Bromptons as commuting bikes
- Thread starter Twanger
- Start date
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Twanger
Über Member
- Location
- Crystal Palace, London
You have mail.....
Night Train
Maker of Things
- Location
- Greater Manchester
I don't have a Brompton but I would like to get one.
I hired one when I was working in London about ten years ago. I used it for a commute from Islington to Kensington, about 7 miles, and I found it fairly good.
It has limitations. I would like to have had a slightly higher gearing to get a little more top speed without spinning like a mad thing and a wider range of gearing for some of the gradients. It was only a three speed and so a later model may have been better.
However, the benefits I found to be worth while. I was able to store it in my office because it folded smaller and easier then previous folders I had used, it could be carried easily, it stood up on its own when folded. Also, when I got fed up of the commute, had a puncture, had a near miss with a taxi or just didn't want to get wet in the rain I would stop and fold it and get on the nearest Routemaster bus and bus hop with my travel pass.
Although my current commute is too far for me, 30 miles on motorways by car, it would mean that I could park on the outskirts of town and cycle the last few miles to work and store the Brompton under my desk. I could cycle with my current bike but I would need to have acycle rack on the car adding to fuel consumption and I wouldn't be allowed into the office with it. That would mean risking it being damaged or stolen in the car park.
I hired one when I was working in London about ten years ago. I used it for a commute from Islington to Kensington, about 7 miles, and I found it fairly good.
It has limitations. I would like to have had a slightly higher gearing to get a little more top speed without spinning like a mad thing and a wider range of gearing for some of the gradients. It was only a three speed and so a later model may have been better.
However, the benefits I found to be worth while. I was able to store it in my office because it folded smaller and easier then previous folders I had used, it could be carried easily, it stood up on its own when folded. Also, when I got fed up of the commute, had a puncture, had a near miss with a taxi or just didn't want to get wet in the rain I would stop and fold it and get on the nearest Routemaster bus and bus hop with my travel pass.
Although my current commute is too far for me, 30 miles on motorways by car, it would mean that I could park on the outskirts of town and cycle the last few miles to work and store the Brompton under my desk. I could cycle with my current bike but I would need to have acycle rack on the car adding to fuel consumption and I wouldn't be allowed into the office with it. That would mean risking it being damaged or stolen in the car park.
hackbike 666
Guest
I don't have a Brompton but the bikes interest me.See loads of people use them on my trains.
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
I just want to bask in self congratulation knowing that my Brompton is the best thing I will ever buy, ever. Everything from now on is down hill.
Well, the Brompton Gods have clearly marked my dissing their machine, and exacted punishment. Took the little blighter of a tiny kerb this morning and the pump (a Brompton special, costing £12.50) went in to the wheel. Spokes undamaged, but pump a write-off.
DJ
Formerly known as djtheglove
- Location
- On my bike in the smoke!!!!!!!!!!
I know a guy who I would consider a keen cyclist who took his Brompton touring in europe, the beauty of it is that he folded it up and took it on the plane with him!!!!!!!!! That sort of versatility makes the folding bike a very usefull tool !!!!!!!!! I sometimes wish I could afford one, but even secondhand (not nicked) they are expensive.
djtheglove said:
Hunt around. Mine was £180 as new from LBS - still had mounding knobbles on the tyres. They had it as a PX and wanted rid. Old lady apparently had got it as a shopper to use up and down the canal path. Which is mud most of the year. Unsurprisingly, she didn't really get on with it. She had actually zip-tied the back and front together at the hinge so it didn't fold (which means you can lift it like a normal bike without the back flopping down), as apparently she never did fold it, but kept it indoors.
Joe24
More serious cyclist than Bonj
- Location
- Nottingham
dellzeqq said:
A positive for build quality surely?
SavageHoutkop
Veteran
- Location
- South Manchester-ish
Well, my comments...
I've had mine for three weeks now, it's due for its first service next week. I've done almost 200 miles on it.
I've come at cycling from a complete novice, as in I had a bike when I was a kid but never got to cycle further than the end of our street and my bike never had gears either.
So, I looked at this cycling thing and thought I should try it. Problem being, we live in a flat, with no cycle parking, no leaving bikes in communal areas, and I think the management company would have kittens if you tried to tie a bike to the railings outside. Therefore, a folding bike was needed.
