There is no real practical reason behind this tuning option. It’s the look of the suspension block from BikeFun I wanted. The rear suspension of a Brompton is important. The little wheels give you a much harder ride then 28” wheels do and the suspension compensates this disadvantage.
Here you see my new “British retro version – Copper” of a suspension block made in Taiwan by BIKEfun. It comes with a weight of 180g packed in a wooden box. Nice – isn’t it?
The original suspension on a Brompton is provided by a polyurethane block mounted between the main and rear frames.
The suspension block from BikeFun is a more complex piece. It consists of a metal housing, two hard-plastic end caps and a polyurethane block in between. There is a version with a metal spring made in Japan. Mine came with the polyurethane block.
The Brompton suspension assembly consists of the suspension block itself and a bolt and disc. The disc connects the rear to the quick release clamp on the seat post. You will reuse the disc and bolt with the BikeFun suspension block.
The bolt and disc fit perfectly. You still could set the rear frame clip assembly in latch mode or non-latch mode.
Simply rotate the suspension block so that the clip automatically engages with the rear frame. If the clip can’t engage it leaves the rear frame free to fold.
There is a plastic sheet between the suspension block and the frame. It prevents abrasion of the paint and I reused it as I did with the white spacer.
That’s the final look on my orange Brompton. I’m not sure if the silver wheels from Brompfication match pretty perfect…
The performance – it is a firm suspension now. I ordered a firm spring and now the new suspension is really stiff – a little bit too stiff. But it adds a fast touch to my Brompton – no power will be burned by the suspension.
Still the suspension of my Moulton AM is unbeaten – here the optics come to the fore. I like it.
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11 responses to “Suspension Tuning”
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Handsome! But it does look a bit less flexible than the original –sometimes one pays a small price for style. The copper is gorgeous on your orange B.
Yes – you are right – feels stiffer but that’s ok for me. The Brommi feels faster with a hard back… :)
could you please post the full URL of bikefun?
thanks, janet
never mind, i found the link in the righthand column.
J
Nice blog – some interesting mods you have on here!
That suspension block is beautiful, but did you really pay 2,800 yaan / £290 / €340 … ? That’s craaazy expensive.
Is this where you got it from? http://goods.ruten.com.tw/item/show?21201295514754
I have the ‘firm’ Brompton suspension, with a hose/jubilee clip to make it even firmer. You say that it “is a firm suspension now. I ordered a firm spring and now the new suspension is really stiff” – did you get a sprint from somewhere else? You able to share where that was from – not from bikefun I take it?
I see they also have some other ones that aren’t quite as nice looking… http://goods.ruten.com.tw/item/show?21309187644915
Matt
Hi Matt,
I got it from BikeFun directly (see my link list on the right) and payed around 90 EUR. The orginal bumper inside the BikeFun block is stiff – much harder then the firm version from Brompton – but I like it – gets a little bit softer after some rides.
Cheers,
Detlef
€90 sounds much more reasonable!
Good to hear that it’s nice and firm… I am a bit heavy so I need a harder suspension ;)
When I look at your Bikefun link (using google translate): http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/bikefun-bikefun/ … the only thing that I can find to purchase the suspension is a link to that other ‘ruten’ website (top left, beside the ‘website states’ message)… am I just being blind?
You find a Mail address at the bottom of each article on the BikeFun blog. Just send him a mail and ask for the part you like.
Thanks! Appreciate your help!
Hi, where can I buy this suspension block, maybe in Germany?
You get it from BikeFUN in Taiwan (see my link collection). Just ask there via Mail.
Detlef