Brompton - how quick are they?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

HJ

Cycling in Scotland
Location
Auld Reekie
scouserinlondon said:
I've been left for dead by a couple of bromptons. Really not cricket.

+1

People who think Bromptons are slow have never meet a fast cyclist who happens to be riding a Brompton. It is not the bike which determines the speed it is the rider...
 

Robbiebrown34

New Member
Sorry to bring up an old thread here but that really was an interesting read.

I'm considering getting a Brompton for my commute into London. I would have a 9/10 mile ride to the train station and then 1mile to the office from there.

Would the Brompton be suitable for this? I have a road and mountain bike but there is no way I'm leaving either at the station after everything I have heard!

Can you recommend which bike would be best for this commute? 3 gears or 6 gears? It'll be on fairly flat ground (Bracknell to Maidenhead) but having never ridden one I really aren't sure what's best. Hoping to head into Evans cycles later this week to try one out but wanted some advice first.

Thanks
 

CopperBrompton

Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
Location
London
For flat ground, the 3-speed will probably be fine. The 6-speed has a bit of a clunky twin-lever gear change, and mostly gives you extra steps rather than significantly extending the range. I'd start by riding the 3-speed and see how you get on.

The Brompton bags are great (I have the C-Bag which carries loads), so it's rare to use the rack, so I wouldn't bother with that. Bars are to taste - most people opt for the M, the S is lower so sportier but less comfortable in traffic, the P gives the best of both worlds but personally I hate the look.
 

Luke Redpath

Well-Known Member
I have a Tern folder which has 20" wheels and weighs about 11.5KG.

It's very quick off the line and is more than capable of sustaining 20mph and above in top gear (9 gears on mine) on flats. Unfortunately my legs are not.

I got my previous Tern which only had 8 years up to 32mph downhill, I suspect my new one should manage a bit more than this.

Biggest downside that I notice is that there's a lot of rolling resistance, probably in part down to the Marathon supremes fitted to mine, so any downhill speed scrubs off quite quickly unless you are very fit. Uphill can also be a bit of a chore but again that's probably a lot down to my own capabilities.

But it does the job nicely for me and I can do a 12 mile home journey through East London in about an hour, with traffic/lights etc.
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
from distant memory of other threads and seeing as no-one else has said it, don;t the parts etc wear out quicker?

given the considerable compromises of finer qualities for the advantages of folding up small

and yes of course a fast strong rider will make them go but they are slower all other things being equal aren't they?

and expensive and therefore rather desirable to the prowling ne'er-do-well
 

CopperBrompton

Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
Location
London
from distant memory of other threads and seeing as no-one else has said it, don;t the parts etc wear out quicker?
Not that I've noticed.

and yes of course a fast strong rider will make them go but they are slower all other things being equal aren't they?
Cross-country, a bit, but not in urban riding where it's all start-stop traffic light GPs. There the small wheels make them quick to accelerate. I'm of very average fitness for a gentleman of a certain age and I'm almost always first away from the lights, and generally don't get overtaken by road bikes until halfway toward the next set, at which point rinse and repeat.

and expensive and therefore rather desirable to the prowling ne'er-do-well
Yep, but one of their great strengths is you never have to leave them unattended. In the office, they go under your desk; shops, restaurants, etc, they come in with you.
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
perhaps for the average plodder, a brommie is red rag to me and the bike that's first to the next lights is always in with a chance to get through it before it changes

they must wear out parts quicker, mind you heaven knows a road bike wears out parts
 

jay clock

Massive member
Location
Hampshire UK
i find mine slow mainly because I use it across south London down very small roads etc have lots of stop/starts
 

CopperBrompton

Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
Location
London
a brommie is red rag to me
A lot of roadies and fixies seem to feel the same judging by how hard they seem to be working ... I remain firmly in the saddle, quietly snicking though the hub gears with my hub dynamo lights on. :-)

and the bike that's first to the next lights is always in with a chance to get through it before it changes
There's always that, but it rarely seems to work out that way. I do sometimes see one run a red light after the third or fourth time we meet ...
 

shouldbeinbed

Rollin' along
Location
Manchester way
You would say that;)

Just as I would say S2 (2 speed) all the way I am so much faster on the S2 then the M3 or the P6 the gear combos just do not work for me and the bars flex to much as well.

Red if you can try them all!
Agree, nowt wrong with the S bar. I have standard gear S3 and can whiz along happily on it and pass other MTB/hybrid cyclists in undulating North Manchester.
 

shouldbeinbed

Rollin' along
Location
Manchester way
they must wear out parts quicker

Why must they? They are designed and built knowing they are likely (tho capable of far more) to be a daily commute workhorse & they know in advance that the end product will be a 16" wheel bike, so the parts are commensurate to the build. I also haven't noticed undue or fast wear of parts on mine, or on the other quality folders I've had.
 

Matthames

Über Member
Location
East Sussex
I have come within a whisker of claiming a few KOMs on my Brompton. I have also hit 30 mph on the flat doing an all out sprint. So with the right pair of legs they can shovel.
 

Rohloff_Brompton_Rider

Formerly just_fixed
Re wearing out, yes the chain drive does wear out quicker, but they're so cheap it's not worth swapping chains out - I.e., one chain per chain drive (front ring, rear sprockets and chain) change which can be as much as 10,000 miles. So it kinda balances out, the rims wear out quickly for me as I'm heavy and it's hilly where I live, but they're only ~£20 and take an hour to change.

The M+ tyres do wear quickly, I tend to only get 2-3000 miles on the rear. The OEM tyres do last a lot longer IME.

The rear hinge can wear wear out quickly or last ages, my 1st brommie's hinge wore out in less than 4000 miles but my others haven't needed changing past that..go figure.

Maintenance wise...2 speed is a PITA and doesn't seem to like the northern grit when it rains torrentially. The 2 trigger system for 2/6 speed works but gets on my nerves especially when the 2 speed packs up - which means you end up with a REALLY wide 3 speed.

The best combo I've ever had for the least amount of maintenance was the 3 speed BSR and Schlumpf mountain drive. I never touched it for thousand of miles....in fact I'm converting one of my existing B's to this again (I sold my last one as I thought I'd not need the fold again).
 
Top Bottom