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..
I hope you bought the rack. I bought one to wheel my bike when it's folded.
However, the wheels that came with the rack are not good. Don't roll well and are a bit unstable.
So I replaced them with 76mm rollerblade skate wheels and rolling the folded bike is now so easy.
You can replace the wheels using the Brompton tool kit.
Just have to replace the bolts with a minimum if two-inch #12-24-2 bolts to accommodate the wider width of the roller blade wheels.
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..
I bought the rack with wheels for two reasons: To improve the stability of the bike when folded and to also then be able to roll the bike when folded.
The bike when folded was much more stable withe tge rack but the very small OEM brompton wheels for rolling the bike were completely inadequate.
I replaced the OEM wheels with 76mm rollerblade skate wheels and now the folded bike is not only even more stable, the bike just rolls beautifully!
Replacing the wheels can be done with brompton tool kit.
Because the rollerblade wheels are wider, you need to replace the bolts. I bought 2 1/2 inch #12-24-1/2 machine screws to replace the bolts for the wider rollerblade wheels that were installed at the end of the rack.
Then I used those old bolts to replace the too-short OEM bolts to accommodate the wider rollerblade wheels at the front of the rack near the seat post.
Here is a photo... The rollerblsde wheels were a fabulous addition and the rack looks great!
