Brompton Toolkit

This entry is delayed by more than four months since I got the Brompton Toolkit early this year. My apologies for this late post.

The Brompton Toolkit

In the past I carried my tools in the nylon saddle bag which came with the Brompton cover. As convenient as it is, the saddle bag did not fit well with the elegant design of a folded Brompton. To be honest, that bag was ugly.

So I was delighted when Brompton announce that it was coming out with a toolkit that fit inside the bike's main frame. How awesome was that?! So, just for the sake of having a toolkit concealable within the bike, I had to get one. Never mind if dozens of users complained about the flimsiness of the tire levers, nothing was going to stop me from owning this work of art.

As luck would have it a fellow BCP member bought extra from the U.S. He raffled them off in one of our rides last February. Unfortunately, I did not win the right to buy it. But fortunately, one of the winners noticed my disappointment and he offered his place. (Thanks, Eric!) I bought it for PhP 4,000 (approx. US$95.00). Nycewheels sells it for US$79.00.

The toolkit comes with the basic tools a cyclist needs: patches, sand paper, and a ratchet handle with phillips & flat head screwdrivers, as well as allen wrenches. I've used the screwdriver to install my rear light and the allen wrench to adjust my Brooks saddle.

The ratchet handle doubles as a socket wrench. Useful when you want to unscrew a wheel nut.

Finally, the toolkit comes with tire levers. Now I haven't had a flat since I bought the toolkit so I haven't used them, but there are reports and complaints that these levers are easily breakable. In fact according to Nycewheels, Brompton acknowledge this flaw and has suspended the sale of the toolkit until the company can strengthen the design of the tire lever. Anyway, the tire levers looked flimsy from the get-go. I wouldn't have used them if I had to. 

I still like the toolkit. I get to use the wrenches and the screwdrivers, so it's still useful to me. Plus, the design! It's beautiful! I don't regret buying this.

Vincita SL01 Leather Saddle

I was fortunate enough to receive a special Christmas present from the folks over at Vincita in Thailand. They sent me the SL01 Sport Leather Saddle!

It's a pretty neat leather saddle. The SL01 closely resembles the Brooks B-17. I must say, at first touch the saddle feels a bit tough and hard. But I guess, after applying Proofide and a few kilometers riding on it, it'll eventually soften up. I have to confess, though, I haven't actually ridden on it. I'm too lazy to replace the existing saddle on my Brompton. Maybe first thing in 2013, as one of my new year's resolutions! Hahaha! It is cheaper than the Brooks B-17, I can tell you that. It retails for only THB 2,590.00 (or US$84.00 / PHP3,450.00).

The SL01 came with its own rain cover. When not in use, it folds into this small pouch, which will fit a standard size saddle bag. Cool.

I'll share my full review of this product as soon as I've tested it. In the meantime, Happy Holidays, everyone!

Review: Vincita B-500B Brompton Cover

My Brompton Cover had seen better days. It has a lot of holes due to wear and tear. It has gotten so bad that I had to cover the holes up with duct tape so they wouldn't worsen.

I really had to replace them.

Enter Vincita's B-500B folding bike cover! It does the same thing as the Brompton's--only much better and cheaper.

The cover comes with its own bag, which you can attach to your saddle. Like the Brompton Cover, the Vincita B-500B is made of sturdy nylon material and protects your bike from dust and water. It's black which means you can use it to conceal the bike and confidently bring it with you inside restaurants, banks and shopping malls.

There are two things why I like this cover compared to the original. First, at its bottom, Mr. Yingsak and his team replaced the extremely irritating nylon cord with a velcro strap. It does the same job of securing the bottom, and looks cleaner as well.

Second, the B-500B's pouch is integrated in the cover itself. It's sown on the inside of the cover. How neat is that?!

Did I mention that it's cheaper? While the Brompton Cover retails for $45.00 over at NYCeWheels, it's only $17.00 at Vincita.

Review: Ortlieb Mini O-Bag

I told myself not to buy another bag for my Brompton (I already have the T Bag), but an opportunity came up that I could not refuse. My pal Abel bought a white Ortlieb Mini O-Bag that he later decided not to use, so he posted it on our group's facebook page. It's white. And it's an Ortlieb. How can I not get it?

