Brompton, T5, Yellow – Modifications

[gom]

Front Luggage
With the bike I bought the front bag (1999), and a bit later the large Touring bag. Good bags, but not waterproof. There are good YouTube videos about front luggage options, cheaper then buying a Brompton own-brand, but I was interested to see what I could do with the Ortlieb panniers I already had.
The original bag had the all-metal frame, made of 12mm tubing. The current Ortlieb fittings can cope with this, although my old (15+ years) back rollers need 10mm or less.

Sport-packer classic:
Not a perfect fit, but very useable. I have done 50 mile rides with just the one, loaded with all my food and drink for the day and had no problems. The cable-tied bottle cage has also proved OK.
Fitting two seems fine, though I have not quite seated the LH clip on the right pannier, and possibly should move the bottle cage. I have not tried using two on a proper ride.

Bike-packer plus: Again not an ideal fit, but appears quite well fixed – not tested on a long ride yet. Given the positions of the two clips, I think I’ll strap it in place when I do try it for real.

 

[u_i]

Could you provide more info about the pictured bag's frame? Was made by Brompton or custom made for the previous owner or yourself? I presume that it is steel, right? Is the diameter 10 or 12mm - I am a bit confused by what you write. Thanks.

 

[cheys03]

The older bags used to come with that steel frame, pictured. They can only be sourced 2nd hand, with or without the bag and are incredibly useful for shifting odd loads or as above with different bags. Clearly they weigh more though, but are more robust than the riveted plastic and aluminium replacements.

 

[gom]

Could you provide more info about the pictured bag's frame? Was made by Brompton or custom made for the previous owner or yourself? I presume that it is steel, right? Is the diameter 10 or 12mm - I am a bit confused by what you write. Thanks.

The bag I bought with the Brompton, or just after. I find it was made by Carradice, as is my later Touring bag. I think the frame must be steel, and is unmodified - I just took the bag off it.
It looks like that all new bags now use the platic & metal frame. I don't have one to try out.

 

[berlinonaut]

The full metal luggage frame for the bags was the standard from Brompton until they invented the current design with plastic parts in 2004. Until the S-bag got invented in 2005 along with the S-model there was only one size of frame (the bigger one). Only over the last years various smaller versions of the frame got invented along with a variety of smaller sized bags, starting with the game bag which was the first bag to have a frame with no handle. Since the latest renovation of Bromptons bag portfolio the handle is gone as it is now on the bags themselves, so whoever is in need for a frame with handle should probably hurry up and grab stock while it lasts.

Futhermore in the nineties there were at least two specially shaped versions of the metal frame: One to directly attach to a (customer bought) wire basket and another one to attach an existing bag, using bolts. Both were not very popular and vanished from the portfolio quickly.

Bags were initially made by carradice, then by a company called "porica" (or alike), then by radical design from the netherlands and now there's again a new standard manufacturer for the bags along with various cooperations.

 

[12boy]

Great job with that bike and like berlinaut, I love that it all works together well even though it is so different from the way things are done now.