Maintenance at home

Contents:
See also

Removing a wheel

Peter Amey:
If you have to take the wheel off it is not as hard as the manual makes it appear. I do it as follows:
  1. Undo the gear cable at the adjuster - if you do this by slackening the knurled lock nut by the very tiniest amount then you shouldn't lose track of the gear adjustment when you put it back together.
  2. Pull off the black plastic bit with the pulley.
  3. Undo the first wheelnut you find; this will allow you to remove the piece of bent metal which holds the thing referred to in (2) and also the chain tensioner.
  4. Undo the wheelnut now exposed and the one on the other side - the wheel can now be removed. It is not necessary to unscrew or remove the bit of chain dangling from the hub as long as you are careful not to catch it on anything while mending the puncture.
Replacement is basically a reversal of the above but take care:
  1. That the support washers either side of wheel slide all the way into the fork slots and are flat against them.
  2. The bit of bent metal that holds the plastic pulley thingy has its tab aligned with the direction the gear cable must go.
Once the wheel is back on the only thing left is to reconnect the gears. Providing you undid the knurled lock nut the tiniest amount it should be ok to screw the cable back on until it almost touches the locknut and then tighten the locknut against it; this will leave the gear adjustment correct without any special setting up. NB. If you hear graunching noises from the hub or find it switches gears on it own then you must re-adjust according to the manual; however, I have never had to do this using the above procedure.

Rear wheel removal

Removing the rear triangle

Check out Riding issues - Waggly rear ends before attempting this!

Bike repair stand for Bromptons

How to apply the right torque?

Andrew Brooks, Jul 1998:
The Brompton manual, along with my new mountain bike manual, gives torque settings for various fixings. Can anyone tell me how you set a torque with an Allen key? Is there some special tool?

Adjusting the stearing bearing

Disassembly of the steering column

Ron Colverson, Sep 1999:
This fitting is the same sort of thing that's found on a regular bike that has a normal traditional type of stem. The bolt (which is long) screws into a 'wedge' which clamps the stem (the tube immediately below the hinge) to the steerer tube (the tube extending upwards from the forks). The stem tube fits inside the steerer tube. Not easy to describe, but obvious when you've seen one dismantled.
Before you dismantle anything, draw a picture of where the cables go, particularly which side of which tube they pass. You'll need this when you put it back together, I guarantee!
To remove the forks, first fold the handlebars down to expose the binder bolt but don't clip them. Loosen the bolt about three turns, tap it gently with a hammer to release the wedge and pull the stem tube upwards to withdraw it and the hinge and upper parts all together. You know when the wedge is released 'cos the bolt will drop back down to seat on the hinge casting and be very loose, and you will then be able to twist the handlebars relative to the forks.
Then you can dismantle the headset as normal (this means dropping the ball bearings everywhere) and take out the forks.
If you don't feel confident with all this, I'd say take the manual's advice (don't touch it) and get a mechanic. Still draw the picture though - just in case!

I've taken out the allen bolt to remove the stem - now what? It's as solid

as a rock.

{Susan Mathis, Apr 1999} I'm in the process of installing Channell's new front fork with the V-Brake and I'm having a heck of a time tapping out what I assume is the "expansion bolt" that keeps the steering column attached to the bike. I've loosed the 6 mm bolt in the unfolded steering column. It doesn't clear the frame so the bolt can't be hit directly. I cut a block of wood to fit and really gave it a good hit or two (or 10!) and the bolt hasn't budged.

Headset lubrification (or not)

Spare parts you may need one day

The Brompton spare packs

Channell Wasson, Jul 1997:
Here is a list of items found in the Brompton Spares Pack.
Contents of Main Spares Pack:
  • Seat post quick release fitting
  • Raleigh 16" x 1 3/8" tire
  • Raleigh tube 16" x 1 3/8"
  • Handle bar catch
  • Rear triangle roller
  • 3 speed axle nut
  • Hinge clamp T-bolt assembly
  • Brompton suspension block
  • Cables and housing for front and rear brakes
  • Gear shifting cable
  • Instructions for replacing cables
  • Two brake blocks
  • Rear sprocket (13t)with dust cover, spacers and chain guide disc
  • Instructions for installing rear sprocket and spacers
  • Chain tensioner assembly (complete)
  • Spokes: set of front 14g and rear 13g
Contents of Additional Spares for T models
  • Tail light (with wires)
  • Head light
  • One rubber roller for rear rack
  • 2 elastic cords for rear rack
  • Dynamo
  • Detailed instructions for installing tail light, head light, dynamo and wiring to these items.
Prices:
  • Main Spares Pack $128.49
  • Additional Spares Pack for T models $40.86