Help winterize my brompton, please!

[Tangled Metal]

First year of commuting by bike and train. Second week flyer and broken arm makes me cautious when unsure of terrain. Cycle into work includes all the worst you can imagine. Steep, dark potholed roads and mixed use path. Gravel filled potholes with potholes in the gravel. Oh the gravel often has broken glass in it too as it's straight out of a recycling operation. Huge puddles and flooding. No idea where the puddles and potholes meet. No lighting. Trucks manoeuvring and busy. Oh and I've got 8 minutes to do what takes 6 minutes in daylight and good conditions.

So what is needed above a stock M6R? I've bought marathons, meant to get pluses but couldn't wait to order from cheap place so bought in lbs. I've got the stock guards. Currently using cateye volt 300 upfront and lezyne laser drive out back. They were my old road bike commuting lights and were great for the roads I used to take. That was approaching from the other side with a reasonable route in.

I'm thinking a higher lumens light. Any suggestions? Other than that I can't see what else could be done.

PS this morning the road onto the estate was flooded and the gravel in places felt like cycling through treacle at one point. I hate this place but work is here so no choice right now. Only if some kit can help then I'd appreciate the advice.

PPS I need to be seen as well as to see. Whilst I have reflectors in place, orange coat with reflective (rucksack covers it a bit) and a great rear light I can't see the road well enough. I also worry a high lumens light might be too directional and narrow a beam for good visibility by others. I have the truck issue.

[Tangled Metal]

I should say my accident has caused me to be wary on the small wheeled brompton. They don't handle potholes very well. I just can't avoid using it because the trains are overcrowded and I would get kicked off without a small folding bike. They tried stopping me getting on with the brompton folded once! I put them right on that straight away.

[PH]

Have you got any weight on the front? That calms Brompton steering considerably.
The time constraint is an issue, it those circumstances the only answer is to slow down and take it steady, pick your way between the obstacles and get off and walk if necessary. I might be tempted to lower the seatpost to make it easier to get both feet down in a hurry. Brighter lights in that scenario might do more harm than good, creating shadows, reflecting off the water and filling in holes. Plus they'll kill your night vision if you look outside the beam. Two lights at different heights might be better, maybe one at head height. Chances are the lights you need are going to be blinding for others, I'm usually a fan of StVZO type lights but your conditions are more akin to off road, against that you're not going to be travelling at great speed, you don't need these lights to reach 100 meters.
Good luck.

[[XAP]Bob]

Brighter isn't necessarily better... the beam shape matters so much more...

There is a Brompton dynamo wheel in the for sale section, and a decent German front light will get light the path properly...

[simonineaston]

I should say my accident has caused me to be wary on the small wheeled brompton.

I'm sorry to hear about your tumble - it's never nice to fall off. I'll try to reassure you that the Brompton is an inherantly safe ride - I've ridden a Brompton for 15 years without mishap. I agree with observers who comment that the steering can feel a little light and I'd go so far to say that without any added weight, the front wheel almost feels a bit twitchy. But that observation can be countered in two ways. First all things are relative - the steering feels light compared with a larger wheel bike - once the rider is aware of the difference, they can start to ride in a way that suits the small wheel better. As a rider of bikes with 20" wheels or less, that now feels normal to me.
The only way I'd change my style on a small wheel bike is to deliberately avoid potholes or depressions that might cause the wheels to snatch. Tramlines / sunken rails are another danger zone, just as they are on any bike. Another trick to successful Brompton riding is adding weight to the front, which by happy coincidence is easy to achieve by using their own luggage block & one of their luggage options. My own Brompton sports a hub motor and the battery lives in a small bag up front and I can tell you that all that extra weight has a marked damping effect on the front end!
All-in-all, I've found my Bromptons predictable and safe - just stay clear of any road irregularites that might grab that front wheel and you'll be fine.
PS, I've found the Brompton copes with winter weather well - the guards are effective & I can recommend Brompton's own rear light - a single change of battery is usually one of my October jobs. The only caveat I'd point out is that Brompton brakes have never been wonderful, although I understand that the lastest gen are better than before - so I'd definitely look at the pads with a view to replacing and check the brake check track on the rims, before the wet weather sets in for good. I've just done that job and was surprised to note that both rims are now badly worn so its time for me to replace both rims I'm afraid !

[Pete Owens]

The other thing to consider is changing your route in the winter.
After dark I avoid a steepish decent on an unlit country lane and when it is icy I void a road that often has black ice.
Main roads tend to be better lit and surfaced.

[simonineaston]

The other thing to consider is changing your route in the winter.

Good point! I'd forgotten about that idea. I now recall that my winter route would detour to miss the Frome which could flood after hard rain, so I had a winter & a summer route.

