spinning. You should ease up when shifting the derailleur (hi-lo) too, so it's all the same. If you need to downshift while stopped, just remember ride side shifter.
Is 1:24 a joke just to confuse people? It's not explained at all and the video doesn't align with what's being said, very frustrating for a video that supposedly explains how to shift gears.
But how cool would you look wearing knee and elbow protection? Those body parts are quite vulnerable too when you manage to fall off your bike 🤔 The short pants and sleeves the guy is wearing makes the omission of those protective items particularly dangerous, even in a minor fall you're quite likely to suffer serious skin abraision. That causes a high risk of coming down with tetanus, a dangerous disease *with 30% mortality rate* ! I choose wearing long, not too flimsy, sleeves and trousers over dying from tetanus all the time everytime 😁
Ehm, so where are the balls that would make such a name make any (more) sense?? Yeah, there's no bull either, I know 😉 Guess pawl ring would make more sense than either, but they never asked me what the thing should be called so don't blame me for the official English name for it not making much sense too 🤓
@@FerryXtheMercy The name Ball Ring is correct, so correct that Sturmey Archer who designed the hub for Brompton has named it so. The word ball is used because the ball bearing cage resides on the race part of the ring hence the name Ball Ring part number HSA799. I am just amazed that an official Brompton video would call it Bull Ring. This said, I LOVE my Brompton and commute to work everyday here in the USA. Keep up the good work Brompton I will ALWAYS be a fan!
@@ed0078 Ah, I think that explains the confusion over terminology. 👍 The part you mention actually has two sides playing different roles. On the one side there's the ball cup that's part of the ball bearing function of this ring, that SA base their part naming on. On the other side though there's a saw toothed ring with the freehub function housing the pawls. It seems that type of ring in general sometimes _is_ called a bull ring. Even the name for the latter (sort of) makes sense, according to some sources it's called that because of a (rather vague imho) resemblance to the bull ring in a (bull fighting) arena 🤔 So you're both right in a way, the formal name for the actual part in a SA hub gear is ball ring, but a generic name for the kind of saw toothed ring that catches the pawls is actually bull ring. As the latter is what that part of the video focuses on, the ball bearing ring side never really shows up in it which had me confused why it would be called ball ring, I _can_ understand Brompton uses the other name. Hopefully now so can you 🙂
This is actually one of the best videos about internal hub gearing. Never understood how it worked before this.
I own a 6 speed and it took me around 3 months to get comfortable with using them
Installing a cycle computer featuring a cadence indication (and cadence sensor) will be of great help in selecting the right gear combination, on 6 speed Bromptons in partcular, while adding hardly any weight. A wireless cycle computer is the best choice for a folding bike such as the Brompton, as cables may easily get in the way or even be damaged when (un)folding.
I own a 6-speed Brompton and in my opinion, the gears are the biggest (and probably only) weakness of the bike. Feels like you have to practice for about 1,000 years before you get the 6 speed sequence right, and even if you manage to get it perfect, pedaling isn't really that much fluid...
I would love to see a 5 or 6-speed (hub only) Brompton !
I disagree. I found it easy by the third day
Fully agree, but personally I would prefer a 6 (or more) speed derailleur-only version. These are much lighter (thus more suitable for a folding bike), usually offer more evenly spread gear ratios and _do_ handle changing gears while continuing pedalling much better.
I disagree I have done 400km a month past 6 months and gear shifts are actually intuitive and easy for daily commuting.
@@kevjmu 'intuitive'??? Definitely not! I've been riding bikes with gears for many many years, mainly derailleur type but different kinds of hub gears (only) too, and _those are_ intuitive to use. Never had any problem adjusting, in fact no need to adjust at all. This strange combo is the very first time in all of my life I struggle with gears, every first few (kilo)meters each trip. And as you can see from the reactions I'm not alone in that.
The fact that Brompton feels the need to post a video like this, and not for the first time, should tell you something. At least _they are_ aware that it's far from intuitive...
Even when assuming you didn't need the full 6 months and 2400km to get used to it, your experience only confirms that it takes long and frequent use to sort of permanently learn to live with it. With such mileages as yours you can get used to any kind of quirky behaviour from a bike (etc). Doesn't say anything positive about its 'intuitivity', quite on the contrary.
You can almost tell who are the ones here who have been cycling for ages using the gears properly on full bikes, and those who have been abusing their gears, did not really use them, or just don't cycle that much before the Brompton. Like you, I struggle too as I am way too used to my road bikes, and the worse thing is I am using both types of bike concurrently.
