Nibor
Bewildered
- Location
- Accrington
You will find having a loaded bag on the front improves handling if anything. I put a piece of helicopter tape on the mudguard to protect it.
2021 Brompton C-Line Explore
- Thread starter wafter
- Start date
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FrankCrank
Old layabout
Must say I like the look of that 'naked' brazing, all on show and nothing hidden.
Would love to have a go at something similar on an old Raleigh Twenty frame, think it would look pretty cool.
Would love to have a go at something similar on an old Raleigh Twenty frame, think it would look pretty cool.
I would tend to agree, not a bike to own if you lose sleep over a few scratches on the frame.
Personally I quite like the patina and scuffs, really doesn’t bother me as long as mechanically it’s A1 and reasonably clean.
EltonFrog
Legendary Member
I too have used helicopter tape on the mudguard, and on the frame where cables touch.
Thanks all 
It should certainly address the commuting issue to an extent; although being realistic I'm not sure how much resolve I'll have to continue through the winter, and of course if I need to move anything large it'll have to be the car all the way.
I can't see me going out on it just for the sake of it in preference to some of my other bikes, but it does feel like it's opened up a lot of transport options that otherwise were off the menu... assuming I actually go anywhere!
I was concerned about the mass at the front, however impressed by how well it handled my fairly chunky laptop bag. I guess it's potentially improved relative to bar bags as the mass is attached to the headtube so doesn't influence the steering..
I'm very happy with the front bag but wouldn't turn my nose up at a bit more storage.. that said anything on the back is going to have to come off when the bike's folded; and thus potentially present a third bag to be carried manually.
Thanks - appreciate you saying so
It should certainly address the commuting issue to an extent; although being realistic I'm not sure how much resolve I'll have to continue through the winter, and of course if I need to move anything large it'll have to be the car all the way.
I can't see me going out on it just for the sake of it in preference to some of my other bikes, but it does feel like it's opened up a lot of transport options that otherwise were off the menu... assuming I actually go anywhere!
Thanks - seems fair and I prefer the more muted colours; even if I'm not a huge fan of the no dobut 3D printed texture...
Cheers - that's another small incentive to go for the rack as the not inconsiderable cost would be offset slightly by the £15 saved on replacing the rear mudguard on its own.
Thanks and yes, I'm currently thinking the rack potentially has a poor benefits : drawbacks ratio considering its cost. Given the size and shape of the bike it seems that the load-carrying capacity at its rear is limited; far more so than a traditional rack on a full sized bike. Shame as I like the benefits it brings to the bike when folded.
I was concerned about the mass at the front, however impressed by how well it handled my fairly chunky laptop bag. I guess it's potentially improved relative to bar bags as the mass is attached to the headtube so doesn't influence the steering..
Thanks, that's reassuring. Maybe I'll go this route, see how the rear guard fares and fit a replacement if confident that it's not going to take a hammering like the original.
I'm very happy with the front bag but wouldn't turn my nose up at a bit more storage.. that said anything on the back is going to have to come off when the bike's folded; and thus potentially present a third bag to be carried manually.
Indeed, although perfectionism is in my nature. I think you're right about the previous owner though; nice enough person but didn't have a clue re. looking after stuff. The mudguards do otherwise seem fairly risileant so maybe it's just back luck on the front.
Cheers - seems to be the general consensus and certainly doesn't seem to harm it. I think I need to invest in some Helicopter tape although it's so bloody eye-wateringly expensive and I can't help but think that the manufacturers / sellers are taking the pish somewhat.
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
In your, er, comprehensive report you mentioned the bottom bracket.
I believe your bike was sold at around the time Brompton had a bottom bracket recall and changed supplier.
The make of the bracket will tell you if yours has been done.
I can't remember the names involved, but no doubt it will still be online somewhere.
The Evans sticker tells another small story.
I believe this was the time when Evans had only just begun to sell Bromptons.
The move caused some grumbling among existing Brompton dealers, not least because Evans were getting stock the dealers could not.
I believe your bike was sold at around the time Brompton had a bottom bracket recall and changed supplier.
