Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Modifications to Flamingo London NX7: Roller Skate Wheels!

Just a quick post on the roller wheels on my Flamingo London NX7. Previously, I had changed the roller wheels to the Ezy Wheels, as the stock roller wheels were quite poor. You can read more about it at the link below.


Modifications to Flamingo London NX7: Ezy Wheels

Those Ezy wheels were not really suitable for the Flamingo, as they were too small. Although they were smooth rolling, the tiny size made it vulnerable to getting stuck in crevices and gaps in the ground. Thus, I kept on searching for suitable roller wheels.

I finally found some suitable roller skate wheels in a roller skate shop at Novena! Thanks to 明天 who alerted me to the wheels. A set of 4 wheels was obtained, and they are of similar size to the original roller wheels on the Flamingo.

Originally meant for roller skates!

Good quality wheels, at an affordable $10 per set

However, as with most modifications, it is not as easy as just swapping the wheels. The original roller wheels uses M6 bolts as the axle for the wheels, and this bolt size has to be maintained as there are corresponding M6 screw threads on the bike rear rack. These roller skate wheels have a larger hole in the center, which is about M8 in size. If I had used just M6 bolts to install them, there would be a lot of play between the wheels and the axle, which will quickly destroy the wheels.

Thus, I had to find suitable shims to enlarge the axle, at the portion where the wheel bearing rests on the axle. Only then could the wheels be installed properly.


 New roller wheels for the Flamingo

These wheels are quite good, as they are nice and round, unlike the original ones which had bumps and dents, that made it difficult to roll the bike. The bearings are also smoother. 

Finally, I have found the ideal roller wheels for the bike! These wheels roll well, are of a good size for rolling over uneven ground, and are round enough to roll smoothly and easily.

8 comments:

  1. Hi Steve,
    Thanks for sharing.
    Considering to change the skate wheels on my Flamingo as well.
    Can post a picture of the shim and where to purchase ?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi these shims are not available outside. If you are interested to change the roller wheels on your Flamingo, contact me by messaging me on FB. www.facebook.com/tylsteve

    I have a complete set of roller wheels and the hardware for it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Steve,

    Do you think this will also work for my Brompton? My Eazy Wheel is already well dented. especially the ones near the seatpost. Was thinking I should change to in-line/roller blade wheels.

    Thanks!
    Bless

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not too sure, as these are wider than the brompton roller wheels. Check with Diane or other brompton users as they can give you better advice.

      Delete
  4. Hi Steve!

    What size is this one? Diane has 80mm wheels. For hers, I would need to buy separate bearings. Looks like this has bearings included.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I was checking the pic on my iphone and couldn't read it. I just read it clearly today. 64mm for you. I think I will look for a 72-76mm ones. Many thanks! Your blog is very helpful. =)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Steve,
    Nice post.
    Appreciate if you could suggest where to get the shims for the bearings. Or what shims did you use?
    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I got the shims from some spare components from my friend, who works at an engineering company. Depending on your wheel and bearing size, you just need to make sure the bolt fits the centre of the bearing without too much play.

      Delete

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