Now I know my friend Diane already has a own review of this product. It's pretty extensive. But just the same, here's mine.

The Mini O-Bag is the Brompton version of the Ortlieb Ultimate 5 Classic handlebar bag. It is made of a PVC-coated polyester cover making it waterproof. No need for a separate rain cover like the T-Bag. As for capacity, well, it pales in comparison to the T-Bag's 21 liters, but the Mini O-Bag's 7 liters provides enough space for the essentials.

Here you can see the Mini O-Bag can fit a shirt, arm sleeves, an eco bag, an innertube, saddle cover, cycle cap, front light, fibre flare light, a multi-tool, wallet and sunglasses. I can even squeeze in some power bars, an apple and my rain jacket if I wanted to. Like I said, enough room for a whole day long bike ride.

The Mini O-Bag attaches to the front carrier block just like any Brompton bag. But, it opens from its back for easy access from the handlebar.

I can imagine using the Mini O-Bag for quick trips to the supermarket--use it as a mini-shopping cart like this.

Look at that. The white Mini O Bag perfectly matches my white Brompton! How could I have not bought it?! Incidentally, the Mini O-Bag retails for $143.00 on NyceWheels. As of the moment, it only comes in two colors (Blue and White).

Knog Boomer Rechargeable Front LED Light

Recently bought a Knog Boomer USB Front Light (right)

I needed to replace my years old battery powered Cateye front light. But this time I wanted something that was rechargeable. I didn't care much about that I could see the road with it at night, no. What was more important for me was that I could be seen by others. So I wasn't interested with those powerful 200-300 lumen front lights, which are expensive by the way. I was out to look for a 100 lumen or less rechargeable front light for my Brompton.

My research on the net got me to narrow the choices down to the Blackburn Super Flea (or Flea) and the Knog Boomer. Both are less than 100 lumens (Super Flea at 80 and Boomer at 55) and rechargeable (via USB).

After comparing the two, based on user reviews and actual inspection, I decided to get the Knog Boomer. Here's why:

1. The Mount. While the Boomer uses its own stretchable silicone casing to attach to the handlebar, the Flea uses a velcro strap. Now I don't know about you but in my opinion velcro straps aren't effective grips on bikes, with all the rattling and all.They tend to loosen and come off.

2. The USB plug. The problem with the Flea is that it cannot charge directly to a computer. It comes with a separate USB plug that the light has to attach on to be able to charge. That attachment is tiny and could easily be lost by the owner. On the other hand, the Boomer's USB plug is on the light itself. All you need to do is remove the silicone casing and plug the Boomer to your computer's USB port. 

The Boomer in its box.

Silicone casing on the left. The LED light with USB on the right.

Just insert the LED light into the silicone casing and voila!

I tested the Boomer one night and it suits me fine. The LED light is bright enough for me to be seen by motorists and other commuters.

If you like the Flea, it is available in Velocity over at Cartimar and Sabak Makati along Pasong Tamo Ext. The Super Flea is 80 lumens and retails at around P1,800.00 while the Flea is 40 lumens and sells for around P1,000.00. The Super Flea only comes in one color, silver. The Flea comes in a range of colors including black, white, silver, red and blue.

If you're interested with the Boomer USB, I got mine at Bike King in Bonifacio High Street. It is 55 lumens and cost me P1,300.00. The silicon casing comes in black, blue, red, white and translucent colors.

Boy Kitchen Easy Fold Clamp for Brompton

The kit comes with 2 clamps, 2 screws, 2 springs and 2 nuts

My friend Marlowe, who shuttles to and fro Thailand, was kind enough to get me a pair of Boy Kitchen's Easy Fold Clamps for my Brompton during his last visit there. For those of you not in the know, the Easy Fold Clamps replace the standard clamps of the Brompton's two hinges. You see, the problem with the stock clamp is that it rotates when you loosen the lever. It can get irritating when you fold or unfold the bike. Because it is loose, you have to hold the clamp in place when you tighten the lever to re-attach it to the bike. (For those non-Brompton owners I am sorry if you did not understand my description--I don't know how else to explain it)

Stock clamp on the left; Easy Fold clamp on the right

Boy Kitchen's aluminum clamp avoids that annoying situation by making one side of the clamp rise higher than the other. The redesign results in the Easy Fold clamp staying in place when loosening or tightening the lever--saving you time and the trouble.

