Brompton arrives!

[Flying_Monkey]

Why doesn't that surprise me?

Bromptons, I get the feeling, are a bit like Macs, you either love them immediately or you don't get them at all. I think you seem to want them to be something they are not.

Some complaints in that thread are just weird - folding difficult? It's so utterly simple once you've seen it done or read the instructions. I can fold mine in 20 seconds and I've only just got it.

Weight - sure, but why would you be wanting to carry them any significant distance anyway? They've got wheels... and they aren't that heavy anyway. And complaints about handlebars - well they have three types (including a flat bar), and you can always fit your own if you think they are that bad.

And saddles - well saddles are personal - Fizik have always suited me.

Sure there are other folding bikes - if I had had the extra money and had known I was going to be getting a folding bike, I would have got a Birdy or a Bike Friday, probably - but we are very happy with our Bromptons.

 

[simon l& and a half]

I'm persisting with mine - but the quality is really, really poor. And you'd have thought they'd have got their heads around Allen keys.

 

[andygates]

Got mine out of the box. Rode Dunwich. The only problems I had were down to my choice of clothing. Fold is easy, rolls nicely, trundles along at a steady 16mph and with about 70 miles of practice I could even honk efficiently. An elastomer option for heavier riders would be nice, but I'll do the jubilee-clip modification soon.

The ride position is different; the handling is different; everything is different. Vive.

 

[bonj2]

Well... a day of surprises... we went to pick up my wife's Brompton and came away with two matching Bromptons! It turns out that the company sent two identical bikes by accident, and since the shop-owner knew he would be unlikely to sell the other one any time soon, he offered it to us at a big discount. So, despite the slightly creepy thing of having matching bikes, it was too good to miss - especially as we were buying the original one on the Cyclescheme anyway - and we bought both! We are very glad we did and in fact were left wondering why we hadn't thought of this a couple of years ago - we already have plans to take them on holiday...

My wife and I with our accidentally matching Bromptons... (yes, I know I need a haircut!)

Bollocks. You ordered two deliberately when the missus wasn't in earshot because YOU wanted one aswell, and then told the shop owner to come up with a cock and bull story about the supplier sending two and arranged to settle the 'discount' privately. Then when you both walked in there, he obliged, and "Oh! what a surprise! I'll have to have one aswell!"

If they'd really ordered two then they would have just sent one back to the supplier telling them they'd got the order wrong!

 

[Origamist]

Got mine out of the box. Rode Dunwich. The only problems I had were down to my choice of clothing. Fold is easy, rolls nicely, trundles along at a steady 16mph and with about 70 miles of practice I could even honk efficiently. An elastomer option for heavier riders would be nice, but I'll do the jubilee-clip modification soon.

The ride position is different; the handling is different; everything is different. Vive.

A birdy elastomer can be modified for the job and makes the rear less bouncy at speed.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Bollocks. You ordered two deliberately when the missus wasn't in earshot because YOU wanted one aswell, and then told the shop owner to come up with a cock and bull story about the supplier sending two and arranged to settle the 'discount' privately. Then when you both walked in there, he obliged, and "Oh! what a surprise! I'll have to have one aswell!"

If they'd really ordered two then they would have just sent one back to the supplier telling them they'd got the order wrong!

Nice try! Except, my choice wouldn't have been turquoise.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

the quality is really, really poor.

What 'quality' do you mean? It's such a general term that has very little meaning in itself. They seem very well-designed, well put-together and well-finished to me. The only thing I will change is the saddle (because it wouldn't have been the one I would have ordered).

If you dislike it so much, send it back or sell it. Cycling shouldn't be masochistic. I am sure there are plenty of other people who would get far more pleasure out of it than you! I'll have the saddle for a start...

 

[LLB]

Nice try! Except, my choice wouldn't have been turquoise.

Agree with Bonj, and you didn't have to accept the second bike.

Why did you want a Brompton anyway ?

 

[Origamist]

I'm persisting with mine - but the quality is really, really poor. And you'd have thought they'd have got their heads around Allen keys.

If you don't persist with Ritchie's creation, Dahon are soon to unveil the Brompton inspired, Curl.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Brompton inspiredIMG]

Looks more like plagiarism than inspiration! But good for them... Apart from the Curve, Dahons have always seemed a bit utilitarian to me.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Agree with Bonj, and you didn't have to accept the second bike.

Why did you want a Brompton anyway ?

1. This isn't an argument - it happened exactly how I said. Why would you think otherwise? Bonj was only joking (I hope).

2. Why do you think my wife wanted a Brompton? Because she wanted a bike she could easily take on public transport (since we don't have a car), and because it's a beautiful piece of Britsh design and engineering. Since it's through Cyclescheme.co.uk, there's around a 35% in tax rebates so the cost isn't so much of an issue. Since we've got two we can now take them to places that we go to together, like to my parents' next week or the Netherlands when we visit friends later in August. Until now, cycling has been something I do on my own, now we can enjoy cycling together sometimes. I can also use mine when I travel to conferences etc. which is something I have thought about for a while.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

What type of Brompton? They look like they are one of the more lightweight models. I've got an older L3, which is great, and a less loved T5, which is heavier and less reliable with the old Sturmey Archer 5 speed hub.

They are both M6L - just steel not any fancy Titanium stuff but with the 6 gear (3-speed Sachs hub plus derailleur).

 

[Origamist]

Looks more like plagiarism than inspiration! But good for them... Apart from the Curve, Dahons have always seemed a bit utilitarian to me.

If you look closely, the frame folds between the wheels, unlike the Brompton. What's more, the chainset is on the outside of the folded package, unlike the Brompton. The seatpost/saddle interface is also an innovation.

Here's the patent application:

http://v3.espacenet.com/origdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=US2007210556&F=0&QPN=US2007210556

 

[jonesy]

They are both M6L - just steel not any fancy Titanium stuff but with the 6 gear (3-speed Sachs hub plus derailleur).

Which sounds like the modern replacement for the old L5.? How do you find the gears? I've heard they are pretty reliable, though with a narrower range of ratios than the 5 speed hub version.

 

[simon l& and a half]

by quality I mean
1. The folding pedal creaks
2. The bottom bracket creaks
3. The one allen key that I've found is the one in the head of the bolt that holds the mudflap on to the mudguard - and rubs against the tyre after I go over a bump
4. The device for holding it in the unfolded position rotates and has to be re-aligned
5. The front hub goes whhwhrwhr
6. One of the bolts holding the rear light to the rack worked loose and fell out.

Now all of this is minor stuff, but you don't expect it on a new bike.

The more basic problem is the flex in the handlebars, and the want of a folding spd pedal. I'll live with it because I need a folder, but I regret not going for the Ridgeback (as my bro advises), which is substantially cheaper.

But....one of these days I'll step off a train in Istanbul, unfold it, cycle down to the ferry, cross the Bosphorus, go to the eastern station, fold it up, and get on the train for Aleppo. And be very, very happy.