Brompton P Line with Hub Dynamo: My New Build at bb5 Seobinggo
Daily · Published 11/5/2022 ·
I handed off my old P Line — the version with the S bar and no rear rack — to someone who’ll give it a good home.
I’d toyed with the idea of going lightweight, but the moment you bolt a front bag on, all that weight-saving goes right out the window. So I decided to commit to a heavier build from the start and reorder a P Line with the mid bar and rear rack.
To follow through on the reservation I’d placed back in April, I got in touch with the bb5 shop in Seobinggo, Yongsan-gu. From the wait for stock to getting it prepped for pickup, everything went off without a hitch.
A P Line that already comes with a rear rack tips the scales at over 10kg.
To free myself from the constant stress of charging headlights and taillights, I requested a hub dynamo, an Edelux headlight, and a SON taillight — purchased and installed — and they sent me photos once the work was done.
Up front, a black hub dynamo wheel paired with an Edelux II headlight.
The taillight is a black SON unit, mounted on the rear rack.
Mounting it on the seatpost or seatpost mast works perfectly fine too, but in winter it can get hidden behind a cord or a windbreaker, so I prefer having it fixed to the rear rack.
Since the other fittings were all black-on-black, I went with black for this as well.
I went back and forth a lot between this and silver, but I ended up with the black the staff recommended — and I’m happy with it.
A hub dynamo uses the wheel’s rolling motion to generate electricity by applying a bit of resistance, and that electricity powers the headlight and taillight. Naturally, there’s some rolling resistance involved.
That’s the part that divides opinion. In my case, I chose it to cut down on the number of devices I have to charge, and to solve the whole “did I remember to charge it?” question that decides whether I get to ride or not — and, honestly, to let myself be a little lazier.
Here’s how the rolling resistance actually feels.
With the switch On, I have no trouble holding 20 km/h.
With the switch Off, the same effort gets me to around 21–22 km/h.
On downhills, there’s no issue at all.
On uphills, it’s hard work anyway, so I don’t even notice it.
During the day with the switch Off, there’s no resistance.
The headlight and battery are parts you’d be running anyway. The added weight isn’t a big deal relative to the total.
If you’re considering one, it’s a good idea to find a chance to ride a bike that already has a dynamo before you decide.
Here I am in front of the bb5 Seobinggo shop, which I dropped by after work.
There’s a deck and bike parking out front.
When you pick up a bike, it’s worth taking it for a spin in front of the shop to check for early defects or anything off in the ride feel.
Unlike cars, bikes ship with almost no test riding — basically at 0 km on the odometer.
These are products that bear up to 110kg of weight, handle speeds of 30–50 km/h, and get folded and unfolded several times a day, so it’s hard for them not to develop some quirks.
Right outside the Seobinggo shop, if you circle around, there’s a stretch where you can test ride a mix of straightaways, a bit of uphill, and some downhill.
Make sure to test it, get it dialed in, and only then take it home.
I hung around inside for a while. I also paid for a front bag, but there was no stock ready to ship right away, so I just placed the order and took the bike home on its own.
The rabbit hole — the underpass — right in front of the shop.
I stuck the 5-year warranty sticker on and snapped a photo ^^
I’ll peel it off when I come back to grab the bag.
I had a late dinner at a dak-galbi place near Yongsan Station.
It was a delicious spot — the kind I’d happily go back to.
Cheese on dak-galbi is pure love.
I only ordered one fried rice, just to get a taste.
The dak-galbi was clean and tasty. It was a touch on the sweet side, though — I found myself wishing it were just a little less sweet, but that’s down to personal taste.
It’s the kind of place that has a wait on weekends and weekday afternoons ^^;; so really, it doesn’t need any recommendation from me.
After dinner, I deliberated a bit.
Should I ride all the way to Ilsan, or just hop on the train and skip it…?
The weather was turning cold and I wasn’t exactly equipped for it, so I decided to skip the ride and headed up into Yongsan Station.
Even though it was getting close to 9 p.m., the Gyeongui–Jungang Line was still packed with people.
I squeezed myself in next to the priority seating and finally made it to Baengma Station.
That Fizik saddle is destined for a trash bag down the line ^^;;
This is a Brompton you can use in all sorts of ways.
Just because it’s a P Line doesn’t mean you have to tune it like a racing machine… and just because something is a classic like the M6R doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to lighten it up. I don’t think there’s any rule like that.
Use it however you like, in whatever way suits your own situation.
Ride safe, everyone.
Contact: bumseok.view [at] gmail [dot] com
