Brompton configurations nightmare

[ttcycle]

Yep, I have tried one, a couple of colleagues at work have all steel ones (and that's where the weight complaints come from, because they felt a tad bit weighty...)

honestly, they're really not that heavy and as many have said; just wheel it around for longer distances.

As a previous poster has said it might be worth deciding soon so you can take advantage of the 2009 prices as he says there will be a price hike unless you're fond of wasting money needlessly.

Like I said practicality and function over needless features etc.
What do you need and what do you want are different questions.

 

[Crankarm]

Not quite - the range on the Sturmey is wider on the 6 speed with, I think, a lower middle gear.

I have an L6 of 2004 vintage and looking in the brochure from this time which I have retained it says for T6 & L6 in Transmission section,

"same as T3 and L3, but two rear sprockets, 13T & 15T."

I guess since my L6 purchase in 2004 Brompton have changed the specs so 3 spd now has a Sturmey Archer hub and the 6 spd a Brompton Wide Range hub (BWR). I see from their brochure that they only offer a 6 spd with rack or lights in the P6R/P6R-X. Heavy, heavy . I think a rear rack on a Brompton makes the bike look ugly and certainly looks like an after thought. Best without it. Less weight. Carrying one's luggage on the front is better IMHO. So a standard naked 6 spd with just mudguards is NLA?

I have an M6L. The M bars are the best for me, being higher than the S and sturdier than the P. I use 1 and 2 up serious hills (down hills I coast, for I am lazy and frightened of belting down hills on a folder), 3 and 4 around town (so the sturmey archer stays in mid position, and I change on the derailleur), 5 on fast, fairly traffic free bits of flat, and I have yet to use 6 seriously.

Err.... when did you buy your M6L as according to the current brochure the 6 spd has Brompton's own highly efficient Wide Range hub and not the Sturmey Archer as I have said above is fitted to the 3 speed bikes ????

One thing I am very happy about getting, though, is the Brooks saddle....

One can put any saddle on a Brompton .........

It's no problem carrying my steel framed bike upstairs. Assuming you are not carrying up the stairs at Russell Square, you should have no problems.

I can never understand those who take them on the Tube. Do you do it because you can? Why not ride it, it is far quicker to get to where you want to go. Surely one of the principle joys of cycling is not to have to use the over crowded, smelly, dirty, claustrophobic and unreliable public transport system in London?

 

[Crankarm]

Yep, I have tried one, a couple of colleagues at work have all steel ones (and that's where the weight complaints come from, because they felt a tad bit weighty...)

What are you on????? Weighty to what? They are the best folding bike on the market period. The tens of thousands who have bought them must mean that Brompton are doing something right. Buy a full carbon Pro race bike instead and try carrying that up some stairs or an exacalator in rush hour and see how easy that is . It might be light but I would suggest you ain't going to get very far very quickly.

You're obviously not on a Brompton or this planet.

You spend 99.99999% of the time riding it or you should. Riding them they are light and very manoevrable. If you want to carry something so much then buy a suitcase which has those little wheels and a long handle, fill it with bricks and try pulling it around. You won't even have to ride it .

It was nice giving you the benefit of my advice. I'm pleased you found it useful and 'am glad you are grateful. Let us know what if anything you do purchase. "I'm out" as they say.

 

[mandark]

What are you on????? Weighty to what?

Feeling the weight of something is a relative thing, no need to get grumpy

Thanks for your valuable input anyway, I'll be sure to let you know what I end up with.

G'Night.

 

[Twanger]

Err.... when did you buy your M6L as according to the current brochure the 6 spd has Brompton's own highly efficient Wide Range hub and not the Sturmey Archer as I have said above is fitted to the 3 speed bikes ????

Mine was built bespoke last August...two months ago. I got it bespoke precisely because I didn't want the rack and dynamo lights with the 6 speed option. I tend to use the term "Sturmey" generically, like "hoover", "Kleenex" and "Tippex". But I think it actually is a Sturmey. I'll check when I get home as I rode in on the hybrid today. I do know that it has a wider range than the 3 spd.

BTW, I don't take my Brompton on the tube. I merely mention Russell Square as it has a ludicrously long staircase. I do, however, whip it around British Rail (or whatever it is now) stations with no probs. Crystal Palace has lots of stairs...it's a fair hike from platform 4 to the exit, involving three significant flights of stairs.

 

[CharlieB]

The weird thing I've found about carrying a Brompton is that it always feels lighter unfolded.
How does that work, then?

 

[Twanger]

The weird thing I've found about carrying a Brompton is that it always feels lighter unfolded.
How does that work, then?

It's balanced. That's why. I've noticed the same.

 

[Bromptonaut]

The early six speeds used a Sachs Torpedo hub, same as the three speed, and had some overlap issues. AFAIK circa 2008 that option was withdrawn in favour of the current set up of six speeds based on a Brompton Wide Ratio (BWR) hub. My 6spd M6R was a bespoke build but I think I've seen them in shops as well.

The BWR is manufactured by SA but Brompton were heavily involved in the design. Gives an excellent range of gears and provided you tweak the levers in the right order it's possible to go through all 6 ratios sequentially. The 2/3 and 4/5 changes require the use of both levers at the same time.

