Finally bought a smaller folder for conversion...

[catsnapper]

Oh dear... Oh dear

Just looked at my BMS supplied ready built Q100 wheel and it's ...........

Black....and silver.......

The common problem with ready built 16" wheels from BMS and other Chinese suppliers is that they use the smaller 305mm rim, not the 349 needed for Brompton, Mezzo etc.
I think the OP is looking for all black rims - not easy to find in 349 size.

Alan

 

[Old_Dave]

Oppppppppps my bad..

Sorry I got confused (its a life style) with what was said a few pages back

I was going to order a 20" Q100 250-350W rear kit at the same time for my Dahon JetStream but the shipping doubled so there's no saving ordering at same time..and since I'm unsure whether I'm even keeping the jetStream I've decided to finish the Mezzo project first and come back to that JetStream later.

Shame.

In that case strip the wheel and send it away for a colour change (Anodising) in a bath of acid, which is a far better finish than any diy fix

 

[morphix]

Birchwood Casey ALUMINIUM BLACK Metal Finisher | eBay

The finish will be not be as good as sending the wheel to have it coloured by the hot acid method ... But


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Dave, the seller said as much as I asked him.. it might be ok for mock-up purposes for my video/photos.. but won't last long beyond that.

I've asked ATB Sales the manufacturer of Mezzo if they can supply 36H rims on special order.. I won't hold my breath through. I've had a search around to see what's available in China, and can't find any suppliers.. I think Catsnapper is on the ball when he said only one supplier in the US, of the Australian brand rims (priced about $40+shipping+VAT/Duty).. I did find one supplier though in Spain who can get them, but he only has silver ones in stock and tells me that black rims are available but he would only be able to get them in quantity on a special order.. I'm just discussing price and quantity with him. I'd certainly be willing to buy a box of them off him if the quantity is sensible, as I'm sure there's bound to be others in same situation as myself in need of black 349mm 36H rims at some point.

I'm seriously beginning to think the original suggestion made by someone when I started this project, of doing a mid-drive/crank conversion might in retrospect be a much better way of going about this conversion due to these problems with the rims and the gears. Although fitting a mid drive motor comes with its own set of problems/challenges, i.e. actual fitting, whether it affects the fold, and limitations on motor choice etc, it would leave the bike intact and save money and hassle eh.

 

[morphix]

Plodding onwards...

Well since we're pretty much snowed in now (about 4 inches of snow fallen already and still coming down thick and fast) and not much is moving around here, work wise.. I might fit this rear wheel see how the silver looks against the black frame... It's hard to get an idea just from resting it up against the bike...but it maybe futile and may be just as difficult to get a proper impression even with one wheel fitted..probably will need to go the full hog and do the front one to see the full effect!

I'm sure it will no doubt look tidy and smart, but I feel its a significant compromise from what I had wanted...it will change the appearance of what the Mezzo D9 looks like now...I'm not one for compromising over details.. I like things perfect...I'm a fussy ******! My aim was to keep the bike looking as close as possible as it does now, with little sign of being electric. I even wanted a black motor!

 

[morphix]

In that case strip the wheel and send it away for a colour change (Anodising) in a bath of acid, which is a far better finish than any diy fix

Sounds interesting! Not something I could do, but I wonder if there's any places could do that if I sent the rims off to them.

 

[Old_Dave]

I even wanted a black motor!

Then strip the motor apart and send the case as well as the rim for a bath, lol

But wot about the spokes

 

[Old_Dave]

Heres the first place I found

Sulphuric Acid Anodising form Malden Plating

Thought the nice pictures of the guys doing the job would of had eye protection and masks ?

Still... my days of beating peeps over the head with books are long gone

 

[morphix]

Then strip the motor apart and send the case as well as the rim for a bath, lol

But wot about the spokes

The spokes are ok as they're silver on the original D9 ;-)

 

[morphix]

Heres the first place I found

Sulphuric Acid Anodising form Malden Plating

Thought the nice pictures of the guys doing the job would of had eye protection and masks ?

Still... my days of beating peeps over the head with books are long gone

I contacted the firm just to see out of interest if it's something they can do and how much they would charge.. I asked for the rim and the motor casing as separate jobs.. I noticed on their colour options though, they don't offer black and the default finish seems to be silver!

 

[Old_Dave]

Here.... Aluminium Anodising Colours from Malden Plating

Darn... no black, but don't worry there are lots of places

 

[morphix]

Here.... Aluminium Anodising Colours from Malden Plating

Darn... no black, but don't worry there are lots of places

Do you reckon firms like this would charge a lot for a small job like this, if they agree to do it at all?

 

[Old_Dave]

Maybe.. lol

Can only ask them.

 

[Jeremy]

You could always do it yourself............. I've anodised bits of aluminium in the garage, using a bucket of diluted acid, a power supply and some lead sheet as the electrodes. Works OK and you can dye it any colour you want using Dylon fabric dye, then boil it in water afterwards to fix the dye and seal the anodising.

The hard bit would be removing the original anodising, assuming the rim is anodised silver.

 

[morphix]

You could always do it yourself............. I've anodised bits of aluminium in the garage, using a bucket of diluted acid, a power supply and some lead sheet as the electrodes. Works OK and you can dye it any colour you want using Dylon fabric dye, then boil it in water afterwards to fix the dye and seal the anodising.

The hard bit would be removing the original anodising, assuming the rim is anodised silver.

It's just not possible, I don't have the space in a flat and it doesn't sound like something I'd even like to attempt.

 

[Jeremy]

Not something to be done in a flat, that's for sure! It does needs a well ventilated space and even then probably breaks more rules than you can wave a big stick at....................

 

[Old_Dave]

Not something to be done in a flat, that's for sure!

Could always use the bathroom

Hang on ... bathrooms & sulphuric acid reminds me of something, lol

Got any problem neighbours ?

 

[morphix]

Could always use the bathroom

Hang on ... bathrooms & sulphuric acid reminds me of something, lol

Got any problem neighbours ?

Hehe did have, but got rid of them..no acid bath was involved though lol

 

[hech]

Congratulations morphix you have just won my vote for the most tedious, non-productive build thread ever in the entire history of this crinkly old(but glorious) forum. Well done. Why dont you come back to us after you decide what colour of wheels you want and have actually fitted at least two of them onto the bike?
Honestly where is CWAH these days, he was a decisive lets go type fellow who knew how to write a build log if eva anyone did?

 

[morphix]

Congratulations morphix you have just won my vote for the most tedious, non-productive build thread ever in the entire history of this crinkly old(but glorious) forum. Well done. Why dont you come back to us after you decide what colour of wheels you want and have actually fitted at least two of them onto the bike?
Honestly where is CWAH these days, he was a decisive lets go type fellow who knew how to write a build log if eva anyone did?

Thanks for your valued vote hech, if I win the award I'll give it pride of place on my mantlepiece with the others.

And since your time here has been somewhat short and limited, I'm sure others here who not unlike myself are crinkly and old and have been around a little while longer, will be sitting up and paying attention to your considered opinions on what constitutes a productive build.

 

[103Alex1]

Morphix, FWIW I can understand where you are coming from and thinking all this stuff through on something you've not done before off a piece of paper is not easy. But sometimes variations & compromises = inevitable part of project.

All hech seems interested in is the bike bits and not the aesthetics or functionality. It's a shame he doesn't have the sensitivity to appreciate that people looking for solutions and exploring options around those aspects is actually as interesting and relevant to some people as how to build the biggest dick extension in the commuter lineup.