Installing Omni Wheels on My Brompton for Easier Rolling

Cycling · Published 11/24/2022 ·

I picked up a set of omni wheels and installed them to make rolling and pushing the bike around safer and easier.

First, I boldly yank off the stock wheels.

You can remove them with the hex wrench that comes with the Brompton when you buy it.

Here’s a stock wheel. They’re a little worn, probably because I do so much pushing and rolling.

Since they have no bearings and only roll in one direction, changing direction while pushing or rolling the bike isn’t exactly easy.

It’s a bit better if you lift the bike slightly as you move it, but either way, these wheels don’t make for easy handling.

And here’s the star of the day: the omni wheel.

Born in China, it flew in by plane. You can assemble it with the wrench that comes with it.

It has bearings, and the little parts that let it rotate side to side are arranged in an alternating pattern.

Here’s the finished result. I kind of wish the wheel diameter were a touch bigger, but it’s not so small that the rear rack drags on the ground.

Now I start on the other side the same way.

Here’s the assembled rear rack seen from the opposite side. It doesn’t scrape the floor, but there isn’t a ton of clearance either.

Again, I put it together with the wrench that came in the box.

Now I’m wondering where I’m supposed to recycle the old wheels, since they probably won’t be used again unless something happens.

Alright, time to give it a push.

There’s a bit of noise and the spin isn’t exactly silky smooth, but it partly recreates that Costco-cart feel. Sort of.

This is performance you could never get out of the stock wheels.

Oh, it actually looks pretty good.

There’s just one problem, though.

One of the little parts responsible for the side-to-side rotation fell right out.

Looks like I won the bad-tolerance lottery. The other wheel is perfectly fine, of all things…

I sorted this out with the Chinese seller over chat, and they agreed to send me a replacement.

These days, Chinese after-sales service is better than what you get from domestic sellers…

Domestic sellers will surely tell you that once you open the box you can’t return it, or that since you’ve already used it it’s the customer’s fault…

The Chinese seller, on the other hand, actually asked me whether I could measure the shaft length of the missing part and send it over.

That’s the will to improve… That part really does seem to be a tolerance issue.

This is the Brompton, which often hops on the subway when the timing doesn’t work out.

There’s no doubt that the omni wheels, which give you so much more freedom in turning side to side, are a huge boost in convenience,

but the build quality in the photos leaves a lot to be desired. Then again, it’s a product you roll around outside, and it doesn’t need a super-polished finish, so I just shrug it off — I only hope the replacement part they’re sending has no defects.

It needs to get here soon. A part in one piece, that is…

After installing them, I rolled the bike around the office as a test.

#Brompton #OmniWheel #EasyWheel

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