When I first got the M6R in May I tended to use 3 as lowest gear on my Euston to Chancery Lane commute. However that triggered a return of the old knee problem and since mid September I'm dropping to 2 for standing starts. Still not got it to the point of being intuitive but as 50 appraoches I'm finding that about lots of things

 

[chap]

Bromptons

I chose a 3 speed because I just wanted to pootle around town (slow cycling and all that.) However, I have been surprised to find myself beating people with several gears especially when going uphill. On the Brompton (especially at night) London becomes a playground, and though I have yet to brave Hampstead Heath, the 3 gears have proven more than useful. I personally find my M3L to be a fast bike.

However, I'd imagine that with the extra range, and assuming the 6 speed is as reliable as my good old 3 speed, that the M6L would be like a Ferrari in town, without the breakdowns I would hope. Should the need occur in the future, I may could always sell my current bike and buy the 6 speed as they hold their value well, but for now my M3l is fine for me.

As for the rack, I haven't got one but I would imagine that they would be of use at times, then again whether it would be used is another thing.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

What an interesting thread for someone who is eagerly awaiting delivery of his M6L (in Black/Red with Brooks B17) from On Your Bike in Tooley Street- what a lovely bike shop, by the way. Early December is their estimate. Is there a knack with the sequential gearchanging then? Also I have ordered Marathon Plus tyres from Schwalbe.....a good choice? Any other advice eagerly welcomed.

Bill

 

[John the Monkey]

Is there a knack with the sequential gearchanging then? Also I have ordered Marathon Plus tyres from Schwalbe.....a good choice? Any other advice eagerly welcomed.

Regarding the gears, you have two changers - left hand one does the derailleur, right hand does the hub.

So first is; Left in 1, Right in 1
Second is: Left in 2, Right in 1
Third is: Left in 1, Right in 2
Fourth is: Left in 2, Right in 2
Fifth is: Left in 1, Right in 3
Sixth is: Left in 2, Right in 3.

Basically to change sequentially, you have to do the derailleur and hub almost at the same time for changes between 2nd and third, and fourth and fifth (not quite, as the derailleur seems to lag slightly while the chain moves). I seem to use third and fifth more than anything else. It's a sight easier to do than to explain, fortunately. The gear spread seems very wide to me, and I can't remember using the first on the hub (too low) and don't use the sixth much (too high unless I'm really moving) although my S6L only gets a short run to the station and back that's all fairly flat.

Marathon Plus will be heavy, but as puncture proof as anything. I'm on the Brompton Greens myself, which I like so far.

 

[Crankarm]

What an interesting thread for someone who is eagerly awaiting delivery of his M6L (in Black/Red with Brooks B17) from On Your Bike in Tooley Street- what a lovely bike shop, by the way. Early December is their estimate. Is there a knack with the sequential gearchanging then? Also I have ordered Marathon Plus tyres from Schwalbe.....a good choice? Any other advice eagerly welcomed.

Bill

.

The gearing is not such a problem. You'll easily work it out and it will become second nature. If you write down all the gear inches in order of size and what configuration they are as a previous poster has done then you will see that Brompton zigzag the gear ratios up the low and high ranges. So the next highest or lowest gear may not necessarily come from changing the gear in the hub, but by switching the sprocket on which the chain rests thus from low to high ratio or vice versa.

Must admit I've not found the need for Schwalbe MP+ on the Brompton or any bike for that matter. They are a bit ....... heavy. The Brompton kevlar green banded tyres have been more than adequate for me. They've not punctured, grip has been fine and rolling resistance isn't too high.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

I tend not to change gear much day to day (really, my commute is flat, and the gear I normally ride in gets me up to speed well from a standing start as well). If I do need a gear one up (normally if I have a nice clean traffic free stretch on a slight downhill) it's normally from '4th' to '5th' which means a change of both hub and derailleur (hub into top gear, derailleur into the large sprocket from the small). I've found the best option is to flick the derailleur onto the larger sprocket and as soon as it takes (i.e. just before your legs all start spinning too fast!) flick the hub gear changer. You can feel it happen, easier to do than it sounds!

As for the tyres... I think it depends. Both my husband and myself had punctures on Brompton Greens in the same week (bad luck, probably some super-sharp glass on our commute!). That was a bit annoying, then I got another puncture (to be fair this was a screw about an inch long and I think any tyre would have been hard pressed). After the glass issue I'd pondered moving to Marathons or Marathon plusses; and decided to go for the plus *literally* just before the screw went through the green. Had the plusses on ever since; so far so good, but equally the husband (who's still on the Greens) hasn't had another puncture yet either. It feels to me that the Marathons make going uphill a bit harder, but equally when I'm up to speed or downhill it feels like they're faster. After reading the difficulty some people have with Marathon Plus, and after spending quite a while myself just trying to get the green on, I decided that the bike shop could fit it for me.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

Sorry! Completely missed this one.
I'm not London based so don't know unfortunately....

 

[chap]

What an interesting thread for someone who is eagerly awaiting delivery of his M6L (in Black/Red with Brooks B17) from On Your Bike in Tooley Street- what a lovely bike shop, by the way. Early December is their estimate. Is there a knack with the sequential gearchanging then? Also I have ordered Marathon Plus tyres from Schwalbe.....a good choice? Any other advice eagerly welcomed.

Bill

A slight aside, but I paid a visit to On Your Bike on your recommendation, and they have an underground bike park (as in car park but good).

What an inspired idea!

I would also recommend Compton Cycles (where I bought my Brompton) they are fair, friendly, and knowledgeable although at the opposite end of London for me