In my case, I am basically building a United Trifold from scratch, since I decided to upgrade nearly every part of the bike. From the bare frameset, I added the crankset, wheelset, seat post and handlebar, plus a totally new single speed drivetrain.
By doing so, I learnt a lot about this bike, both good and bad points. And this is just the start of the bike modification, there is lots more to come! It's definitely not the most cost effective way to build a bike, but it is fun. Besides, I bought this bike not because I really need it (I have many other bikes), but because I was curious to find out more about this type of trifold bikes. I used to have a Brompton M6R, but the upgrades were mainly cosmetic and functional, and not a total teardown like this one.
With my dream wheelset and basic drivetrain installed.
New carbon handlebar and Ergon grips installed, on the new Fnhon handlepost.
Single speed setup, with just one rear sprocket, and a new chain tensioner.
Installing cables on a folding bike is always tricky, as you need to ensure that the cable slack is enough to enable folding and steering, and yet not leave too much slack as it can get in the way during folding. Sometimes it takes a lot of measurements, plus trial and error to make it work optimally.
Measuring the weight of the two brake inner cables before installation. There is no shifter cable for this single speed setup.
After cutting the excess cable off, here is the weight removed. This gives a total inner cable weight of 35 grams that is on the bike.
I added this SM-CB90 Brake Cable Adjuster to the brake outer casings, to release more cable when I need to open up the brake calipers more, during wheel removal.
I love the new 3D forged handlepost, with no welding at the joints. Also check out the new Litepro headset.
Here is how the handlebar looks with the brake cables connected! Super clean with no shifter cables.
It was tricky to find a suitable place for the inline SM-CB90 brake cable adjuster, as it needs to avoid areas with sharp bends, and also avoid being near the frame to avoid knocking sounds during riding or leaving scratches on it.
Here is the original Tektro caliper brakes, conditioned to work smoothly, and with new Ultegra brake pads.
Also using the stock Tektro brake calipers at the rear. Smooth cable routing is one of the factors for good braking performance.
Love the look of the wheelset, with the unique paired spoke pattern. Looks just as good as the Kinetix Pro wheelset on the Dahon MuEX.
Rear drivetrain completed! Drivetrain efficiency is at good as it gets, with a near-perfect chain line and no internal hub drag.
The ideal chain length is when the two pulleys are in line with the hub axle. (or is it the chain tensioner pivot?)
Single speed drivetrain, with one 14T sprocket on the standard freehub body.
The bike is almost ready for a test ride! There is a huge weight saving from the stock setup, it will be revealed in the next post.
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