annedonnelly
Girl from the North Country
- Location
- Blyth, Northumberland
I think wheat-based bird seed mixes are recommended for ducks & swans these days.
I do like that your commute allows you time to stop and enjoy your surroundings
2021 Brompton C-Line Explore
- Thread starter wafter
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
I do like that your commute allows you time to stop and enjoy your surroundings
Thanks - although tbh I'd prefer the peace of mind of having everything snugly stashed inside something I know is secure.
Must admit I nearly went down this path too as nothing on the market seems perfect for my needs and price is usually a sore point. The most favourable route seemed to be to remove the mounts from the back of one of Ortlieb's efforts (either a Back Roller pannier bag or one of their briefcase efforts) and fit a custom plate / mount to the back to interface with the bike.That's interesting because it illustrates pretty well the journey many Brompton owners take: In the beginning the Brompton bags are considered useless or overly expensive and people do not realize or underrate their advantages and how well they work in practice. They moan about the price, find other ways, some build alternative solutions like you did (which is obviously totally fine) that work well enough.
The problem starts when they start promoting their homemade solutions to be better than the factory ones that they are badmouthing w/o having used the factory solutions - so the comparison has actually no foundation apart from the price. Only few have the greatness once they have used the genuine thing to state that it works actually pretty well and possibly better than their home crafted solution. Sure there are and will always be good reasons for a custom solution and nothing speaks against it - but given the intensity of use over many years the price should realistically not be the relevant factor as Brompton bags may not be cheap but also not like GBP500 in price.
I myself started out w/o a Brompton bag initially, too and it took a couple of years to buy my first one. This was like 15 years ago and I still use it, so the price really does not matter. However, over time I have accumulated a decent amount of different bags for the carrier block (too embarrassing to tell the number). Now you know which route you are possibly on...
Working with new items would have given little cost saving, however some of Ortlieb's less mainstream items could potentially be made into a decent, workable solution for not a lot of money..
Thanks - maybe I'll grab a handful of sunflower seeds before my next commuteI think wheat-based bird seed mixes are recommended for ducks & swans these days.
I do like that your commute allows you time to stop and enjoy your surroundings
I'm really lucky with my route tbh - it's a decent distance (manageable but a decent ride), flat, mostly off the road and in fantastic surroundings. I'm usually late / last minute with everything and it's something I've been actively trying to work on as being behind just piles on the stress. Time has been fine so far as I've been waking early and it's been nice outside; can see that changing in the cold and dark of the winter however!
Fortuitiously - given next week's weather forecast - my "new" bag arrived today. After giving it a clean I finally shrugged off the day's malaise and went out for a quick test...
It's a used Borough large waterproof item and cost about half what I'd have paid for a new one. There are a few marks / scuffs but nothing of consequence and this should relieve the mental weight of putting something minty and new to work.
Published capacity is 25l but I think it might be a bit more than that. It feels pretty cavernous and I'm hoping it might accommodate all the gear necessary for my commute and general carry on this bike, meaning I can leave the rucksack at home and carry only one bag.
Initial impressons are good - the rolltop and clasp are obviously more fiddly to use than the open-topped bag, but it feels so much more secure and I shouldn't need to be opening it too frequently. Off the bike it sits nicely on its padded shoulder strap. It seems about as large as practical both on and off the bike; perfectly manageable but any larger would potentially be a pain.
The silicone case for my Polar device also arrived; only about 8 days after ordering from Ali Express which I thought was pretty impressive. It fits the unit well and plays nicely with the mount I have on this bike, however it I fouls the upper surface of all the other mounts I have and needs a bit of a shove to get on. This also serves to twist the case, which exacerbates that alreadly slightly irritating fact that the bezel around the outside has been designed to stop at the edge of the screen, which in practice leaves bits of the white case randomly visible. Shame they couldn't have made the aperture just a little smaller..
All this whinging aside, when viewed from off the bike I think it looks a lot better being in-keeping with the bike's generally dark / black theme
While out the rain gradually got heavier. My new coat did a nice job for what little time I was outside, and I'm so far fairly pleased with that too. It's snug over a T-shirt but I suspect the next size up would have been a bit of a boat sail.
I remain irrationally smug about last weekend's chainstay protector, which has this week given me absolute peace of mind when folding the bike that I'm not b*llocksing it more than it already was. I'm less smug about the rusty chain..
Still a way to go but it feels good to be slowly refining the commuting gear and I look forward to giving it a proper run on Monday
It's a used Borough large waterproof item and cost about half what I'd have paid for a new one. There are a few marks / scuffs but nothing of consequence and this should relieve the mental weight of putting something minty and new to work.
