Brompton racks - help me make up my mind..

[wafter]

I'm on the fence with the idea of a rack for the Brompton and would appreciate a bit of a push in one direction or the other to help make my mind up please!

So far I have:

Pros:
- Bike is more stable when folded
- Bike rolls easier when folded
- Additional ad-hoc load carrying capacity on rear
- Potentially easier folding (rear mudflap might get an easier ride)
- Better reflector / rear light location
- Prevents damage to rear mudguard (although potentially at the expense of the rack)

Cons:
- Additional mass
- Significant additional cost (including extra pair of easy wheels)
- Arguably less pleasing aesthetically


I potentially have the opportunity to get one at a slightly less offensive price, so really want to make the decision now to take advantage of this situation while I can..

 

[EltonFrog]

Obviously everyone has different needs and wants, I don’t need one, but the main reason I haven’t got one is, aesthetically, it doth offends mine eye.

It’s a no from me.

 

[biggs682]

I am not a Brompton or folding bike owner but I do like to have one bike in the fleet with at least a rear rack fitted

 

[annedonnelly]

I have never needed a rack on my Brompton. I always managed to get everything I needed in a front-mounted bag. I have a large bag and a small one.
My other bikes are shopping bikes and have racks to take panniers.

Re your "pros" I almost never rolled the bike while folded. I would always wheel the unfolded bike to wherever I wanted it, then fold and lift the folded bike onto the train, bus, etc. Even going into the office I would only fold outside the lift doors.

 

[a.twiddler]

For myself, I would have a rear rack. The Brompton item isn't the prettiest thing out there, and you can't fold it without removing anything that's strapped to it first, but it's something that's better to have than not. If you unexpectedly buy something while you're out on your Brompton and don't have your front bag with you, it's always there to strap something to. My Brompton isn't just for looking at (though I look at it a lot when I'm using it), it's something to use.

The rack gives you the option of using a rucksac with a dowel under the seat to hold awkward things if you go somewhere instead of using the car for such a journey. My Brompton came with a rack fitted, and protects the rear dynamo light. If It had come without one (I bought it used) I would soon have put one on. I have rolled the bike when folded. I've put a cross piece on my "M" bars similar to the early ones which makes a handy hand hold for pulling it along with the stem unfolded. Are the non rack models with 3 wheels less easy to roll than the rack models with 4
wheels? Not having had one, I don't know. For me, the ability to roll the Brompton when folded is one of its plus points, as it's no lightweight, with or without a rack.

 

[mitchibob]

If you need to carry stuff at the back, seatpost bag is just as good, lighter, easier to get on and off, and zero chance of it rubbing on rear wheel. I never roll bike folded though... prefer to keep the bike light enough to lug around if I need to. Similarly, as I did accidentally destroy one seatpost bag with my road-bike, ended up getting tailfin aeropack, as only takes seconds to attach, or detach for the 99% of the time I don't need it. What you can get on brommie rear rack also seems like could be limited by not interfering with your feet while pedalling, so carrying extra weight that's only useful very occasionally seems like a waste.

And definitely not as good looking with a rack on.

 

[Specialeyes]

Big ol'bag on the front carrier block and seatpost bag, as @mitchibob says above, for anything else.
The bike handles better with a front bag, and you can't even carry a stack of takeaway pizza boxes on a rack without heel clip ( and be honest, that's the main purpose of rear racks isn't it?!)

 

[wafter]

Thanks all - seems like an overwhelming, almost universal "no" then!

At full price I'd pretty much convinced myself that I wasn't going to bother, however I have nagging doubts about the functionality of the standard setup with the wheel on the mudguard since the top of the guard has already taken a hammering, I've had a few wobbles with the bike folded and it doesn't roll so well in this state. It also seems that the guard takes a bit of a beating from the folding action - as evidenced by mine which is already bulging a little around the stays.

I think the folding issue is exacerbated by the need to clear the mudflap; which (especially for the inexperianced amongst us) often leads to the bike being yanked up in the air a fair bit while trying to master the rear-wheel flick, and the little roller being subject to quite a bit of force when it hits the ground.

I fully appreciate the arguments for the rack's limited carrying capacity compared to that of one on a standard bike and that's really of secondary concern to me. On top of the heel / ground clearance issues there's also the need to carry whatever's on the back when the bike's folded - and realistically I'll already be carrying a small rucksack and whichever fat front bag I ultimately settle on - which will be quite enough!

Another argument is that the cost of additional stiffening / protection for the rear mudguard would be offset against that of a rack as it's something else I'd not be buying; plus I've just seen a used silver rack go for £90-odd on ebay - so worst case if I really hated it I could probably move it on and not make an enormous loss.

Still on the fence; although despite everyones' advice to the contrary I'm thinking of just getting one ordered tbh as apart from anything else this little bike is consuming my life currently and I just want to get it sorted so I can get on with other stuff!