The make of the bracket will tell you if yours has been done.
I can't remember the names involved, but no doubt it will still be online somewhere.
The Evans sticker tells another small story.
I believe this was the time when Evans had only just begun to sell Bromptons.
The move caused some grumbling among existing Brompton dealers, not least because Evans were getting stock the dealers could not.
annedonnelly
Girl from the North Country
- Location
- Blyth, Northumberland
When I bought mine the saleslady told me about twisting the handlebars before folding to stop catching the mudguard. It becomes second nature especially if you're doing a regular fold/unfold, but if no-one pointed it out to the previous owner...
Thanks - a quick google suggests the problem occurred between 2014 and 2017 so hopefully isn't an issue for me
Didn't know about the Evans thing; figures given their size and now-dubious ownership. Think the sticker might be going
Cheers - think it says so in the manual but it's not particularly intuitive. I've found that when lifting the bike to swing the rear wheel in I tend to
tip it to one side anyway. I can see how being repeatedly smacked by the rear wheel will do for the guard sooner or later!
Nice work; looks good and pretty unobtrusive on darker bikes. Makes helitape look like a bit of a hard sell at nearly a tenner per meter for a similar size..
Think it should be fine for cable rub areas; maybe less-so in more demanding applications but I guess time will tell
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
Oops, I had your bike down as being older than it is.
Must learn to read thread titles properly.
No excuses, but I think there was an earlier special edition called Explore or something similar.
It had mustard or pale green coloured matt paint and came with a few accessories for wild camping.
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Since getting the brompton home in the early hours of Saturday morning it's consumed most of my weekend doing little jobs (mainly centring around cleaning / waxing / protecting various bits) and short local shakedown rides; in preparation for use on Monday's commute.
While the setup's not ideal it seemed at least viable. I left the house at 07:20 in my cycling gear, a change of clothes and various other necessaries in my main rucksack and my laptop bag in the bike's front granny bagsket. The car's kept a few hundred yards from the house and the bike was already deployed so I rode there.
Five minutes later the bike was collapsed in the boot with bagsket removed and I was off. The drive to the most southerly point of Yarnton took, as expected, about 20 minutes or so and I parked in a gloriously amenible housing estate. Another five minutes or so were spent removing and assembling the bike.
I did consider alternative folders as a stop-gap, but tbh looking at the diminutive Brompton in the boot I think I'd have struggled with owt larger:
A short ride brought me out onto the stretch of road that's partially responsible for my morning misery in the car; proving so problematic that the satnav insists it's quicker to take a five mile, or in the case of this (Tuesday) morning significanly larger detour to avoid it.
Since I got there relatively early on this occasion the traffic wasn't terrible; however it was already building and at a more "normal" time I suspect it would have been queued for at least a mile or so from the Peartree roundabout into Yarnton.. and that's on top of whichever horrors the A34 might have in store.
On this morning I had no such concerns as I wafted down the pockmarked cycle path, before crossing over and joining the tow path a few hundred yards down the road - sweet, sweet escape
It's hard to overstate how welcome the contrast between the usual futile morning hell of anger, frustration and pointless waste and floating along in this lush, green, peaceful utopia..
It was already warm and as I progressed along the tow path the sun began to break through the clouds and I encountered other folk - mooring their boats, walking their dogs or also on their way into town on their bikes. Unsurprisingly everyone seemed chilled and happy; in stark contrast to those who choose to subject themselves to the misery of the roads en-masse every day.
After many photos stops I finally made it through Wolvercote and into the north end of the city out the back of Jericho..
... before heading onward into town. It felt very odd to be in the city on a bike at that time in the morning, having started off at home in the car some time earlier.
A brief stint on the streets took me to the tow path at Head of the River, then onward to Iffley lock and finally work.
The journey took longer than I'd expected at around 1:45 door-to-door, however that encompassed lots of stops and faffing.. I reckon I could probably get it down to 1:20 or so.
