BUSC 2013 Sunday Recap: Folding Contest

The Brompton Folding Competition took place after the Championship Race.  Groups of 10 competed eliminator-style until only one remained.  I was in the second group of ten, still not quite recovered from the race (excuses).  I wasn't comfortable with the way my bike folded because it wasn't as stable with my rack removed (again, excuses!).  I was eliminated unceremoniously in the first round.  However, this did allow me to focus on taking a bunch of video!

My friend Todd was in the next round.  He kept going...and going... and going until the was the last man standing!  Here's his progress thoughout the competition:

Todd's opening preliminary round

Second preliminary round

Third preliminary round (knocking off Beckie Alexander, the women's race winner)

Todd head-to-head with our good friend Melissa

Finals - opening round

Finals - Second round

The last three

The Final

Folding contest podium

Animated GIF that Google+ automagically made for me.

And here are some notable duels that I really enjoyed:

Bryan loses after some friendly smack talk towards Francie.

Ross, a Brompton rep, throws down the gauntlet against Spencer, the men's race second place finisher and the US representative to the World Championships.

BUSC 2013

I had a wonderful time at the Brompton US Championships today. I met a lot of wonderful people yesterday and today in Minneapolis.

Many thanks to Luke, Martha and crew at Calhoun Cycle and John, Ed and Ross from Brompton. 

I've got a lot of photos, video and race data to sort out and edit so that I can get it posted soon. 

To save you the suspense, I did not win or place on the podium. However, my friend from Tucson DID win the folding competition!

Chain mystery solved, solution is not

So I figured out what is going on with my chain... the front brake cable is pushing the cable when I'm folding it. Here's a video of it:

I conducted a FaceTime session with Al from Portapedal and showed him what was going on. He suggested that perhaps the brake cable needs to be twisted so that it will bend closer to the fork.  I'm still working on it...haven't really had time to give it the proper attention. 

Out and About

I took the B out this morning.  First, I rode to breakfast at my favorite place, Poco & Mom's (green chile sauce to live for).  This place is typically packed for breakfast, so space is at a premium.  I was eating alone today, so I was able to pack the B under my table and by C-bag in the open seat.

After breakfast I went to Target (a department store for those outside of the US) to pick up a few things.  When I arrived, I was able to pack the B into the shopping cart while I was picking up my items.

Even though it was a pretty warm day, I gotta say it was pretty nice not driving the car around today.  It was a lazy Sunday, so I was able to take my time getting around.

So I've put about 50 miles on the bike since I've gotten it.  Here are some observations I've made:

• The Brooks saddle is definitely starting to break in.  It's happening a little sooner than I've anticipated, so it is a happy surprise.
• The Brompton luggage system is worth the price of admission.  It's so nice to not have to carry your bag on your back, especially on a hot uncomfortable day like today.
• The SON hub dynamo give great piece of mind.  The beam lights up the road rather well, and it's great peace of mind since most of my commutes will be before dawn or after dusk.  Not having to worry about batteries rocks.
• I'm a couple of MPH slower than on my road bike.  I think this is due to the type of tire I'm using (Schwalbe Marathons with Flat Attack injected) rather than the wheel size or gearing.  I could also be out of riding shape.

It's finally here!

I went and picked up my Brompton right when Portapedal opened this morning.  To my surprise, John McConaghay (one of the US reps for Brompton) was also there.  Anyway, I talked with the rep and Al & Donna from Portapedal and they answered questions I had as well as just talking about Brompton stuff in general.

John gave me the lowdown on what happened with the co-ordination of this year's Brompton US Championships - which I won't post in this public forum - but kudos to Minneapolis for stepping up!  After a quick test ride I high-tailed it back the 100 miles to Tucson (in a car - sorry) to take care of some urgent unrelated business.

When I finally got home, I took the bike out for a few miles (even though it was threatening to rain) along the Pantano Wash bike path.  The brommie felt although solid, it's gonna take me a little time to get used to riding it, particularly shifting.  The Brooks leather saddle is hard as a rock (as advertised), but I applied some proofide after the ride and it should break in nicely over the next couple of months.

On to the gratuitous pics!

Picking up the Brommie at Portapedal

Folded view from the other side

Another folded view 

"Parked" view with the rear third folded under

Ready to ride!

Take it outside!

This is how we do it

So, in anticipation of receiving my bike I've watched these two videos of the folding procedure dozens of times. I'm pretty confident that it is THE best videos to show it.