I wish you would have told me this when I had my Raleigh Grifter as a child however that said I have just purchased my first Brompton the first things I was told was don't change the gears when you're pedaling
I always thought you had to back pedal when changing hub gears
The 6-speed ticks irritatingly like there's no tomorrow, The 3-speed is a lot quieter but a BIG ask when it comes to elevations like Crystal Palace or Highgate.
Some like the tick noise like me. However, if it drives you crazy an easy fix for a Brompton bike mechanic is to repack the internal hub with a little more grease during an overhaul. The noise will become louder overtime as the grease weakens in viscosity.
how much is the max tooth diffrence between the 2 chainrings on the hub ??
I never have any problems on my 6 speeds hub gear system. It just took me a few rides to understand how the hub gear system works. When it comes to cleaning, is so much easier to clean then my previous 12 speeds external gear system.
I’m happy with my single speed but I’ve used the 3 speed and I generally prefer that if I was to buy a geared Brompton. But I really wish we had something new and more modern. A hub with a bigger range and more gears, a belt drive or something else. Just anything new because I find the 6 speed setup to be pretty outdated at this point.
LOL! Not at all. It is so not outdated and is a norm for this type of hub. I for one (and speak for my Brompton clan) love the setup and desire no change
@@ed0078 Oh well as long as you’re happy, your majesty.
@@ed0078 "a norm _for this type of hub_ " perhaps but definitely not for bike gears in general, not even for folding bike gears - and there's a good reason for that.
Even once used to the gear sequence, the need to sometimes simultaneously change two different gear systems with different (dis)continued pedalling policies while changing gears will always make some gear changes awkward and slow - too slow when needing to change down climbing a hill.
@earlbee31 Well, in a way you could say that it _is_ broken. Shifting up or down according to the recommendations in this video means 40% of the possible 1 step up and down shifts are really clumsy, to say the very least.
As much as I like many other aspects of my 6 speed Brompton, this one disadvantage is so serious it made me hang on to my over 10 (ten!) times cheaper foldable bike from a department store too as it is actually more pleasant to ride mainly because of its so much easier to use 6 speed derailleur type gears with much more evenly spread gear ratios. I now only use my expensive Brompton whenever folding ease, folding speed and/or folded size are really important on a trip ...
@@FerryXtheMercy It’s actually the opposite for me. I prefer riding gear hubs these days. I find it more convenient. I think for most Brompton riders, who generally ride in urban areas where you stop and start a lot, the derailleur is the part that makes less sense. Mixing both is weird and clunky for a lot of people.
I think I can just leave the derrailer gear on 2. And just use the hub gears like if it was a 3 speed.
so you basically can't down shift on a steep hill?
Why don't they explain this when you purchase it? I haven't been able to shift into 1st gear since I bought it
Really doesn't seem hard. Just think about it as 3 high and 3 low. If I'm coming to a stop from 3 high, I go down to 3 low so I can get started again easy.
If I come to a hard stop and don't have enough time, I just go from 3 high to 1 high while my pedals aren't moving. The advantage is you have both styles of shifting available to you.
A fast way to dump or add gearing on the left and a nice way to pick gears while stopped on the right.
Thanks for the feedback
"the key to easy riding is keeping your pedals spinning" ... "when making a hub gear change you need to pause pedalling"
Bit of a paradox, but unfortunately the bottom line is true: hub gears are far from ideal for easy pedalling.
This advice combined with the one to keep pedalling while changing the derailleur gears, no matter how justified both are, is exactly what makes changing from +1 to -2 and +2 to -3, and back from -3 to +2 and -2 to +1, really awkward.
This is a reason for me to hang on to my much cheaper folding bike with 6 speed derailleur gears, alongside my 6 speed Brompton. It's easier to ride and thus more comfortable when the quick and most compact (un)folding unique to the Brompton isn't paramount. 😕
What is your other folding bike?
@@zutinic Home brand from a Dutch department store ("On the road" they call it). Aluminium frame, 6 speed (single) derailleur gears, 20" wheels. And a single frame hinge, which makes it still relatively bulky when folded. That was the main reason for bying the Brompton, it's folding size and ease are (afaik) unsurpassed.
The gear controller on the handlebar for the cheaper one is actually quite unusual, even though an original Shimano one. It shifts up one gear at a time at the push of a button, but shifting down is done by a simple lever (with fixed click points for each gear). As odd as it may seem, it turns out to be pretty brilliant as it enables very easily shifting down multiple gears at once, even all the way from '6th' to '1st' just before coming to a (sudden) stop. And I never missed the (in)ability to do the same while shifting up, on the contrary: it prevents you from shifting up multiple gears accidentally like a simple two-way lever would, as you have to deliberatle push the gear-up button multiple times to do so.
