The New Brompton G Line Electric

[StuartsProjects]

However still not keen on the 8 speed Alfine hub, would have preferred a 3 speed with the 2 speed derailleur setup.

On my DIY converted eBrompton, I dumped the 3 speed Sturmey Archer hub gear and set up for 3 cogs on the rear derailleur shifter. This save a lot of weight.

These 3 gears are plenty and for Urban use, I almost never shift it out of top gear, the motor takes up the slack on most all hills.

 

[Bonzo Banana]

£3.5K is totally bonkers! It's only a steel framed hub motored folding bike with a torque sensing controller! No wonder Brompton and pals are doing their damndest at this very moment to make cheap but decent and user repairable alternatives like the Argos bargain folder illegal.

I wouldn't say the price is bonkers, for a European made product it feels reasonable and no worse in fact actually better value than some mainland Europe alternatives however probably like you I'm spoilt by the Chinese suppressed currency meaning exports are hugely under-priced. If I can buy a good quality Asian made alternative for a lot less then I'll do that sadly. However if I had the money would definitely support British manufacturing where possible.

That Argos £245 folding bike has its issues but surely as it comes its incredibly safe it has a very low current controller so the cells are getting discharged at a very low rate, this improves safety and lifespan. I mean 8A peak spread over perhaps 3 or 4 cells in parallel seems like an easy life to me for those cells. Many ebikes have early battery pack failure. I've read so many reports of Gtech ebike battery packs failing due to their very low capacity battery packs but fairly high discharge rate.

Bosch battery packs have quite a high failure rate, yes the BMS is great so disables the battery pack but Bosch based e-mountain bikes can discharge those packs at a very high rate plus of course if you only use your Bosch ebike infrequently and it hasn't been charged for a while the battery pack will permanently disable itself as the BMS registers this as being disconnected from the battery cells and at that point the battery pack is useless.

I'm personally not convinced more expensive European ebikes are safer because there is less exposure in the marketplace and many of them are obsessed with being lightweight so have the fewest cells possible but with still quite aggressive discharge rates. Yes maybe their BMS will disable the battery pack more quickly more generally but when you see some of the failed Bosch battery packs taken apart by engineers on youtube you can see the cells had started to fail and ignite but then the BMS had fused them I guess. It got pretty close, they had started to smoke internally. Also Specialized had to recall their e-mountain bikes in the past due to risk of fire. Typically many cheap hub motor ebikes discharge their cells far less aggressively. I'm not seeing Halford's Assist ebikes being a risk of fire and have never heard of one being the cause of a fire and that was their best selling ebike at one point which they have sold for as little as £299.

 

[Ghost1951]

@Bonzo Banana

Interested in your remarks here Bonzo.

I have both the Argos folder and a standard 3 speed Brompton that I have owned for about 12 years.

While I really like my little Argos bike and have ridden it now just over 230 miles grinning all the way - it is certainly no Brompton - no where near. 11.5Kg compared to 25.8kg for one thing. The battery and motor do not weigh 14kg for sure. The frame on the Argos has to be made from massively thick steel considering the stresses it is carrying. I have not tested but I expect the wheel rims are steel.

It is what it is and I am loving it for all its niggles (like the seat post slowly sinking over about 20 miles, no mater how tight I make the pinch bolt) but it is unashamedly a cheaply made product rather than one made with skill and care in London - largely by hand.

Now that I have found my Park Tool spoke key, when I get back to Northumberland tomorrow, I will be trying to true my back wheel on the Argos. I have never ever had to touch the spokes on the Brompton. I have a 3mm wiggle on the Argos back wheel now, which is annoying me. Should be easy enough to get rid of, now I have the key. A couple of weeks ago, while riding along a narrow lane with the sun directly in my eyes, and a van following me, I ran over a sleeping policeman with full weight on the saddle at about 13 miles an hour. Nearly threw me off the bike. Maybe that is how the wiggle got into the wheel, or maybe the workmanship at the factory was less than stellar... Who knows..... I will soon have it fixed.

EDIT:

I think you are right about the gentle treatment the battery gets on the Argos. 8 amps on probably a 3p battery is never going to send the battery into melt down. I'm not sure that running that battery at 15 amps peak would be such a great idea. At 12 and a half stone, I really notice the motor running out of puff on a steep hill. I just drop the gears and spin my legs and we eventually get up. I don't mind that. If it doesn't kill me it will do me good, even if I am gasping for breath. When I say steep hills - I am talking about 18% and 20% - and quite long. Around here I often climb hundreds of vertical feet. If worst comes to worst, it has a 'walk mode' which works ok and I can walk.

 

[StuartsProjects]

However if I had the money would definitely support British manufacturing where possible.

Agreed.

And I doubt the British workers at Brompton would be prepared to take a massive pay cut to make the bikes cheaper.

 

[saneagle]

@Bonzo Banana

Interested in your remarks here Bonzo.

I have both the Argos folder and a standard 3 speed Brompton that I have owned for about 12 years.

While I really like my little Argos bike and have ridden it now just over 230 miles grinning all the way - it is certainly no Brompton - no where near. 11.5Kg compared to 25.8kg for one thing. The battery and motor do not weigh 14kg for sure. The frame on the Argos has to be made from massively thick steel considering the stresses it is carrying. I have not tested but I expect the wheel rims are steel.

It is what it is and I am loving it for all its niggles (like the seat post slowly sinking over about 20 miles, no mater how tight I make the pinch bolt) but it is unashamedly a cheaply made product rather than one made with skill and care in London - largely by hand.

Now that I have found my Park Tool spoke key, when I get back to Northumberland tomorrow, I will be trying to true my back wheel on the Argos. I have never ever had to touch the spokes on the Brompton. I have a 3mm wiggle on the Argos back wheel now, which is annoying me. Should be easy enough to get rid of, now I have the key. A couple of weeks ago, while riding along a narrow lane with the sun directly in my eyes, and a van following me, I ran over a sleeping policeman with full weight on the saddle at about 13 miles an hour. Nearly threw me off the bike. Maybe that is how the wiggle got into the wheel, or maybe the workmanship at the factory was less than stellar... Who knows..... I will soon have it fixed.

EDIT:

I think you are right about the gentle treatment the battery gets on the Argos. 8 amps on probably a 3p battery is never going to send the battery into melt down. I'm not sure that running that battery at 15 amps peak would be such a great idea. At 12 and a half stone, I really notice the motor running out of puff on a steep hill. I just drop the gears and spin my legs and we eventually get up. I don't mind that. If it doesn't kill me it will do me good, even if I am gasping for breath. When I say steep hills - I am talking about 18% and 20% - and quite long. Around here I often climb hundreds of vertical feet. If worst comes to worst, it has a 'walk mode' which works ok and I can walk.

The wheel rims are aluminium. The stem and bars are steel, and the rack is steel. Most of the weight is in the frame. You could probably save about 2kg by replacing the rack, bars and the bars folding mechanism with aluminium ones, and maybe another kg from the cranks and pedals, and a bit more from the forks, or you could go out for a ride without breakfast first, and wear lycia when you ride.

Incidentally, the battery switch has packed up on mine, in the on position, luckily.