Published capacity is 25l but I think it might be a bit more than that. It feels pretty cavernous and I'm hoping it might accommodate all the gear necessary for my commute and general carry on this bike, meaning I can leave the rucksack at home and carry only one bag.
Initial impressons are good - the rolltop and clasp are obviously more fiddly to use than the open-topped bag, but it feels so much more secure and I shouldn't need to be opening it too frequently. Off the bike it sits nicely on its padded shoulder strap. It seems about as large as practical both on and off the bike; perfectly manageable but any larger would potentially be a pain.
The silicone case for my Polar device also arrived; only about 8 days after ordering from Ali Express which I thought was pretty impressive. It fits the unit well and plays nicely with the mount I have on this bike, however it I fouls the upper surface of all the other mounts I have and needs a bit of a shove to get on. This also serves to twist the case, which exacerbates that alreadly slightly irritating fact that the bezel around the outside has been designed to stop at the edge of the screen, which in practice leaves bits of the white case randomly visible. Shame they couldn't have made the aperture just a little smaller..
All this whinging aside, when viewed from off the bike I think it looks a lot better being in-keeping with the bike's generally dark / black theme
While out the rain gradually got heavier. My new coat did a nice job for what little time I was outside, and I'm so far fairly pleased with that too. It's snug over a T-shirt but I suspect the next size up would have been a bit of a boat sail.
I remain irrationally smug about last weekend's chainstay protector, which has this week given me absolute peace of mind when folding the bike that I'm not b*llocksing it more than it already was. I'm less smug about the rusty chain..
Still a way to go but it feels good to be slowly refining the commuting gear and I look forward to giving it a proper run on Monday
Last edited:
a.twiddler
Veteran
You don't know it yet, @wafter, but you're well on the way down that slippery slope of Brompton bling and baggery. Before you turn round you'll have a houseful of Brompton bags, each a teeny bit better for each purpose that you use your bike for! The weight, the individual rustle and feel of each different one as you run it between your fingers. Ooh, yess.
lol - tbh having decided to keep the bagsket that originally came with the bike (for just the very reasons you describe) I had already ruefully considered that possibility.. I'd also probably struggle to resist a Barbour wax holdall or Ortlieb O-bag if one came up at a decent price; although I think I'm fairly safe in that regard.
This has raised the question of how self-defeating my recent cycling purchases are in the face of my perpetually insufficient efforts to clear the house out..
We seem to have accumulated a plethora of Brompton bags. The most basic is a Wilko black metal mesh basket adapted with a 3D printed mount. Then there's the bag that unfolds to cover the Brompton ( the earlier one with the seperate pouch to hold the bag, not the all in one integrated version which wasn't as good IMO ). Two pouch bags in darg grey, then one in orange dazzle to match the Orange brommie, and a Liberty print Tote bag. Three basket bags ( one electric ) and a couple of saddle pouches. Oh, and a large Borough roll top bag that Mrs Tenkaykev bought me as a Birthday present one year but has only seen the light of day on one occasion.
a.twiddler
Veteran
Obviously, resistance is futile!
I’ve bought some more odds and sods this week, I can’t help myself. What is it with these bloody bikes?
EltonFrog
Legendary Member
Go on then, spill.
Integrated 3 speed shifter (this has never been used and was a bargain, hard to find without the complete lever)
Genuine luggage block (not sure I trust the Chinese one)
Front light bracket
Yet another frame decal (wasn’t feeling the love for the white replacement)
That’s just this weeks purchases!
In that case, have you noticed that the bolt clamping the handlebar to the stem tends to stand out a bit especially if you have black handlebars and stem. Easily fixed with some black Umbrol / nail varnish, or you could save a few grammes and buy a Titanium replacement from SJS😉
Then there's the Brompton dynamo wheel kit which is a very good upgrade.
All sounds like legit / useful / practical stuff though; rather than questionable "because I can" boy-racer chintz.
Speaking of which, did you ever get that replacement suspension block?
All sounds like legit / useful / practical stuff though; rather than questionable "because I can" boy-racer chintz.
Speaking of which, did you ever get that replacement suspension block?
Now I’ve sorted out the squeak, I’ll just keep the OEM version.
Cool - seems a lot more in keeping with the bike tbh, and of course costs nowt!
Must admit if my mounting block went I'd be tempted by one of the alloy alternatives off Ali Express..
Last edited:
They are a great bit of kit, but mine is not used as a commuter (just for short errands in to town and to get me to the pub) so the basket is perfect for my super-heavy Kryptonite U-Lock and a reasonable bag of groceries, best thing is that off the bike it folds completely flat.
I did fabricate my own wire basket for my old Brompton, but I’m now a complete convert.
