Brompton T Line: Removing the Quad Lock Mount, Ergon Grips, and Mudguards
Cycling · Published 5/22/2024 ·
This is the MID bar handle on the Brompton T Line.
It curves into an M shape, which makes it a real pain to mount anything on it. I wanted to fit a phone holder, so I picked up a Quad Lock mount and a dedicated case and transplanted them over — but the T Line carbon handlebar tapers down, getting narrower and narrower, so it just doesn’t work with this setup. So here’s the removal process.
The mount I’d installed has toppled over and is pointing at the ground. I’d clamped it onto the section where the diameter keeps shrinking, and about 5km into the ride it came loose.
In the end it collapsed face-down toward the ground.
So my conclusion is that the Quad Lock mount just isn’t a good fit for the Brompton T Line.
Removing the Ergon grips
I paid a premium for a lightweight bike… and yet these grips are way heavier than the stock ones.
I used them happily for a while, but now they’re gone. I’d slapped heavy grips onto a bike whose whole selling point is its light weight, without really thinking it through. Now I’ve taken them off. It means my hand position isn’t quite as good, but I’m going to try to adapt. I’m swapping out the handlebar soon anyway.
Let’s cut down on some wind resistance… goodbye, mudguards.
None of the road bikes riding along the Han River have mudguards.
Mudguards have one huge upside: they keep the dirt from your tires from flicking up onto the bike’s body. They’re also not as heavy as you’d think. The whole thing is plastic and very thin. It looks like metal, but it’s actually glossy-finished plastic.
Same goes for the rear. The thing is… given its shape, it catches a lot of wind and creates turbulence. Basically, it’s a part that works against a bike that’s trying to move forward.
I got started on the removal. Take off the front axle and pull the wheelset out. Both front and rear are bolted to the frame.
I also removed the hook, which looks like it’s all one piece.
Finally I could separate the wheelset… but you have to let almost all the air out of the tire to get it off. That’s one of the downsides of rim brakes. With disc brakes you skip this step, but Brompton doesn’t offer stock disc brakes.
With the air out, I removed the parts holding the mudguard one by one. Working through the bolts and stays, I felt a real rush of satisfaction.
They applied PPF at the factory — thank you! Thanks to that, the carbon fork isn’t getting scratched. The brake line and the fork are both wide, so unlike before I don’t have to worry about the brake line rubbing against the tire, and I don’t need to add any extra parts. This is only true of the T Line — on the C Line or P Line you have to add a metal piece up top to hold the brake line in place.
I quickly pumped the air back in. Otherwise the tube blows out and you get a puncture (a flat).
I got the air back in right away… but the wheel wouldn’t spin. So I took it apart again, checked that both sides of the brake had the right amount of clearance, and reattached everything. As for torque — if you’re not sure, they say you’ll be fine just tightening to the number that matches the hex bolt size. A size 5 means you tighten to 5 Nm.
Now to remove the rear. I had a ratchet wrench, so I got it off quickly, but with a regular wrench this could turn into some seriously grueling grunt work. That section has to be completely disassembled before you can remove the rear mudguard.
I loosened off the stay parts.
And this part here has a good grip on the mudguard. You have to loosen it and pull it out.
For the rear wheel too, if you let a little air out so the brake assembly can move around more easily before you work, you’ll be done in no time.
The battle is finally over. While I was at it… I gave it a quick wipe-down with some wet wipes. Stripping all this stuff off probably did shed some weight, but more than anything, my mind feels lighter. Either way, my clothes get dirty after a ride, and so does the bike. When it rains or I go through a puddle, there’s really no way around it — I just have to ride home as is. That said, for an everyday bike, mudguards are a huge help, since they keep the clothes and bag you headed out with from getting filthy. But I use my Brompton purely for exercise, so I’m going to try riding with the wind-resistance-creating parts removed.
Generally speaking, the percentage of people who remove the mudguards on a Brompton isn’t all that high. But if you cruise at a steady speed over 20 km/h, it might be worth thinking about at least once.
Thank you.
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