[Vorpal]

Schwalbe now make spiked tyres in small sizes, 16" and 20". I have no idea how they are, maybe someone else has experience.

[drossall]

I've got spiked tyres for my Brompton but, with the fold, they'll tend to spike the frame. I have not needed them in anger, as UK weather is quite (and increasingly!) mild. I gather people fit leather protectors to deal with the issue.

[Tangled Metal]

Twitchy for sure but I've got used to the steering. Feels normal. Before it got dark going into work I was getting nippy.4 minutes into work was my time when it was dry and light then 6 minutes back due to the hill. Now its more like a wary 6 to 8 minutes down and 6 back up. Currently same time going home because its daylight. At worst 7 due to flooded road.

Change the route? They're all a lot longer as in twice the distance with roads that aren't much better. It was going home the other way that I had my accident. Big and deep holes with one's going all the way across, sunken utilities as in sunken enough to have a 2" step in them! Quickest and safest way is my current route but I guess I might have to walk a section if really bad.

Mudguards work well except for the fragility of the front one due to the fold or more accurately the unfold. In on my second with an eerder metaal bumper for protection/reinforcement.

Currently using cateye volt 300 which simply isn't bright enough. I think I need at least 800-900 lumens. At that time there's little chance of dazzling others. Except that guy on a 30mph electric scooter! His lights are pretty bright too.

Never needed spiked tyres round here on road bike so doubt I'll need it on my brompton. Are they slipper than 700c tyres? Both 35mm width. I think my marathons are a good winter tyre.

No idea what front light to get. Any suggestions? A few websites suggest lezyne hecto drive 500. I'm thinking if I'm spending £40 or 50 or more on a light I might as well spend a bit more to be sure of seeing the potholes.

[slowster]

I think PH is right in his comments above: a single bright light beam is probably not as good as two significantly lower power beams at different heights. With a powerful unshaped single beam, everything is either illuminated very brightly (more than the eye/brain needs) or is in shadow and impossible to distinguish because it is drowned out by the brightly lit parts immediately surrounding it. Two lower power beams lighting the the same area of road from different angles probably provide much better visual definition for the eye to be able to distinguish differences and for the brain to interpret. I think it is very common for MTBers who do a lot of off-road riding in the dark to have two lights - typically one on the bars and another mounted on their helmet.

With a Moulton you might be able to get a similar effect by having one light on a fork crown mounted bracket, and another on the handlebars. Alternatively, as PH suggests, a light at head height, e.g. a Petzl style head torch or a torch mounted on a helmet.

[LollyKat]

There are loads of posts about front lights - here's a recent one that may help: Front light question

[Tangled Metal]

I was looking at the ravman lights. They have a car like beam in that guy have the narrow, focused and very bright beam but flick a remote switch and it dips and becomes wider, more focused on the road. Kind of spot beam and fresnel lens, directed beam option. Sounds good in theory.

I'm not convinced by a head torch option. They've got a different beam pattern as they're for different uses I guess. I've tried it with n bits petzls and a very bright silva one 27th 1100 lumens and remote battery. When you get into the higher lumens settings ime they get too narrow.

The low down light and light on bars is the better option as that can give contrast that helps you to see the surface better. However with Brompton bikes you have to be careful about the fold. I'm not sure what the brake boss light bracket is like and what lights can fit it. The Brompton front light isn't that bright I think. Would few good to fit other light brands down there.

[Tangled Metal]

Not many StVZO lights for sale in the UK. I wonder if the raveman lights with their anti glare beam pattern are a good alternative. Some n use a T shaped beam but others m seem to have a flat beam pattern that seems to be slightly more to the lower edge a little bit like StVZO lenses.

On some sections I need a distance spot so strictly StVZO lights won't work for me. I need to see ahead to pick a way through the potholes, puddles and flooding. You'd not believe how bad it is without seeing it. The gravel was so wet today it was like riding through mud. I nearly got stopped at one point. It's gravel bike or easy mountain bike terrain. All done without any lighting source other than what you have on your bike.

There's a new rule with StVZO regulations that allow such lights to have a full, spot beam mode for when you're away from the road. That could work. It's like the dual lens raveman lights where you get half the lumens with a car headlight style dipped lens and an option to get a two led to beam with a spot light as well. A little like the newer StVZO lights. I've contacted raveman to find out if they do StVZO compliant. Doubt it but if the end effect is similar perhaps an easier to get a raveman light.

Anyone know a UK source for bright StVZO lights? Non dynamo ones, just simple bar mounted lights.

[LollyKat]

Fenix BC30 V2.0 is highly recommended - but not cheap, and rechargeable lithium batteries not included. It looks good, though, with two beams, and doesn't dazzle others: https://www.torchdirect.co.uk/fenix-cyc ... light.html