Brompton toolkit bought and reviewed

[ukoldschool]

Hi all,

I had been carrying a multi tool and a couple of Allen keys/tyre levers in an under saddle bag, but saw an unused Brompton specific toolkit available on a well known auction site, so as it was cheap I took the plunge and I have to say I am glad I did! Its extremely well made, lighter than what I was carrying about before, fantastically well designed and best of all very neat in the way it stows inside the frame.

It is pricey, and I can understand people thinking "£50 for that..... (rrp)" but now that I have one I wonder why I didn't just stump up before as it really is a great little bit of kit and a fantastic design.

Here's what you get:

• 15mm Spanner for the wheel nuts
• 2 steel tyre levers (one of which has a spoke lock and an 7mm M5 spanner, the other has an 7mm M5 and a 10mm M6 Spanner)
• On the other end of the 15mm spanner is a rathet drive for the following bits:
• Posi drive/small flat head screwdriver bit
• 2/6mm allen bolt bit
• 3/4mm allen bolt bit
• 2.5/5mm allen bolt bit
• Some puncture repair patches and a tiny bit of sandpaper

The cover of the case is alloy, and it has rubber ends with the bottom one being magnetic so that it 'clicks' into and out place perfectly, using the ring of the spanner to pull it out of its frame hidy hole...

 

[ianrauk]

It is a nice piece of kit. Pricey but nice.
The way it inserts into the frame is genius.

 

[Kell]

I got one for Christmas last year. Been in my frame for age and then I finally used it for the first time last week.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

That reminds me, I bought one when I got my Brompton but it's still in the bag in the back of my car; must remember to stick it in the frame next time I'm out.

 

[tamiya]

Wow that's neat! What does it weigh?

 

[ianrauk]

Wow that's neat! What does it weigh?

 

[ukoldschool]

which is 170 grams for anybody under the age of 50

 

[ianrauk]

which is 170 grams for anybody under the age of 50

.Ounces for our across the pond cousins

 

[robgul]

Yep - really neat but my Brompton is the old shorter wheelbase model and the toolkit doesn't fit in the short front section of the main tube :-( I'm about to experiment with keeping that sort of stuff in the seatpost (extending) with some sort of bung at the bottom.

Rob

 

[tamiya]

Thanks all I've been trying to stash some tools into a Raleigh Twenty

 

[ukoldschool]

Came in handy yesterday and today.. puncture last night, fitted the spare tube I carry, must have walked under a ladder or something as the same wheel (with new tube) got a puncture this morning... the little self adhesive patches in the kit work well though

 

[steveindenmark]

I looked at it and think it is very well designed. But it is designed for for town and city use and not for touring. A multitool without a chain splitter.

But I stole their idea and thats where I store my cake money.

 

[chriscross1966]

I find it is very much like the Brompton front luggage, you don't fundamentally need it, lots of users will have gone for years without it, but once you have it you appreciate just how cleverly designed it is..... yes it isn't cheap, but I've had mine for several years and it gets a lot of use as I'm forever fiddling with things on my bike(s) so having the means to readjust the saddle that went on last night and seemed perfect at the time but now needs moving back 5mm is very handy... It might be worth suggesting to Brompton that they come up with a "touring" toolkit upgrade that locks into the seatpost, it could contain a spare tube, a chain breaker, a couple of better spanners than the (pretty good for what they are actually) ones built into the tyre levers, a crank puller and a bottom bracket spanner... trouble is one thing I would want when touring is a pair of headset spanners and they won't fit in a seaptost tube unless we're talking one of those silly aero carbon things on time-trial bikes...

 

[FolderBeholder]

I find it is very much like the Brompton front luggage, you don't fundamentally need it, lots of users will have gone for years without it, but once you have it you appreciate just how cleverly designed it is..... yes it isn't cheap, but I've had mine for several years and it gets a lot of use as I'm forever fiddling with things on my bike(s) so having the means to readjust the saddle that went on last night and seemed perfect at the time but now needs moving back 5mm is very handy... It might be worth suggesting to Brompton that they come up with a "touring" toolkit upgrade that locks into the seatpost, it could contain a spare tube, a chain breaker, a couple of better spanners than the (pretty good for what they are actually) ones built into the tyre levers, a crank puller and a bottom bracket spanner... trouble is one thing I would want when touring is a pair of headset spanners and they won't fit in a seaptost tube unless we're talking one of those silly aero carbon things on time-trial bikes...

Something that mounted to the triangle pump might be doable...

 

[chriscross1966]

Something that mounted to the triangle pump might be doable...

Yes, or something that slotted into the triangle in the frame.