I spent most of the day pretty knackered thanks to the ride on top of a somewhat fraught and sleep-deprived weekend, but it was such a fantastic day I was still looking forward to the ride home
While the setup's not ideal it seemed at least viable. I left the house at 07:20 in my cycling gear, a change of clothes and various other necessaries in my main rucksack and my laptop bag in the bike's front granny bagsket. The car's kept a few hundred yards from the house and the bike was already deployed so I rode there.
Five minutes later the bike was collapsed in the boot with bagsket removed and I was off. The drive to the most southerly point of Yarnton took, as expected, about 20 minutes or so and I parked in a gloriously amenible housing estate. Another five minutes or so were spent removing and assembling the bike.
I did consider alternative folders as a stop-gap, but tbh looking at the diminutive Brompton in the boot I think I'd have struggled with owt larger:
A short ride brought me out onto the stretch of road that's partially responsible for my morning misery in the car; proving so problematic that the satnav insists it's quicker to take a five mile, or in the case of this (Tuesday) morning significanly larger detour to avoid it.
Since I got there relatively early on this occasion the traffic wasn't terrible; however it was already building and at a more "normal" time I suspect it would have been queued for at least a mile or so from the Peartree roundabout into Yarnton.. and that's on top of whichever horrors the A34 might have in store.
On this morning I had no such concerns as I wafted down the pockmarked cycle path, before crossing over and joining the tow path a few hundred yards down the road - sweet, sweet escape
It's hard to overstate how welcome the contrast between the usual futile morning hell of anger, frustration and pointless waste and floating along in this lush, green, peaceful utopia..
It was already warm and as I progressed along the tow path the sun began to break through the clouds and I encountered other folk - mooring their boats, walking their dogs or also on their way into town on their bikes. Unsurprisingly everyone seemed chilled and happy; in stark contrast to those who choose to subject themselves to the misery of the roads en-masse every day.
After many photos stops I finally made it through Wolvercote and into the north end of the city out the back of Jericho..
... before heading onward into town. It felt very odd to be in the city on a bike at that time in the morning, having started off at home in the car some time earlier.
A brief stint on the streets took me to the tow path at Head of the River, then onward to Iffley lock and finally work.
The journey took longer than I'd expected at around 1:45 door-to-door, however that encompassed lots of stops and faffing.. I reckon I could probably get it down to 1:20 or so.
I spent most of the day pretty knackered thanks to the ride on top of a somewhat fraught and sleep-deprived weekend, but it was such a fantastic day I was still looking forward to the ride home
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At the end of the day I left a little early to drop some stuff off with a client in the city, before progressing west to Warlands to see if they might have a spare hub selector locknut in replacement for that absent on the bike when I bought it, which they did!
They also had many Bromptons hanging from the ceiling so I got to see some other models in the flesh... the flame lacquer looks very nice but I definitely prefer the black.
It was then onward north through town, stopping for a quick pint at the Royal Oak on the Woodstock road - just because I could - folding the bike and nonchalently carting it in to the bar with me
From there it was out along the Woodstock road, across to Wolvercote, back onto the tow path and finally to the car in Yarnton.. which felt like no distance at all in the fantastic surroundings.
All in all a round trip of around 20 miles for the day; arriving back at the car somewhat knackered but very, very relaxed and largely satisfied with my first big-boy-bike-commuter outing - the remaining car journey being so chilled by comparison to the usual rage-fuelled death race.
The bike performed well; perhaps more comfortable than might be suggested by its small wheels - probably due in part to the limited suspension at the back and springy seatpost. I was a little concerned about its ability to handle the tow path however it coped admirably over what rough ground there was, while this stretch is thankfully very well surfaced.
Gear selection was pretty intuitive; with only the occasional bout of confusion since the sprockets should be shifted under load while the hub likes the opposite. The gearing has a wide range and the significant (c. 25%) jumps between gears are only really noticeable when using the top end at higher speeds. The drivetrain is pretty noisy; which tbh is irritating but I'm not sure there's a lot I can do about that.
The front bag did an excellent job of carrying my laptop, while the rucksack got the job done - although perhaps not ideally as it also gave rise to a sweaty back and perhaps a little neck ache.