That odd but clever little controller may very well be an important factor why I like the 'old' 'cheap' bike's gear system better than my Brompton's
My 3 gear Brompton can on,y be rode on the 1st gear and I cannot switch to 2 or 3. Any one know what could have happened so I can start looking into it? 🙏🏽
A number of things could be wrong, difficult to say from afar. It could be as simple as an upset shifting cable calibration, but it could also be the consequence of an internal problem in the hub. If it's not a simple external issue, like such a controller (-cable) problem, only a qualified bike (repair) shop can make a definitive diagnosis, unfortunately.
Almost certainly, it's the gear index bar position that's wrong.
Put the bike in mid gear. Look into the side hole in the aluminium chain tensioner nut. The shoulders of the index bar should be level with the end of the axle. If they're not, the internal mechanism can't align properly.
Undo the little knurled lock nut and adjust the bottle screw at the top of the little index chain until the index bar shoulders line up with the axle end. The gears will then work normally.
Don't forget to tighten up the lock nut again. Leaving that loose is the usual reason for the gears getting out of adjustment.
when will brompton make own semi auto shifting system?
I don't think the 6 speed controls were well thought out. With the sequence minus 1, plus 1, minus 2, plus 2, minus 3, plus 3, there are two instances of gear shift that require both controls to accomplish. I wish the sequence had been minus 1, 2 and 3, followed by plus 1, 2 and 3. As the controls are, I see myself cruising in mostly minus 2 and plus 2 until conditions warrant droping down or kicking into gears 1 and 3 respectively.
It's not all that difficult. You don't have to _stop_ pedaling when shifting the hub, just don't put force on the pedals i.e. "ease up" while keeping the crank spinning. You should ease up when shifting the derailleur (hi-lo) too, so it's all the same. If you need to downshift while stopped, just remember ride side shifter.
I like this bike very much but I won’t buy because the wheel on 16”. If 20-21” I will buy one
Its sad that Brompton has complicated gear change system - its a pain!!!~
I guess you have to be a Top Gun pilot to operate the six Gear Hub and derailleur system
Thank god I've got the 3 speed
I still dont understand the gear changing 🙃
Is 1:24 a joke just to confuse people? It's not explained at all and the video doesn't align with what's being said, very frustrating for a video that supposedly explains how to shift gears.
You can still look cool on a Brompton wearing a helmet.
👏🏼
But how cool would you look wearing knee and elbow protection? Those body parts are quite vulnerable too when you manage to fall off your bike 🤔
The short pants and sleeves the guy is wearing makes the omission of those protective items particularly dangerous, even in a minor fall you're quite likely to suffer serious skin abraision. That causes a high risk of coming down with tetanus, a dangerous disease *with 30% mortality rate* !
I choose wearing long, not too flimsy, sleeves and trousers over dying from tetanus all the time everytime 😁
Now i see why some people rather ride a Fixie bike. That's too complicated.
Ball Ring not “bull” ring.
Welcome to the UK mate
Ehm, so where are the balls that would make such a name make any (more) sense??
Yeah, there's no bull either, I know 😉 Guess pawl ring would make more sense than either, but they never asked me what the thing should be called so don't blame me for the official English name for it not making much sense too 🤓
According to my favorite search engine a 'ball ring' is something very very different btw 🤔
@@FerryXtheMercy The name Ball Ring is correct, so correct that Sturmey Archer who designed the hub for Brompton has named it so. The word ball is used because the ball bearing cage resides on the race part of the ring hence the name Ball Ring part number HSA799. I am just amazed that an official Brompton video would call it Bull Ring. This said, I LOVE my Brompton and commute to work everyday here in the USA. Keep up the good work Brompton I will ALWAYS be a fan!
@@ed0078 Ah, I think that explains the confusion over terminology. 👍
The part you mention actually has two sides playing different roles. On the one side there's the ball cup that's part of the ball bearing function of this ring, that SA base their part naming on. On the other side though there's a saw toothed ring with the freehub function housing the pawls. It seems that type of ring in general sometimes _is_ called a bull ring.
Even the name for the latter (sort of) makes sense, according to some sources it's called that because of a (rather vague imho) resemblance to the bull ring in a (bull fighting) arena 🤔
So you're both right in a way, the formal name for the actual part in a SA hub gear is ball ring, but a generic name for the kind of saw toothed ring that catches the pawls is actually bull ring.
As the latter is what that part of the video focuses on, the ball bearing ring side never really shows up in it which had me confused why it would be called ball ring, I _can_ understand Brompton uses the other name. Hopefully now so can you 🙂