G-line 500 mile review

[brommieinkorea]

Brompton G line,medium,green.
What I hate:
Handlebars too high and too close and too wide. I replaced the bar with a straight bar, better but the S models are more comfortable, and way more aerodynamic.
Plastic slipping seatpost sleeve. Still there ,still sucks.
The stock bell, rubber band mounted, real crap, replaced.
The fact that there are few proper lights that will fit between the bag and front fender, and Brompton does not make a kit to add dyno lights, so you're on your own.
The handlebar sticks out when folded, makes it a real challenge to put the bike away.
What is great:
Brakes are phenomenal.
406 size wheels, even with 20x1.6 tyres, double the tyre volume over 349x37. Lower pressure is easier to maintain and rides better.
It still holds itself together when folded, so that when I must heave it over my head to put it away, it never unfolds.⁰
Other:
The saddles o.k. Alfine is a very good hub, so far. The stock tyres were fabulous on every surface except asphalt, in which case they are slow. Continental contact 20x1.6 fixed this and actually increased my speed by 1.5 mph over a regular Brompton. If you like reflective tape or stickers, nothing adheres to the paint job.
The G-line is no substitute for a regular Brompton just too big. It's better on the road, or trail. It rides in the passenger seat of the Peterbilt (articulated lorry) and this seems to be it's only justifiable purpose. I've had it in shopping carts, but it's not ideal. You can barely get it under a table at fast food places in the USA, but we generally have too much space. It will still fit in the back seat of the GMC, but I"m not sure I could get 2 in there like I've done with s model Brommies.

 

[EckyH]

Plastic slipping seatpost sleeve. Still there ,still sucks.

The sleeve is designed as wearing part. In my opinion that's a good decision, because it's relatively easy and cheap to replace.
My solution for the slipping seatpost was to roughen the seatpost very slightly with the rough side of a kitchen sponge. Of course that will wear the sleeve a bit faster.

E.

 

[wafter]

The sleeve is designed as wearing part. In my opinion that's a good decision.

... which in principle is fine, however when context is added it becomes a lot less-so (from owning a C-Line).

It only wears because of the presence of contamination, and the vast majority of the contamination gets in there from a) the poorly-designed seatpost tube at the BB, and b) the hopelessly inadequate front mudguard / flap.

Crap get thrown up into the bottom of the seatpost tube and migrates into the bush as the seatpost is dragged past it (scuffing the finish off the ID of the tube which acts as a nice corrosion initiation point since it gets covered in whatever crap's flung off the front wheel).

Once in the bush it gently scratches the fook out of the seatpost tube and abrades away the bush. Could be fixed by slash-cutting the bottom of the seatpost tube in the frame and fitting a decent mudguard; but this is apparently beyond Brompton's ability. Perhaps half their profit comes from the sale of new bushes..

it's relatively easy and cheap to replace.

Except it's not, really. On similar setups I've occasionally come across on other bikes the bush is a standard part that's a reversible, mechanical fit in the frame. The Brompton has a mechanical interface, but it's also bonded in with cyanoacrylate glue; meaning when it comes to be removed (or comes loose of its own accord) the glue usually pulls the finish off the inside of the frame; acting as another corrosion initiation point.

A replacement requires re-gluing (so that you can rip off a different bit of powder coat from the frame next time) and reaming in-situ to fit the post; presumably because Brompton can't control the tolerance of their own parts sufficiently for them to be fully interchangeable off the shelf.

Conceivably they could run a reamer down the seatpost tube during manufacture (both pre and post-finishing) to uniform the bore and allow a standard size snap-fit bush to fit everything.. But they don't. Evidently it's far better to do this on the customer's time and money; whilst simultaneously offers them the opportunity to damage their frame. The whole process requiring the bike to go to a bike shop so that the reaming can be done.

My solution for the slipping seatpost was to roughen the seatpost very slightly with the rough side of a kitchen sponge. Of course that will wear the sleeve a bit faster.

... which is great if it works; but should this be necessary given what the bikes cost?


The whole design is an easily-avoidable sh*tshow IMO.

 

[brommieinkorea]

This is a 2 month old bike. It has just over 500 miles. The plastic sleeve in the seat tube isn't worn, it slipped from new. The whole "wear item " thing does not apply.