Standard hinge clamp set on the left; Easy Fold clamp set on the right

Silly me, I intalled the Easy Fold clamp as is. And as a result, I had a hard time turning the screw because it didn't come with its own lever. I thought to myself, "I don't think it's supposed to be this way." Luckily, I found Boy Kitchen's YouTube video on his product. Apparently, you can pop out the black lever off the stock screw with a hammer and then transfer that lever to the Easy Fold screw. So that's what I did. 

Afterwards, I installed the nut at the end of the screw to stop the lever from turning when the Easy Fold clamp is unfastened from the hinge.

Final product on the Brompton's hinge.

Voila! Installation complete!
No more wildly rotating clamp to deal with when folding or unfolding my Brompton! I wish Brompton makes these their stock hinge clamps!

PS: The two clamp set does not come cheap though. Boy Kitchen prices a pair at THB 1,850.00 or US$60.00. (May be its expensive because it is not mass produced and he fabricates it himself.)

Cateye Reflex Auto Tail Light

A few days ago, Allan of BCP posted on our Facebook page the Cateye Reflex Auto Tail Light LD570. He installed it on his Brompton and I thought I had to do the same as well. You see, the Reflex Auto is not your ordinary tail light/reflector. The cool thing about it is that it has optic and motion sensors! This means the Reflex Auto can determine when its dark and the bike is in motion, and will then turn itself on. If its neither, then the Reflex Auto will turn itself off after 50 seconds. Galing, 'no?  

The Reflex Auto sells for PhP 1,200.00 (US$28.00) at Tryon bike shop in Makati. I got mine last weekend. The package comes with 2 AAA dry cells, 2 seat post mounts and a rack mount. I chose to use the rack mount.

The Brompton's stock Cateye Reflector

First, I removed the stock reflector of my Brompton's rear rack with a wrench. Afterwards, I screwed on the Reflex Auto's black plastic mount. It felt a bit flimsy--like the thread will loosen after some time. I wish Cateye used a sturdier material for the mount.

Anyway, when that was done, I snapped on the Reflex Auto and locked it in with the small lockscrew that came with it in the package.

Bird's Eye View

My new tail light fits perfectly on the rear rack. In fact, the Reflex Auto looked like it came with the Brompton straight from the factory.

I folded the Brompton just to check if I positioned the tail light too low and therefore made it touch the floor. Mabuti naman at hindi. Glad that it didn't. 

The Reflex Auto hovers a few centimeters above the ground in the Brompton's folded state.

I can't wait to use the Reflex Auto in one of my afternoon bike commutes. With this tail light installed, I no longer need to stop in the middle of the road just to turn it on. When it gets dark, the Reflex Auto will automatically light up. And when I get home and park it, it will turn off by itself. I tested this last Sunday and it works! Here's a video from Cateye featuring the Reflex Auto Tail Light LD570 in action.

InStep Rocket Bike Trailer

My 2 year old is about to "graduate" from her child bike seats so I got her this Rocket Bike Trailer from InStep (a trade name of Pacific Cycles). I bought it used from a friend of mine last weekend for just PhP 2,200.00 (US$50.00). Not a bad deal, eh? 

They go for around PhP 3,500.00 (US$80.00) pre-owned over at HMR in Pioneer St., Mandaluyong. A brand new one costs more than US$200.00 on Amazon. So I got mine for 1/4 of its actual price.

The frame of the trailer is made of aluminum, so it's pretty light (less than 30 lbs.). The wheels are alloy, not plastic, which is good because this means it'll last longer. The whole contraption is quick to fold and disassemble. No need for tools. I can easily store it when not in use. 


A feature I like is that the trailer can be converted into a jogging stroller! You just unhook the tow bar from the coupler, unscrew the front wheel and attach the metal handlebars at the back. Voila! My wife and I can take Bea around even without the bike!

The InStep Rocket attaches to the bike via a coupler. The picture above shows how I attached it to my Brompton. Normally, that round thing with the hole should be at the bottom, but then that would substantially lower the trailer. So I repositioned the coupler horizontally to raise it and level the trailer.