Ultimately the bike doesn't feel quite as capable as a full-size alternative; however considering how small it folds and the versatility this affords, it performs so much better than one might expect given the inherent limitations of its format.
This was a fantastic introduction to this half-and-half commute (and I'm well aware probably about as good as it's going to get with the fantastic weather), however there's room for improvement - other stuff I'd like to address in future:
- Unstable saddle - really bloody irritating having to stop every few miles to correct the fact it likes to ride up at the front
- More suitable rucksack / alternative luggage; ideally something that's more breatheable - perhaps with better compartmentalisation for bits
- Means of carrying a water bottle
- Means of mounting the Polar trip computer to the bars
- Sorting of knackered rollers
- More appropriate clothing that's more fit for purpose and more presentable so that I can wear it throughout the day
I had to come to work in the car today (setting a new distance record of probably thirty plus bloody miles in double the time it should have taken), however all being well will be pressing the Brompton into service again tomorrow
They also had many Bromptons hanging from the ceiling so I got to see some other models in the flesh... the flame lacquer looks very nice but I definitely prefer the black.
It was then onward north through town, stopping for a quick pint at the Royal Oak on the Woodstock road - just because I could - folding the bike and nonchalently carting it in to the bar with me
From there it was out along the Woodstock road, across to Wolvercote, back onto the tow path and finally to the car in Yarnton.. which felt like no distance at all in the fantastic surroundings.
All in all a round trip of around 20 miles for the day; arriving back at the car somewhat knackered but very, very relaxed and largely satisfied with my first big-boy-bike-commuter outing - the remaining car journey being so chilled by comparison to the usual rage-fuelled death race.
The bike performed well; perhaps more comfortable than might be suggested by its small wheels - probably due in part to the limited suspension at the back and springy seatpost. I was a little concerned about its ability to handle the tow path however it coped admirably over what rough ground there was, while this stretch is thankfully very well surfaced.
Gear selection was pretty intuitive; with only the occasional bout of confusion since the sprockets should be shifted under load while the hub likes the opposite. The gearing has a wide range and the significant (c. 25%) jumps between gears are only really noticeable when using the top end at higher speeds. The drivetrain is pretty noisy; which tbh is irritating but I'm not sure there's a lot I can do about that.
The front bag did an excellent job of carrying my laptop, while the rucksack got the job done - although perhaps not ideally as it also gave rise to a sweaty back and perhaps a little neck ache.
Ultimately the bike doesn't feel quite as capable as a full-size alternative; however considering how small it folds and the versatility this affords, it performs so much better than one might expect given the inherent limitations of its format.
This was a fantastic introduction to this half-and-half commute (and I'm well aware probably about as good as it's going to get with the fantastic weather), however there's room for improvement - other stuff I'd like to address in future:
- Unstable saddle - really bloody irritating having to stop every few miles to correct the fact it likes to ride up at the front
- More suitable rucksack / alternative luggage; ideally something that's more breatheable - perhaps with better compartmentalisation for bits
- Means of carrying a water bottle
- Means of mounting the Polar trip computer to the bars
- Sorting of knackered rollers
- More appropriate clothing that's more fit for purpose and more presentable so that I can wear it throughout the day
I had to come to work in the car today (setting a new distance record of probably thirty plus bloody miles in double the time it should have taken), however all being well will be pressing the Brompton into service again tomorrow
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berlinonaut
Veteran
- Location
- Berlin Germany
The recall affected bikes made between April 2014 and May 2017, 145.000 bikes in total. Serial numbers between 1403284144 and 1705150001.
His bike was made in December 2021, so more than 4,5 years later than the bikes affected in the recall. It is nice trying to help new Brompton riders but it has no benefit to spread rumors that lack foundation.
Here is a list of all recalls Brompton ever made (once more in German, once more Google translate may help): https://bromptonauten.cc/threads/uebersicht-brompton-produktrueckrufe-von-1988-bis-heute.257/
Evans has sold Brompton already for ages, as far as I remember before 2010. Probably you are confusing Evans with Halfords - they jumped onto the Brompton train in the late 2010s with a very limited range. Cannot tell if there's foundation to what you claim.