 

[a.twiddler]

Not being a large person I don't have heel strike problems, one of the few advantages of being a shortarse with size 8 feet. As a complete package, the Brompton with rack works for me. It doesn't stop me enjoying the benefits of the Brompton front luggage system, which I have found to be excellent. Normally the Brompton is used when I need a folding bike. My usual human powered transport is a recumbent, and it's only the convenience of the Brompton, however it's configured, that persuaded me to buy one after I'd decided that I was unlikely to ever buy an upright bike again, after being seduced by the Darkside.

If you are of average size or bigger then the heel strike with the rolling wheels might be more of a concern than what it looks like. From the general run of comments on the Brompton /folding bike threads it does seem that the Brompton is better suited to average sized riders than really tall ones, and having a rack might be an inconvenience from that point of view.

 

[wafter]

Not being a large person I don't have heel strike problems, one of the few advantages of being a shortarse with size 8 feet. As a complete package, the Brompton with rack works for me. It doesn't stop me enjoying the benefits of the Brompton front luggage system, which I have found to be excellent. Normally the Brompton is used when I need a folding bike. My usual human powered transport is a recumbent, and it's only the convenience of the Brompton, however it's configured, that persuaded me to buy one after I'd decided that I was unlikely to ever buy an upright bike again, after being seduced by the Darkside.

If you are of average size or bigger then the heel strike with the rolling wheels might be more of a concern than what it looks like. From the general run of comments on the Brompton /folding bike threads it does seem that the Brompton is better suited to average sized riders than really tall ones, and having a rack might be an inconvenience from that point of view.

Thanks - I'm of average height but evidently have freakishly long femurs

I do have problems with heel strike on the rollers (or more correctly "shoe-hang" where the roller gets caught inside my shoe - which is highly unpleasant). However, unfortunately I don't think this can really be got around but I'm hoping that this might be aided by fitting some non-knackered easy wheels (the current ones are shafted; their enlarged bore allowing them to hang at an angle which potentially makes the situation worse). It's my understanding that the forward set of wheels remain on the rear triangle even with the rack attached; so it shouldn't make any different in this regard..

I'm awaiting the delivery of my Condor order today; so can hopefully get the larger easy wheels fitted and see how much difference this makes to the folded behaviour of the bike..

 

[a.twiddler]

It does make me wonder how Brompton riders who like the stripped down look without mudguards manage. Presumably the front roller wheels are still there, but not very useful in this case. The Brompton balances well when carried by the nose of the saddle (there are even finger grips on the supplied saddle) but it would be quite wearing to carry it any distance, especially if you have bags too (across a large station concourse for example).

 

[wafter]

It does make me wonder how Brompton riders who like the stripped down look without mudguards manage. Presumably the front roller wheels are still there, but not very useful in this case. The Brompton balances well when carried by the nose of the saddle (there are even finger grips on the supplied saddle) but it would be quite wearing to carry it any distance, especially if you have bags too (across a large station concourse for example).

Aye - never thought of the absence of a rear roller on such bikes!

Tbh because mine rolls so badly (and the need to lift the seatpost to stop the bung dragging on the ground was lost on me for longer than it should have been!) that I've been carrying it everywhere. It's manageable for short periods but not a whole lot of fun.. I have the saddle quite far back on mine so it misses the balance point somewhat and I usually carry it by the frame..

 

[berlinonaut]

Thanks all - seems like an overwhelming, almost universal "no" then!

Disagree. You have listed basically all relevant arguments in your first post - which strike depends from how you weight them for your personal needs and situation and that's individual.
Personally, I've resisted the rack for a very long time. Today, most of my Brommis have one. I do consider and use them as utility bikes and I have to admit that the rack adds utility for me. The ones that don't have a rack are the light and fast ones. There's also the choice between various racks apart from the original one - i.e. an Asian mini rack adds to the rollability and stability but does look less bad and is cheaper, too. But it lacks the ability to carry things in a practical way. So once more you have to choose.

 

[a.twiddler]

My Brompton came with the longer seatpost and I used to puzzle why the folded bike wasn't as compact as it might be until I realised that. I sold the longer seatpost and bought a NOS shorter one. It seemed a bit pointless having a longer post that I never fully extended when it made the folded package bigger as well. The shorter seatpost was originally the standard one but it seems there's more demand for the longer one so that is what is fitted as standard on recent Bromptons.

It's hard to imagine that the population has got taller since the Brompton was first produced. Perhaps the Brompton now attracts a taller population sample? As I recall, I had to raise the saddle slightly when rolling it originally, not such an issue now. If your saddle is too far back to comfortably balance when you're carrying it, perhaps one of the aftermarket handles that fits to the frame ahead of the seat post might make life easier?

 

[annedonnelly]

It does make me wonder how Brompton riders who like the stripped down look without mudguards manage. Presumably the front roller wheels are still there, but not very useful in this case. The Brompton balances well when carried by the nose of the saddle (there are even finger grips on the supplied saddle) but it would be quite wearing to carry it any distance, especially if you have bags too (across a large station concourse for example).

I don't think the current saddles have the finger grips. Mine does and I think it's a really nice feature.