Thanks, this was until now 10 years of work, digging for bits of information in old catalogues, forums, magazines, pictures etc. and still not complete/comprehensive.
Nice work - didn't realise it was yours
That's provided me with a great, broad-strokes idea of what to expect from bikes of various ages.. However, from my perspective of someone who knows next to sod all about these bikes and is seeking to identify what one might be that's for sale, the information might be more useful laid out in the form of a Gantt chart - with a row for each feature that's changed over time - i.e. gearing range, hub type, gear shifters, brake caliper type and format, model designations etc..
Just a thought; regardless I really appreciate the insight and I think it's helped me age one or two I've looked at
This week I've been reminded of how un-homicidal/suicidal life can be, as the commute has been blissfully concise and stress-free.. at first I wondered if I was actually dead; trapped in some Jacob's ladder-esque purgatory having been involved in some horrific, rage-fuelled rush hour smash. Turns out it's the school holidays so no need for mummy to take little Tarquel to school in the Range Rover; doubling my journey time and decimating my will to live in the process
Anyway, I digress.. but my point was how much nicer life can be when not poisoned by the hateful and exhausting commute.. and by extension how my life could be enriched by alternatives (such as catching the bus and doing the last leg on a folder).
I've actively investigated two Bromptons today; one that turns out, I think to have been an S6L Black Edition in Orange; suspiciously-cheap and ultimately 95% likely a scam. The second was a much older three-speed job, with the giveaway old-school Sturmey Archer shifter (dating it to pre-2000 going by @berlinaut's excellent resource!) for not a huge amount of money. That said it wasn't without its faults and my own thoughts echoed
@Gunk's above - that I could potentially buy something significantly newer that needed no work by the time I'd got an old beater right.
I'm torn on this generally - I love the underdog, appreciate a good project, am tight as fook and have learned that minters do not a good utility bike make. On the other hand given the minefield of pricing, seemingly significant improvements of later bikes, cost of parts / upgrade and low depreciation I wonder whether I wouldn't be better off just chucking the fat end of a grand at a recent, higher-end model that wants for nowt...
Either way knowing more about these bikes can only aid either outcome and as usual I appreciate the knowledge of the good folks of CC and threads on such things (apologies for the hijack!) to guide me towards a decent conclusion