I looked on the web and did some serious background digging for a while, after which I decided if I got a bike it had to fold, and if it had to fold, it had to be a Brompton. Then I headed off to LBS to arrange a test ride. That took forever, but eventually their test bike came in and off I pedalled, somewhat unsteadily, into the sunset.
Now some of the earlier comments on the forum mentioned bits that AFAIK have been fixed on the new (2009?) model. My shiny new (not so shiny actually as all paint is now matt) Brompton comes standard with
I went for the 6 speed because you don't want to find out later you needed more gears than you've got.... For my standard commute I stick in the middle two all day, really, but on steeper hills like I found this weekend, I do need a lower gear!
As a new cyclist, I'm probably not pedalling as fast as a proper cyclist would. That said, my husband (who has also just got one) did make some comments that he'd like higher gears, but has since changed his mind as he found some proper hills - our commute is pretty flat (but I really do enjoy having the derailleur).
I'm not sure what the earlier comment about plasticky bits was referring to. As mentioned, the metal pedals are now standard, the rear rack is metal. The gear shifters are plastic but mine seem to be behaving fine. The mudguards are also plastic, but so what, really?
I've also got for mine the basket (shopping) and the bag for the rear rack. My husband's got the touring pannier, which he enjoys. The thing seems sturdy enough, I'm not sure that you'd need the whole thing to be metal? I haven't tried the 30 beer can trick yet, but I'll let you know!
As I've said, I'm new to this cycling thing so I can't give you a comparison with other bikes and rides. I'm sure other rides could be more comfy, or faster, or whatever. The bike is not the lightest, as I keep remembering when carrying it up stairs (especially with my dynamo and rear rack fitted). It is also probably more 'twitchy' than a normal bike. But I'm enjoying mine so far. The fold is really neat, the ride is probably a bit bumpy but hey, it's got small wheels, what do you expect?
I'm only about 50 kg, and a girl, and I find it rides a bit better with some more weight on it (like the luggage on the front or the rear bag).
Another comment mentioned that a bike had had the 'auto fold' thing fixed with tie-wraps. On the new model you get to pick if the thing folds or not, there's a little lever you push in to get it to fold. I think that if you want it to auto-fold you can turn the rubber suspension thing around and it'll do that but I enjoy mine not folding unless I want it to.
We recently went on a quick holiday involving most of Europe. There were many Bromptons out there....
Hope that helps! If you have any more questions I can dig out my manual (like further info on the brakes, for one). The downloadable brochure is also a good place to look for info on the current models.
On another topic....
I've had mine for three weeks now, it's due for its first service next week. I've done almost 200 miles on it.
I've come at cycling from a complete novice, as in I had a bike when I was a kid but never got to cycle further than the end of our street and my bike never had gears either.
So, I looked at this cycling thing and thought I should try it. Problem being, we live in a flat, with no cycle parking, no leaving bikes in communal areas, and I think the management company would have kittens if you tried to tie a bike to the railings outside. Therefore, a folding bike was needed.
I looked on the web and did some serious background digging for a while, after which I decided if I got a bike it had to fold, and if it had to fold, it had to be a Brompton. Then I headed off to LBS to arrange a test ride. That took forever, but eventually their test bike came in and off I pedalled, somewhat unsteadily, into the sunset.
Now some of the earlier comments on the forum mentioned bits that AFAIK have been fixed on the new (2009?) model. My shiny new (not so shiny actually as all paint is now matt) Brompton comes standard with
- metal pedals, including a folding pedal for the one side,
- a new more comfy saddle (the test bike was really hard on the rear) including
- a pentaclip!
- I think something improved regarding braking (I'm not quite up to speed with all the mechanics here, but I think the brakes have been improved from some previous models).
- and mine came with the 12.50 pump dellzegg mentioned included (so I'm believing him on the price)
I went for the 6 speed because you don't want to find out later you needed more gears than you've got.... For my standard commute I stick in the middle two all day, really, but on steeper hills like I found this weekend, I do need a lower gear!
As a new cyclist, I'm probably not pedalling as fast as a proper cyclist would. That said, my husband (who has also just got one) did make some comments that he'd like higher gears, but has since changed his mind as he found some proper hills - our commute is pretty flat (but I really do enjoy having the derailleur).
