Are Bromptons more prone to punctures?

[Pale Rider]

Maybe I'm just unlucky.


Actually if you're looking to buy I've a friend who is planning to Ebay one - it's a few years old, but virtually unused - maybe 50 miles in total.

Late used is certainly a consideration.

If it's a six speed, has the higher bars, and is tolerably local to us, it could be a contender.

I will want the lower gearing, but that's only the chain ring and a chain length tinker which my local bike shop could do.

Also depends what friend wants for it, but I'm not greedy and would pay good money for the right bike.

No ebay fees and no need for friend to risk dealing with the dodgepots that inhabit ebay.

I will ping you some contact details in case you think they are worth passing on.

 

[Pale Rider]

Turns out @annedonnelly's friend's bike is a six speed, but an S type.

I would want either of the two higher bars.

I did consider converting it, but I suspect the S cables will be cut shorter which would make a conversion in an upward direction too much of a faff.

Going the other way would be easier.

In terms of punctures, my local bike shop has sold a Brompton with Tannus solid tyres.

Remote feedback from the owner has been positive.

This being Sunderland, I am acquainted with him and was hoping to bump into him on the road.

Not happened yet, so I may have to resort to the telephone.

The slow burn search continues.

 

[12boy]

I am undoubtedly a philistine and a bozo, but I do not get the concern for exact cable length. As long as it permits the fold mine work fine. I skipped the gatherer thing on the front brake and use a Vbrake noodle. Also buy cable housing in 10 and 20 ft lengths and cut my own. Easy peasy. I like my S bar height, but perennial bike shop in Minneapolis sells riser bars as an option for new S types to go between S bars and M bars. Hope you find just what you want.

 

[Kell]

It really isn't that difficult to remove and replace cables.

A standard set of M cables would work with riser bars on a S, if the S cables proved to be too short.

Even if they're a little long, it's cosmetic rather than functional.

I went the other way - from an H type to small risers and ran my original cables for months without issue before removing them, shortening them and refitting them.

And I'm a mechanical retard.

Looked untidy - but everything worked...

(Wish my bike looked that clean now.)

 

[Kell]

I am undoubtedly a philistine and a bozo, but I do not get the concern for exact cable length. As long as it permits the fold mine work fine. I skipped the gatherer thing on the front brake and use a Vbrake noodle.

Do you have a pic of this in action as I was thinking of doing the same thing.

 

[12boy]

Perhaps this is clear enough..

 

[Kell]

That's ideal.

Thanks.

Did you try running it without and it caused you problems or did you have this setup in mind from the off?

 

[Schwinnsta]

What handlebar and what effect on the fold do they have?

 

[12boy]

The handlebar is a Soma moustache bar and is road bar diameter so flat bar (22.2) brakes won't fit. The advantage of the DiaComps is the have a QR type release which aids in pulling wheels. If I had some reverse levers I believe it would fold without using the handlepost QR to rotate the bars up to clear the brake levers which is what I do now. I have several hand positions and this is more comfortable for me than the flat bar and bar ends.
I went with the noodle because it smoothed out the curve I got when I got rid of the gatherer. The little nylon loop broke and I am hundreds of miles from anywhere I could buy one. Built an ugly bodge but then realized it would work fine without the gatherer.
God help me I just gotta fiddle around with bikes, trying this and that like a chimp in a cage.
Still, today it was 3 C with 10mph wind, brilliant clear blue sky, so I knocked off 20 on the Brompton and enjoyed the hell out of it. Bars were perfect.

 

[12boy]

I lied. Those are Milan bars from Velo Orange but they rotated down with pressure, but very comfortable ergonomics. Now I have the Soma bars.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

4 years and one puncture on Brommie using the standard tyres that came with it. Does all sorts of lanes and bits of off road year round as well

 

[slowmotion]

I have a theory...…..and this is my theory......
Punctures are caused by sharp stuff getting driven through the rubber. It only gets driven into the rubber once every revolution of the tyre when "the spot" hits the tarmac. It must be that , with small diameter wheels at a given speed," the spot" hits the tarmac more frequently than with big wheels. This being the case, the Brompton stuff reaches the inner tube faster and punctures will be more frequent.

I can forward my bank details to the King of Sweden when he seeks me out for a Nobel Peace Prize.

 

[mickle]

I can't see that the susceptibility of a Marathon (or equivalent) tyre would necessarily increase with wear - unless you run it so long that it wears right through the tread rubber and into the blue polyethylene puncture barrier.

 

[chriscross1966]

My Marathon Plus fitted Bromptons have only ever suffered punctures from bad rim tape and a couple of times in ten years from glass shards.

 

[Dancetiludrop]

I have had a Brompton for a year and a half and most of my cycling is across London (as well as forays into Wales and the Midlands for work) - it isn't true that the streets are paved with gold - they glitter with diamonds...oh wait! that's glass!
I have had about 7 punctures (mainly back wheel of course!) and have had a kojak, kenda and currently a Marathon Plus fitted and this seems to be the most puncture resistant ... so far