My wife's only problem with the Rocket isn't really InStep's fault but is an issue for all bike trailers (whether Burley, Schwinn or what have you). She doesn't like the idea that debris (i.e. water, mud, pebbles, small trash etc.) flung by the rear wheel as it spins may ricochet to my daughter's face. Sure, there's a mesh screen, but it barely protects her from dust particles, what more larger objects. I just have to trust the Brompton's fenders.

And another thing, the side windows of the canopy are made of clear plastic. I would've preferred if they were mesh screens like the front and back, so it'll be more ventilated inside. But, oh well, beggars can't be choosy! It just cost me 2,000 pesos.

Here, my daughter and her stuffed horse fit comfortably in the trailer designed for two.

Bea and I tried the InStep Rocket last Sunday. We went around a couple of blocks. From what I saw, she looked happy and seemed to enjoy being 'rickshawed' by daddy. As for me, I had no problems pulling the trailer with the Brompton. There was drag but it was unnoticeable. So, I'm happy with the product just as she is.

Now, all that's left for me to do is buy a safety flag kit that I'll attach to the trailer to make it more visible to others, and then its off to join the Tour of the Fireflies!

Special thanks to Bobby Leyeza for selling this bike trailer to me at a really good price!

Fibre Flare Tail Light

My friend Diane gifted me a Fibre Flare Tail Light back in HK. (Thanks, Diane!) It's a cool LED bike light that, according to its website, is different from other bike lights because it is omni-directional (seen from all directions). The LED light is lit from end to end via a fibre optic core.

The Fibre Flare attaches on the Brompton's seatpost (see above photo). You wrap the rubber band around the post and hook it on the other side. I like the Fibre Flare because it really is bright at night and, true to its advertisement, is visible from all directions. However, what I don't like about this product, especially for Bromptons, is that I have to remove the light everytime I want to fold the bike. Otherwise, I won't be able to hide the seatpost. It's time consuming to take-off and re-attach. I don't have this problem with a regular CatEye light. But that's my only complaint. It's still a cool bike light.  

The Fibre Flare tail light at night

The Fibre Flare was given to me as a gift so I don't know how much it was bought. However, the website states the tail light's SRP is $39.99.

Minoura BH-100C-S Bottle Cage Holder

After a long and tedious search, I finally found THE water bottle cage holder for my Brompton. It's the Minoura BH-100C!

I've tried similar products before but they just didn't work for me. I first got this unbranded black hard-plastic holder from Malabon. It clamped on the handlebar post. I didn't like it because the clamp was difficult to adjust. And when clamped, I still felt this holder wasn't secured on enough on the post.

The no-brand water bottle mount

Afterwards, I bought this Topeak CageMount. It, too, clamped on the handlebar post. It looked sleek in its packaging, but when I installed it I realized the design was just awful. I mean, the bottle cage holder branched out so far from the post that it made the whole contraption wobble whenever I ride--even on smooth surfaces. Because of this, the water bottle would bounce up and down. It was unstable. Another problem was, like the previous mount, it was hard to adjust and install.

Topeak CageMount. See how far it extends from the post?

Anyway, last March, when I was in Flying Ball Bike Shop in Hong Kong, Diane showed me the Minoura BH-100C-S. I really wanted to replace the Topeak CageMount so I bought this one for HK$150 (PhP 825 or US$19). Pretty expensive but what the heck.

The Minoura without the bottle cage

The Minoura WITH a bottle cage

I like the Minoura because it's made of stainless steel, not plastic. It feels more solid. Next, the mount clamps on the handlebar instead of the post, which I think is a better design because it feels more secured. Finally, I like the Minoura because among the three products, the BH-100C is the easiest to adjust and attach.

Bird's Eye view of the Minoura mount. Stainless steel and easy to attach on the handlebar.

If you're in Flying Ball, and you're looking for a solid water bottle cage mount for your Brompton, then get the Minoura BH-100C.

PS: The BH-100C comes in TWO (2) sizes: S (22-29mm) and M (28-35mm). The S fits the Brompton handlebars.

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a paid advertisement.