I'm not sure what the earlier comment about plasticky bits was referring to. As mentioned, the metal pedals are now standard, the rear rack is metal. The gear shifters are plastic but mine seem to be behaving fine. The mudguards are also plastic, but so what, really?
I've also got for mine the basket (shopping) and the bag for the rear rack. My husband's got the touring pannier, which he enjoys. The thing seems sturdy enough, I'm not sure that you'd need the whole thing to be metal? I haven't tried the 30 beer can trick yet, but I'll let you know!
As I've said, I'm new to this cycling thing so I can't give you a comparison with other bikes and rides. I'm sure other rides could be more comfy, or faster, or whatever. The bike is not the lightest, as I keep remembering when carrying it up stairs (especially with my dynamo and rear rack fitted). It is also probably more 'twitchy' than a normal bike. But I'm enjoying mine so far. The fold is really neat, the ride is probably a bit bumpy but hey, it's got small wheels, what do you expect?
I'm only about 50 kg, and a girl, and I find it rides a bit better with some more weight on it (like the luggage on the front or the rear bag).
Another comment mentioned that a bike had had the 'auto fold' thing fixed with tie-wraps. On the new model you get to pick if the thing folds or not, there's a little lever you push in to get it to fold. I think that if you want it to auto-fold you can turn the rubber suspension thing around and it'll do that but I enjoy mine not folding unless I want it to.
We recently went on a quick holiday involving most of Europe. There were many Bromptons out there....
Hope that helps! If you have any more questions I can dig out my manual (like further info on the brakes, for one). The downloadable brochure is also a good place to look for info on the current models.
On another topic....
I've seriously been thinking about this, does it work well? (except in my case I'd use the shopping basket as a... shopping basket). I've not got the easy wheels yet, as they are an upgrade, and the bike doesn't steer well on the 'standard' wheels it comes with when half folded. Do you actually fold both wheels or just the rear one? I've noticed you can get away with the basket still being in position when the bike is fully-folded....trsleigh said:
I've had mine for probably 10 years now and not a thing has gone wrong with it.
Built like a tank, so I don't really understand the comments about quality.
When I got mine, the talk was that it was an idea to replace the little dolly wheels on the rack with in-line rollerblade wheels - apparently it makes it WAY easier to roll around partially folded. I've never bothered myself because it's so quick to fold I rarely carry it. I'll completely unfold it, roll it where I want it, then fold it again.
I find it actually very fast (mine's a 3-speed) but a little twitchy. This is very good in town as you can nip around obstacles with no problem, but it can be a little hairy at speed on the open road. The brakes on mine suck balls, but I've not touched them since new so I could probably rectify that with a little effort.
The ONLY problem I have with it is the amount of attention I got when I used it to the station and back. I could guarantee I'd get someone wander over and chat to me about it at least 3 times a week. Can get a little wearing over the months! It's the speed of the fold and how small it goes. Might not be such a problem now that they're more common though
Incidentally, I don't think they're expensive. When you consider the frame is still handmade in Britain - that's going to have a cost impact. But I think it's something to be proud of!
Built like a tank, so I don't really understand the comments about quality.
When I got mine, the talk was that it was an idea to replace the little dolly wheels on the rack with in-line rollerblade wheels - apparently it makes it WAY easier to roll around partially folded. I've never bothered myself because it's so quick to fold I rarely carry it. I'll completely unfold it, roll it where I want it, then fold it again.
I find it actually very fast (mine's a 3-speed) but a little twitchy. This is very good in town as you can nip around obstacles with no problem, but it can be a little hairy at speed on the open road. The brakes on mine suck balls, but I've not touched them since new so I could probably rectify that with a little effort.
The ONLY problem I have with it is the amount of attention I got when I used it to the station and back. I could guarantee I'd get someone wander over and chat to me about it at least 3 times a week. Can get a little wearing over the months! It's the speed of the fold and how small it goes. Might not be such a problem now that they're more common though
Incidentally, I don't think they're expensive. When you consider the frame is still handmade in Britain - that's going to have a cost impact. But I think it's something to be proud of!
Woz! said:
"Fast red", as it's correctly known.
last time I was in the Brommie dealer, they had a Ti with a Brooks saddle and al the bells and whistles and custom paint - metalic pale blue. Cancelled order. They had it marked up at the same price as the standard one. Very tempting, it was the dog's....
